MEXICO TOURISM INFORMATION AND TRAVEL OVERVIEW:
It is a beautiful country in North America continent, bordering United
States. It's the 14th largest country in the world with a population of about 104
million and is among the top tourist destinations of people from United States
and Canada. Its famous for tourism due to many reasons including cruises, crystal-white
beaches, blue seas swarming with fish and coral, mountains and volcanoes,
striking wildlife, collectible folk art and the wonderful remains of ancient
cultures also called Meso-American ruins. It is truly a remarkable travel
and tourism destination.
LOCATION:
Mexico borders United States in the north; Guatemala in the south; Pacific ocean
in the west and Gulf of Mexico (sea) in the west.
BRIEF HISTORY:
In the year 1519 Mexico was invaded by Spain and it set up a three-century colonial
rule in Mexico. That also explains why Spanish is the most popular language in Mexico and is spoken by 97% of the population. In 1810, Miguel Hidalgo declared
independence in the small town of Dolores, causing a long war that eventually
led to its independence in 1821, creating First Mexican Empire with Agustνn de
Iturbide as first and only emperor. States of California, Arizona, Colorado,
Nevada, New Mexico and parts of Utah and Wyoming were once a part of Mexico.
Texas which was also a part of Mexico was the cause of Mexican-American
War in 1846 to 1848. After that Mexico went through some political unrest
including Mexican Revolution of 1910 mainly caused because of social inequality.
Mexico has been rising steadily in the last 4 decades.
CURRENCY:
Mexican Peso -MXN ( 1 US Dollar = 11 MXN apx)
You can use Yahoo finance for latest conversion rate
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=USD&to=MXN
Popular Mexico tourism destinations also accept United States Dollars and most
credit cards.
RELIGION:
Roman Catholic, Protestant
FOOD AND WATER:
Mexico tourism offers authentic Mexican food, the list starts from Burritos, Tamales, Tacos,
beans, rice, Enchiladas, and goes on. Unlike the Mexican food that you get in most
western countries, in real its quite spicy. Therefore its recommended that you
do not jump too soon eating too much authentic food and give your stomach time
to get use to. You can stick to Beans and Rice, Quesadillas and plain fish
dishes initially as they are usually less spicy. Margarita is very famous
alcoholic beverage and is usually mixed with tequila. Try to drink bottled water
as much as possible. You can find some western food like burgers and pizza in
most cities famous for tourism.
TIME ZONE:
-6 hrs GMT ( -5 hrs during daylight savings April to October)
LANGUAGE:
Spanish. In most popular tourist places, shops and restaurants owners know
English but overall few people know English. You are advised to keep a
small Spanish translation booklet with you if staying for more than 2-3 weeks
and if your trip might need interaction with local people.
AIRPORTS:
Mexico has airports in most famous tourism places.
