Facts about the Consulate Mexico in the United States: In addition to Mexico's consulate in Fresno, Mexico has 54 other representations in the United States.
For the Gold elite status challenge, rather than trying to earn 25,000 miles in a year, you can earn status in three months by earning 5,000 miles. Earn 5,000 miles in 3 months to get American Airlines Gold Status.
Despite this, I think Executive Platinum is where the value lies with American Airlines. There is a big jump from the 50,000 miles that get you Platinum status to the 100,000 miles that earn Executive Platinum, but it could get filled in after the merger since US Airways already has four elite tiers.