Mexico travel guide

Mexican beer is well-known internationally and there are a number of brands that can easily be found in bars from Helsinki to Hong Kong, notably Sol and Corona. Other beers worth sampling include Dos Equis-XX, Montejo, Bohemia, Superior and Tecate. These are mostly light lagers, but there are also some dark beers, such as Negra Modelo, Indio and Dos Equis Obscura, although the latter can be harder to find. Beer is ever popular, easy to buy and usually relatively cheap. Some beer is drunk with lime juice and a salt- rimmed glass, or as a michelada, served with ice, lime, salt and chilli sauce.

Mexican wine is cheap and steadily improving in quality; try Domecq, Casa Madero or Santo Tomás. LA Cetto’s wines have been recommended, including their Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Fumé. Some of the best wines produced in Mexico are those from Monte Xanic, produced near Ensenada, Baja California, but these can be expensive. Although Mexicans love their beer, the nation is best known for its spirits. By far the best known, tequila, is made from the fermented juice of the blue agave in the state of Jalisco – originally in a village called Tequila, but now made across the state and in some neighbouring states. Tequila has become increasingly popular internationally, slowly shedding its image as a ‘rough spirit’, to be drunk for the sake of getting drunk. Instead more refined and aged (añejo) tequilas are reaching the market. It’s possible to visit some of the distilleries on day trips from Guadalajara: Sauza, Herradura and José Cuervo are all open to the public.

Lagging behind somewhat in terms of worldwide popularity, mescal is a forerunner to tequila and also made from the agave plant, although not the blue agave. Chiefly produced in Oaxaca , mescal has yet to be taken over by large-scale production and remains more low-key, although it is starting to attract international attention. In Oaxaca many bars and restaurants have their own brands sourced by local producers. Some of the younger mescals are an acquired taste. It’s often these rougher mescals that have the (in)famous gusanito (worm) added – originally a marketing ploy that worked a little too well, making the worm image somewhat hard to shed.

Pulque is another native brew made from the agave plant, well worth a try. The Aztecs were already making it when the Spaniards arrived and it’s pretty potent, so go easy. Rum and brandy are cheap and plentiful, as is the distilled sugarcane spirit, puro de caña. The latter is known as posh in the southern state of Chiapas where it comes in various flavours (cinnamon and hibiscus flower are delicious). Most of these ‘homebrew-style’ spirits are drunk in cantinas – still firmly a male domain, particularly in rural Mexico. Although women often have a tipple at home during festivities and celebrations, it’s mostly in the bigger cities and resorts that women are seen drinking in bars.

Among the non-alcoholic drinks (refrescos) are a number of international brand soft drinks as well as local ones. It often costs more to buy the bottle with the soft drink, so to safe money ask for a bolsa con popote (a plastic bag with a straw). Even more popular are the aguas frescas (fresh fruit juices), made with all sorts of fruits, such as mango, lime or watermelon. These are usually sold at street stalls or markets. Mineral water tends to be used, so they are mostly safe to drink, but take care and check the stalls for hygiene. Licuados (fruit juices mixed with milk, rather like a milkshake) are usually safe to drink.

Eating is a great pastime in Mexico and food is an integral part of the national identity: it’s how people socialize, celebrate and do business.

Of all the Mexican staples, corn, or maize, is the most common and has been cultivated over millennia, probably originating in the Valley of Mexico. There are hundreds of dishes or snacks containing corn tortillas being the most obvious. Tortillas are used as the base for myriad dishes; tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, sopes and quesadillas – anything can be neatly stuffed into the bread and eaten any time of day.

No tortilla is complete without a salsa (sauce); Most restaurants have at least two small bowls of salsa on every table. Most establishments and homes make their own salsas, so they are rarely found ready-bottled. Salsa roja is based on red tomatoes (jitomates) and salsa verde on green tomatoes (tomates). A basic salsa only contains four to five ingredients, but few taste the same. The secret is in the use of chillies, another Mexican staple that we’ve come to firmly associate the nation’s cuisine with hot and spicy dishes. This isn’t strictly true, since there are some 300 different types of chillies and by no means all of them are hot.

Chillies can be used fresh, as well as dried, smoked, roasted or pickled to achieve different flavours. Some dishes, such as mole, contain various types of chillies to get the balance of flavouring right, including serrano, ancho and pasilla. The best-known chilli internationally is the jalapeño, popular in pickled form.

