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General Information
This privileged island in southeast Mexico known as
Cancun, with over 300,000 inhabitants, is the most important tourist
destination in country. This spot, found in northern Quentin Roo and
on the Mexican Caribbean coast, was chosen by presidential decree in 1971 to
be one of the most ambitious tourists developments of the decade. It is a
long stretch of white sand, approximately thirty kilometers long, that is
joined to the mainland by man-made bridges and bordered on the north and
east by the magnificent Caribbean Sea, on the west by the large Nichupte
Lagoon and on the south by the exuberant Mayan jungle of Quintana Roo.
In the beginning, only sand and a few hotels could be
seen beside the untouched jungle and the unrivalled beauty of brilliant
white dunes and the lagoon. But the project grew more each year until it
became what it is today: one of the most sought after vacation spots of
people from all over the world.
The 27 year old city of Cancun offers visitors over
25,000 rooms in four and five star hotels as wwel as all inclusive
accomodations that offer package deals including food, beverage and rooms.
Some hotels are know internationally, but there also small family style
hostels which offer firt class service. If you are serching for calm,
peaceful days to enjoy the sun and the sand, Cancuns numerous beaches are
the ideal spot. If you prefer to visit the sunrroundig areas, there are a
many excursions to the mysterious mayan archeaological sites of Tulum, Coba,
Chichen Itza or Uxmalwith highly qualified tour gides. Boat trips to nearby
islands of Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Contoy are popular and easy todo.
Facilities for fishing and scuba diving are also plentiful.
Tips for Travelers
- General Data
- Official Name:
Estados Unidos Mexicanos
- Surface: 1'972,547
km2
- Geographical
situation: Located between 14º and 32º of north latitude
- Official language:
Spanish and some native languages
- P
- A
- opulation:
81'141,000 inhabitants aprox. (1990)
- Money: Peso Symbol:
$0.00 cents
- Measure system:
Metric system
- Weight unit: Gram
- Predominant
religion: Catholic (there is freedom of cult)
- English Language
- considerable
percentage of inhabitants of the cities speak English, which has become
a need for professionals and entrepreneurs.
- The proximity with
USA has contributed to an intensive cultural flow: films, series of
television, music, commercial products and technical and industrial
training which is reflected in the bias of the understanding of the
language.
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- Highways
- The toll highways
cover a net of more than 5,000 km. and how are being concessioned by the
government to private companies. The most moderns have 6 lanes and count
on with boundary, retaining barriers, reflectings, excellent signalings
and emergency telephones each 2 km.
- The tools vary
according to the distance between each tollbooth, the weight, the kind
of vehicle and the number of shafts. According to the studies of the
Mexican Concessioned Infrastructure Association, the toll quota is
charged in 30% of the highways of the Republic and the average cost is
$0.46 per kilometer traveled for trucks of two shafts.
- Upon paying the
toll quota, the conductor is insured against highway accidents in the
section that specifies the voucher.
- In all the Mexican
Republic there are 42 bases of "Angeles Verdes", these are patrols of
mechanics who give service to the motorists that need assistance with
their vehicles.
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- Buses
- The principal
Mexican bus lines count on executive service to the most important
cities of the country. During the last year, most of the lines have been
modernized and today count on with new units, reliables and
comfortables.
- Train stations
- The routes cover
the principal cities and industrial centers, as well as the border towns
with USA which have connection points with the American train stations.
- The more important
connection points are: Mexicali - Caléxico, Nogales - Tucson, Ciudad
Juarez - El Paso, Nuevo Laredo - Laredo, Matamoros - Brownsville.
- The trains offer an
attractive and assorted panorama in its XIX century museum trains, from
its train stations to the lines that cross places. It worth to mention
the rout Chihuahua - Pacífico which travels trough the Sierra Madre
Occidental going through the Gully of the Copper, which encloses large
and impressive abysses and grandioses mountains that measure more than
3,000 meters over the sea level. As this tour, and not less impressive
are most of the train routes.
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- Aircraft
- Until 1985, the
aviation in Mexico depended mainly on its international routes. From
that year, the development of the regional aviation has permitted the
creation of new lines with new routes to more cities of Mexico, with a
more accessible cost.
