Vacation Rentals in Mexico
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Travel destination Mexico.
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Destination
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Overview of Mexico
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| Size |
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1,953,162 sq km (754,120 sq mi) |
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| Population |
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100,350,000 (growth rate 1.53%) |
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| Language |
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Spanish is the official language. English is widely spoken. |
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| Time Zone |
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5-8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (-5 through -8
GMT). |
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| Electricity |
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110V, 60Hz. US two-pin (flat) plugs are usual. |
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| Clothing |
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Light summer clothing
(especially natural fibers) is recommended. Take a sweater and an umbrella any time of year. |
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| Religion |
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90% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant. |
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| Currency |
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New Peso (Peso)
Currency Converter |
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Location of Mexico
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Mexico is at the southern extremity of North America and is bounded to the
north by the USA, northwest by the Gulf of California, west by the Pacific,
south by Guatemala and Belize, and east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Mexico’s geographical features range from swamp to desert, and from tropical
lowland jungle to high alpine vegetation. Over half the country has an altitude
above 1000m (3300ft). The central land mass is a plateau flanked by ranges of
mountains to the east and west that lie roughly parallel to the coast. The northern
area of this plateau is arid and thinly populated, and occupies 40% of the total
area of Mexico. The southern area is crossed by a range of volcanic mountains
running from Cape Corrientes in the west through the Valley of Mexico to Veracruz
in the east, and includes the magnificent volcanoes of Cofre de Perote, Ixtaccíhuatl,
Matlalcueyetl, Nevado de Toluca, Orizaba and Popocatépetl. This is the heart
of Mexico and where almost half of the population lives. To the south, the land
falls away to the sparsely populated Isthmus of Tehuantepec whose slopes and
flatlands support both commercial and subsistence agriculture. In the east,
the Gulf Coast and the Yucatán peninsula are flat and receive over 75 per cent
of Mexico’s rain. The most productive agricultural region in Mexico is the northwest,
while the Gulf Coast produces most of Mexico’s oil and sulphur. Along the northwest
coast, opposite the peninsula of Baja California, and to the southeast along
the coast of Bahía de Campeche and the Yucatán peninsula, the lowlands are swampy
with coastal lagoons. |
Climate in Mexico
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Mexico's climate varies according to its topography. It's hot and humid
along the coastal plains on both sides of the country, but inland, at higher
elevations such as Guadalajara or Mexico City, the climate is much drier and
more temperate. The hot, wet season is May to October, with the hottest and
wettest months falling between June and September over most of the country.
The low-lying coastal areas receive more rainfall than elevated inland regions.
December to February are generally the coolest months, when north winds can
make inland northern Mexico decidedly chilly, with temperatures sometimes approaching
freezing. |
Best Time to Travel to Mexico
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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. |
Events in Mexico
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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 is held late February
or early March in the week before Ash Wednesday. It 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 papier-mâché 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. |
Society in Mexico
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Handshaking is the most common form of greeting. Casual sportswear is acceptable
for daytime dress throughout the country. At beach resorts, dress is very informal
for men and women and nowhere are men expected to wear ties. In Mexico City,
however, dress tends to be smart in elegant restaurants and hotel dining rooms.
Smoking is unrestricted except where notified. Mexicans regard relationships
and friendships as the most important thing in life next to religion and they
are not afraid to show their emotions. A large Mexican family always seems to
find room for one more and a visitor who becomes friends with a Mexican will
invariably be made part of the family. Visitors should always remember that
local customs and traditions are important.
Tipping: service charges are rarely added to hotel, restaurant or bar
bills and many of the staff depend on tips for their livelihood. 15% is expected
and 20% if the service has been very good. Airport porterage is charged at the
equivalent of US$1 per bag. |
Food in Mexico
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Mexican cuisine is much more than just tacos and burritos. Depending on
the region, it can share similarities with Caribbean, Spanish and even East-Indian
cooking. In the coastal states - Yucatan, Campeche and Veracruz, for example
- the emphasis is on fresh seafood (shrimp, crab, squid, octopus, redfish, snapper).
The Yucatan also boasts wonderful sopa de lima (soup with tortilla strips,
chicken and limes) and pollo pibil (chicken marinated in sour orange
juice and cooked in a pit in banana leaves). The state of Michoacan is known
for the tart-piquant flavors of such dishes as salpicon de res (shredded
beef cooked with pickled serranos, cilantro and tomatoes), while Oaxaca boasts
a number of different moles (sauces made with unusual combinations such
as turkey mole, a sauce containing a score of ingredients including several
sorts of chilli, tomatoes, peanuts, chocolate, almonds, onions and garlic. Another
sauce guacamole, incorporates avocado pears, red peppers, onions and
tomatoes,
Elsewhere, poultry, beef and pork dishes are featured. In Colima, try tatemado
(pork baked in a clay pot over an open fire); in Tampico, try tampiquena
(fillet of beef, usually with refried beans, fried tortilla chips and guacamole
on the side). The basic bolillos (crispy bread rolls) and tortillas are
magnificent because they're usually prepared fresh daily.
Be sure to try chiles rellenos (poblano peppers stuffed with cheese or
meat, then fried in egg batter); crepas de huitlacochle (corn fungus);
papadzules (a dish of tortillas in pumpkin-seed sauce - its antecedents
go all the way back to the Mayan Age); chicharrones (fried pork skin);
and the different kinds of tamales (wrapped in corn husks, banana leaves or
even Swiss chard).
Imported spirits are expensive, local spirits probably give better value for
money; the best buys are rum and gin. European aperitifs are produced in Mexico
and are of excellent quality; and, of course, there is tequila (made
from maguey, a variety of cactus). It is traditionally drunk neat with
a pinch of salt and a bite of lemon, and makes excellent cocktails. Mexico’s
coffee liqueur, kahlúa, is world famous. Hidalgo, Domecq and
Derrasola are good Mexican white wines, whilst Los Reyes and
Calafia are excellent reds. Mexico is a producer of good beer; both the
dark beers and the light beers are worth sampling. |
Visa for Mexico
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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). |
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