Mexico City Booklet
Welcome! A little bit about the country: Mexico is a country full of life, culture and history. It is a country that is characterized by its delicious food, cheerful music, beautiful places and the warmth and fun of its people. It is also a country that has some difficulties and faces important challenges. However, it is a resilient country that is willing to fight for a better place and overcome any obstacle on the way. We thank you that you have shown an interest for helping Mexico and invite you to join us on facing those challenges and helping our communities with energy and enthusiasm.
A little bit about the booklet: This booklet serves the purpose of a basic guide to Mexico City. We hope that this tool will help you feel more informed about the city and answer any questions you may have prior to your arrival. In this booklet you will find information on prices, transportation, weather and security tips. In addition, we included a section of some places near Mexico City that you can visit on weekends and a section where you can go out and recommendations from members of the local committee. We hope this booklet is helpful!
Expectation setting: Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. Therefore, it is very crowded and the distance from one place to another can be very long. When commuting to your project, you should take into account that it might take a while to get there because of the long distances and standstill traffic during certain hours. As in any big city, you should be cautious but you should not feel afraid or unsafe. Finally, the advantage of a big city is that there are hundreds of things to do that meet different needs and interests.
Living expenses To give you an idea of the living expenses in Mexico City we gathered cost information regarding rent, groceries and restaurants. Prices below are stated in Mexican pesos and are approximated.
Rent: La condesa = $6500-$7500 La roma = $7000-$15000 Coyoacán = $4000-$8000 San Ángel = $3500-$7500
Groceries: Bread = $12 Milk 1L = $15 Rice 1kg = $16 Tuna can = $23 Apples 1kg = $42 Dozen eggs = $16
Pasta 500gr = $25 Cheese 400gr = $43 Water bottle 1L = $6 Orange juice 1L= $15 Cheerios cereal = $45 Coca-Cola can 350ml = $9
Restaurants: McDonalds' Big Mac = $49 Subway footlong sub = $37 Dominos pizza (big) = $179 Olive Garden = $150-$300 Tacos "El Farolito" = $150-$300 El Bajío (Mexican food) = $200-$300 El Cardenal (Mexican food) = $300-$600 Giornale (healthy/international food) = $150-$300
Weather Mexico city has a warm, temperate and dry climate. It rains a lot during the summer and it gets colder in the winter, but the weather never goes below zero (ยบC). Usually, mornings are chilly, then it gets warmer at noon and the temperature drops again at night. The weather can change from one day to the next one or even in the same day; for example, it can be raining all morning but then the sky clears out and the sun comes out.
What to bring: You should bring long pants (shorts are good if you're planning on going to the beach but not so much to wear in the city), comfortable shoes, a jacket and a raincoat (if you are coming during the rainy season). Bring lots of layers so you can be prepared for the weather changes mentioned before.
Security People around the world think Mexico City is very dangerous and violent. The media usually exaggerates the situation and often shows only the bad images and news regarding Mexico. The truth is that it is not any more dangerous that any other big city in the world. Yes, you should be careful, but just as in any other place you would travel to. You should be cautious in public transportation and it is advisable that you don't walk by yourself at night. However, you should not feel unsafe or feel that your life is threatened if you go out of your house. You should feel safe walking and moving around the city as long as you pay attention and don't do anything reckless, just as you would in any big city.
Transportation Costs: Metro ticket : $5 Metro card (rechargeable): $10 pesos (max. recharge $120) Buses: $4 from 0-5km, $4.50 from 5-12km, $5.50 longer than 12km. From midnight to 6am the bus fare goes up 20%.
Schedule: Metro: Monday-Friday 5am-12am, Saturday 6am-12am, Sunday and holidays 7am-12am. Buses: 24/7
Taxis: It is advisable to use uber instead of taxis as it is safer, cleaner and has better rates. There is also an option of uber pool where you can share a car and the rate with other people. If you decide to take a taxi you will have the following options: Libre (start fare of $8.74 and every 250m or 45s + $1.07), Sitio (start fare $13.10 and every 250m or 45s + $1.30) and Radio taxi (start fare $27.30 and every 250m or 45s + $1.84). It is better to take "taxi de sitio" than any taxi from the street.
