Mexico Essentials
September 20, 2023

Discover Mexico’s Four Time Zones by State

Mexico has four different time zones: the Central Zone that covers most of the country, two exclusive to two states, and a Pacific zone

by Mexperience
Clock Time - Watches

Mexico’s land territory, including the Baja peninsula, straddles an area between 23.6345° North, and 102.5528° West.

To give that some time-zone perspective, its longitudinal land mass covers a distance-equivalent starting on the Pacific coast in California USA, and ending near Pensacola, Florida—thus spanning some 1,700 miles.

Mexico’s four time zones

Mexico has four time zones, two of which are exclusive to two states.  The four time zones in Mexico are listed below. Click/tap on the map to link to UTC references.

Mexico Map by Time Zone (UNAM, MX GOB)

  • Zona Noroeste — Northeast time zone (Orange)
  • Zona Pacifico — Pacific time zone (Burgundy)
  • Zona Centro — Central time zone (Blue)
  • Zona Sureste — Southeastern time zone (Green)

 

Mexico’s Time Zones by State

The table below summarizes the four time zones, and which Mexican State(s) adhere to that time zone.

Time Zone Mexican States in this Time Zone
North Time Zone
Zona Noroeste		 Only the State of Baja California, on the Baja California peninsula.  Not to be confused with the State of Baja California Sur, also part of the peninsula that is on the Pacific Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone
Zona Pacifico		 The States of: Baja California Sur, Chihuahua*, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora**
Central Time Zone
Zona Centro		 The States of: Aguascalientes, Campeche, Chihuahua* Chiapas, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico City, Mexico State, Michoacán, Morelos, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán and Zacatecas.
Southeastern Time Zone
Zona Sureste		 Only the State of Quintana Roo

* The State of Chihuahua is officially part of the Mexico’s Pacific Time zone, but in practice its clocks are aligned with Mexico’s Central Time Zone.

** The State of Sonora never moved its clocks and remained synchronized with time in the US State of Arizona, that also never moves its clocks.

Learn more about time and time zones in Mexico

Mexico has several time zones and most states move their clocks forward in the spring and back in the autumn.

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