Mexico City
|
MEXICO CITY
|
PAGURO COUNTRY EXPAT GUIDE: MEXICO
The guide to settling, living and thriving in Mexico |
|---|
Welcome to Mexico City!
Mexico City, as a municipality, was established in 1521 by Cortes in the middle of the now drained Lake Texcoco. It was built on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and its lesser-known twin-city Tlatelolco.
Today, Mexico City is one of the most populated cities in the world, with 22 million inhabitants in its large metropolitan area (Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México) and growing!
To fully take advantage of your time in Mexico City, it is important that you choose wisely where you are going to live. Long commutes could take away a lot of the pleasure.
Enjoy the weather, since there are no true climate extremes here,even though the seasons are well defined. (It last snowed in 1968!) The rainy season can be annoying, not for the rain itself, but because it adversely affects the traffic which, even without rain, is the major difficulty you are confronted with in Mexico City.
Traffic aside, everything you have heard about the warmth and hospitality of Mexicans is absolutely true. Mexicans open their arms widely to welcome newcomers and this adds an extra charm to the city. You might end up wanting to stay longer!
Mexico City, being one of the largest cities in the world, has many attractions, such as historic centers, parks and pre-hispanic sites. You name it, you will find it here.
Although the city stretches far and beyond, whatever you are looking for sports centres, clubs, ice skating rings etc, can be found in your neighborhood.
Transport is readily available. Buses are good and the metro in the city is a nice way to get around. Taxis take you around for a relatively small fee.
Health facilities are excellent in Mexico city. Being close to the United States, most doctors and specialists have studied in the US and constantly update their knowledge. If you have a good medical coverage, you can be sure that your health is in excellent hands.
The Challenges of Mexico City Are:
- Bureaucracy is endless and many things take time and a lot of patience..
- Traffic is heavy at any time of the day, except for the late night hours. If you plan to go anywhere, consider the amount of time you may get stuck in traffic and not the distance you want to travel.
- Teach your children never to go with anybody unknown, not to take public transport unless you specifically have allowed them to do so and to only take cabs which you recommend.
- Crime is ever present here. Be aware, do not go around with flashy jewelry or try showing your wealth, blend in with less and chances are you are not going to be noticed enough to be assaulted.
