Mexico

The northern region of Mexico which shares borders with the USA houses major investments from U.S. tech companies. The cities of Monterrey and Hermosillo have gained considerable growth for their tech sectors, while Guadalajara is considered the “Silicon Valley of Mexico.”

The City of Guadalajara hosts more than 20 corporate campuses and 100 software companies^. Among the international companies which were attracted to the country’s fast development and advanced technological centers include Sony, Viacom, Walt Disney, and Comcast. One major technical project under development is the Ciudad Creativa Digital, which is a center for advanced co-working spaces, developmental and research labs, and other sponsored resources to encourage technological creativity and innovation. The center is projected to generate 2 billion dollars in exports within the next 5-10 years.

Hermosillo is the capital city of Sonora, Mexico, and is one of the major cities with the longest history of business growth for U.S. investors. In recent years, Ford Motor Co. made a $1.3 billion investment in its stamping and assembly plant in Hermosillo. The city is home to over 50 aerospace manufacturers and other technology-centered industries. The city is also home to 12 Universities that support a rich technology startup culture.

Mexico is now considered as the technology hub of Latin America due to the major investments in Mexico’s tech industry. The country’s close proximity to the United States has encouraged corporate interests in its growing skilled workforce and local software development centers, making the country a major competitor in the digital world.

• Information and communication technologies: The number of companies in Belarus producing intelligent products which are in demand around the world has grown rapidly (i.e. World of Tanks, a multiplayer online game developed by the Belarusian studio Wargaming.net)
• Applications for communication (i.e. Viber software development is implemented in Belarus)
• Solutions for business. Among the automated ERP class (enterprise resource planning) in the CIS countries, the largest developer in the region of ERP-systems is the “Galaxy” corporation, headquartered in Minsk. To date, the company’s software is used by more than 6,000 enterprises of CIS countries, representing various sectors of the economy.

Mexico ranks fourth among global destinations as a service location and has a growing software and IT services sector. The country’s IT sector has immense opportunities to grow, impact the internal market, and position as a global IT services provider. In Line with the Development Plan and the National Digital Agenda and in coordination with the support programmes of the government, Mexico is being prepared to position itself as the 2nd biggest exporter of high value-added ICT services through a developed base of local suppliers and converting the country into the 3rd major ICT outsourcing destination and assisting in the development of regional poles.

The most ideal time in Mexico is in the month of November when the rains are over. Summer, from June to October, is in theory the rainy season in Mexico, but rains vary from place to place. In the heart of the country you can expect a heavy but short-lived downpour virtually every afternoon; in the north hardly any rain falls, ever. Chiapas is the wettest state, with many minor roads washed out in the autumn, and in the south and low-lying coastal areas summer is stickily humid.

September to mid-October is hurricane season, wet weather, choppy seas and mosquitoes, Late winter is the traditional tourist season, generally regarded as the best time to visit, and in the big resorts like Acapulco and Cancún, the months from December through to April are the busiest. Mountain areas can get very cold and during the  nights in the mountains, can be extremely cold at any time of year.

Statutory Public Holidays (national holidays)

January 1: Año Nuevo. New Year’s Day. Banks, offices and factories remain closed.

February (first Monday): Dia de la Constitucion. This day celebrates the promulgation of the country’s 1917 Constitution

March (first Monday): Cumpleaños de Benito Juarez. The birth date of Benito Juarez, Mexico’s first and most revered President

March/April: Semana de Pascua. Easter week holidays vary depending on each year: In Mexico, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are designated public holidays
May 1: Dia del Trabajo. Commemorating the advent of worker’s unions. All banks and offices close, but most shopping centers remain open for business

September 16: Dia de la Independencia. This date commemorates the date when Father Miguel Hidalgo made his ‘cry for independence’ on September 16, 1810 in the town of Dolores Hidalgo — an event that led to Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule. Independence celebrations take place in the evening of September 15; September 16 is a public holiday

November 2: Dia de los Fieles Difuntos. Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”, celebrations take place over 2 days (November 1st and 2nd) and contemporarily, October 31 is often included, taking-in Halloween. Mexico’s banks and businesses close on November 2, to observe this important religious holiday in Mexico
November (third Monday) 20: Dia de la Revolucion. commemorates the start date of Mexico’s 1910 revolution, led by Francisco I. Madero

December 1: Transmision del Poder Ejecutivo Federal. Mexico’s Federal Government and Presidency returns for re-election every six years. On the date of transition, which is December 1 every six years, Mexico observes a public holiday. The next holiday is due to be observed on December 1, 2018
December 25: Dia de Navidad. Christmas Day is observed with a public holiday in Mexico.
Civic Holidays in Mexico

These are not holidays although some states and municipalities may observe them and offer workers time off in their locale.
February 19:Dia del Ejercito. Army Day, also known as Dia de la Lealtad (Day of Loyalty), commemorates the day when President Madero was escorted to the National Palace by cadets of the nation’s military college

February 24: Dia de la Bandera. Flag Day was introduced by President Lazaro Cardenas, a man best known for having nationalized Mexican oil reserves in the 1930’s. The day commemorates Mexico’s current flag as well as previous ones. Schools often get children to undertake flag research projects for presentation on this day.

