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Discovering Mexico
Government
Mexico is a federal republic divided into 31 states and one federal district. The federal
powers reside in this district, known as Mexico, D.F. (Distrito Federal) or Mexico City. The
head of the executive branch is President Enrique Peña Nieto, since December 2012. The
president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term with no re-election.
The legislative branch is the National Congress, made up by the Senate and the Chamber
of Deputies. The judicial branch’s highest court is the Supreme Court and the subordinate
courts on the federal level include Circuit, Collegiate, and Unitary courts. There are also
State and District level courts, where each state is made up of those three branches.
Economy
Mexico’s economy is a mix of modern industry and agriculture. It is the 15th largest
economy in the world; however, there is large inequality in terms of income distribution.
The country’s largest trading partners are the U.S. and Canada due to the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) followed by other free trade agreements with over 40
countries, including the European Union. Mexico is open to foreign and local investment in
every sector of the economy from energy, commerce, and tourism to infrastructure and
telecommunications. It has signed more free trade agreements than any other country in
the world, making it very attractive to investors worldwide.
Business Hours
Mexican standard business hours are from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Time Zones
Mexico has three different time zones, with most of the country using Central Standard
Time. The states of Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur use
Mountain Standard Time. Only the state of Baja California Norte uses Pacific Standard
Time.
Daylight Savings Time (DST)
Daylight savings time begins on the first Sunday of April at 2:00 a.m. local time, and falls
back to standard time at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.
There are 10 municipalities in Mexico which share a border with the United States that
begin daylight savings time three weeks earlier than the rest of the country – on the
second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. The purpose is to
facilitate commerce with the United States since some industries like transportation and
banking were being affected by the differences in daylight-saving time.
Helpful Hints:
The state of Sonora does not observe daylight savings time.