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Mexico is, along with Canada and The United States, part of
North America. Its limits are The United States to the north
and Guatemala and Belize to the south. with the characteristic
of facing the sea not only in the east, but also in the west,
in this case, the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
It comprises a surface of 1,972,547 square kilometers. It has
the largest peninsula in the world, Baja California. To get to
any city limiting with The United States from Mexico City,
such as Juárez City, it is necessary to go through 1,900
kilometers, whereas between Mexico City and Cuauhtémoc City,
near Guatemala, there are 1,200 kilometers.
Mexico City is the capital of México, very old, the worlds
largest city, the financial, political and cultural center of
México, the nightlife capital of México, one of the worlds
great cities, huge, one of the world's most difficult cities
to drive in, filled with exciting things to see and do,
sinking, an energetic metropolis or just an incredible place
to visit. The city is located 2200 meters above the sea level.
Some people not used to high places have experienced
difficulty when breathing; however these symptoms fade a few
minutes after arrival.
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Mexico City's night life is like all other aspects of the
city; it's huge. There is an enormous selection of venues:
clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes, and variations and
combinations thereof to choose from. There is incredible
variation, from ultramodern lounges in Santa Fe and
Reforma, to decades-old dance halls in Centro and Roma.
There are also pubs in Tlalpan and Coyoacán and clubs of
every stripe in Insurgentes, Polanco, Condesa and the Zona
Rosa.
Also, when going out, check the date, since this is an
important indicator of how full places will generally be,
and how long you might have to wait to get in. Salaries
are usually paid twice per month, the 30th/31st-1st, and
the 14th-15th. On or right after these dates is when most
Mexicans will go out, especially if pay day coincides with
a weekend. In the more expensive places, people might
leave for Acapulco or vacations farther afield during the
summer and long weekends. Mexican weekends, in the sense
of when it's common to go out drinking, are Thursday night
to Sunday morning, and sometimes throughout Sunday. |
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History
The origins of Mexico City date back to 1325, when the
Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was founded and later destroyed
in 1521 by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes. Then the city
served as the capital of the Viceroyalty of the New Spain
until the outbreak of the Independence War in 1810. The
city became the capital of the Mexican Empire in 1821 and
of the Mexican Republic in 1823 after the abdication of
Agustin de Iturbide. During the Mexico - U.S. war in 1847,
the city was invaded by the American army. In 1864 the
French invaded Mexico and the emperor Ferdinand Maximilian
of Habsburg ruled the country from the Castillo de
Chapultepec and ordered to build Avenue of the Empress
(today's Paseo de la Reforma promenade). Porfirio Díaz
assumed power in 1876 and left an outstanding mark in the
city with many European styled buildings such as the
Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Palacio Postal.
Diaz was overthrown in 1910 with the Mexican Revolution
and this marked a radical change in the city's
architecture. The 20th century saw the uncontrolled |
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growth of the
City beyond the Centro Historico with the influx of
thousands of immigrants from the rest of the country.
In
1968 the city was host to the Olympic Games which saw the
construction of the Azteca stadium,
the Palacio de los Deportes, the Olympic stadium and other
sports
facilities. In 1985 the city suffered an 8.1
Richter gr
ade earthquake that tore down several buildings in the
Centro Historico, Colonia Roma and other old
neighborhood.
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Economy |
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Mexico City ranks 8th in terms of GDP size among 30
world cities. More than a third of total Mexican
economy is concentrated here. The size of its economy
is US $315 billion, compared to $1.1 trillion of that
of New York. Mexico City is the wealthiest city in all
of Latin America, with a nominal GDP per capita is
$17,696. Mexico City's poverty rate is also the lowest
in Mexico, at 15%, and its Human Development Index (HDI)
is the highest in the nation at 0.8830. It is home to
the Mexican Stock Exchange. Most of the large local
and multinational corporations are headquartered here,
mainly in the Polanco and Santa Fe districts.
