Spanish is the official language of Mexico, and the first language of the vast majority of Mexicans. Like several other European languages, Spanish stems from Latin, but has also adopted many words from other languages, including Arabic words inherited from Spain’s eight Moorish centuries. In Mexico, such borrowing has extended to the country’s indigenous languages, especially in place-names.
Spanish varies, in terms of accent and dialect, from country to country. While there are differences in pronunciation and local vocabulary, a Spaniard will be understood in Mexico and vice versa. Castellano, or Castilian, began as a dialect spoken in inland northern Spain, and became the language of the court of the kingdom of Castile and León in the twelfth century, and of Spain as a whole in the fifteenth century, when the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon were united. It thus became the language of all new territories discovered and claimed on behalf of the crown of Spain by Christopher Columbus and his successors. Mexico’s future as a Spanish-speaking country was all but assured when Columbus’s lookout first sighted land (a small island in the Bahamas that Columbus chose to call San Salvador, in honor of his Holy Savior) in the early hours of October 12, 1492.
In most parts of Spain today a “c” followed by a soft vowel (e, i), or a “z” followed by any vowel, is pronounced with a “th” sound. Mexicans will pronounce it with an “s” sound (e.g., a cenizero, meaning “ashtray,” would be a “theneethero” in Spain but a “seneesero” in Mexico). Historically, Spain also used this “s” pronunciation, but a divergence occurred in the sixteenth century when the court of Charles V, the first Habsburg king of Spain, who reigned for forty years (1516–56), chose to adopt the king’s own pronunciation. (The unfortunate monarch had inherited the unusual Habsburg features—he had an underbite, and an enormous chin, and was unable to close his mouth properly—and consequently spoke with a lisp.) The colonies across the Atlantic were far enough away not to have to follow suit. Bizarre but true.
Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages for an English-speaker to learn. Even if you only acquire a basic knowledge of Spanish, using it will demonstrate that you have an interest in the country and its culture, and it will be greatly appreciated. Don’t be shy—practice is the way to improve. The basic grammar is straightforward, and nobody will mind if you make mistakes. In tourist areas, locals will often be able to speak English, but elswhere even stumbling Spanish will open up the possibility of better communication and understanding.
Off the beaten track, you may come across people who speak one of the country’s sixty or so indigenous languages as a first language, or, more rarely, as their only tongue. The most widespread are Nahuatl (the language of the Aztec, with 2.5 million speakers) and Maya (with 1.5 million).
Mexicans love to talk. Their Mediterranean heritage also means that they talk with their hands, though not as much as their cousins back in Spain. They will also not pay much attention to conventions of “personal space” once they get to know you. This closeness, combined with talking loudly and gesticulation, can initially seem aggressive, but it is certainly not meant to be. In a formal situation, voices will be slightly lowered and gestures more restrained.
Mexicans, in most situations outside the family and close friends, always use the formal word usted for “you.” The plural is ustedes. Because this is short for vuestra merced, “your honor,” the verbs are in the third person form. The informal tu uses the second person form, as would be expected, but vosotros (second person plural) is never used in Mexican Spanish—they will find it highly amusing. In Spain, usted is used less. It is a sign of respect and good manners when addressing older people or business associates in a formal meeting.
Once you have built up a friendship or a business rapport with a Mexican, there are few taboo subjects, but initially it is safer to stick to topics of general interest rather than ask a lot of personal questions. Complimentary remarks and inquiries about the local area will always get a conversation going, and you will soon find points of common interest to discuss. As mentioned before, if a Mexican is talking negatively about his country, culture, or soccer team, don’t join in!
These are not as numerous as they once were, certainly in the capital. The Mexico City Times and The News were once published in the capital and employed many expatriates, but neither exists now, although The News is rumored to be making a comeback. Nowadays the International Herald Tribune is the one daily newspaper in English on sale, though many U.S. (New York Times, Miami Herald) and some British papers are available in the larger cities a day late. Weekly international news magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and The Economist are also widely available, as are all manner of lifestyle magazines.
