# US $ in Mexico



## John R.

We are Americans living in Argentina and, in a few weeks, we are going to be vacationing in Mexico with some friends from the US. 
I'd like to have our friends bring us some US Dollars that we can take back to Argentina where it is the preferred currency.
I'm trying to find a way to safely handle the US Dollars while in Mexico. 
Obviously if we get cash it means we either have to carry it with us or leave it in the condo we rented.
I'm hoping that someone will suggest a better way to do this. 
For example, if our friends bring us traveller's checks can we get US Dollars at a bank in Mexico? If not a bank, how much would a money changer in Mexico charge us?

Any suggestions or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

JR


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## sparks

Traveler's checks are old school and very difficult to use. Use an ATM machine like everyone else


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## Isla Verde

sparks said:


> Traveler's checks are old school and very difficult to use. Use an ATM machine like everyone else


I agree that traveler's checks are rarely (almost never?) used in Mexico. But if the OP's friends are bringing them dollars, how will using an ATM help them "safely handle" them?


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## John R.

Can you recommend a bank whos ATMs will, at the end of my trip, give me a generous amount of US$ without outrageous fees?


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## mes1952

The amount of fees you pay depends entirely on the bank's affiliation with a Mexican bank. I have used Bank of America here in Baja for several years. I have no bank fee and the international fee is less than $2.


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## Isla Verde

mes1952 said:


> The amount of fees you pay depends entirely on the bank's affiliation with a Mexican bank. I have used Bank of America here in Baja for several years. I have no bank fee and the international fee is less than $2.


Will your bank in Baja issue you US dollars from the ATM? That is what the OP wants to know.


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## joaquinx

John R. said:


> Can you recommend a bank whos ATMs will, at the end of my trip, give me a generous amount of US$ without outrageous fees?


I saw only one ATM that dispensed USD and that was at the border in Reynosa. Not a vacation place. International airports such as Mexico City and Cancun (I don't know where you are vacationing) has kiosks to exchange for USD. The rate is scandalous, but ATM machines that dispense USD are just as scandalous. 

Depending on the conversion in Argentina, the kiosks might be a good deal, but you have to do the math.


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## TundraGreen

John R. said:


> Can you recommend a bank whose ATMs will, at the end of my trip, give me a generous amount of US$ without outrageous fees?


These days, the best strategy for getting cash in any currency is to wait until you are in the country, then get cash from an ATM. Do you need US dollars before you get to the US?


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## citlali

The op is not going to be in the US but in Mexico : how are they going to get dollars out of ATM s that dispense pesos??


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## TundraGreen

citlali said:


> The op is not going to be in the US but in Mexico : how are they going to get dollars out of ATM s that dispense pesos??


 I should have read the whole thread. I missed the original post.


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## Isla Verde

TundraGreen said:


> Then what does the OP need US dollars for? What am I missing? Why do you need dollars if you are not in the US. And if you are in the US, ATMs dispense dollars.


My dear fellow moderator: If you re-read his initial post, you will see that he wants the US dollars to take back with him to Argentina. For some reason, they are the preferred currency there.


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## TundraGreen

Isla Verde said:


> My dear fellow moderator: If you re-read his initial post, you will see that he wants the US dollars to take back with him to Argentina. For some reason, they are the preferred currency there.





TundraGreen said:


> I should have read the whole thread. I missed the original post.


My dear fellow moderator: If you will read my last post, you will see that I already figured that out and confessed my error.


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## Isla Verde

TundraGreen said:


> My dear fellow moderator: If you will read my last post, you will see that I already figured that out and confessed my error.


Dear TG: I made my post before you posted your mea culpa. Sorry for the confusion.


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## Waller52

John R. said:


> We are Americans living in Argentina and, in a few weeks, we are going to be vacationing in Mexico with some friends from the US.
> I'd like to have our friends bring us some US Dollars that we can take back to Argentina where it is the preferred currency.
> I'm trying to find a way to safely handle the US Dollars while in Mexico.
> Obviously if we get cash it means we either have to carry it with us or leave it in the condo we rented.
> I'm hoping that someone will suggest a better way to do this.


$500? $5,999? $19,999,999? :noidea:


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## joaquinx

As of yesterday Wednesday, July 1, 2015 US dollar higher at 9.105 pesos; 'blue' climbs at 13.55 pesos. The "blue dollar" is the street exchange rate. So depending on the OPs ATM card to USD rate, the vig so to speak, the OP can gain some purchasing power back in Buenos Aires.