- Currently, 35
international air lines arrive at the Mexican airports. The two
principal Mexican air lines count on with 7 air routes with direct
international flights from different cities and 16 direct international
air routes from Mexico City.
- There are direct
flights toward the principal American cities, and the transatlantic
service that counts on with direct flights to Paris and Madrid, from
where practically you can make connections toward all the world.
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- Maritime lines and
ports
- By this means,
30.6% of the national load and 80% of the load destined to the foreign
trade, is transported.
- Mexico has an
infrastructure for height and cabotage vessels. There are 85 ports,
which add 74.7 km of docks. The principal Mexican ports are: Tampico,
Veracruz, Tuxpan and Coatzacoalcos in the Gulf of Mexico, and Ensenada,
Topolobampo, Mazatlan, Mansanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Lázaro Cardenas,
Acapulco and Salina Cruz in the Pacific ocean.
- The country counts
also with ferryboat service in both coastal with a fleet of 32 ships.
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- Radio
- The radio is
an old tradition in Mexico that has not decayed with the advent of the
television. There is a great variety of stations in A.M. and F.M. with
national nets, both bands have a great hearing and they are an
accessible means of promotion and social communication countrywide.
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- Press
- The press freedom
and the news avidity on part of the Mexican reader have made of the
journalism one of most important media.
- About 30 good
quality newspapers circulate countrywide. In addition to a big amount of
magazines and specialized newspapers. In the cities you will be able to
find newspapers as the "News" and publications as "Time" or "Newsweek",
as well as practically any international spectacles, modes, social,
sports, mechanics, science and information publications.
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- Telephone
- The regular
telephony service in Mexico is available in 29,000 towns, and 18,000
localities count on with rural telephony service.
Since 1990 the international communication from person to person have
been quickened thanks to the satellites Morelos and Solidaridad.
- The digital net
covers 14 cities and as to the cellular telephony, Mexico occupies the
eight place in the world, covering 80 cities with more than 250,000
subscribers.
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- Fax
- The fax use is
common in Mexico, a great number of businesses count on with this tool
and it is common to find private facsimiles in houses of professionals.
The public fax service is provided in businesses and trades, mainly in
stationary shops.
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- Hotels
- In all the
important cities and in the tourist zones, you will be able to find
hotels of the principal chains as Westin, Holiday Inn, Radison and
Sheraton, between others. In towns and smaller localities you will
always be able to find Hotels, Inns, Motels and Lodgings which offer
good service.
- The high seasons
are from March 25 to April 10, from July 1st to the August 14
and from December 15 to January 3. In these dates, as well as in the
national holiday days, it is indispensable to book with a reasonable
period of time to receive the confirmation from the hotel by write.
- Other viable
possibility of loading during a long period of time is to rent a Suite
or a furnished department. In the cities the rent can be high, according
to the zone in which it is located, however in the towns, the prices are
more accessible. There are publications where you can find the
information of these services as well as real-estate companies and the
embassies that tend to have useful information for their citizens.
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- Uses and customs
-Schedule of banks, trades and offices
- The banks open from
Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to 3 PM; some are open until 5 PM, and on
Saturdays from 10 AM to 1:30 PM, in several malls.
- There are automatic
cashiers that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in some, is
offered the VISA or MASTERCARD service used by most of the international
credit cards. It is frequent to find this service in the cities of
Mexico.
- Generally, in
Mexico City the schedule of the trades is from 10 AM to 8 PM, from
Monday to Saturday or from Tuesday to Sunday. In the suburbs some shops
closed until 9 PM or 10 PM. In the rest of the country the trades open
from Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM to 2 PM and from 4 PM to 8 PM, on
Sundays they will open half a day.
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- Nutritional habits
- The Mexican eats 3
daily foods: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The Breakfast generally is
taken between 6 AM and 8 AM, Lunch between 2 PM and 4 PM and Dinner
between 8 PM and 10 PM. The peasants and workers, between others, take a
light luncheon between 12 and 1 PM since they tend to be awake extremely
early.