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Getting There
Benito Juarez International Airport (IATA:
MEX) (ICAO:
MMMX) |
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Most travelers arrive to Mexico City by air, to the
Benito Juárez International Airport, located in
the eastern part of the city. There are frequent
flights to and from most larger cities in the world,
as Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo,
Santiago de Chile, London, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt,
Toronto and Tokyo. Some of the
international airlines that operate regular flights to
Mexico City include (as of April 2007): Aerolineas
Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France, Alaska
Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, British Airways,
Continental Airlines, Copa, Cubana de Aviacion, Delta,
Iberia, Japan Airlines, KLM, LAN, Lloyd Aereo
Boliviano (recently grounded), Lufthansa, Mexicana,
Northwest, TACA, Varig, Ocean Air, United Airlines and
US Airways. The airport has a plane spotting area. To
reach it, take the subway and go to the Terminal
Aerea station. |
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As of January 16, 2008, a new terminal, Terminal 2, opened
at Benito Juarez. If you are flying in or out of the city
check with your airline as to what terminal you should use
for ticketing and check-in. give yourself extra time to
make your flight to avoid confusion. |
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Arrival |
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If you arrive on an international flight, after picking
your luggage you will go through Immigration, and then
Customs. Make sure you fill in all forms prior to landing
to make this an expedite process. Sometimes the airline
will hand them out on the flight. There is a $300 Dollars
duty allowance that includes new clothing, tobacco and
liquors. The Mexican customs law allows passengers to
bring free of duties a laptop, an mp3 player, a digital
camera, a tripod, a video camera and used clothing.
You will also be required to fill out a Migratory Form for
Foreign Tourist, Transmigrant, and Business Visitor of
Council Visitor which must be stamped by the customs
officer. This form has a bar code on it and a blue stripe
across the top saying "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" Be
sure not to lose this form as without it, you will not be
able to leave the country. If you lose or misplace it
during the visit, you must visit the immigration office at
the airport to fill out a new one. If you plead ignorance
they may let it go, but otherwise there's a 440.00 pesos
fine.
After going through customs you will pick up your luggage,
and then pass through screening. You will press a button
for a red or green light. The red means they will search
you, the green means you can go.
The entire process, from when the plane arrives to when
you are done with customs, usually takes about an hour.
After completing customs you will go through large doors
to the waiting area for international arrivals. Be
prepared to see a lot of people in this area. It is a
custom for families to pick up their beloved ones at the
airport and the hall is rather small for a city of its
size.
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Porterage
There are carriers who will offer to carry your
luggage. This is a service authorized by the
airport and is safe - th
ey will be uniformed with white shirts, navy blue
tie and dark blue pants, and will carry a wheelie
(or keep it nearby) with the union logo on it.
There is no fixed price for this service, but
15-25 pesos should be fine, unless you are
traveling in a group or have a lot of bags.
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Health Regulations
Do you need to Immunize?
Many people who have never traveled to Mexico get the
impression that immunization is an absolute
requirement for Mexico. It is not in many cases. It is
in some, depending where you plan to go.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists travel
to Mexico for their holidays, Most tourists travel to
Mexico's beaches, resorts, colonial cities,
archaeological sites, and other well-established
tourist places. Many of them don't immunize themselves
for these trips.
Do you need to?
Probably not; but the choice is a personal one and you
should speak with your doctor if you are uncertain.
Unless you plan to travel off the beaten track, for
example, take jungle tours, or plan to travel in rural
and/or remote areas of Mexico, or places that are not
well established, the likelihood is, you won't need to
immunize yourself. The choice is a personal one and
you should check with your doctor before you travel.
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Airport Transfer to Hotel
Ground transportation
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Taxi
The airport offers a service of licensed and
secure taxis known as Transportacion Terrestre
. These cabs are white and yellow with black
airplane stickers on the doors. You should buy a
ticket in the marked counters inside the airport.
You can ask one of the wheelie guys for "Taxi
Seguro", or "Boleto de Taxi" and he'll
take you and your luggage to the Taxi counter. Be
sure to get the detachable piece of the ticket
back. Prices range from 5 to 25 US dollars for the
taxi service, depending on the size of the car and
the zone of the city you are going to. A drawing
of a car on the ticket will tell you what type of
car the ticket is valid for. Some ticket vendors
are known to sell more expensive tickets for huge
vans to single persons with moderate amounts of
luggage. Be aware the airport is not located in
the best area of the city, so it is not
recommended for tourists to walk outside the
airport terminal in search for |
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cheaper taxi service unless you have pre-arranged your
service. Despite this, an alternative Taxi Sitio
(site) can be reached by using the overpass located
outside of Gate D. Taxis here are about half the price
of the official airport taxis and are considered
secure - this is the Sitio that is set up for
the airline employees. |
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Metro
(Subway)
If you are looking for a more economical means of
transportation and you're not carrying too much luggage, is to
take the Metro (Subway). The Terminal Aerea station is next to
the Domestic flights terminal, to the left when coming out
from the international arrivals hall. The tickets cost 2 pesos
each. Realize that the Metro has its own risks - pick
pocketing is a moderate danger so be aware of your
surroundings and keep an eye on your belongings. |
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WARNING:
Sometimes, during rush hour in order to protect women from
sexual harassment, the Metro authorities will separate women
from men as cars do not communicate. Plan ahead for this in
case you are separated and decide beforehand on which station
are you going to hop off. |
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Climate
within
Mexico City
the weather is dry and mild. Mornings and nights are usually
fresh, unlike the afternoons which are usually warmer.
