Mexican Culture and Etiquette

Día de Muertos is not a Mexican Halloween. It is a family reunion with the dead, rooted in pre-Hispanic rites and folded into the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and UNESCO lists it as intangible heritage. The belief is that the souls of the dead return for one night: children on 1 November (often called Día de los Angelitos) and adults on 2 November. Some communities also remember people who died in accidents on 28 October.

Families build an ofrenda (altar) at home with photographs of the dead, their favourite food, drinks and cigarettes, water and salt for the journey, pan de muerto (a sweet bread), sugar skulls with names written on them, copal incense, candles and papel picado (cut-paper banners). Orange cempasúchil marigolds are the signature flower, and their petals are laid as a path to guide the souls home. On the night of 1-2 November many families decorate the graves and keep vigil in the cemetery with candles, music and food.

The best places to experience it are Oaxaca, where the city’s cemeteries and the village of Xoxocotlán fill with candles; Pátzcuaro and the island of Janitzio on Lake Pátzcuaro, known for Purépecha night vigils and candlelit canoes; San Andrés Mixquic on the edge of Mexico City; and Mérida, where the Maya version is called Hanal Pixán and is celebrated with mucbipollo, a large tamal baked underground. Mexico City’s big parade, with giant skeletons and Catrina figures, dates only from 2016 but is now a fixture on a weekend shortly before 2 November.

Cemetery vigils are private family events that welcome respectful visitors. Keep your voice low, never step on or sit on graves, do not move offerings, and ask before photographing a family’s grave or altar; many will say yes, some will offer you a drink or a piece of bread, which you should accept. Turn off the flash, skip the selfie stick and leave the cemetery to families late at night. In Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro, organised night tours can bring in crowds of hundreds, so choose a small group or go independently to a smaller village cemetery.

Painting your face as a Catrina, the elegant skeleton lady drawn by the printmaker José Guadalupe Posada and named by Diego Rivera, is fine and very popular at city parades. At a family vigil it is more tactful to arrive with a plain face. Book accommodation in Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro three to six months ahead; see our best time to visit Mexico page for dates in 2026 and 2027.

Around three-quarters of Mexicans are Catholic, and religion shapes the calendar more than any national holiday. The single most important figure is the Virgin of Guadalupe, who according to tradition appeared to the indigenous Juan Diego in 1531; her image is on taxi dashboards, market stalls and tattoos. On 12 December, millions of pilgrims walk, cycle and crawl to the Basilica of Guadalupe in northern Mexico City. Holy Week brings processions of hooded penitents in Taxco and a Passion play in Iztapalapa watched by more than a million people. Christmas starts with nine nights of posadas from 16 December, and on 6 January families cut a rosca de reyes; whoever finds the plastic baby figure hosts a tamal party on 2 February.

Churches are working places of worship. Cover shoulders and knees, take off your hat, keep quiet during mass and do not walk around the altar while a service is on. A small coin in the box is appreciated.

Mexico recognises 68 indigenous languages, spoken by more than seven million people. The groups you are most likely to meet are the Maya of the Yucatán, the Tzotzil and Tzeltal of highland Chiapas, the Zapotec and Mixtec of Oaxaca, the Purépecha of Michoacán, the Wixárika (Huichol) of Jalisco and Nayarit, known for beadwork and yarn paintings, and the Rarámuri of the Copper Canyon. Use the people’s own name for themselves, and never “indio”, which is offensive.

San Juan Chamula, 10 km from San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, is the most visited indigenous town in Mexico and the one with the strictest rules. The Tzotzil community governs itself with its own authorities and police. Inside the Church of San Juan Bautista there are no pews: the floor is covered with pine needles, families kneel among hundreds of candles, and healers use eggs, chickens, posh (a cane spirit) and fizzy drinks in rituals that mix Catholic saints with Maya belief.

The rules are absolute. Buy the entry ticket at the tourist office on the main square. Taking photos or video inside the church is forbidden, and visitors who try have had cameras confiscated and been escorted out. Outside, do not photograph people, especially the religious officials in their tall hats and black or white wool tunics, without clear permission, and expect to be asked for a few pesos if they agree. The same photo ban applies inside the church at nearby Zinacantán, a flower-growing Tzotzil town known for embroidered magenta clothing.

The best way to visit is with a local guide from San Cristóbal, who can explain what you are seeing and take you into a family home. Elsewhere, community-run tourism lets you spend money directly with the people you visit: weaving cooperatives in Teotitlán del Valle near Oaxaca, Purépecha craft villages around Pátzcuaro and Maya ejido cooperatives running cenotes and jungle tours in the Yucatán.