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- Restaurants and
Bars
- Mexico counts
on with all kind of options to eat an to drink. From luxury restaurants
that serve international dishes or Mexican, Japanese, Cantonese,
Italian, German, French, Argentine, Greek or Arabic food, etc., to
chains of fast food restaurants from the most famous franchises of the
world.
- Also there are
plenty of inns an lunchrooms of Mexican typical food. In all the country
you can find all-inclusive menus called "comida corrida" which consists
of a selection of soup, rice or salad and a main course to choose under
a fixed cost, normally very economic. There are vegetarian and kosher
food restaurants as well as macrobiotics restaurants that are
specialized in natural and Hindu food. In general, a foreign visitor can
continue with his normal diet, if he wishes.
- The restaurants and
bars on the principal cities are cosmopolitan. The majority give service
in schedules wide, normally the restaurants open from 8 AM to 12 PM for
foods and until 2 AM for drinks.
- By law, the
restaurants and bars are obligated to offer a not SMOKING zone. Some
years ago, such zones were quite small and only were there to comply
with the imposed regulation, today the Not Smoking areas have grown
considerably.
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- Tips
- In the restaurants,
as opposed to other countries, the service isn't charged in the account.
If the service was of excellent quality the tip is 15% of the
consumption, if the service was just good, the usual is to leave a tip
of 10% of the consumption.
- The porters,
doorman, waiters, gas stations, employees, vigilants and other workers,
wait a tip for their services, since their wages are very low and many
times, it represents their only income. The exception are the taxi
drivers who receive a tip only if they have made an extra service.
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- Electrical Current
- In Mexico you will
find an electrical current of 110 Volts, 60 cycles AC.
- The entry of the
plugs are two flat thin plates without polarization, the hotels, offices
buildings, houses and modern establishments count on with plugs of flat
polarized and landed thin plates.
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- Customs in the
behavior
- Mexico is a
traditionalistic country, where the hierarchies between social
positions, age, sex and cultural level are observed. The professionals
are called by their academic degree:Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Architect,
etc. the painters and writers are called Master, the youth women are
called "Miss" and the married or mature "Mrs."; to the persons of age as
well as to those that have gained the respect of the community, its
place before their first name "Lady" if it is woman or "Sir" if it is
man.
- It is appreciated
the happiness, the spontaneity and the natural education, the knowledge
and the work capacity in a person are admired.
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- Religion
- The prevailing
religion is the Catholic - Christian. In Mexico is venerated the Virgin
Maria of Guadalupe, Christ and the Saints. A great percentage of the
population attends mass on Sundays. There is a great variety of creeds
related to the Catholic Church, its importance varies from region to
region.
- There are temples
of all types along the territory, mainly in the capital and principal
cities. It is practiced the Protestantism, the Judaism and all the
existing religions. Normally, do not have religious prejudices.
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- Days off in
accordance to the law
- During the
following dates, the offices, banks and factories do not work, as well
as some trades. The restaurants and most of the shops stay opened
January the 1st; February 5; March 21 and 31; May the 1st
and 5; September 15 and 16; October 12; November the 1st, 2,
20; December 12 and 25.
- Emergency services
- The Mexican Red
Cross and the rescue organizations provide emergency services to who
need them. In nearly all the towns there are Hospitals and Clinics of
the Mexican Institute of the Social Security (IMSS), and of the social
security Institute to the Service of the Workers of the State (ISSSTE),
which can attend any person in case of emergency, but normally they
attend only to its assured.
- The Hospitals of
the Secretaria de Salud (S.S.A.), and del Departamento del Distrito
Federal (D.D.F.), attend for free everybody who need it.
- In Mexico there are
a lot of clinics and particular physicians. The embassies and consulates
handle directories with these services and they can recommend to their
citizen, the attention they need. There are various Mexican companies
that offer air ambulance services and of mobile units of intense
therapy.
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- Health
recommendations
- It should be
considered that Mexico presents aspects that should be taken into
account with respect to the altitude, the weather and the nutritional
habits. For good adjustment to the height is needed a short period of
time of adjustment, avoid excesses and try to have a light diet during
the firsts days.