Other staples include avocado-based guacamole, often served alongside salsas. Frijoles, the ubiquitous beans, usually refried, also accompany most meals any time of day. Rice dishes are often referred to as sopa seca (dry soup) along with any other dish that has been boiled in water or broth, such as pastas and risotto.

Mexicans like eating well and often; breakfast can be anything from coffee and a roll, to a full-blown meal of huevos rancheros (eggs with red chilli sauce), chilaquiles (day-old tortilla wedges smothered in red chilli sauce), carne asada (roasted meat) and of course tortillas and frijoles. Business breakfast meetings remain ever popular in Mexico and chain restaurants such as Sanborns and Vips do a brisk morning trade in the cities.

Then almuerzo (brunch or lunch) is a quick snack to keep you going until the main meal of the day: la comida. Traditionally la comida is a two-hour sit-down meal, eaten at home between 1400-1600. It involves three to four courses: the meal starts with a liquid soup, followed by a ‘dry soup’ of rice or pasta, the main dish (usually meat or fish) and finally a postre (dessert). In rural Mexico most people still return home la comida, but in the cities where people often work far away from their abode, this is no longer possible. Many restaurants offer excellent value lunchtime specials: comida corrida (’meal on the run’).

La comida ought to set you up nicely for the rest of the day, but there is also a chance to have the merienda, in the late afternoon – a snack to fill the gap until la cena (supper) in the evening. This is usually a lighter meal than la comida, often just recalentados (leftovers) from the main meal of the day. antojitos (snacks) – anything from a tiny taco, to a large torta – can be eaten anywhere, at anytime.

Up north you’ll find Tex-Mex style cooking, such as fajitas and nachos and the tortillas tend to be wheat, rather than corn. Along the coasts there is excellent fish and seafood is abundant; hearty, warming stews and broths characterize the Central Highlands; and Yucatán has the hottest chillies (habaneros) and the best pork.

Mexico can be rather heavy on the meat, so vegetarians fare less well, but it’s still possible to get a good meal and vegetarianism is becoming better known, particularly in places on the tourist trail, such as the coasts, Oaxaca and San Cristóbal.

Many of the telecommunications networks have been privatized and prices have fallen considerably and in some areas services have even improved. Consequently, keeping in touch by phone is no longer prohibitive.

Calls made to Mexican numbers are local, regional or international. Most destinations have a 7-digit number (except Mexico DF, Guadalajara and Monterrey which have 8-digit numbers). Most regions have a 3-digit code (except Mexico DF, Guadalajara and Monterrey which have 2-digit codes). The format of a number, depending on the type of call, should be as follows: local 7- or 8-digit phone number; regional long- distance access code (01) + regional code (2- or 3-digit code) + 7- or 8-digit number; international international direct-dialling code (IDD) + country code + regional code + 7- or 8-digit number.

Most public phones only accept phone cards (Ladatel); these cost 30 or 50 pesos and available from shops and news kiosks everywhere. AT&T has a US Direct service; for information in Mexico dial T412-553- 7458, ext 359. From LADA phones , dial **01, similar for AT&T credit cards. To use calling cards to Canada T95-800-010 1990. Commercially run casetas, or booths (for example Computel), where you pay after phoning, are up to twice as expensive as private phones; charges vary from place to place. Computel has offices countrywide with long opening hours. It is better to call collect from private phones, but better still to use the LADA system. Reverse-charge (collect) calls on LADA can be made from any blue public phone, say you want to llamar por cobrar; silver phones are for local and direct long- distance calls, some take coins. Others take foreign credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, not Amex; not all phones that say they take cards accept them).

Pre-paid phone cards (eg Ladatel) are available, but expensive for international calls. Of other pre-paid cards, the best value are those issued by Ekofon, http://www.ekofon.com, available at various airport and other outlets, and through a pre-chargeable account service, which can he set up online.

ITM, http://www.itmb.com, produces several maps including one covering all Mexico, Mexico City, Baja California, Mexico North West, Mexico South East, Yucatán Peninsula and a growing selection of regional road maps. The Mexican Government Tourist Highway map is free at tourist offices (when in stock). If driving from the USA you get a free map if you buy your insurance at Sanborn’s in the border cities.

