Puentes and Holidays in Mexico

Anyone who is trying to do business with Mexico this week may have a hard time tracking down their Mexican counterparts because of the puente.  What is a puente?  Puente, which means bridge in Spanish, is another way to say "three day weekend" or "four day weekend".  Whenever a holiday falls on a Tuesday, many companies give employees the Monday off as well.  Holidays can vary from company to company, but this list for the remainder of the year should help you out:





November 1&2: Día de los Muertos
November 20: Mexican Revolution Day

December 12: Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
December 16: Las Posadas
December 25: Navidad, Mexico celebrates the Christmas holiday.

Happy Independence Day Mexico!

Today Mexico celebrate's it's independence day!  The celebration happens tonight at midnight, when President Felipe Calderon gives el grito (shout for independence) "Viva Mexico!".  The celebration will be extra special this year because it is the bicentennial.

Spring Break: Not Just for Frat Boys Anymore

One of the things that I love about living in Mexico are the holidays.  Every time you turn around, it seems like there is a puente, or 3-day weekend.  Mexicans take their holidays so seriously in fact that the law was changed to move any holiday that falls during a weekday to a Monday (the holiday is still celebrated on the official day, but the "day off" from work and school is that Monday).

Recently, a friend of mine in the U.S. was complaining that no one in Mexico was answering his e-mails or calls.  "What is going on down there?!!!" he said.  And I told him - "We're on Spring Break!"  I explained to my friend that in Mexico, a country that is close to 90% Catholic, Holy Week is a very important week.  Some companies shut down for the entire week, some shut down for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and others pick and choose when they will be off.  The schools are officialy off for two entire weeks, so some business owners and higher level execs take there families and leave for 2 weeks. 

While this frustrates many foreign business people, I'm all for it.  A well deserved rest is very welcome once April rolls around.  Who says Spring Break has to be just for college kids??

*Photo from USAToday