Guide to Mexico
Mexico Facts & Info
Where to start with Mexico? The culture, the food, the people! With beautiful beaches and historical ruins throughout the country, Mexico offers something for everyone. Mexico sits south of the United States and right above Central America. It’s bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and is divided into 32 states, with Mexico City being it’s own state and the capital of Mexico. Mexico City is the 2nd largest city in the world. Explore more in this Guide to Mexico.
Looking for information about another country? Head over to our Destinations page to find a country you’re interested in.
Guide to Mexico: History
Mexico is home to many ancient civilizations including the Mayans and the Aztecs. Spain colonized and controlled Mexico for about 3 centuries until it finally won it’s independence in 1821. Mexico City was built on top of a lake and sinks about 10 inches a year.
Guide to Mexico: What you need to know
Currency: Mexican Peso
Language: There are 68 indigenous languages in Mexico but Spanish is the official language
Population: Over 131 million people
Voltage: Mexico’s voltage is 127V, or pretty much the same as the US and Canada
Food and Drink: One of Mexico’s most popular food is its street tacos. Tequila comes from Mexico’s Agave plants
Religion: Almost 85% of Mexico’s population is Catholic
Weather: Mexico is a large country and it’s climate ranges from cool in the mountains to hot and dry in the deserts to tropical near the coastal regions
Guide to Mexico: Travel Info
Mexico has different types of climates depending on where you go. If you want to go to the beach, avoid going in March as it tends to be overrun by spring breakers.
There are multiple International Airports throughout Mexico and flying is definitely the best way to arrive. Unless you just want to drive across the border. I would not recommend that. The airline Aeromexico is based here and has many flights to this country. If you’re looking to travel to a smaller city in Mexico you’ll likely have to fly into one of the larger cities, such as Mexico City, and then from there fly into one of the smaller airports. You might also choose to book a tour out of Mexico City to smaller surrounding areas.
Mexico is pretty affordable all around. Hotels range from budget to high end but the majority of hotels in Mexico are very affordable, even in the most touristy places. Food is also quite affordable as well but there are expensive restaurants too.
Mexico City has subways, buses, taxis, and Uber. Driving in Mexico City is chaotic so I would not recommend renting a vehicle. Outside of Mexico City, renting a vehicle is a good idea if you are wanting to go to multiple locations. If you’re staying at a resort or plan on staying at just one location, you can catch a taxi or bus from the airport and maybe opt to do a tour on a bus if there’s somewhere you want to go away from the hotel. We rented scooters in Tulum and they were so affordable and a fun way to get to all the places we wanted to go.
We’ve stayed at beach resorts, hotels in the historic area of Mexico City, an Airbnb in Merida, and a boutique hotel in Tulum and all of them were very affordable. Choose a great location for the places you want to see and book early for the best rates.
If you’re just going to just one city in Mexico, I would say a stay between 4-7 days is probably a good amount of time. Read more about destinations below in our Guide to Mexico.
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