Guía Roji, http://www.guiaroji.com.mx, publishes a wide range of regional maps, city plans and gazettes, available at most bookshops and news-stands. The website has street, town, city and state search facilities for the entire country.

The Dirección General de Oceanografía (Calle Medellín 10, near Insurgentes metro station, Mexico City) sells excellent maps of Mexico’s coastline. Detailed state maps and country maps are available from Dirección General de Geografía y Meteorología (Av Observatorio 192, México 18 DF, T55-5515 1527; Observatorio metro station, go up Calle Sur 114, turn right a short distance down Av Observatorio) . Maps are also available from Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI), which has branches in Mexico City and in state capitals (US$3 per sheet). The Pemex road atlas, Atlas de Carreteras y Ciudades Turísticas, US$5 in bookshops, has 20 pages of city maps including contour lines, points of interest and service stations. It is rarely on sale in Pemex stations but recommended.

Ceramics are crafted out of baked clay or plaster and are polished or glazed or polychrome. Pot-making is usually done by women, although in some parts, such as Michoacán, men paint the pieces. Some of the best pots have a brilliant glaze such as the Patambán pottery found in Michoacán and on sale in Uruapan. The green finish comes from the oxidization of copper whilst its fragility comes from ‘eggshell’ thin clay working. Also outstanding is the bandera pottery of Tonalá (Jalisco) decorated in the Mexican national colours.

Another type of ceramic deals with daily events such as the fishermens’ life in Tzintzuntzan near Pátzcuaro, whilst in Ocotlán de Morelos (Oaxaca) the brilliant colouring is linked to the Day of the Dead celebrations.

There are many unusual forms such as the pineapple-shaped Patambán pieces and the árboles de vida (trees of life) of Metepec (Estado de México). Cats are a speciality of Tonalá (Jalisco) whilst Ocumicho in Michoacán produces a range of fantastical animals. Ceramic dolls are made on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Items such as candlesticks are sold in Izúcar de Matamoros and Puebla which also produces decorative ceramic tiles. Large porcelain vases are found in Tlaquepaque (Jalisco) and huge earthenware jars all over Guerrero and in Acatlán de Osorio (Puebla).

Lacquerware, known as maque or laca is a more regionalized craft found in Chiapas, Guerrero and Michoacán. Prior to the Conquest its colouring was derived from naturally occurring pigments but since the Spanish arrived the decoration has been more artificial although more brightly coloured. Some pieces are even inlaid with gold.

In Chiapas the main centre of production is Chiapa de Corzo, where the speciality is a large cup made from the wood of the calabash tree and stippled with paint applied by fingertip. There is a lacquer museum in the town.

Textile art is heavily influenced by religious ritual, particularly dances to master natural forces, but as well as being impressively robed, priests, witches and shamans are often masked in the guise of animals such as eagles, jaguars, goats, monkeys, and coyotes, particularly in the states of Guerrero (for example in Chilapa), Sinaloa, Sonora and Nayarit.

Such masks are made from cardboard, wire, wood, hide, tinfoil and other simple materials and decorated with thread, gems, mirrors and crystals. Besides animal spirit invocation, they could be related to fiestas such as the Day of the Dead (where the mask might be a cardboard skull or made of sugar), or burlesque, as at the carnival of Huejotzingo (Puebla) satirizing historical and political events specific to a region like the repulsion of the French invasion. At Tepoztlán, (Morelos), where a small pink mask with distorted features is surmounted by a huge hat, again the target is French intervention, this time under Maximilian.

Weaving and textile design has a long and varied lineage. The blouse, of pre-Hispanic origin, for instance, may be found in almost as many different cuts and colours as there are towns in Mexico. The comfortable loose shirt and poncho are ideally suited for hot days and coolish nights, but variations on this practical item of clothing have produced some classic, related, garment types, generally spun in cotton or wool on the traditional telar de cintura, a waist-high loom, or telar de pie, a pedal operated loom introduced by the Spanish.

The huipil is a blouse without sleeves, of varying length, depending upon the area. The best places to buy them are San Cristóbal and Tuxtla Gutiérrez (a white cloth). They are most famous in the towns of Tehuantepec (due to Frida Kahlo’s paintings) where they are often a cherry red or black, decorated with large flowers or ribbons.

The quechquémetl is a diamond-shaped shirt worn by women that covers just the torso and is woven by indigenous groups in the mountains of Estado de México, Estado de Puebla (where the brocade is elaborately embroidered) and San Luis Potosí.