- It is recommended,
as in any part of the world, to drink bottled water and not to abuse of
the typical food of the regions.
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- Drinking water
- In Mexico there are
drinking water services, in which the water is purified through
electrical systems. In every town you will be able to find purified
water bottled. Also, you will be able to find purified water bottled as
Evian, Electropura and Cosmopura between other brands. To purify the
faucet water, is recommended to boil it during twenty minutes.
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- Diseases
- Currently it does
not exist a epidemic disease in Mexico.
- In the cities the
risks of contracting diseases as Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Dengue fever
or Hepatitis are minimal, however the vaccines for the trip are
recommended specially if they are toward jungles or marginated zones of
the country. The Health Institutions, offer this service for free.
- Also, it is prudent
to investigate the peculiarities of each region that you want to visit,
to take the necessary cautions.
- In Mexico, as in
all the world, the problem of the Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS), is present. There are governmental as well as civil
organizations, that offer support and guidance as well as basic medical
assistance to persons that suffer from this disease.
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- Culture and
entertainment
- In the principal
cities you will always find entertainment's.
 Besides to
the numerous tourist attractions, the country counts on with any number
of options of culture and entertainment as museums, galleries, cultural
centers, theaters, cinemas, concert halls, amusement parks, nightclubs,
discos, etc.
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- Museums and
Galleries
- The museums are
inexpensive countrywide, with some exceptions. In Mexico there are
museums with temporary and permanent exhibitions as the better of the
world. In Mexico City the museums with more prestigious are the
Anthropology and History, Rufino Tamayo, Modem Art, the Interventions,
the Mexico City, Diego Rivera, Frida Khalo, and Contemporary Art museums
between others.
- An other way to
appreciate the art is visiting the expositions of the galleries of the
country. Mexico conserves a very important artistic tradition, the
galleries concentration in the Mexico City can be appreciated in the
"Zona Rosa" or in "Polanco, Coyoacan and San Angel".
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- Cultural Centers
- The Palacio de
Bellas Artes without doubt is the most prestigious Cultural Center of
the country. Painting and sculpture expositions, opera representations,
theater and ballet, concerts, contemporary and folklore dance; all under
the same building. Similar in its capacities to offer art and
entertainment is the Theater Degollado in Guadalajara.
- The Claustro de Sor
Juana is a cultural space in a convent. This center has a great
tradition as one of the most beautiful cultural frameworks in Mexico
City.
- In most of the
political delegations of Mexico City, there are Cultural Houses where
are offered expositions, theater, plays, concerts and dances. Almost
always the events are free and of good quality. In the states, the
Cultural Houses are cultural bastions for the people.
- In the Sala
Nezahualcoyotl and in the Silvestre Revueltas, you will able to listen,
among other spectacles, to the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico City.
The Auditorio Nacional is space for all kind of concerts, with modern
equipment, comfortable facilities and excellent acoustics.
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- Theater
- In the principal
cities the theatrical billboard is vast. Theater is reasonably
inexpensive, its prices vary according to the play and the theater in
which it is presented. You can find from the Broadway musical, to the
dramas and classic tragedies as well as alternative expressions.
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- Cinemas
- You will be able to
find international debut movies. The debut time in relationship with USA
id from one to three months depending on the film. Also, you will be
able to find international cinematographic shows of excellent quality.
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- Night life
- The night life in
Mexico is very varied and active. You can attended musical spectacles,
cabarets, discos, nightclubs and bars with variety, practically every
day of the week in all the cities.
- The costs are
reasonable when the drinks are national and the environment is generally
safe and pleasant. It is recommended the foreigners be far from the
"Tolerance Zones" of the cities, where the cabarets and burdeles are.
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- Seasons
- In Mexico Spring
begun on March 20 at 2:28 PM, Summer on June 21, at 8:48 AM, Autumn on
September 23 at 12:23 AM and Winter December 21, at 8:23 PM.
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- Driving in Mexico
- The cities count on
with clear signaling of the speed limit as well as the restrictive
preventive signaling.
