General Information

• Mexico and Mexico City
• Transportation
• Hotels
• Maps

NEW ARRIVAL INFORMATION FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES:

Conference Location:

The conference will take place at the ESCUELA NACIONAL DE CONSERVACIÓN, RESTAURACIÓN Y MUSEOGRAFÍA DEL INAH located on Xicoténcatl Street and General Anaya Street, Col. San Diego Churubusco. At the entrance you’ll find the location of the rooms and auditoriums where the sessions are scheduled and an information place.

Map of Conference Location (click to enlarge)	Conference Venue (click to enlarge)	Conference Venue (click to enlarge)

Arriving by Metro (Subway):

By far, the cheapest option for travel within the city is the metro (two pesos a single trip, It is the same price whether you buy one or ten tickets), and takes just 20 min. from downtown to the conference. You can view the metro map on the ICAZ conference site by clicking here. A more detailed and interactive metro map can be found at the following website: http://www.metro.df.gob.mx/red/index.html. Traveling from downtown (centro), you should take the Zocalo or Allende on Line 2 (blue) toward Taxqueña. From Zona Rosa, you will need use the Insurgentes, Sevilla or Chapultepec metro stations on Line 1 (pink) and change to Line 2 (blue) at Pino Suarez station in the direction of Taxqueña (at no cost). To reach the conference location, get off at the General Anayastation on Line 2 (blue)and take the west exit(to Churubusco). At the main exit turn left and immediately the there is a small street named Genera Anaya(it has a taxi and a bus station), walk two blocks straight and you’ll find Churubusco Square, and you can locate the modern building of the ESCUELA NACIONAL. (See the map of the Coyoacan Disrict where the school is located at: http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/coyoa2.html).

Arriving by Taxi:

Taxis are not expensive. It will cost about 7 US dollars (or 80 pesos) per trip from downtown to the conference, and you can share the taxi with other colleagues, commonly 2-3 people per trip. If arriving to the conference by taxi, tell the driver to take you to the “Convento de Churubusco atrás del Metro General Anaya”.

Useful Maps:

At this link, you'll find a Mexico City Map by zones: (http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/map1.html). If you click Coyoacan, a detailed map shows you the local places of interest; #29 is Museo de las Intervenciones. The conference is in the Escuela, a place adjacent to this Museum.

In the Centro (downtown) map you'll see most of the hotels are in the area located between Palacio de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Palace) and Zocalo (Main Square). In Zona Rosa you can locate hotels and main attractions in the area.

Upon Arrival at the Airport:

We recommend you take an official taxi from the airport to your hotel. You can buy the ticket in places located at the international exit. The company named "Sitio 300" (yellow and white cabs; website: http://www.taxisdelaeropuerto.com.mx/) is cheaper than "Pro-Taxi Ejecutivo". However, both services are good. The cost in ordinary service is about 12 to 15 US dollars (130 to 200 pesos) from the airport to the downtown. Fares are computed by zone of the city, and most hostel and hotels listed for the conference are in zone 3 or 4. It is much cheaper to travel downtown from the airport by metro, but it is much more difficult. You will need to change line two or three times, and with luggage this can be tiring and complicated (there are long walking distances between one train and another).

Safety tips:  

The Election related protests represent no special safety concern. Please check here for updates regarding elections related demonstrations. As in any city the most important security tip for Mexico City is to USE COMMON SENSE. Building off of this basic concept:  

• Before crossing the streets looks in both ways; sometimes the bicycles or motorcycles do not respect the rules of the road.  

• The drivers do NOT stop for crossing pedestrians, so always wait for the red light for them.  

• Avoid walking alone after 10 PM. At night it is best to walk one well-lighted streets with lots of people on them.  

• If you should be driving, get a city map. The public signs are confusing or don’t exist.  

• Be kind, but not too kind, to avoid misinterpretation.  

• Bring only a limited amount of money (i.e for a day), one credit card and an ID (passport or copy of it). When you pay don’t flash the big bills ($500.00 pesos is a very high denomination. Dollars and euros are very attractive too!).  

