CULTURE & FACTS

Mexicans have had a talent for art and color since pre-Hispanic times. Today, Mexico is covered with murals and littered with galleries of contemporary and historic art, which are a highlight of the country for many visitors. Mexican creativity is also expressed through the country's vibrant folk-art tradition.
Mexico's ancient civilizations produced some of the most spectacular, eye-pleasing architecture ever built. Sites such as Teotihuacán, Monte Albán, Chichen Itzá and Uxmal are fairly intact examples of pre-Hispanic cities, with their ceremonial centers, pyramids, temples and ball courts.

Spanish is Mexico's predominant language, but Mexican Spanish differs from Castilian Spanish, the literary and official language of Spain, in two respects: in Mexico, the Castilian lisp has more or less disappeared, and numerous indigenous words have been adopted. Around 50 indigenous languages are spoken by about 7 million people in Mexico; 15% of these do not speak Spanish.

CUISINE
Mexican cuisine is centered around three national staples: tortillas, beans and chili peppers. Tortillas are thin round patties of pressed corn or wheat-flour dough cooked on griddles. Beans (frijoles) are eaten boiled, fried or refried, in soups, on tortillas or with just about anything. Apart from an astonishing array of freshly squeezed fruit juices (jugos), which are readily available from street stalls, Mexico is also famous for its alcoholic beverages - mezcal and tequila in particular. Pulque is a mildly alcoholic drink derived directly from the sap of the maguey.

ADVENTURE

The locals' general lack of interest in outdoor activities doesn't stop growing numbers of intrepid gringos from trekking off into what Mexicans probably consider absurdly rough country. Trails around the Copper Canyon and Baja California are among the most popular and developed. Sport fishing is especially popular off the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of California. Snorkeling and diving is wonderful in Mexico, particularly at Caribbean coast resorts like Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, Punta Allen and Banco Chinchorro. On the Pacific coast, try Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco and Huatulco. Inland, there are many balnearios, bathing places with swimming pools, often centered on hot springs in picturesque surroundings. Surfing is popular on the Pacific coast. Some of the best surf spots are between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, Bahía de Matanchen, Ensenada, Mazatlán, Manzanillo and the 'Mexican Pipeline' at Puerto Escondido. Los Barriles is Baja California's windsurfing capital, and further south Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo can be good too. The State of Veracruz is the epicenter of the country's white-water rafting industry. A number of Mexico City-based organizations conduct hiking and mountain-climbing trips on Mexico's volcanoes, including Iztaccíhuatl, Pico de Orizaba, Nevado de Toluca and La Malinche.

FESTIVAL

Mexico's reputation for full-blooded festive fun is well founded: just about every month sees a major national holiday or fiesta, and every other day is a local saint's day or town fair celebration. Carnaval (Carnival), held late February or early March in the week before Ash Wednesday, is the big bash before the 40-day penance of Lent; it's particularly flagrant in Mazatlán, Veracruz and La Paz. The country's most characteristic fiesta is the wonderfully macabre Día de los Muertos, held the day after All Saints' Day on November 2. The souls of the dear departed are believed to return to earth on this day, and for weeks beforehand the country's markets are awash with the highly sought-after candy skulls and paper-mâche skeletons that find their way into many a visitor's souvenir collection. December 12 is another big day on the Mexican calendar, celebrating the Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the country's major religious icon
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1 - New Year's Day
February 5 - Constitution Day
February 24 - Day of the Flag
March 21 - Anniversary of Benito Juárez's birth
March/April - Good Friday-Easter Sunday
May 1 - Labor Day
May 5 - 1862 victory celebration
September 16 - Día de la Independencia
October 12 - Día de la Raza
November 20 - Día de la Revolución
December 25 - Día de Navidad

 WEATHER & NEWS
Mexico is enjoyable year-round, but October to May is generally the most pleasant time to visit. The May-September period can be hot and humid, particularly in the south, and inland temperatures can approach freezing during December-February. Facilities are often heavily booked during Semana Santa (the week before Easter) and Christmas/New Year, the peak domestic travel periods. Try to avoid Mexico's southern coast between July and September - the resorts are decidedly soggy and jam-packed, as July-August is also the peak holiday months for foreign visitors.

TIME – WEIGHTS – MEASUREMENTS - CURRENCY
GMT/UTC -6 (Most of Mexico is on Central Standard Time in Winter), GMT/UTC -7 (Baja California Sur and several other states in the northwest are on Mountain Time), GMT/UTC -8 (Baja California Norte is on Pacific Standard Time), GMT/UTC -7 (The North West state of Sonora is on -7 GMT all year round)
Dialing Code: 52
Electricity: 110V ,60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Peso (rate of exchange fluctuates between 10 pesos to 1 US Dollar).


VISAS
Citizens of many countries - including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile and virtually all Western European countries - do not require visas to enter Mexico as tourists. However, if they are staying longer than 72 hours, or are traveling beyond the Border Zone or certain exempted areas, they must obtain a 180-day Mexican government tourist card (tarjeta de turista), available from embassies or at border crossings (US$18).


MEXICO MAPS
www.mexicomaps.com