MEXICO  Basic Services

Energy 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. Public illumination is pretty good in almost all areas of Mexico. Measure system México utiliza el sistema métrico de medición por lo tanto las distancias se miden en metros, el peso en gramos, el volumen en litros. La temperatura, en tanto, se mide en grados Celsius. Tips and 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. Radio and TV In Mexico, television is divided into two big companies: Televisa and TV Azteca. The first one is a whole communicational group, has four television channels (2, 5, 4,and 21), plus a music channel and several domestic channels in different cities. On the other hand, TV Azteca has channels 7 and 13, plus some local representations. Add to this some independent cable TV channels, most of them cultural ones. Mexico has about 1,000 AM and FM radio stations, many of them owned by Televisa. All of them offer different types of music, to different audiences. Radios playing ranch and group music (characteristic of the north of Mexico) are very popular, as also Mariachi music.