• In all places keep your the bag, camera, laptop, palm pilot, ipod or any gadget close to you. Try not to display them.  

• The most comfortable places on the metro can be found in the first or the last wagons. In rush hours you’ll find sections reserved for women and children only.  

• For taxis, some tips are:
  • Choose the taxicab that you wish to use. Do not enter a cab that simply pulls up in front of you.
  • Make sure that the vehicle has the new license plates, issued by the DGST, which in addition to indicating their tag number also have a distinctively-colored flash - either green or coral, as the case may be.
  • Check that the driver has his respective I.D. which identifies him as a registered taxi driver.
  • Do not use taxicabs of which the license plate numbers or identification numbers have been altered in any way.
  • Do not enter a taxicab if it is already carrying another passenger.
  • Always try to use a taxicab accompanied by a friend.
  • Be on the alert for any suspicious activity such as a supposed mechanical malfunction of the cab, especially one that may prevent the doors from being locked.
  • Do not allow the driver to deviate from the determined route.
  • If you should detect any of these anomalies, calmly and quietly ask to driver to let you out of the cab.
  • Have exact change ready to pay your fare, and do not flash high denomination bills.  

Money exchange:

You can bring dollars or euros and you can change in airport to pesos (some exchange places are 24 hrs). If you don't want carry so much cash, you can often use a bank card (Visa/MC) to pay or to obtain money from automatic bank machines. The machines can found easily in the city, commercial areas and hotels. The exchange rate varies slightly everyday, usually to the advantage of the euro and the dollar. Currently, the rate 14.02 pesos to 1 euro or 11.03 pesos to 1 US dollar. Please, check for current rates closer to the Conference dates.

Food:

Conference registration does not include meals. There are many places to find lunch food around the conference venue. Some of the ones we recommend are in the public market the food section (26 in MAP), near of Jardín Hidalgo and in the Division del Norte Avenue are very places. More information on local restaurants can be found in your registration materials. You can find food at all the prices, but commonly you'll find places with menus (comida corrida) that will cost about 40-60 pesos (4-6 dollars) by meal. You’ll find a similar prices if you eat baguettes (“tortas” is the Mexican name) or tacos (the most popular food). You can find cheaper places but at your own risk. Please don’t eat in improvised street foods (puestos callejeros), the hygienic conditions are poor.

Weather:

In August, it rains in the evening nearly every day (short, but sometimes intense rain), but the weather is hot. An umbrella or rain jacket is enough, but a light jacket is recommended if you are very sensitive to temperature changes.

Having fun:

In Mexico City you can visit historic and artistic places, or choose some events (movies, theater, ballet, music). The nightlife is cool too. You have many options to fun. Please see this link for more details: http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/mexcity.html

Mexico and Mexico City

	Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia The Host Institution for the ICAZ2006 Conference
	Gobierno del Distrito Federal (Spanish) (English) The Mexico City Web Page
	Sistema de Transporte Colectivo (Metro) This is the most efficient public transportation in the city and quite cheap (around US$0.20); unfortunately the page is in Spanish, but we will try to get some English guides.
	Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores This page is for the Mexican Foreign Ministry, and information could be found about visa requirements. It is important for all participants to verify the relationship status between your country and México, in order to timely process the visa requests (we have been told that it could take up to three months for citizens of some countries).
	Secretaría de Turismo This page is for the Mexican Tourist Ministry, there is information available in English.
	Secretaría de Gobernación This page is for the Mexican State Ministry, and information could be found about immigration requirements. It is important for all participants to verify their immigration status for their entry into México.

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Transportation

Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez de la Ciudad de México The Mexico City international airport web page.

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Hotels

	Asociación de Hoteles de la Ciudad de México Please click here for a hotel information developed by the Mexico City Hotel Association
	Asociación Mexicana de Albergues Juveniles The link goes to a site provided by the Mexican youth hostel association. We hope to get an English version soon.

For more specific information on hotels, click here to go to the Accommodations page.

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