March 18: Anniversario de la Expropriacion Petrolera. This day commemorates the day in 1938 when President Lazaro Cardenas expropriated all oil reserves and declared oil a strategic Mexican national asset.

April 21: Heroica Defensa de Veracruz. commemorates the USA’s occupation of Veracruz in 1914
May 5: Batalla de Puebla. The Battle of Puebla, or more commonly referred to as simply Cinco de Mayo, observed as a public holiday in the state of Puebla, but nowhere else in Mexico. The date commemorates the victory of a small Mexican army against a French army double the size on May 5, 1862. The French re-took the city a year later and soon after installed Emperor Maximilian in 1864. The date is far more widely celebrated by people in the USA than in Mexico itself. The date is sometimes mistakenly associated with Mexico’s Independence, which is September 16.
May 8: Cumpleaños de Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Miguel Hidalgo is known as the “Father of Mexican Independence”. Although he and his conspirators were captured and executed by the Spanish for their insurgency against the Spanish Crown, his movement gave inspiration and created a political vacuum that eventually led to Mexico’s independence from Spain and, alongside Ignacio Allende and Jose Maria Morelos, is a revered personality in Mexico’s independence history.

June 1: Dia de la Marina. Mexico’s Navy Day, acknowledging the nation’s maritime service men and women. The day is commemorated with various military parades
September 13: Dia de los Niños Heroes. “Boy Heroes” (or Cadet Heroes); this day commemorates the events which took place at the Battle of Chapultepec, in modern-day Mexico City. The battle, which took place during the Mexican American war in 1847, gave victory to US troops over Mexican forces defending Chapultepec Castle

September 27:Consumacion de la Independencia. Consummation of Independence; this date marks the end of the War of Independence, eleven years after Miguel Hidalgo’s ‘cry for independence

September 30 :Cumpleaños de Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. Birth date of Jose Maria Morelos, a general in the armed struggle for independence who took up leadership of the rebellion following the execution of Miguel Hidalgo

October 12: Dia de La Raza. Columbus Day; commemorates the Discovery of the New World by the Italian navigator, Christopher Columbus

Principal Festivity Dates in Mexico

These festivities are generally observed in modern-day Mexican culture, but they are not statuatory or civic holidays in Mexico.
January 6: Epiphany, also known in Spanish as Dia de los Reyes Magos. In previous generations it was on this day that children received their holiday gifts; today, children receive their gifts at Christmas and sometimes an additional gift on this date. It’s also the date when Rosca de Reyes is taken, a sweet bread inside which is hidden a plastic doll. If your slice contains the doll, you host a party at your home on February 2, Candles mass, and serve Mexican corn tamales

February 2: Dia de la Candelaria – Candle mass. This is the date when tamales, flavored (sweet or sour) corn paste wrapped in corn leaves and steamed, are eaten. If your slice of Rosca de Reyes contained the plastic doll, traditionally you serve tamales at a house party on this date

February 14: celebrated as Valentines Day ( Dia del Amor y la Amistad)
April 30: Dia del Niño — Children’s Day is widely observed in Mexico. It’s not a holiday but children receive gifts from family members on this day

May 10: Dia de las Madres — Mother’s Day is an important cultural date in Mexico, as the country has a strong matriarchal culture. Families take their mothers and grandmothers out to lunch.

May 15: Dia del Maestro — Teacher’s Day, traditionally school-age children will take their home room teacher a small gift.

Third Sunday in June: Dia del Padre – Father’s day in Mexico. Children will buy a gift for their father and some families take their fathers out to lunch

November 1 & 2: Dia de los Muertos, also Dia de los Fieles Difuntos (All Saints Day and All Souls Day). One of the most important religious holidays in Mexico. November 1 is not a public holiday; November 2 is a holiday

December 12: Dia de la Virgen Guadalupe – Not a public holiday but an important religious holiday in Mexico
December 16-24:Posadas Navideñas – Christmas processions begin on the 16th and run until Christmas Eve on December 24
December 24 & 25: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and Dia de Navidad (Christmas Day). The 25th is a public holiday, but the 24th is a normal working day in Mexico

December 28: Dia de los Santos Innocentes — Day of the Innocent Saints. This is a day when Mexicans traditionally play practical jokes on each other, similar to April Fool’s day in the Anglo traditions.

December 31: New Year’s Eve. traditionally a family affair in Mexico, although the squares of main towns and cities will fill up with revelers celebrating the New Year.

Office hours: normally 9am to 2pm. and 4pm. to 6 pm. (some places until 6:30 p.m.) A lunch brake is taken from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. In the larger cities it is possible to see people come to work as early as 7 or 8 am and stay as late as 7 or 8 p.m.

