Living & Lifestyle
March 28, 2023

Mexico Newsletter —
April 2023

Spring takes hold; Easter holiday month; Mexico's 'super peso'; Water usage during the dry season; Residency renewals; Property insurance; Lifestyle planning...

by Matthew Harrup
Mexico Letter Box

Your monthly Mexico newsletter is filled with inspiration, meaningful knowledge, helpful connections, and tips for better living, lifestyle, and leisure in Mexico.

April highlights in Mexico

The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom as Spring takes hold and the hottest and driest days of the year begin to make themselves felt across many regions in Mexico. It won’t be long before the streets, lanes, and gardens become carpeted in violet and the Jacarandas magically redress their branches in emerald green.

Mexico’s part-time resident ‘snowbirds’ are preparing their return home for the late spring and summer months, while full-time residents are making plans for the Easter Week holiday that’s being observed early in April this year.

The occasional rain storms during February and March, although welcome, are insufficient to properly refresh the parched landscapes and its soils, while gardeners make earnest efforts to keep their garden plants contented during this most difficult stretch of the dry season. This month’s newsletter features a section to help you learn about water usage and how to manage well in the driest weeks before the rains eventually return.

Mexico’s peso has been in the news this last winter as it strengthened materially against the US dollar and posted solid gains during the first three months of 2023.  We published an article that reviews 70 years of the peso’s exchange rate fluctuations and lends some perspective to its current value.

Most of Mexico didn’t move its clocks forward this spring, but clock changes elsewhere create time differences to note when you plan your travels and cross-border meetings.  Daylight hours, though never that short here, are lengthening after the spring equinox and we look ahead to the summer with its refreshing afternoon and night-time rain storms—and the longer evening light, that is extraordinary here.

Wishing you a spring season filled with wellness and abundance.

Insurance coverages for your life and lifestyle in Mexico

Connect to our insurance associates and get quotes online for essential insurance services that can mitigate the economic effects of unforeseen events and provide practical support through what are often difficult situations.

Easter in Mexico 2023

Easter, in Mexico termed as Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is one of Mexico’s ‘big three’ holidays, alongside Christmas and Día de los Muertos. It’s also one of the busiest times of the year for travel between airports, bus stations, and on intercity highways.  For those seeking respite from the holiday crowds, consider a visit to Mexico City.

Learn more about Easter in Mexico:

Easter Holy Week Dates for 2023

Easter Sunday is observed on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon—that is the first Sunday following the Full Moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox in March.

Maundy (Holy) Thursday and Easter Friday fall on April 6th & 7th this year.

Easter Sunday is observed on April 9th.

Easter Week holidays in Mexico traditionally begin the week before Good Friday and extend to the end of the weekend after Easter Sunday—so this year, the holiday period will run from around April 1st to April 15th.

Immigration and residency updates

Highlights, reminders and helpful resources about immigration and residency

Renewing your residency permit

If you hold a Residente Temporal card, you’ll need to keep an eye on its expiry date.  Our article about renewing your residency card gives a detailed overview of the procedures; here are three key points that most people ask about:

  • You must renew your Residente Temporal permit in the 30-day window before the card’s expiry date
  • After four consecutive years of holding temporary residency status, you may apply to convert that to permanent residency
  • You do not normally have to demonstrate economic solvency when you apply for renewal(s); in the unlikely event that you are asked to do so, the immigration office will apply UMA multiples to the calculation, and not multiples based on minimum wage.

Further resources:

Immigration Assistance

When you need assistance with your residency permit application or renewals, regularization procedures, expired permits, or troubleshooting, consider using our Mexico Immigration Assistance Service.

If you already have your visa and need help exchanging that for a residency card in Mexico, our associate offers a visa-to-card exchange assistance assistance service.

Water usage and Mexico’s dry season

The dry season can be readily felt in late March, April and it may extend further in some regions where the rains don’t return until late May or June.  The effects of the dry season may be immediately seen when you travel along intercity highways and see swathes of landscape parched in hues of yellow and brown.

