Mexico Clock Time - Autumn 2009

Mexico will turn its clocks back by one hour this coming weekend, ending its spring and summer engagement with Daylight Saving Time.

Officially, the clocks in Mexico will be turned back by one hour at precisely 0200 (2am) on Sunday, October 25th.  Europe too, will turn its clocks back by one hour on this date, but the USA will not end its Daylight Saving Time (DST) until Sunday, November 1.

Last spring, Mexico, Europe and the USA moved their clock time forward by one hour on three different weekends, creating a staggered schedule that required some careful working-out by anyone who happened to be traveling between – or working with colleagues – across these countries and continents.

This autumn, Europe and Mexico are moving their clocks forward in tandem, so the autumn clock-time change schedule is thus simpler:

On Sunday October 25th, Mexico and Europe will move their clock time back by one hour.  Mexico will thus remain six hours behind the UK, Ireland and Portugal and seven hours behind other Western European countries.  However, Mexico will be an additional hour behind US time zones until November 1st so, for example, instead of Mexico being one hour behind New York (Eastern Time) it will be two hours behind New York.

On Sunday November 1st, the United States will end its DST and move its clock time back by one hour. On this date, Mexico’s clocks will, once again, be back to their normal clock-time synchronization with the USA’s Time Zones.

Mexico has three Clock Time Zones, and one state that does not adhere to the DST protocol.

Most of Mexico, including Mexico City and Merida, adheres to Central Time (same as Dallas, TX).

Baja California Sur and the coastal areas north of Nuevo Vallarta adhere to Mountain Time (same as Denver, CO); which is one hour behind Mexico City.  Puerto Vallarta remains on Central Time, but Punta de Mita, just 25 miles north, is on Mountain Time. Mazatlan is also on Mountain Time.

The northern reaches of Baja California adhere to Pacific Time (same as Los Angeles, CA).  In this relatively small area of Mexican territory, which includes the towns of San Felipe and Ensenada, the clocks are one hour behind Baja California Sur and two hours behind Mexico City.

The exception is Mexico’s northern state of Sonora.  As Sonora borders the state of Arizona (one the few US states which do not adhere to the DST protocol), Sonora chooses to leave its clock time unchanged, in harmony with its northern neighbor.

You can learn more about Mexico’s three time zones and annual clock changes on the Mexperience Travel Essentials guide.