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## xolo

I don't know how much money you are talking about, but regardless, I would *never* leave cash in a rented room unless it was the house of a trusted friend (like a close relative or something). Mexico is the land of larceny. Depending on where you are, personal assault is much less likely.


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## joaquinx

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I don't know how much money you are talking about, but regardless, I would *never* leave cash in a rented room unless it was the house of a trusted friend (like a close relative or something). Mexico is the land of larceny. Depending on where you are, personal assault is much less likely.


Must be a friend of Donald Trump.


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## GARYJ65

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> I don't know how much money you are talking about, but regardless, I would *never* leave cash in a rented room unless it was the house of a trusted friend (like a close relative or something). Mexico is the land of larceny. Depending on where you are, personal assault is much less likely.


Mexico is the land of larceny?
Boy, here we come again...


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## citlali

Leaving cash and especially a lot of it in a hotel room is never a good idea no mater where you are in the world. Money can even be stolen from safes in hotels.


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## xolo

GARYJ65 said:


> Mexico is the land of larceny?
> Boy, here we come again...


I love Mexico, but I am convinced by personal experience that petty theft is rampant in Mexico. Mexico is a beautiful country, though.

The request was for advice, and my advice is don't leave cash in a rented room in Mexico (that was the specific question).


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## Isla Verde

GARYJ65 said:


> Mexico is the land of larceny?
> Boy, here we come again...


I agree with the thought, Gary, but the correct expression is "here we go again". The correct use of "come" and "go" (as well as "ir" and "venir" for non-native speakers of Spanish) is very tricky!


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## sparks

Most banks have a Buy/Sell dollars sign ..... so does Intercam. I would check before the last minute to make sure they will have dollars


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## TundraGreen

Isla Verde said:


> I agree with the thought, Gary, but the correct expression is "here we go again". The correct use of "come" and "go" (as well as "ir" and "venir" for non-native speakers of Spanish) is very tricky!


It is indeed. In English, when the door bell rings, you call out "I'm coming", in Spanish, "Me voy".


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## GARYJ65

TundraGreen said:


> It is indeed. In English, when the door bell rings, you call out "I'm coming", in Spanish, "Me voy".


Ahi voy
Me voy would be "I am leaving"


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## AlanMexicali

TundraGreen said:


> It is indeed. In English, when the door bell rings, you call out "I'm coming", in Spanish, "Me voy".


Wouldn´t it be "Yo voy!"


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## Isla Verde

AlanMexicali said:


> Wouldn´t it be "Yo voy!"


Yes, it would. Most often it would just be ¡Voy! without the subject pronoun.


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## Cristobal

Voy, ahi voy, va, van...... all work.


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## joaquinx

Yet, we all say _¡Me voy!_ At least all the Mexican that I know.


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## GARYJ65

joaquinx said:


> Yet, we all say ¡Me voy! At least all the Mexican that I know.


 I may have to disagree Most Mexicans, me included, do not say "me voy" in fact, it's been a long time since I heard that
Probably it would be more common to say "ya me voy"


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## xolo

Everyone is correct. 

_Me voy_ means "I'm leaving" if it is a _verbo __pronominal_. This is also the usage in _Ya me voy_

_Me voy_ means "I'm going (to answer the door)" if it is considered a _se intransitivador con sujeto voluntario_. The _me _gives emphasis to the action, it does not change the verb meaning.

Gary, where'd you learn Spanish? The construction _me voy_ is very common in Mexico for this purpose as far as I remember, although I suppose there are differences in regions/individuals.

Sorry folks, that's the Spanish teacher in me. There's only about 8-14 usages of the poor little _se_


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## joaquinx

GARYJ65 said:


> I may have to disagree Most Mexicans, me included, do not say "me voy" in fact, it's been a long time since I heard that
> Probably it would be more common to say "ya me voy"


Yes, that's the phrase.


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## GARYJ65

AlanMexicali said:


> Wouldn´t it be "Yo voy!"


That would be the case if you are with some others and you say " I take it"


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## GARYJ65

GARYJ65 said:


> That would be the case if you are with some others and you say " I take care of it"


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## GARYJ65

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> Everyone is correct. Me voy means "I'm leaving" if it is a verbo pronominal. This is also the usage in Ya me voy Me voy means "I'm going (to answer the door)" if it is considered a se intransitivador con sujeto voluntario Gary, where'd you learn Spanish? The construction me voy is very common in Mexico for this purpose as far as I remember, although I suppose there are differences in regions/individuals. Sorry folks, that's the Spanish teacher in me. There's only about 8-14 usages of the poor little se


Me voy does not mean " I'm going", like when answering the door, for that you would say: Voy, ya voy, van.

