Remember to do in Mexico what the Mexicans do! The following is a short list of what is customary—and what is frowned upon—south of the border.

Greetings: In social settings, women and men usually greet each other with a single kiss on the cheek, even when they first meet. Men who know each other already tend to greet with a hug and a slap on the back. Greeting is often done by handshake in business settings, but never in social ones. When one enters a room, any room or business for the first time, one always says Good Morning, Good Afternoon or Good Evening to the room at large. When walking down the street, it is also customary to give the same greeting, depending on time of day,  when passing by someone closely.

Meals: Lunchtime in Mexico usually begins around 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. and can last at least a couple of hours, since it is the most important meal of the day. It is common for someone who lives near work to have lunch at home with his family. Unlike in the United States, it is common for a Mexican to order alcoholic beverages with his food, even on a business meal.

Business Meetings:  Business meetings in Mexico are often held over meals, particularly breakfast or lunch. They usually begin with small talk, with business matters left until later in the meal. Even at the office, Mexicans like to bond and make everybody feel comfortable before talking business; discussion of one’s family is common.

Gift Giving: It is customary for a traveler to bring along a small gift to the people he will meet with in Mexico, particularly if arrangements have been made to pick him up at the airport. Mexicans are also known for giving business gifts—sometimes lavish ones—for Christmas.

Tipping: Waiters in Mexico are usually tipped between 10 and 15 percent and hotel bellhops are normally tipped US$2. Taxi drivers usually aren’t tipped, although it’s customary to round the bill up.  All the gas stations in Mexico are full-service, and attendants are normally tipped between 5 and 10 pesos, depending on whether the car windows are washed while the gas tank is being filled. Persons who help someone park, be it in a parking lot or even on the street, expect to receive a small tip, as are grocery baggers. Other services that customarily command a tip in the U.S. and Canada, such as haircuts, are also tipped in Mexico.

Attire: Mexicans tend to dress much more formally than their Canadian and U.S. counterparts both in business and social settings. Shorts and sandals are frowned upon in restaurants. At work, suits are the norm, even on Fridays. Khaki pants and a polo shirt are considered casual attire. If a visitor doesn’t want to stand out as a foreigner, he should wear pants instead of shorts, wear solid colors instead of prints, don leather shoes instead of sneakers, use dress socks instead of sports socks and take off his hat.

Splitting the Bill: Mexicans dining in groups of two or three rarely split the restaurant bill among them. Normally, people take turns treating each other or, less commonly, split the bill evenly among the party. It is frowned upon to ask the wait staff for individual bills, although a few chain restaurants provide them as a rule. Mexicans are very generous with foreigners, often insisting on paying for meals themselves. Visitors to Mexico should remember to return the favor on the next occasion or in their home country, when the Mexican visits.

Using English: Visitors should not assume that all Mexicans speak English, although many people — such as students and tourism industry employees — often do. Mexicans appreciate the effort made by a foreigner to speak Spanish, however basic. Visitors who do not speak Spanish should always preface their questions in English with “Hablo poco español. Habla usted inglés?” (A-blo POco espanYOL. A-bla usTETH inGLEZ?) (“I speak very little Spanish. Do you speak English?”).

Tú or Usted?: When speaking to a Mexican, a visitor should always use usted (the formal form of the pronoun “you”) instead of tú (the casual form) unless he already knows the person being addressed or unless that person begins to use the tú form with him. Usted is also common for conversations between persons of different social or professional hierarchies (ex. managers and secretaries, employers and cleaning staff), to convey distance but also respect. One typically uses usted to address the older relatives of friends or associates, although these people will usually use the tú form to respond.

Contact and Personal Space: When speaking, Mexicans tend to stand more closely to each other than their U.S. or Canadian counterparts, and also tend to touch each other more. It is not uncommon for a Mexican to touch someone on the shoulder or arm occasionally while speaking, or to place his hand on someone’s back or shoulder while walking with him.

Professional Titles: Mexicans are very sensitive to hierarchies and professional titles. When in doubt, a visitor should always address a Mexican using the title “licenciado” before his last name (ex. “Licenciado Pérez”); ”señor” is reserved for individuals who are not suspected to possess a college degree, and therefore should never be used in a business setting. The use of the title may be dropped over time depending on the hierarchy and the type of business relationship the two people develop.

Tone of Voice: Mexicans tend to speak more quietly than their Canadian or U.S. counterparts, especially in public places such as restaurants and stores.

Fashionably Late: It is common for Mexicans to arrive at a social event much later than the designated start time.  Arriving up to one hour late is not unusual, while arriving right on time is often considered rude.  Hosts always expect their guests to be at least half an hour late. At business meetings, though, lateness is much less tolerated.

Haggling: Bargaining is common in open-air markets. Visitors should offer half of the asking price and bargain up from there. Bargaining is not used at formal establishments.