- It is valid to use
any driving license of any country, to drive in Mexico.
- The signs on roads
and cities follow the international standards. In highways, the speed
limit generally is 100 km/h. There are vibrators at the entry of the
towns and before the collection roadsor highways.
- In the cities, the
speed limit can be between 40 and 60 km/h., and 80 km/h in freeways.
There are one way streets which sense is indicated through the arrows in
the corners; when the arrows are green, these indicated that the traffic
by that street has preference, if they are red the cars should stop in
the corner.
- There are
boulevards that generally have four lanes in the same direction and a
fifth in opposite direction, reserved for public transportation. To
pedestrians and drivers it is recommended to pay attention in order to
avoiding accidents.
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- Firearms,
ammunitions and explosives
- In Mexico the
firearms possession, forbidden weapons, ammunitions and explosives is
illegal, you must have a special permit of the Secretaria de la Defensa
Nacional (SEDENA). The copies that do not boot are not considered
illegal.
- Naturally, tourist
are not permitted to import any kind of armament, including knives.
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- Migration and
passport control
- Requirements for
foreigners to enter Mexico as tourists:
- a) Citizenship
identification
- The tourist that
travel to Mexico should present an official paper of citizenship. This
can be:
- Valid Passport
- Birth Certificate
(original or certified copy)
- Notaries
endorsement of citizenship
- b) Tourist entry
visa or card
- The Tourist card -
Form FMT or the Tourist entry Visa are necessary if is intended to
travel farther the border zone and when is intended to stay in Mexico
for more than 72 hours.
- Citizens of certain
countries do not need to transact with anticipation a Tourist entry
Visa, therefore it will be enough to have a Tourist Card at their entry
to the country. To obtain it, it's enough to present a citizenship
identification in the Mexican consulates, in the border migration
offices, in the official entry points, in the tourism offices of the
Mexican government or in any of the air lines that travel to Mexico.
- The Cards and the
Tourist entry Visa are free. The entry card has a validity only of 90
days and it should be returned to migration authorities at the moment of
leaving Mexico; the exact time of its validity is determined by the
Mexican migration agent.
- While the tourist
is in Mexico, he will have to carry all the time the Card or Tourist
entry Visa with himself, otherwise, he will deserve a fine. In the event
of lose it he can attend at once to the local migration authorities to
obtain a duplicate.
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- Personal use cars
- This category is
applied if the vehicle is going to be used by the person as its means of
transportation. The requirements are the following:
- Valid driving
license
- Citizenship
identification and the entry Visa or Tourist Card respective (Passport,
Birth certificate or Notarial endorsement of citizenship)
- Invoice or title
deed of the vehicle
- Traffic card or
other type of register of the vehicle
- A bond deposit in
Mexican company of the total value of the car, the sign of a sworn
declaration in which the owner bind it self to return within the period
of time granted in the permit.
- These cars can only
be driven by the foreigner citizen or by the person in favor of whom is
issued the permit, or another person but always in company of the holder
of the permit. If the vehicle is borrowed to any person, is committed a
violation to the Customs Law whose sanction is a fine and the possible
lost of the vehicle.
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- Restricted articles
- Upon speaking of
the restricted articles we are not necessarily speaking of the
prohibition of it entry to the country, but that is prudent to declare
the articles to avoid fines and retention's.
- All the products
and sub-products of vegetable and animal origin will be surveyed by the
safety officers of phytozoo health. Upon arriving to the border, you
have to declare products as:
- Animal origin:
Pets, butters, cheeses, hams, sausages, hunt trophies, skins not
processed
- Vegetable origin:
Plants, flowers, fruits, seeds, bulbs
- Other
insecticide, insects, medicines, vaccines
- All the pets, must
have a health certificate
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- All the pets, must
have a health certificate
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- Personal
baggage
- Below we offer a
list of the articles that do not pay taxes on their entry to Mexico.