Ponchos come in two distinctive types: the sarape, which is a long garment, and the jorongo, which is shorter. They are found all over Mexico but the former is worn especially in the Valle de Oaxaca, where it is made in Santa Ana del Valle and Teotitlán del Valle (an elaborate cloak with Grecian designs, butterflies, suns, etc), and in San Luis Potosí. Jorongos from Tuxtla Gutiérrez are made from black wool.

The birthplace of the classic rebozo, a dress drawn at the waist and tassled at the hem, is Santa María del Río, south of San Luis Potosí, where it is a delicate silk garment often bought and stored in a small inlaid chest. A rebozo of very fine cotton is made in Tenancingo, 50 km south of Toluca, and in Teotitlán del Valle.

Old Spanish-style dresses are made in Chiapa de Corzo whilst various embroidered textiles, including belts and sashes, are elaborated in Cuetzalan (Puebla) and the famous guayabera shirt is sold in Mérida. Other specialist Yucateca products such as hammocks and henequen bags are covered in the relevant chapters.

Most sites are called trailer parks, but tents are usually allowed. However, due to their primary role as trailer parks they’re often in locations more suited for people with their own transport than people using public transport. Playas públicas, with a blue-and-white sign of a palm tree, are beaches where camping is allowed. They are usually cheap, sometimes free and some have shelters and basic amenities. You can often camp in or near national parks, although you must speak first with the guards, and usually pay a small fee.

Hotel prices in the lower and middle categories are still very reasonable by US and European standards. Prices of top and luxury hotels have risen more steeply as tourism has increased. English is spoken at the best hotels and is increasingly common throughout Mexico. There is a hotel tax of 1-4%, according to the state, although it is generally levied only when a formal bill is issued.

During peak season (November to April) it may be hard to find a room. The week after Easter is normally a holiday, so prices remain high, but resorts are not as crowded as the previous week. Discounts on hotel prices can often be arranged in the low season (May to October), but this is more difficult in the Yucatán and Baja California. For hotels in high price brackets it’s worth checking their websites for any promotional deals or packages.

Rooms are normally charged at a flat rate, or if there are single rooms they are around 80% the price of a double. Couples should ask for a room with cama matrimonial (double bed), which is normally cheaper than a room with two beds. Costs tend to reduce with the number of people sharing a room, making Mexico an economical destination for groups. Always check the room and water supplies before paying in advance. Check-out time is commonly 1100 but bag storage is commonplace. Note that throughout this guide, the term ‘with bath’ usually means ‘with shower and toilet’, not ‘with bath tub’.

A cheap but reasonable hotel might cost US$15 a night upwards in southern Mexico (away from the coast), US$20-25 in the north. In many of the popular destinations, there is often an established preferred choice budget option. The quality of these fluctuates. The good ones stay on top of the game, the mediocre ones fade and bloom with the fashions.

For those on a really tight budget, ask for a casa de huéspedes (boarding house); they are normally to be found in abundance near bus and railway stations and markets. The very cheapest hotels may not have 24-hour water supplies so wash when the water is available. They may be quite dirty too, so pack your own sheet if you intend to stay in a lot of these places (a duvet cover serves as a very good lightweight sleeping bag). Fleas, bedbugs, cockroaches and chirping geckos can all add to the experience!

Motels and auto-hotels, especially in central and south Mexico, are not usually places where guests stay the whole night (you can recognize them by curtains over the garage and red and green lights above the door to show if the room is free). If driving, and wishing to avoid a night on the road, they can be quite acceptable (clean, some have hot water, air conditioning or even a jacuzzi), and they tend to be cheaper than other, ‘more respectable’ establishments. Beware of ‘helpers’ who try to find you a hotel, as prices quoted at the hotel desk rise to give them commission.

Hostels in Mexico are very much on the increase covering private hostels and International Youth Hostel endorsed accommodation. Albergues exist in Mexico, mostly in small towns; they are usually good value and clean, although not necessarily cheaper than hotels, especially for couples. While the hostels take YHA members and non-members, members pay a slightly reduced rate; if staying more than four nights, it normally works out cheaper to become a member. Services vary from place to place. Hostels often have lockers for valuables. For information contact Hostelling International Mexico (Guatemala 4, Col Centro, Mexico City, T55-5518 1726, http://www.hostellingmexico.com).