About Mexico

Mexico is a traveler's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialised cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna. The bursting megalopolis of Mexico City is a one-hour flight from the tropical rainforests and Mayan villages of Chiapas. Up along the northern border, Mexico's tumult of heritages merge with the air-conditioned cultures of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

Mexico's profusion of people and landscapes reflects the country's extraordinary history - part Amerindian, part Spanish. One look at this country is enough to remind visitors that there is nothing new about the so-called New World. Despite the considerable colonial legacy and rampant modernization, almost 60 distinct indigenous peoples survive, largely thanks to their rural isolation. This mix of modern and traditional, the clichéd and the surreal, is the key to Mexico's immense popularity as a travel destination, whether your passion is throwing back margaritas, listening to howler monkeys, surfing the Mexican Pipeline, scrambling over Mayan ruins or expanding your Day of the Dead collection of posable skeletons.

Warning

Crime in Mexico has reached critical levels, particularly in Mexico City. There's been a marked increase in the level of violence and a significant incidence of sexual assault in crimes committed against women. The most frequently reported crimes involve taxi robberies, armed robbery, metro robbery, pickpocketing and purse snatching. Credit-card fraud and ATM robbery are also prevalent.

Travelers to Oaxaca and Chiapas should restrict their itineraries to the main tourist routes, maintain a high level of personal security awareness and contact their embassy in Mexico City before traveling to these sometimes violent states. Popocatépetl's volcanic activity should also be monitored.

Destination Facts

Full country name: Estados Unidos Méxicanos

Population: 100,350,000 (growth rate 1.53%)

Area: 1,958,200 sq km (758,866 sq mi)

Capital city: Mexico City (22 million people)

People: Approximately 60% mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian descent) and 30% Amerindian (indígena - including Nahua, Maya, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Totonacs, and Tarascos or Purépecha)

Language: Spanish and 59 indigenous languages

Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant

Government: Federal republic

Head of state: Vincente Fox Quesada

Economy Facts

GDP: US$915 billion

GDP per head: US$9100

Annual growth: 7%

Inflation: 9%

Major industries: Food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

Major trading partners: USA, Canada, Japan, Germany

Currency

Peso

Relative Costs

Meals

Budget: US$2-8

Mid-range: US$8-20

Top-end: US$20 and upwards

Lodging

Budget: US$10-20

Mid-range: US$20-70

Top-end: US$70 and upwards

Money Advice

Baja California, Monterrey and the Yucatán Peninsula's Caribbean coast are pricey, but elsewhere you can expect to get away with spending around US$20-35 a day, particularly in rural areas. Throw in a few luxuries like traveling in reasonable comfort, staying at better mid-range places and eating at more expensive restaurants, and you'll need more like US$60. Stay at luxurious hotels and hire a car occasionally, and the sky's the limit.

It's best to bring US-dollar denomination traveler's checks and some US dollars in cash. You can exchange money in banks or in casas de cambio. Note that bank exchange facilities are often only open between 9am and 3 or 4pm. Major credit cards are accepted by airlines, car rental companies and more expensive hotels and restaurants - but take extra care when using them, as credit-card fraud and theft is rife in Mexico. In heavily touristed areas such as Acapulco, Cancún and Cozumel, you can often spend US dollars as easily as pesos at hotels and restaurants (although the exchange rate will probably be awful). Note that the dollar sign is used to refer to pesos in Mexico; prices in US dollars are usually marked US$ or USD.

Mexico has a 15% value-added tax (IVA) which by law must be included in quoted prices. Sometimes - usually in top-end hotels - prices are quoted without this tax. Tipping in restaurants in resort areas is equivalent to US levels - somewhere between 15% and 20%. Outside these areas, a tip of 10% is sufficient at mid-range restaurants; in general, staff at smaller, cheaper places do not expect a tip. Expect to bargain at markets and with drivers of unmetered taxis. Treat haggling as a form of social discourse rather than a matter of life and death.