Where did I learn my Spanish? 
Coyoacan, San Angel, mostly, DF, almost 50 years this month, do I qualify?

I was born and raised in Mexico, Mr Spanish Teacher


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## xolo

I'll stand by my comments. This is a pretty large topic area suitable for C1-C2 speakers.

Gary, no offense was intended, nor shall be taken. I was just curious about your Spanish since the language does vary all over the world and between individuals.


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## TundraGreen

Little did I realize how controversial two words can be. I normally don't comment on usage in Spanish. My ability with the language is functional but far from expert. 

However, I learned the expression "Me voy" for someone answering the door bell from my Spanish teacher. She always responded that way through the intercom when I showed up on her doorstep for class.

I wonder if there might not be regional differences in how common some expressions are.


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## RVGRINGO

The HSBC opposite Walmart in San Antonio Tlayacapan, between Chapala and Ajijic, dispenses either pesos or dollars.....sometimes. The amount will depend upon your daily limit with your bank and the contents of the machine at the moment you use it.


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## AlanMexicali

Both my ex Mexican wife and present Mexican wife told me "Me voy." is incorrect. It should be "Ya me voy." as in: I am leaving now. Other than that they both told me to use: "Yo voy _ _ _ _ _ _ ". Of course I was using it as an example: "Me voy al centro". LOL


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## Isla Verde

más chueco que la fayuca said:


> . . .
> Gary, where'd you learn Spanish? . . .


At his mother's knee, of course. Gary is Mexican born and bred!


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## kcowan

The independent ATMs from CasHola dispense USD. PV has them all over el centro.

HSBC also offers the option but I suspect the amounts are limited. Intercam offers no fee withdrawals at CasHola machines. But amounts are limited to 3000 pesos per withdrawal and 5000 in total withdrawals per day.

(Our maid says "me voy" when she is done and leaving. She does not realize how controversial she is being!)


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## WilliamAshley

I don't recomend ATMs unless a bank teller is not available. Exchange houses are tons of places and offer fairly good rates if you know where to go and when. I recommend you bring your passport and cash right in the bank, you will get the most stable rate that way. You can technically get better rates at an exchange house if you check rates forex etc.. they often change rates when the "key rates" change, but other times they will offer rates based upon their own needs.

Personally I don't recommend any ATM not inside a bank in clear view, and not them if there is a teller. I have had my card swiped from an ATM presumably in Playa near the marina. The machines are not "safe" and are able to be hacked by tech that is available illegally. It may not even be apparent that the card was swiped until months later. A transaction with cash for pesos is the easiest transaction. 

While crime is possible, just don't keep all your money in one place, hide it in your sock or your underwear in a money elt, and if you get robbed have a false money thing to give them with modest amount of money such as cab fair. It is all about strategy. Generally mexicans will prey on unattended items, although a knife point mugging is not unheard of, as long as you give them something you may be ok. Also if you really wanted you could get a GPS traceable or cell traceable deoy to give to them so you can get police on them. It is all in your strategy.

Bank tellers in daylight are the way to go, imo. (or money house if you get a good rate)


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## chicois8

*Oy vey,* Thanks Ashley for going back to the original topic........


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## WilliamAshley

np
I'd hate to see someone go through what I went through, ended up being wasted time but the swipe happened on a day that I was back up north and had to walk 40km to the nearest bank/atm, as I had something to pay for in cash and was totally broke. Upon getting to the atm it didn't work, so I had to call in. Luckily I was able to use the non compramised portion (as there were two types of access on the card) to do a purchase for cashback - but it was deactivated for atm withdrawls.

I still think it was "government" that did it as there were some peculiar events none the less I have no evidence who was behind it but they struck with the swipe the one time I needed the card.


Large amounts of cash isn't safe either as I had over 10000 dollars cash (not pesos) stolen from me also in mexico


You could always get pesos in advance of travel, normally banks need a couple day s lead time if they don't normally carry it but exchange or service fees may be worse than in mexico. Or you could set up a mexican bank account and draw from that. Some account offer joint currency.


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## chicois8

Large amounts of cash isn't safe either as I had over 10000 dollars cash (not pesos) stolen from me also in mexico..

Whats you nickname, LUCKEY ? CAD?


