 Mail
The Mexican Postal Service (Servicio Postal Mexicano/correos) is
reasonably efficient, but is only popular for mass-mailings or when urgency is
not the topmost priority. Post offices are open from Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
and Saturday 9am-1pm. They usually offer a poste restante or
mail-collection service, but the mail are held for only two weeks. If
you'd like your mail to be held longer, it helps to tell the senders to indicate
"Favor de retener hasta la llegada" (please hold until arrival) on the
envelope. In Hispanic countries, the paternal surname is usually the
second of a person's surname or the third if he/she has four names. In
effect, if you have three names it's best to have your letters' senders
underline your last name so your mail won't be filed in a wrong stack which
would entail time and trouble to find them even though there is no charge for
claiming the mail. American Express operates its own efficient mail
collection service which is excellent for Amex cardholders, but you may be
subject to a fee if you do not carry their card or cheques. For
intra-Mexico correspondence, travellers are advised to use a local carrier such
as Estafeta instead. For international deliveries, any of the
well-known international companies are efficient especially in the
"overnight" categories.
Contact numbers of other delivery services in Mexico:
- Estafeta: 5270-8300
- DHL: 5345-7000
- FedEx: 5228-9904
- UPS: 5228-7900
Telephone
Local phone calls in Mexico are cheap, and some hotels will let you make local
call for free. Coin-operated public phones also charge little for local
calls. Travellers can also find in Mexico casetas de telefono, or phone
offices where someone will make connection for you and charge you for the length
of call you have made. For a long-distance calls to other Mexican state,
it is best to made a call with a phonecard. These are available from
telephone offices and stores near phones that use them. International
calls in Mexico are pretty expensive and the phonecard is the wisest option to
minimize the cost. Usually the highest price is issued by the hotel, so
travellers may need to shop around to find the best deal as the costs for
phonecards tend to vary a great deal. The best way for travellers who plan
to make international calls is perhaps buying a prepaid phonecards from their
home country that can be used in Mexico in advance, so at least you're billed at
a reliable rate. Faxes can be sent and received at many long-distance
telephone casetas, but the cost is still amazingly high.
To call collect or person-to-person, dial 92 for interstate calls within
Mexico, 96 for the US and Canada, 99 for the rest of the world. Calling
from long-distance public phones, dial:
- Mexico interstate : 01 + area code + number
- US and Canada : 00 + area code + number
Main Mexican cities codes:
Acapulco 744, Cabo san Lucas 624, Cancun 998, Celaya 461, Chihuahua 14,
Cozumel 987, Culiacan 671, Guadalajara 3, Hermosillo 621, Ixtapa 755, La Paz
682, Mazatlan 678, Merida 999, Mexico City 55, Monterrey 81, Oaxaca 951, Playa
del Carmen 984, Puerto Vallarta 322, San Jose del Cabo 624, San Luis Potosi 481,
Tempico 121, Tecate 665.
Cell
Phone Service
Cell phone service in Mexico today is generally good. Although the
price is fairly steep as there is only one large cell phone provider, in some
areas it charges less than land line fees. Also, most cell phone users in
Mexico have opted to use a prepaid system so that they're in control of how much
they spend on the service. For travellers going to Mexico, it is
recommended that they use the local carrier and have a local number so that they
can pay the local prices which is reasonable for vacationers or business
travellers. Coverage is also quite good especially in most tourist areas
such as Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Acapulco, Guadalajara, Mexico City
and so forth.
Internet
Access
It is relatively easy to access internet while in Mexico as it's a booming
means of communication. Internet cafes can be conveniently located in
virtually all the major cities and the level of service is excellent, albeit
servers may crash more frequently than they do at home. However, internet
service is still rare in small provincial towns or in the places not frequented
by tourists. Prices start at $1 per hour and can be inflated to five times
that amount in touristy areas. It is recommended that travellers go to the
internet cafes frequented by the locals rather than in the hotel zones as the
price tend to be significantly cheaper. Internet facilities in large
cities are usually open from early morning until late at night, but the ones in
smaller towns have shorter operating hours and close altogether at weekends.
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