You will find in Mexico that people are generally very friendly and sociable. They are usually anxious to please and to help you in any way that they can. They will often drop what they are doing to help someone. This can often lead to some misunderstandings. If you are being waited upon you may suddenly find that you have been abandoned for someone else. This is not meant to be rude but politeness to the next person also. It can lead to things taking longer to get finished, deadlines not being met, and what might be misconstrued as laziness or lack of interest. You might find that in any conversation there is much use of words and beating around the bush. Whereby you might get right to the point and say something in a few brief words or sentences they will use lots of flowery language and twice as many words to get to the same point. Be patient or you will be considered rude. Butby the same token, if things are taking an inordinate amount of time then you must definitely put on the pressure or you might be there forever.

Mexicans are usually very private people. They are very open on the surface but very reserved about their own private lives. A Mexican will often talk a great deal about his family but it is not often that you will be invited to his home to actually meet them. It is a great honor to be invited into the home and an indication that you are truly considered a friend. Sometimes, you may see a Mexican greeting someone you know they dislike with great effusiveness and politeness. This is not to be taken as hypocritical but as part of the ceremony and upbringing. Politeness above all. And, like the Asians, always saving face.

Greetings in Mexico are also very elaborate and quite formal. Practically everyone you encounter should be greeted. Women friends will often greet each other with a “kiss” which is really a kiss to the air as the cheeks bush. At a business meeting everyone will be greeted with a formal handshake and the men will give each other an “abrazo” (hug) if they are friends. At a private gathering there will be many abrazos between the men and kisses which are not limited to the women, but also between women and men who are friends. Children and adolescents are expected to kiss all the adults on the cheek. Even young men are expected to kiss older men on the cheek( if they are close relatives). But you would not greet your maid or the doorman in your building in the same manner. This would be limited to a good afternoon or morning or evening and a slight nod in their direction. It is important that there be eye contact and a smile to go with the nod. Otherwise it would look disdainful.

Mexicans are generally very hardworking, infinitely patient and very accepting of hardships. This is a reflection of a long history of oppression. This aspect of society is now changing especially among the younger generations, but the society is still in general very 'macho' and paternalistic. Women are placed upon a pedestal but are still regarded as creatures to be kept in the home.

This will often be a problem for the foreign woman executive as the men who will be under her command or with whom she will be doing business may not take her seriously and will be asking to speak to the boss. It will be hard for them to believe or accept that she is really the boss. Once over that hurdle, however, that will no longer be a problem. Although you can now find more and more women taking important government posts and in prominent positions in the business world it is still regarded as a curiosity rather than a trend.

Dress codes are also quite formal. It is frowned upon to wear shorts in public places unless one is at a resort or vacation place. This is not true of children and is somewhat relaxed when it comes to teenagers, but young girls leave themselves open to unpleasant remarks if they venture out on the streets in shorts. Women, of course should refrain from wearing shorts at all in streets. streets. People in general dress up more and are very careful about their physical appearance. The advent of “casual dress” Fridays is quite a new phenomenon in the work place.

Tipping is a custom that you will find permeates practically every aspect of life in Mexico. There is the universal service fee for waiters in restaurants, bellboys and maids in the hotels and valet parking. It is wise to always carry a plentiful supply of peso coins for this purpose. When you park your car practically anywhere on the street and in many parking lots and malls you will find someone there who will “help” you to park your car by whistling and saying “viene, viene” which means come, come. When you come out again to get into your car they will be there again to “help” you out of your parking space. Then they will stand by the driver's window to receive their tip for helping you and for watching your car. You are advised to give them two to five pesos and a thank you, otherwise the next time you may find a scratch on your car or at least you will hear an insult muttered under the breath. Tipping is a way of compensating for the incredibly low salaries most workers receive. It is a supplement to their income and very much needed. You will also be expected to tip the teenager who helps bag and carry your groceries, the attendant at the filling station, the beautician or barber, or anyone else who performs a service. You would not ever consider tipping a salesclerk or any other employee unless they performed a service which was not considered part of the deal.

Mexico is a country whose people are mostly Catholic. Although there is official separation of church and state, religion permeates every aspect of society. People take their religion very seriously and observe all the religious holidays. Although government offices cannot officially close on religious holidays the fact is that the whole country comes to a standstill for the major ones. It makes economic sense for there is enormous absenteeism on those days and there really is no point fighting it. For the same reason your domestic help will probably request some of these days off and it is customary to grant them. If the employee is a full time worker you would probably not deduct the day from their pay, but if they are day help, then they usually will not receive pay for that day.

There are Catholic Churches all over the country so, if this is your religious faith, you will not have any trouble finding a place of worship. If your faith is not Catholic chances are that you will find a place to attend services although you may have to travel a little farther from your neighborhood.

Holidays are numerous in Mexico. Some of these are legal and others are optional. They are observed on the day of the week on which they occur. Very often when a holiday lands on a Tuesday or Thursday people will make a “puente” or bridge. The intervening Monday or Friday will also be taken as a holiday. Another “holiday” which your domestic help may be inclined to take is “St. Monday”. They simply won't come to work until Tuesday, thereby expanding their weekend day off. You would do well to nip this in the bud or it can become a problem.

Additional to the holidays listed above there are also specific days for various trades and types of employees such as Mailman's Day, Secretary's Day, Paper Deliveryboy's Day, Construction Worker's Day, ad infinitum. And there are also all the various town fair days. Each community has it's fiesta (celebration), so your maid will probably want to go home for a few days for that event. Some of the Fairs have gained national fame and are well worth the trouble of going to see. Two of the biggest are the Feria de Aguascalientes and the Feria de Tlaxcala. You will find bull fights , rodeos, cock fights, amusement rides, regional dancing, food handicrafts and all sorts of other attractions at these events. These handicrafts and others can also be found at handicraft markets in most of the cities and larger towns. Mexico City has several large handicraft markets, of witch “La Ciudadela” is the best know.