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

WilliamAshley said:


> I don't recomend ATMs unless a bank teller is not available. Exchange houses are tons of places and offer fairly good rates if you know where to go and when. I recommend you bring your passport and cash right in the bank, you will get the most stable rate that way. You can technically get better rates at an exchange house if you check rates forex etc.. they often change rates when the "key rates" change, but other times they will offer rates based upon their own needs.
> 
> Personally I don't recommend any ATM not inside a bank in clear view, and not them if there is a teller. I have had my card swiped from an ATM presumably in Playa near the marina. The machines are not "safe" and are able to be hacked by tech that is available illegally. It may not even be apparent that the card was swiped until months later. A transaction with cash for pesos is the easiest transaction.
> 
> While crime is possible, just don't keep all your money in one place, hide it in your sock or your underwear in a money elt, and if you get robbed have a false money thing to give them with modest amount of money such as cab fair. It is all about strategy. Generally mexicans will prey on unattended items, although a knife point mugging is not unheard of, as long as you give them something you may be ok. Also if you really wanted you could get a GPS traceable or cell traceable deoy to give to them so you can get police on them. It is all in your strategy.
> 
> Bank tellers in daylight are the way to go, imo. (or money house if you get a good rate)


This advice might be appropriate for tourists, but I don't think for travelers or expats for two reasons. First, it would be extremely difficult to get a steady supply of dollars for expats and travelers over a period of months and years. Secondly, the banks and exchange houses give a terrible rate of exchange. That might not hurt many tourists who just don't know better.

The best way to avoid ATM rip off problems of course is to visit those that Mexicans visit, not tourists. Yes, long ago, I had my debit card ripped off at the famous Sunburns House of Tiles, though my bank compensated me.


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## Isla Verde

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> The best way to avoid ATM rip off problems of course is to visit those that Mexicans visit, not tourists. Yes, long ago, I had my debit card ripped off at the famous Sunburns House of Tiles, though my bank compensated me.


Living in Mexico for almost 8 years, I have never had problems using ATMs to get pesos. I just use the one at the Santander branch where I have an account.


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## chicois8

LOL " at the famous Sunburns House of Tiles " 

It must have been Sanborn's branch at the beach ..........


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## RVGRINGO

Bank ATMs, wherever located, were our only source of pesos for 13 years in Mexico. Never lost a card.
Since dollars are not accepted as they once were, and travelers checks are not accepted either, having a couple of good ATM cards is the only practical solution these days. Forget about writing checks.
We maintained all banking in the USA and handled it online, even for home or automobile purchases, etc.


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## kcowan

We only use ATMs that demand our PIN through the embedded chip. Before two years ago, all ATMs were pretty safe, then the crooks got smart even at ATMs outside bank branches. Maybe because it is a tourist area?


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## ojosazules11

I actually enjoy these threads with completely unrelated subthreads running through them, as long as we don't neglect to answer the OP's original question. 

Regarding ATMs dispensing dollars in Mexico, I did find this company which apparently has ATMs which dispense US$, although they indicate you should check to make sure the ATMs actually have dollars available. Also, the search function for ATMs show none in the DF (Mexico City) if you select that as region or state, but if you put "todos" for state (estado), it lists a ton of ATMs in the DF, including in the lobby of the Hotel Camino Real at the airport. What I wasn't able to find was *which* of these locations have ATMs which can dispense US$. 

Multiva

Regarding letting someone at the door know that you're coming, I agree with Gary. I call out either "¡Voy!" or more often "¡Ya voy!" I would use "Yo voy" (or "Voy yo") if I'm with my husband and want to indicate to him that I'll get the door instead of him going. "Me voy" means "I'm leaving" or "I'm going", and I've asked a few native Spanish-speaking friends, both Mexican and Colombian, and they all unequivocally say that "Me voy" would never be used to call out to someone knocking at the door that you're coming.


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## Isla Verde

ojosazules11 said:


> . . .
> 
> Regarding letting someone at the door know that you're coming, I agree with Gary. I call out either "¡Voy!" or more often "¡Ya voy!" I would use "Yo voy" (or "Voy yo") if I'm with my husband and want to indicate to him that I'll get the door instead of him going. "Me voy" means "I'm leaving" or "I'm going", and I've asked a few native Spanish-speaking friends, both Mexican and Colombian, and they all unequivocally say that "Me voy" would never be used to call out to someone knocking at the door that you're coming.


A great answer, ojos! Were you a Spanish teacher in a past life?


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## Playaboy

FYI, from tourist central!!