Routes: You can download transportation apps (Metro Mexico DF, MetroMetrobus MĂŠxico) so you can get familiar with the metro and metrobus lines and stations. There is another very helpful app (Rutas DF) where you can see all the routes of all the public transportation in the city, including metro, metrobus, tren ligero, suburbano, trolebus, mexibus, among others. All of these apps are free and can be downloaded in iPhone and Android.
The closest metro stops to ITAM are Metro Barranca del Muerto and Metro Miguel Ă ngel de Quevedo. From those stops you can take the ITAM bus to campus; the bus leaves every hour starting from 6:40am to 9:40pm. You can also take the bus back to the same stations.
Weekend trips Places to visit: Taxco Puebla Acapulco Tepoztlán Querétaro San Miguel Guanajuato Tepotzotlán Valle de Bravo Pachuca, El Chico
Bus stations: Terminal Central del Sur: Av. TaxqueĂąa #1320, Colonia Campestre Churubusco. Terminal Central del Norte: Eje central Lazaro Cardenas #4907, Colonia Magdalena de las Salinas. Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros del Oriente TAPO: Calzada Ignacio Zaragoza #200, Colonia Venustiano Carranza.
Travel Agencies: Nuevo mundo Mundo Joven Mega Travel Price Travel Traveo
Around ITAM Where to eat? There are lots of restaurants around ITAM. You can find all kinds of foods like tacos (Jovitacos are the most popular ones), pizza, salads, sushi, hamburgers and restaurants with a fixed menu for the day. Eating near ITAM can cost between 50150 pesos. There is also a cafeteria inside campus where you can get salads, sandwiches, etc.
At night: Students from ITAM usually get together after class for drinks and games in Ahui Wi, Woodstuff and Fiance. The best nights to go are Thursdays and Fridays.
Activities: Gym, salsa classes, yoga, football, volleyball, basketball.
Entertainment Local committee's recommendations: La Chilanguita = Mexican restaurant/bar in Polanco. It is a great place to party on a Friday or Saturday night with a group of people. ($300 aprox.). Enigma rooms = Interactive experience you can live with a small group. Located in La Roma or Bosques de las Lomas. ($300 aprox.). El Rabanito = Mexican restaurant in Av. Insurgentes (metrobus olivo). It is a good place to go on a Monday morning or afternoon with a group of people. ($100 aprox.) Brasa Rodizio de Pizzas = It is a good place to have lunch with a small group in La Roma Norte any day of the week. ($100 aprox.). El Arroyo = Traditional Mexican restaurant in Tlalpan. It is great during the weekend for lunch with a big group. ($500 aprox.). Milanesos = Taco place located in Av. Toluca. Great for lunch any day of the week with a big group of people. ($100 aprox.).
Mora Mora = Located in Polanco, their specialty are acai bowls and you can go any day of the week at any time. ($100 aprox.). Pizzas del Perro Negro = It is a good place in Colonia del Valle to have lunch with a big group on any day except Sundays. ($200 aprox.). Alboa = Bowling bar located in Patriotismo. You should go with a small group any day from Thursday to Saturday. ($200 aprox.). Tenampa = Great Mexican place to eat and drink with mariachis. It is located in Plaza Garibaldi and the best nights to go are from Thursday to Saturday. ($400 aprox.). Frutos Prohibidos = Hipster restaurant located in Condesa. Great place to have breakfast, brunch or lunch with a small group or by yourself. ($200 aprox.). Machetes de la Guerrero = Good place to have lunch with a small group on any day of the week. Located in Guerrero. ($200 aprox.). Desierto de los Leones = National park located in Cuajimalpa. It is a good place to eat, relax and walk; you can go in a small or big group in the morning or afternoon. ($200 aprox.).