Mornings and nights use to be fresh, unlike afternoons when
temperatures rise to warmer degrees. Average temperatures
between December and March is 20° C, while during the warmer
months (April and March) thermometers can go up to 31° C.
Afternoon rains usually pour during July and August, they can
happen to fall every single day but will rarely last for more
than two hours.
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Currency
The Mexican currency is the
peso
($ or MXP), issued in $ 20,00; $ 50,00; $ 100,00; $ 200,00;
and $ 500,00 and 1,000.00 bills; and in 0,05; $ 0,10; $ 0,20;
and 0,50 cents; and $ 1,00; $ 2,00; $ 5,00; $ 10,00; $ 20,00;
and 50,00
pesos in metallic coins.
There are one hundred Mexican cents (centavos) to every Peso.
The symbol used for the peso is "$", while the 100 centavos
into which it is divided are represented by "¢".
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Credit Cards
Credit cards are widely accepted and used in Mexico. The
most commonly accepted are Visa, MasterCard and American
Express, which may also be useful to withdraw money from
automatic tellers.
Some distant country towns work only on cash, so it is
convenient to have it at hand if you are going to visit those
places.
Automatic Tellers
Automatic tellers are a convenient way to get cash, although
there is an extra charge if you withdraw money abroad; this is
compensated by the fact that you don’t have to pay commission
exchanging money or traveler’s checks. In commercial and
banking areas, it is easy to find automatic tellers. In the
same tellers, it is indicated the type of card accepted,
Cirrus or Plus, for example, and they are available 24 hours a
day.
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Money Exchange
American
dollars are the most common foreign currency in Mexico;
nevertheless, it is also possible to exchange some other
currencies, such as Canadian dollars, Euros, British pounds,
in tourist places. In Mexico, it is possible to exchange
money not only in banks, but also in money exchange
institutions; however, you must take into account that banks
only work at some hours of the day. Money exchange
institutions can be found in almost all cities; it is a fast
and comfortable system to exchange money; nevertheless, you
must consider that many of them don’t accept traveler’s
checks. It is also possible to exchange money in hotels,
though the exchange rate won’t be very convenient for you.
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Electricity
The electric voltage is 110 volts, 60 cycles. Thus, those
devices designed for 220 volts must use a voltage converter.
Travel devices and portable computers usually have a voltage
converter (110 – 240 volts), which adapts the Mexican
electricity.
Language
Spanish is the official language. English and French are the
business and tourist languages and spoken widely.
Tipping & Haggling
In general, in restaurants and food stands it is correct to
leave a 10% as tip. This amount may increase or decrease
according to the level and quality of the service. You
don’t tip taxi drivers, but you do with bellboys in hotels
or the person parking the car in hotels and restaurants.
In markets, fairs and craft or clothes “tianguis’”
haggling is a law. When you ask for a price, offer less
than what they are asking for. What is also typical is asking
‘is it the less I can offer?’ Salesmen are always willing to
deal, though lately haggling is not as common as it used to
be. It is also convenient to haggle with taxi drivers; so
before taking a taxi, agree on the fare with the taxi driver
beforehand
Medical Services
Hospitals in the country are equipped with modern facilities
and latest technology to meet any medical need. In some remote
towns and cities, clinics and health centers provide emergency
medical care. Most hotels and resorts provide medical
assistance.
Safety
Mexico City is like any other major city in the world, where
common sense will ensure a trouble-free and enjoyable congress
and vacation. Although in general burglary and pick pocking
are not so common, car robbery is very usual, but kidnapping
is less usual. To prevent possible losses, in the first
case, make sure to rent an insured car, and don’t park in
remote places, dark or lonely streets. Do not leave luggage or
valuables unattended. Use safety deposit boxes provided by
most hotels. Do not carry large amount of cash, and keep cash,
credit cards and identification documents in a secure place.
Carry a photocopy of your passport instead.
Your valuable objects and travel documents may be deposited in
safes hotels have for those purposes. This is a safe place
to keep your things
Insurance
The congress organizers cannot accept liability for personal
injuries sustained, or for loss or damage of property
belonging to congress participants or their accompanying
persons, either during the congress or during tours. It is
therefore recommended that participants and accompanying
persons arrange appropriate travel and health insurance before
traveling.
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