Closer to home, water supplies might become an issue as your property’s cisterns run low, and water authorities ration the amount of water delivered to homes.  Here are some resources to help you learn about and cope with these, the hottest and driest months of the year across many regions in Mexico:

Don’t miss the Dry Season’s sunsets!

Sunsets in Mexico are spectacular this time of year, as the dry landscapes lend dust to rise high into the atmosphere that blends with setting sun rays beaming across clear skies to create compositions of extraordinary late evening light.

Your leisure time in Mexico

Whether you’re visiting Mexico for a vacation or living here and seeking to discover more of the the country you’ve adopted as your home, a custom tour enables you to make the most of your leisure time and absorb the experience of the activity instead of grappling with the details and logistics. Popular this time of year are bookings to visit Mexico’s Copper Canyon and walking tours of Mexico City.

For those planning ahead to the fall season, consider arranging your tour to see the Monarch butterflies, that will begin to arrive in Mexico during November.

Discover the benefits of a custom tour in Mexico

Mexperience works with selected travel partners who offer custom tours that take the care of all the details and enable you to get the most from your leisure time in Mexico.  Browse all custom tours offered via Mexperience.

Real estate and property matters

We publish an enormous amount of insightful and practical knowledge about buying, owning, renting and selling property in Mexico.

Home and property insurance

When you own a home in Mexico an insurance policy that protects your valuable physical assets against unforeseen events is an essential consideration. If you rent your home, you can insure against loss of your personal possessions in the event of floods, earthquakes, and burglaries.  And whether you own or rent, a policy can also protect you from third party liabilities.

Download: Our free eBook about Real Estate in Mexico is the most comprehensive and impartial resource you’ll find online to help you learn about and understand how to buy, own, rent, and sell property in Mexico and includes an entire chapter about property insurance.

Further resources for you:

Medical Insurance vs Medical Evacuation Insurance

When you’re staying in Mexico longer-term, a travel insurance policy won’t cover you. You can learn about options for medical insurance coverages here. If you are covered under a medical plan in the US, a medical insurance evacuation plan could be helpful to you, for example, if you live here part of the year.

Driving and road trips in Mexico

Driving your own vehicle across Mexico’s extensive and well-developed road network provides an ideal way for you to explore these diverse lands.

  • Free eBook: Download this comprehensive guide to Driving & Road Trips in Mexico that helps you to plan and prepare for safe and enjoyable driving and road trips in Mexico.
  • Catch-up with the latest updates about Driving in Mexico
  • Learn about being properly insured when you drive in Mexico to cover liabilities, breakdowns, and medical incidents while you’re on the road.

Get the insurance coverage you need to drive with peace of mind in Mexico

Your US or Canadian auto insurance policy will not cover you for third party liability when you’re driving in Mexico.  Mexperience is pleased to refer our readers to MexPro auto insurance, which offers comprehensive coverages valid in Mexico using English-language policies backed by a fully-licensed US insurance broker.  Get a quote online.

Spring into Spanish language studies

Learning or improving your Spanish will enhance your experiences in Mexico if you’re visiting—and especially if you’re living here.

Enhance your experience of Mexico by conversing in Spanish

Learning or improving your Spanish will enhance your experiences in Mexico if you’re visiting—and speaking at least a basic conversational level of Spanish is essential if you’re living here.

Discover a Spanish language course and book your lessons.

Discover and experience more of Mexico

Mexperience helps you discover Mexico and experience the wide range of opportunities available here for lifestyle and leisure.

Mexico Lifestyle

Whether you’re considering a move to Mexico, in the throes of moving here, and even if you’re already here and considering ways to reformulate your current situations, our Mexico lifestyle planning articles and eBooks provide invaluable help and local knowledge:

Mexico Leisure

Whether you’re visiting Mexico or living here, there’s an abundance of travel and leisure options for you to explore and experience.

Mexico Essentials

Articles and insights about essential things you need to know as you make your Mexico lifestyle and leisure plans

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