Areas with large English-speaking expatriate populations, such as Guadalajara (The Colony, Guadalajara Reporter) and San Miguel de Allende (Atención and El Independiente are its two weekly papers), have their own weekly English-language papers. Others include the Cuernavaca Lookout, the Baja Sun, and the Ojo del Lago (“Eye of the Lake”) in Chapala, which advertises itself as the paper of “the largest English-speaking community living outside Canada and the U.S. today,” perhaps forgetting Britain and the rest of the Commonwealth.
Main post offices (oficinas de correos) are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Most of these offer a mail-holding service. Letters should be addressed to the recipient at the Lista de correos, followed by the name of the town and the state. You will need to show ID when picking these up.
It is best not to rely too much on the Mexican postal service, and it should be avoided for sending and receiving larger packages internationally. Incoming parcels and sometimes even letters can be held up indefinitely at the customs stage, and outgoing mail often disappears long before then. In any case, fax and e-mail have supplanted most written communication, and international couriers have filled the gap left by the inadequacies of the postal system where larger packages are concerned. If you are in business, you can get a preferential business rate from various couriers (DHL, UPS, etc.), but individuals sending one-off packages will not be stung too badly either, and it does at least guarantee that a package will reach its destination.
Travelers wanting to ship goods home can look up the air freight divisions of various international airlines, or even land/sea freight companies (slower, equally reliable) for larger volumes or smaller budgets.
If you do want to send a postcard, mailboxes are a newish shade of bright red (in Mexico City and tourist resorts) or, more commonly, yellow.
Probably because of the inadequacies listed above, but maybe simply because Mexicans like to talk, the telephone is the most popular means of communication. However, this does not make it easy for the visitor, at least initially. The country’s code is 52. Most numbers in Mexico have eight digits, combining area code and local number. Mexico City adds a 55 prefix to its eight-digit numbers. When dialing long-distance (i.e., interstate) within Mexico, dial 01 before the full number. When dialing out of Mexico, dial 00 followed by the country code. For operator service, dial 040.
There is widespread use of cell phones. Most people use pay-as-you-go telephones (Movistar and TelCel are the main companies, and the rates are reasonable compared to the U.K.). You can purchase these and buy units of call time in branches of Samborn’s, among other places.
Landlines have not been completely supplanted, and local calls remain cheaper on private or public telephones. The latter are either telephone booths on the streets (easily recognizable blue TelMex telephones, known as LADATEL), which take phone cards in denominations of 20 to 100 pesos, or coin-operated phones in restaurants and shops. Both options are far cheaper than calling from hotels, especially overseas.
Mexicans say “Bueno?” (which roughly translates as “Well?”) when answering the phone, and then wait for you to speak.
Internet cafés are widespread in Mexico (all major cities have them, as well as many small towns in more tourist-oriented areas), and they are also cheap (12 to 20 pesos an hour is typical). But connections are sometimes slow.
Upon arrival, you will soon discover that the Mexicans are a unique people. Outwardly reserved when dealing with strangers, they soon become relaxed and friendly once they get to know you. The unknowable Mexican is a myth. There is enough common ground for mutual understanding and friendship to develop.
The first reference point is family. Family life is the focal point of Mexican society, and children are seen, heard, and doted on. Wider society and its authority figures are often regarded with suspicion (often with good reason), and rules and laws are often regarded as constrictive. These, especially in the south, are often bent or ignored when expediency dictates it, although this does not mean that Mexicans lack a moral compass, or even that there is one definitive Mexican mindset. However, a common culture—as seen in the country’s festivals and fiestas, arts and crafts, and cuisine—is still immediately apparent to anyone who visits Mexico, as is a strong religious faith, a specifically Mexican Catholicism that borrows heavily from pre-Columbian traditions. It all adds up to a special, diverse, and provocative people.
Business travelers may well encounter delays and changes to plans. But flexibility and the personal touch are the Mexican way, and you will be pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things run once you adopt this attitude. Your Mexican counterparts are sure to be friendly, hospitable, and interested in you as an individual. Once they get to know you and therefore value you, your business has a much better chance of flourishing.
Whatever your reason for coming to Mexico, knowing more about Mexicans and their culture will help you to make the most of your time there, and also to have realistic expectations. Above all, it will help you feel more at ease in a country that at first sight may appear forbidding and utterly different, but which holds infinite riches, variety, and fascination for the visitor.