Mexicans are warm and formal at the same time. Men shake hands; women and mixed acquaintances often greet with a single kiss on the right cheek, but as a visitor follow the other person’s lead and a handshake is always fine. Use “usted” rather than “tú” with older people and anyone serving you, and address them as “señor” or “señora”. Call a waiter with “joven” or “disculpe”, never by snapping or whistling. When you enter a waiting room, lift or small shop, a general “buenos días” to the room is normal.

Time is elastic socially. Arriving 20 to 30 minutes late for a dinner at someone’s home is polite; arriving on time can catch your hosts unprepared. Buses, flights, tours and museum closing times are punctual. People avoid a flat “no”, so “maybe” and “ahorita” often mean no; ask a direct follow-up question if you need a firm answer. When you ask directions, people may give an answer rather than admit they do not know, so ask two people.

A few other habits help. Bring a small gift such as sweets or wine if you are invited home. Bargaining is normal in craft markets but should be good-humoured and modest; prices in shops and supermarkets are fixed. Say “Estados Unidos” and “estadounidense” for the US and Americans: Mexicans are Americans too.

Tipping is expected in most services and is an important part of many workers’ pay. Use pesos in cash where you can, since card tips do not always reach staff.

Check the bill for “propina incluida” or “servicio”, which some tourist restaurants in Cancún, Tulum and Los Cabos add automatically. When you pay by card, the waiter will often ask how much to add; say the percentage before they run the card. Our Mexican food guide covers what to order and table manners in more depth.

Archaeological sites are managed by the national institute INAH and have consistent rules. Climbing is banned at Chichén Itzá (since 2006) and at most other major pyramids; the tall Nohoch Mul pyramid at Cobá and the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan have also been closed to climbers in recent years, so check at the gate rather than relying on old blog posts. Drones are prohibited without a permit, tripods and professional video equipment need authorisation, and taking stones, pottery fragments or anything else is a federal crime. Most sites open around 8:00 and close by 17:00, with last entry an hour earlier. On Sundays entry is free for Mexican citizens and residents, which makes sites busier.

Cenotes are freshwater sinkholes that feed the Yucatán’s only drinking-water aquifer, which is why the rules are strict. At almost every cenote you must shower before entering, and sunscreen, insect repellent, lotion and make-up are banned in the water. Many require a life jacket regardless of swimming ability. Do not touch stalactites or the roots hanging from the ceiling, and stay inside the marked areas. Cave and cavern diving is only allowed with a certified guide. Entry ranges from about 100 MXN at village-run cenotes to 400 MXN or more at well-known ones such as Ik Kil near Chichén Itzá.

• Mariachi: Born in Jalisco and on UNESCO’s heritage list. Hear it at Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City in the evening, where bands play by the song, or in Tlaquepaque near Guadalajara.
• Ballet Folklórico: Amalia Hernández’s company performs regional dances at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, usually on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings and evenings.
• Guelaguetza: Oaxaca’s festival of the state’s regional dances, held on the two Mondays after 16 July at the hilltop auditorium, with free street parades (calendas) all month.
• Voladores de Papantla: Totonac men spin down from a 30 m pole on ropes. Watch at El Tajín near Papantla or in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.
• Lucha libre: Masked wrestling at Arena México on Tuesday and Friday nights. Go with a group, keep valuables to a minimum and shout along.
• Murals: Diego Rivera’s history of Mexico in the National Palace and José Clemente Orozco’s work in Guadalajara’s Hospicio Cabañas.
• Crafts: Black clay pottery and alebrijes (painted wooden animals) around Oaxaca, Talavera ceramics in Puebla, silver in Taxco, lacquer and copper around Pátzcuaro, and Tzotzil textiles in San Cristóbal. Buy from the makers’ workshops or cooperatives where you can.

• Drinking in public: Drinking alcohol on the street, in parks and on most beaches outside licensed areas is illegal in most Mexican cities and can bring a fine or a night in a cell.
• Smoking and vaping: Since 2023 smoking is banned in all enclosed public places and on beaches, in parks and at bus stops. The sale and import of e-cigarettes and vapes are banned, and devices can be confiscated at the airport.
• Drugs: Despite court rulings on personal cannabis use, buying any drug is illegal and connects you to the cartels. Penalties for carrying anything more than a tiny amount are severe.
• The flag and national symbols: Treat the flag and anthem with respect; misuse of national symbols is an offence.
• Dress: Beachwear stays on the beach. Shirtless walking in town centres is frowned upon, and churches expect covered shoulders.
• Antiquities: Buying or exporting pre-Hispanic artefacts is illegal. Real “ancient” pieces sold near ruins are fakes or crimes.

English is widely spoken in Cancún, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta but much less in Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatán interior. A few phrases go a long way.