- Of personal use:
- Footwear, clothe,
bathroom articles
- A photographic,
cinematographic or video camera (except professional equipment)
including power source and up to twelve films or video cassettes new, as
well as the filmed or printed photographic material
- Books and
magazines
- An sports
equipment or an individual sport equipment provided that could be
transported by a person
- Twenty cigarette
packets or fifty cigars or two hundred fifty tobacco grams, if the
passenger is an adult
- Three wine or
liquor liters, if the passenger is an adult
- Medicines of
personal use with medical prescription when they are phychotrophic
substances
- The valise,
trunks and suitcase which contain the articles of personal use
- Binoculars and
additional photographic camera
- A portable
television
- A portable radio
for recording, reproducing or both
- Up to twenty
records or tapes for sound reproduction
- A typewriter
portable
- A musical
instrument as long as it could be transported and used by a person
- A tent
- A camp equipment
- A fishing
equipment
- A skis pair
- Two tennis
rackets
- A boat without
motor, of less than five meters of length or an aquatic slider with or
without sail
- Five used toys,
when the passenger is a child
- Provided that means
of transportation will be a Mobile House, an Aircraft or a Yacht with
private registers, the following articles will be permitted:
- A video
reproducer
- A bicycle with or
without motor
- Domestic clothe
- Cookware,
kitchen, and/or living room furniture's
- When articles
different to the previously indicated are transported and that may have
a value higher to three hundred American dollars, but less to one
thousand; or up to four thousand American dollars (in the case of
compute equipment), it should be declared and paid through a bureau of
Customs Taxes, provided that, it is one of the following articles:
- 1 Live animal
- 10 Cans of
preserved food
- 10 Toys
- 2 Electronic toys
- 1 Furniture set
- 10 Clothes pieces
and accessories
- 3 Footwear pairs
- 1 Sport equipment
- 1 Motorcycle or
bicycle
- 1 Piece of each
home appliance
- 1 Piece of each
part of a compute equipment
- 5 Compute
programs
- 1 Professional
set
- 2 Tool sets
- 3 Art collection
or antiquities objects
- 20 Fantasy
jewelry
- 5 Jewelry sets
- 20 Records,
cassettes or compact disks
- The inspection
system in the border customs and in airports or marine ports, operate
with a random selection system or semaphore. Will be checked the person
that gets the semaphore light in red.
- If upon pressing
the semaphore button the person gets green light will not be checked,
but if there is a difference between the statement and the articles, is
applied an economic sanction of 1.5 times the value of the not declared
articles. The person that gets the red light is checked.
- In the event of
incurring in the lack of articles declared will exist a sanction of 4
times the commercial value of the not declared articles.
- If there are doubt
in this regard, you can consulted a fiscal advisor that is found in the
inspection area in borders and airports.
Cancun History
The Mayas, who settled the Yucatán Peninsula around
200 AD, inhabited the area for centuries before the Spanish arrived there in
1519. Although little is recorded or known about the history of the
peninsula or the Mayas, the area is dotted with many Mayan ruins. Not until
the 1950s and mid-1970s did archaeologists begin to study the ruins. Today,
more than 1,200 archaeological sites, many of which have been restored, are
scattered within a few hours' drive of Cancún.
Since 1974, the island of Cancún has been developed
from a small fishing village to an international resort attracting more than
700,000 visitors each year--a figure expected, by one estimate, to reach 1.5
million by the end of the century. Downtown Cancún, the booming city on the
mainland across the Laguna Nichupté, was nonexistent 20 years ago; it now
supports a population of over 300,000 people. Such incredible growth did not
just happen; Cancún was selected--reportedly by computer--by a Department of
Tourism task force as a development site that would bolster the Yucatán's
sagging economy. The task force (called FONATUR) created the master plan
for, and supervised the orderly development of, both the island, referred to
as the Hotel Zone, and the city on the mainland. The result is Mexico's
leading tourist destination--Cancún now accounts for nearly 20 percent of
the nation's tourism income and offers some 25,000 hotel rooms.
Since 1974, the island of Cancún has been
developed from a small fishing village to an international resort
attracting more than 700,000 visitors each year.
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Although little is recorded or known about the
history of the Yucatán Peninsula or the Mayas, the area is dotted with
many Mayan ruins.
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