The four zones
Time in Mexico is set by federal law and kept by CENAM, the national metrology centre, from an atomic clock in Querétaro. The current statute, the Ley de los Husos Horarios published on 29 October 2022, defines four zones for the mainland. Almost 90 per cent of the population lives in one of them, Zona Centro, so for most purposes Mexico runs on UTC−6 all year.
| Zone | UTC offset | Where | Same as (US winter) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sureste | −5 | Quintana Roo | New York |
| Centro | −6 | 25 states and Mexico City | Chicago |
| Pacífico | −7 | Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit | Denver, Phoenix |
| Noroeste | −8 | Baja California | Los Angeles |
Which state is in which zone
Zona Centro takes in everything from Chihuahua and Coahuila in the north to Chiapas in the south, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Yucatán and Campeche. Chihuahua is the one that moved recently: the state left Pacific time for Central time on 30 October 2022, so Chihuahua city now matches Mexico City, while its border municipalities including Ciudad Juárez kept Mountain time to stay aligned with El Paso.
Zona Pacífico holds four north-western states, but Nayarit is split: the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, which contains Sayulita and the northern half of the Puerto Vallarta conurbation, has been on Central time since 2010 so that it matches Puerto Vallarta across the state line in Jalisco. The rest of Nayarit, including the capital Tepic, is an hour behind. Sonora has not observed summer time since 1998 and sits on UTC−7 year-round, which keeps it permanently in step with Arizona. Baja California is the only state in Zona Noroeste and the only whole state that still changes its clocks.
Why Quintana Roo differs from Yucatán
Quintana Roo was on Central time like the rest of the Yucatán Peninsula until 1 February 2015, when the state congress and the federal government moved it to UTC−5, then called Zona Sureste. The argument was tourism: sunset in Cancún in December came before 17:30 on Central time, cutting the useful beach and excursion day. The change put Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and Chetumal an hour ahead of Mérida, Valladolid and Campeche. It matters on a day trip: Chichén Itzá is in Yucatán and keeps Central time, so a tour leaving Cancún at 08:00 arrives at 09:30 local rather than 10:30. Bus and airline schedules are always quoted in the local time of the departure point.
The end of daylight saving in 2022
Mexico adopted nationwide summer time in 1996 and abolished it on 30 October 2022. The stated reasons were health and the small size of the electricity saving, which the energy ministry put at well under one per cent of national consumption. Since then the clocks have not moved except in Baja California and in 33 municipalities within about 20 km of the US border, which are allowed to follow the US schedule so that cross-border work, school and trade stay synchronised. Those exceptions include Tijuana and Mexicali in Baja California, Ciudad Juárez and Ojinaga in Chihuahua, Piedras Negras and Ciudad Acuña in Coahuila, Anáhuac in Nuevo León, and Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros in Tamaulipas. Between March and November those cities are one hour ahead of the rest of their own states. The border map shows where the line runs.
Daylight and the practical effect
Mexico sits between about 14° N and 32° N, so day length varies far less than in the United States or Europe. At Mexico City, near 19° N, the longest day of the year runs about 13 hours 5 minutes and the shortest about 11 hours, a swing of roughly two hours; at Tijuana on the northern border the swing is closer to four and a half hours. That narrow range is part of why abolishing summer time was politically easy in the south and contested in the north. Software identifies the zones by IANA names — America/Mexico_City, America/Cancun, America/Merida, America/Mazatlan, America/Hermosillo, America/Bahia_Banderas, America/Chihuahua, America/Ojinaga and America/Tijuana — and a phone bought before late 2022 may still shift its clock in April unless its zone data has been updated.
Questions about time in Mexico
How many time zones does Mexico have?
Four: Sureste (UTC−5) in Quintana Roo only, Centro (UTC−6) covering most of the country, Pacífico (UTC−7) in the north-west, and Noroeste (UTC−8) in Baja California.
Why is Cancún an hour ahead of Mérida?
Quintana Roo moved from Central to Eastern time on 1 February 2015 to give its resorts an extra hour of evening daylight. Yucatán and Campeche stayed on Central, so Cancún is one hour ahead of Mérida although they are 300 km apart on the same peninsula.
Does Mexico observe daylight saving time?
No, not since 30 October 2022, when Congress abolished nationwide summer time after 26 years. The exceptions are Baja California and 33 municipalities along the US border, which still change their clocks in step with the United States.
What time is it in Mexico City compared with New York?
Mexico City is on UTC−6 all year. That is one hour behind New York in winter and two hours behind between March and November, when the US is on daylight time. Chicago matches Mexico City in winter and is one hour ahead in summer.