Store hours: normally 9am. to 6pm. In the smaller villages of Mexico (outside the metropolitan areas) it is common to see stores close at sundown (just before or just after).

Mexico uses four time zones (effective February 2015)

1. Zona Sureste(Southeast Zone) covers the state of Quintana Roo  (the equivalent of Canadian and U.S. Eastern Time).

Time Zone: UTC -5:00 summer and winter

2. Zona Centro(Central Zone) covers the eastern three-fourths of Mexico, including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey (the equivalent of Canadian and U.S.Central Time)

Time Zone: Winter UTC -6:00

                       Summer UTC -5:00

3. Zona Pacífico(Pacific Zone) covers the states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Sonora  (the equivalent of Canadian and U.S. Mountain Time)

Time Zone : Winter UTC -7:00

                       Summer UTC-6:00

4. Zona Noroeste(Northwest Zone) covers the state of Baja California and Tijuana (the equivalent of Canadian and U.S. Pacific Time)

Time Zone :  Winter UTC UTC-8:00

                        Summer UTC -7:00

There are two kinds of immigration permit: Non-Immigrant and Immigrant:

• Non Immigrant Permitsare for people who intend to visit Mexico for a specific purpose and then depart;
• Immigrant Permitsare for people who wish to gain long term permanent residence in Mexico.

Applying for Mexican Visas

You may apply for your visa(s) in person, or you may hire a representative to advise you, make the application on your behalf and do all of the paperwork.

What are the Non-Immigrant Visas?

Visitante – Visitor Permit for Short Term Visits

The ‘Visitante‘ permit is intended for visitors—usually tourists and business visitors—to Mexico on short term visits of 6 months or less.

• A Visitor’s Permit is issued when you arrive in Mexico (by air, or travel inland by road beyond the ‘free border zone’) by completing aForma Migratoria Multiple (FMM): these forms are issued by airlines, and are also available at ports of entry.
• The Visitor Permit is valid for up to 180 days and cannot be renewed.
• Upon its expiry you will need to leave the country*. There is a fee of about US$22 for this permit, which is usually included in the price if your flight (under taxes and fees). If you arrive by road or ship, and travel beyond the ‘free zone’ near the border, you will have to pay for this permit separately.

Visa de Residente Temporal – Temporary Resident Visa

Mexico operates what is known as a Temporary Resident Visa, intended for people who wish to live in Mexico for more than 6 months and not longer than 4 years.

• The Temporary Resident Visa is a renewable, long-term (more than six months) permit which gives non-immigrant temporary residency status to the holder.
• The visa is issued for one year, and can can then be renewed for a further 1, 2, or 3 years (i.e. 1+3, 4 years max);
• This visa canoptionally give work permissions, and allows unlimited entries to, and exits from, Mexico. This means that it gives a person holding the permit the right to live in Mexico for up to 4 years under terms as set out in the visa.
• Categories under to be granted the Temporary Resident visas and these relate to the activities you intend to undertake while in Mexico.
  • Under the terms of the Temporary Resident Visa, you are authorized to only undertake certain, specific, activities which may be lucrative or non-lucrative, depending on the visa’s classification.
  • applicant proof of ‘sufficient funds to sustain themselves while in Mexico’ and/or a proven steady income. The financial requirements are based in Mexican pesos
  • With a few exceptions, the Temporary Resident Visa cannot be issued to you in Mexico; you must apply for it at a Mexican consulate outside of Mexico.
  • When applied for from overseas, the Temporary Permit (card) itself is not issued by foreign consulates. Instead, they process and pre-approve the application and place a Visa (sticker) in your passport. When you arrive in Mexico you have to attend your local immigration officewithin 30 days of arrival, and undertake a procedure to exchange your temporary resident visa (passport stamp) for a Temporary Resident Permit (a plastic card).
  • Once applied for and granted, you can hold the Temporary Resident Permit for up to four years, and after this it cannot be renewed: at the end of the four year period you must exchange the Temporary Resident permit for a Permanent Resident permit, or leave the country.

Investors can receive an immigration permit if willing to invest capital in Mexico. Investments can be directed at industry or services, and must equal a minimum set amount. (If you have ~100,000 US dollars to invest in a Mexican company you can apply for an investor’s visa under this category)

Currency: Peso

Currency Sign: MXN

Currency Code: $

Exchange Rate: 1MXN = .054 USD (1US$= 18.38 MXN)

The official language of Mexico is Spanish. As amny as 100 Native American languages are still spoken in Mexico but no single alternative remains. 80% of Mexicans who speak indigenous language also speak Spanish.

The most important of the Native American languages is Nahuatl. It si spoken by more  than 1 million Mexicans.  This is followed by Maya, used by 14% of Native Americans; then Mixteco  and Zapoteco.