Nightlife Mexico city has an amazing night life. There are so many options and places to go all over the city. The most popular areas to go out at night are La Roma and La Condesa. In La Roma you can go to the Cibeles fountain and you can choose from a variety of clubs and bars in the surrounding streets; for example, Gin Gin bar, Poe speakeasy, La Cerveceria restaurant/bar, Janis club and Rhodesia club.
In La Condesa the two most popular streets are Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon where you can find all kinds of places; for example, Mojito Room (salsa and live music), Artic Bar, Phoenix club, Hookah Lounge, King's Pub and REC karaoke bar. There are some other cool places like Bar 27, Bulldog Cafe, Mama Rumba, Hyde, Harlem, Republica, My Way, Mono, among others.
You can also go out to the city center, Polanco, Bosques de las Lomas, Coyoacan or any other borough and discover new places.
Must‐see tourist attractions Turibus (Mexico City sightseeing bus tour) Zocalo (Main Square) Templo Mayor (Aztec Temple) Metropolitan Cathedral National Palace Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) Alameda Central (Municipal Park) House of Tiles Chapultepec (largest park in the city) Chapultepec Castle National Museum of Anthropology Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe Xochimilco Canals Pyramids of Teotihuacan Coyoacan (historic borough) Frida Kahlo Museum The Angel of Independence Monument Revolution Monument Garibaldi Plaza Torre Latinoamericana (Building) Three Cultures Plaza Diego Rivera Museum
Pueblos Mágicos Pueblo Mágico is literally translated to "Magical Town". A Magical Town is a locality with symbolic characteristics, history, daily life and events that are significant and "magical" contributions to its socio-cultural traits. The program of Magical Towns was created on 2001 to promote turism in Mexico.
A town becomes "magical" if it has the following characteristics; formal request of being named a Magical Town, minimum of 20,000 inhabitants, government evaluation, representative association of the town, community and service strategies, turist attractions, symbolic and cultural traditions, architecture that represents a historic period or culture, local arts and crafts, traditional cuisine, hotels and restaurants (turism services) and inventory or declaration of cultural and historic heritage. In this link you can find all the Magical Towns in Mexico and a little bit of their history, things to do and how to get there: http://www.visitmexico.com/magicaltowns
Helpful links Official Mexico City web page. Here you can find different booklets regarding information about Mexico City, historic facts, activities you can do in the city, places to go, gastronomy, and must-see attractions. The information is available in different languages. http://www.mexicocity.gob.mx/ Mexico City's ultimate travel guide. In this web page you can find things to do around the city depending on experience, places, food and events. Within this categories you can choose from different filters; for example in food you can choose from Mexican to trendy or food trucks. Every activity has a description, price, location and time recommended to do it. You can also choose from a variety of travel deals or packages. In addition, you can sign in with Facebook to create your own wish lists, check the places you have visited and get notifications of places and events nearby. This web page is available in Spanish, English and French. http://cdmxtravel.com/es/ Guide to Mexico City's events and activities filtered by date, area and price. http://www.paraestefin.com/
Mexico City's museum guide. In this web page you can find museums in the City using a zone filter. You can find information about such museums as well as their opening hours. Additionally, you can look for special exhibits every month. http://data.cultura.cdmx.gob.mx/noche demuseos/ Guide to Mexico City's events, concerts, exhibits, restaurants, nightlife, among other activities. You can look for events each day, weekend, week and every month. http://www.timeoutmexico.mx/df Mexico City's guide based on where to go regarding restaurants, area, mood (art, culture, movies, etc.), trips and nightlife. https://www.dondeir.com/ Government official web site of events in Mexico City. You can look for events of the day, week or month and you can use a filter for type of event and type of public. http://www.cultura.cdmx.gob.mx/event os Mexico City guide in English. You can find things to do around the city, where to eat, where to stay, where to go out and what events you can go to. http://en.mxcity.mx/
Food Mexican food is a fusion of indigenous mesoamerican cooking and european cuisine. Nowadays, each region in Mexico has its own influence and elements in their dishes. However, the basic elements of Mexican food are corn, chili peppers, avocado, tomatoes, and beans. Corns are used either fresh or in a dough that can be used in tamales, sopes, but most importantly in tortillas. Chili peppers are probably the most important element in Mexican cuisine; some of them are used to make the food spicy but others are meant to give flavor or strong taste. If you are not very tolerant to spicy food then you should ask "ÂżEsto pica?" (Is this spicy?) before you try something new. Mexican food is a very important part of the culture and tradition of the country; in 2010, Unesco declared traditional Mexican food as a part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Food in Mexico City has influences from all the other regions of the country, therefore you can find all kinds of traditional food. It is very common to eat street food; some of the best tacos you will eat are found in street stands.
