Description

Mexico is located in North America. Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and is rich in literature, art, architecture and religious tradition. Many large cities in Mexico are located in and around the Valley of Mexico at altitudes that give them a year-round temperate climate. The city is near the two volcanoes called Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl which are just beyond Mexico’s most visited ruins, the Teotihuacán and the Tula. Mexico City offers many interesting sites to visitors from the Aztec ruins in the outskirts, to the metropolis of Basilica’s, mansions, historical landmarks and art galleries. It has a rich cuisine, and handicrafts contrasting with chic designer malls and trendy boutiques and hotels concocting a heady mix of tradition with modernity.

Shopping

Mexico City is a shopper's seventh heaven. It has fresh outdoor markets, art galleries, boutiques, designer malls and jewelry stores. At Polanco which is a fashionable neighborhood, tourists can find designer boutiques, fine Cuban cigar merchants and high-end jewelers and leather goods. La Zona Rosa Shopping has expensive boutiques and fine dining restaurants and museums. The Mercado la Ciudadela Shopping is a maze of shops and open walkways in Centro Histrio. Tourists can find handmade crafts or artwork here. Lagunilla Shopping referred to as the thieves market is a good place to buy antiques, jewelry, used books and trinkets. Tourists should beware pickpockets here. Bazar Sabado Shopping is an indoor market where visitors can hear live music on Saturdays as they hunt for crafts and art.

Restaurants

Mexican cuisine is very varied though it is more known for its tacos, fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas. Regional dishes include mole poblano and chiles en nogada as well as barbacoa and other dishes. Tourists visiting Mexico City can sample authentic cuisine from beachside taco stands to fine Latin dining. Les Moustaches Restaurant is an elegant Parisian-inspired restaurant which offers tantalizing entrée, wine and dessert menu. At the La Hacienda de los Morales Restaurantine tourists can taste sumptuous Mexican fare, like spicy tequila shrimp. La Casa de los Azulejos Restaurant is an inspiring building which is 4 centuries old, completely covered in blue tiles. The specialty at La Casa de los Azulejos is the breakfast and the menu of exotic juices. At the Tamalli Restaurant, tourists can savor authentic Mexican tamales which are made from corn dough rolled into a pocket and filled with either a savory or sweet filling and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and then steamed. This is only a take-out eatery which offers fast and cheap service.

Night Life

Mexico City’s most popular districts for nightlife are Polanco, San Angel, Coyoacan and Condesa. La Zona Rosa is a nighttime hot spot, though it's not as chic as Polanco. Tourists can enjoy traditional Mexican theme nights which include dinner, drinks, dancing and live Mexican Mariachis in most hotels’ lobbies. Such parties are popular as they are safe, as the crime-rate in Mexico is high. Tourists can also opt for another safe alternative that is to purchase tickets for a Mexican nightclub tour where tourists are picked up, taken to a few area hotspots and returned to their hotel. Polanco and Condesa are sometimes called the South Beach of Mexico City. The club scene here includes Latin-inspired, alternative, rock and flamenco music. San Angel along with Zona Rosa is Mexico City’s most modern night spots. San Angel is where the splendidly rich and hip folk live, dine and dance.

Activities

Tourists in Mexico should visit the Bosque de Chapultepec, or the grasshopper park which consists of the Mexico City Zoo, the Anthropology Museum and the Chapultepec Fun Fair. The highlight is the Chapultepec Castle, which is the palace that once belonged to infamous ruler Maximilian. The Floating Gardens of Xochimilco is a floating garden of brilliantly adorned boats that float along a 50-mile network of canals. In Aztec times these boats were decked with fresh flowers, but today they are decorated with intricate designs.

Communications

The international access code for Mexico is +52. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code. City/area codes are in use, e.g. (0)55 for Mexico City, (0)744 for Acapulco and (0)998 for Cancun. When using a phone booth to call international numbers, it is advised to only use the official TelMex phone booths, as all others charge very high fees. GSM 1900 mobile networks cover most of the country. Internet access is widely available throughout the country.

Contacts

Mexican Tourist Office, Acapulco: +52 (01)744 842 423 or www.visitmexico.com
Mexican Embassy, Washington DC, United States: +1 202 728 1600
Mexican Embassy, London, United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 7499 8586
Mexican Embassy, Ottawa, Canada: +1 613 233 8988
Mexican Embassy, Canberra, Australia: +61 (0)2 6273 3963
Mexican Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa: +27 (0)12 362 2822
Mexican Embassy, Dublin, Ireland: +353 (0)1 260 0699
Mexican Embassy, Wellington, New Zealand: +64 (0)4 472 0555
United States Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 5080 2000
British Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 5242 8500
Canadian Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 5724 7900
Australian Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 1101 2200
South African Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 282 9260
Irish Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 5520 5803
New Zealand Embassy, Mexico City: +52 (01)55 5283 9460
Emergencies: 066

Currency

MXN

Attractions

Mexico City has many museums, art galleries and cathedrals for tourists to explore. The museum Museo Mural Diego Rivera commemorates Mexico's most famous muralist and artist, Diego Rivera. It showcases the creative process behind Rivera’s most famous works of art. The building of the museum Museo Frida Kahlo was home to Mexico's first couple of art, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. It displays the couple’s private art collection. It provided the setting for the 2002 film ‘Frida’ starring the Latin American actress Salma Hayek. Tourists can also visit the Monumento a los Niños Heroes or the monument to the young heroes, which have six columns built to honor the six Cadets who jumped from the Castle of Chapultepec military academy to their deaths rather then surrender to the invading American troops. The Basilica de Nuestra Señora Guadalupe is a massive, but modern Church which dates back to 1531, built after an indigenous boy had a vision of the Virgin.

Language

Spanish

Language Description

Spanish is the official language. But people do speak some amounts of English in tourist regions.

Tipping

Almost all services expect to be tipped with waiters and bar staff expecting 10 to 15% (if a service charge is not already included in the bill). Taxi drivers are not generally tipped unless they help with the luggage.