Mexico

1. Despite the considerable colonial legacy and rampant modernization, there are still over 50 distinct indigenous people, each with their own language, maintaining vestiges of their traditional lifestyles.

2. In Mexico City, crime has reached critical levels, with marked increase in the level of violence. The most frequently reported crimes involve taxi robberies, armed robbery, pickpocketing and purse snatching.

3. If you are traveling to Oaxaca and Chiapas, restrict your travel plan to the main tourist routes, maintain a high level of personal security awareness.

4. Citizens of many countries - including the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Argentina, Chile and all Western European countries - do not require visas to enter Mexico as tourists. However, they must obtain a Mexican government tourist card (tarjeta de turista), available from embassies or at border crossings. Travelers entering Mexico from Guatemala or Belize are often given only 15 days on tourist cards.

5. Health risks include cholera, dengue fever, hepatitis, malaria, polio, rabies, tetanus and typhoid. Air pollution in Mexico City is extremely high between December and May.

6. Most of Mexico is on Central Standard Time (6 hours behind UTC). Baja California Sur and several other states in the northwest are on Mountain Standard Time (7 hours ahead of UTC) and Baja California Norte is on Pacific Standard Time (8 hours ahead of UTC).

Electricity: 110V, 60Hz.

Weights & measures: Metric.

Tourism: Estimated 16.5 million visitors per year.

7. Mexico's climate varies according to the country's topography. It's hot and humid along the coastal plains on both sides of the country, but inland, at higher elevations (such as in Guadalajara or Mexico City), the climate is much drier and more temperate.

8. The hot, wet season is from May to October. The southern coastal regions can be uncomfortably hot and extremely humid between July and September. Unless you want to do nothing but lie on the beach and avoid occasional downpours, it's best to avoid the southern coast of Mexico during these months - especially since July and August are also the peak holiday months for foreign visitors and the coastal resorts attract large numbers of tourists.

9. The period from October to May is the most pleasant time since it is fairly dry and comfortably warm. December to February are generally the coolest months, but north winds can make inland northern Mexico decidedly chilly, with extremely low temperatures. The peak domestic travel periods are Semana Santa (the week before Easter) and Christmas/New Year, when facilities are often heavily booked.

10. The Currency is Peso Budget. Your costs will also depend on where you spend your time: Mexico's big cities and coastal resorts are much more expensive than rural areas. If you take in a mix of these places, budget travelers should be able to squeeze by on around US$20-30 a day. Traveling in reasonable comfort, staying at the better mid-range places and eating at the more expensive restaurants should cost around US$60 per day. You'll spend a lot more than this if you stay at luxurious hotels and hire a car occasionally.

11. It's best to bring US-dollar denomination traveler's cheques and some US dollars in cash. You can exchange money in banks or in casas de cambio. Bank exchange facilities are open between 9 or 10 am and noon or 1 pm. Exchange rates vary a little from bank to bank. Airlines, car rental places and expensive hotels accept major credit cards.

12. In heavily touristed areas such as Acapulco, Cancún and Cozumel, you can often spend US dollars as easily as pesos at hotels and restaurants (although the exchange rate will probably be awful).

Note that the dollar sign is used to refer to pesos in Mexico so don't mix it up with US dollars which are usually marked US$ or USD.

13. Mexico has a 15% value-added tax (IVA) but by law this tax must be included in quoted prices. Sometimes - usually in top-end hotels - a price is quoted without this tax.

14. Tipping in restaurants in resort areas is equivalent to US levels - somewhere between 15% and 20%. Outside these areas, a tip of 10% is sufficient at mid-range or quality restaurants; in general, staff at smaller, cheaper places do not expect a tip. Expect to bargain at markets and with drivers of unmetered taxis.

15. The locales' general lack of interest in outdoor activities doesn't stop growing numbers of intrepid gringos from trekking off into what Mexicans probably consider absurdly rough. You can also indulge in fishing, snorkeling, diving, bathing and mountain climbing!

16. Try Mexican cuisine… it is centered on three national staples: tortillas fried beans and chili peppers. Tortillas are thin round patties of pressed corn or wheat-flour dough cooked on griddles. Beans (frijoles) are eaten boiled, fried or refried, in soups, on tortillas or with just about anything. Apart from an astonishing array of freshly squeezed fruit juices (jugos), which are readily available from street stalls, Mexico is also famous for its alcoholic beverages - mezcal and tequila in particular. Pulque is a mildly alcoholic drink derived directly from the sap of the maguey.

17. There's a departure tax of approximately US$12.50 if you purchase your air ticket in Mexico.

18. Flights in Mexico are not particularly cheap, although flying still represents good value for the money, especially considering the long, hot bus trip that may be the alternative. In recent years, the large airlines have left many of the domestic routes to smaller carriers. However, these start-up airlines and their timetables are particularly volatile; new ones are founded and older ones flounder at an alarming rate.

19. Buses are the most common mode of transport and bus routes are extensive. Long-distance buses are fairly comfortable, air-conditioned and acceptably fast. Local rural buses tend to be ancient, decaying, suspensionless models grinding out their dying years on dirt tracks. Combis, collectivos and peseros are minibuses used for local transport.

20. US driving licenses are valid in Mexico, and driving a car can be a good way to get to some of the most beautiful and isolated towns and villages, although you need to be forgiving of road conditions. In Mexico City, car use is restricted to lessen air pollution: the timetable for car use is based on the last digit of the license plate (eg, if your license plate ends with the number 5 or 6, you cannot drive on a Monday; if it ends with 7 or 8 you cannot drive on Tuesday, and so on).

Mexicans have a talent for art and a love of bright colors, since pre-Hispanic times. Today, Mexico is covered with murals and littered with galleries of contemporary and historic art, which is a highlight of the country for many visitors. Mexican creativity is also expressed through the country's vibrant folk-art tradition. Pre-Hispanic art consists mainly of stone carvings, frescoes and murals, and ceramics.