Must try: Enchiladas Barbacoa Cochinita Carnitas Esquites Tequila Pozole Mole
Tacos (especially Tacos al Pastor) Chiles en nogada Arroz con leche Aguas frescas Quesadillas Chilaquiles Tamales
Language Useful Spanish Words/Phrases: Hola = hello ¿Cómo estás? = How are you? ¿Dónde estoy? = Where am I? ¿Dónde está ___? = Where is (any place/landmark)? ¿Cómo llego a ___? = How can I get to (any place/landmark)? ¿Cómo se dice ___? = How do you say (any word/phrase)? Por favor = Please Gracias = Thank you ¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much is it? Sí = Yes No = No Disculpa = Excuse me Perdón = Sorry Adiós = Goodbye Hasta luego = See you later Me trae la cuenta = Can I get the check?
Colloquialisms:
Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente
Más vale lo malo conocido que lo bueno por conocer
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda
Mande = What?/Sorry? Qué onda? = What's up? Qué padre = So cool Güey = Dude Chela = Beer Fresa = Snobby Órale = Many meanings: Alright/Okay/ Right On/Wow; used as an expression of approval, encouragement or surprise Aguas = Be careful Qué oso = So embarrassing Chavos/Chavas = Guys/Girls No manches = No way/You're kidding ¿Es neta?/Es neta = Are you serious?/I'm serious Está cañón = It's so difficult/It's so cool
Contacts Emergencies:
911
Emergency = 066 Ambulance = 065 Fire fighters = 068
Committee: Carinna Ferrer: 5541933054 Said Ruiz: 5544474847 Laura Romero: 521775238410 Diego Herrera: 5215551588027 Fernanda Sanchez: 5537730848
Final tips: Sim Card: The main mobile carriers are: Telcel, Movistar and IUSACEL. You can get a sim card in any of these carriers' stores or in any OXXO (convenient store like 7-Eleven). A sim card costs approximately 70 pesos plus the cost of 1 peso per MB. There is also the option of buying a sim card online through Virgin Mobile for 50 pesos and 1 peso per MB.
Money: You should bring a credit card so you can have a payment method until you exchange some money. You can pay with credit card in any restaurant, store or bar. You cannot pay with a credit card in public transportation, local/small businesses or street stands. If you want to withdraw cash once you are in Mexico City the ATM fees vary depending on the bank. Santander has a fee of $31, HSBC and Banamex have a fee of $33, Mifiel has a fee of $18 and Bancomer has one of $88. You can also bring cash in another currency and go to an exchange house or bank in the city to get Mexican pesos.
Projects Switch Mx On: It is a program of courses and workshops for children to promote important values such as global awareness and love for their environment. It encourages an intercultural exchange between the volunteers and the children. The goal is that the children understand and have an active role in their environment.
Sharing Tizapan: It is a language course aimed towards children with limited resources so they can learn English. Its purpose is to promote a broader perspective and a higher level of education for the children in the local community. It encourages the children to engage with other cultures, care about their education and strive for better opportunities.
Global Village The Global Village is an event that is part of your exchange. The idea of this event is for all the exchange participants to show the local community a part of their culture. It is important to represent your country and promote intercultural exchange and understanding.
You can show a bit of your culture in whichever way you want: traditional food, dance, music, clothing, etc. You should bring any candy, sampling of food, costume or thing that you would like to show to others or for yourself as it may be difficult to buy said items here. Don't forget to bring your national flag! :)