I just moved back to PDC. The major supermarkets still take USD at great exchange rates. They actually compete with each other over the "tipo de cambio". I got 15.8 yesterday at Chedraui. Last week in Cancun I stopped at Soriana's for lunch and got 16.5. I was shocked. Even though I wasn't planning on shopping I stocked up on things. BTW, the store was packed and most were paying, at least partially, with USD's.


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## mr_manny

Is confidence in the US economy really that good?


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

mr_manny said:


> Is confidence in the US economy really that good?


Compared to what happened in Europe and China this week, who both yearn to replace the U.S. currency as the most widely held reserve, yeah, the U.S. economy does look pretty good. Many folks rushed to the dollar, sending it up against most other currencies.


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## Waller52

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> Compared to what happened in Europe and China this week, who both yearn to replace the U.S. currency as the most widely held reserve, yeah, the U.S. economy does look pretty good. Many folks rushed to the dollar, sending it up against most other currencies.


What is the lowest/highest conversion rates in modern history (since the crash of 2006-8ish) that the forum can remember?


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## Isla Verde

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> Compared to what happened in Europe and China this week, who both yearn to replace the U.S. currency as the most widely held reserve, yeah, the U.S. economy does look pretty good. Many folks rushed to the dollar, sending it up against most other currencies.


And this explains why I've been getting more bang for my buck from my US pension payments, aka more pesos in my Santander account!


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## Isla Verde

Waller52 said:


> What is the lowest/highest conversion rates in modern history (since the crash of 2006-8ish) that the forum can remember?


I've been living here full-time for almost 8 years. The current exchange rate is the highest I can recall. The lowest may have been 9 pesos to the dollar, but that was some time ago, can't remember the year.


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## citlali

I think it was 8 something within the latest 15 years..probably the year we bought the house...Just sold a house in France so the euro is low...he story of myl life..


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## joaquinx

Waller52 said:


> What is the lowest/highest conversion rates in modern history (since the crash of 2006-8ish) that the forum can remember?


XE.com - USD/MXN Chart

I vaguely remember that in 1998 it was 7.35. The link to XE is only for the last 10 years.


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## Hound Dog

Waller52 said:


> What is the lowest/highest conversion rates in modern history (since the crash of 2006-8ish) that the forum can remember?


We arrived in Mexico as retirees in the spring of 2001. At that time the exchange rate between the USD and MXN was $8.9MXN to $1.00USD. In those days the Mexican Peso was touted as the "mighty peso". That is the strongest showing of the Mexican Peso to the USD since then up to the date of this posting. Today´s Mexican Peso Exchange rate to the USD is as weak as the peso has been in all the years we have resided here.


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

Hound Dog said:


> We arrived in Mexico as retirees in the spring of 2001. At that time the exchange rate between the USD and MXN was $8.9MXN to $1.00USD. In those days the Mexican Peso was touted as the "mighty peso". That is the strongest showing of the Mexican Peso to the USD since then up to the date of this posting. Today´s Mexican Peso Exchange rate to the USD is as weak as the peso has been in all the years we have resided here.


Remember, the peso of today was once the "new peso," introduced in 1993 at the rate of one "new peso" to 1,000 old pesos.

I lived through the crazy 80s in Mexico, a whiplash period that saw the gov't confiscate dollar bank accounts, flail about for a decade trying to "protect" the peso, which dropped from 8 to the dollar to over 1,000 to the dollar or more, with "illegal" black markets, to finally giving up and creating the "new peso" only to see it lose 50 percent of its value in the next year, 1994.

The Mexican peso is however the most stable currency in Latin America, but again, "in Latin America."

So, this is the lowest against the dollar but only since the introduction of the "new peso" in 1993.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peso


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## Cristobal

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> Remember, the peso of today was once the "new peso," introduced in 1993 at the rate of one "new peso" to 1,000 old pesos.
> 
> I lived through the crazy 80s in Mexico, a whiplash period that saw the gov't confiscate dollar bank accounts, flail about for a decade trying to "protect" the peso, which dropped from 8 to the dollar to over 1,000 to the dollar or more, with "illegal" black markets, to finally giving up and creating the "new peso" only to see it lose 50 percent of its value in the next year, 1994.
> 
> The Mexican peso is however the most stable currency in Latin America, but again, "in Latin America."
> 
> So, this is the lowest against the dollar but only since the introduction of the "new peso" in 1993.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peso


Your memory needs refreshed. The days of 8 to 1 belonged to the 1950s. It began the 80s at approx 25 to 1US. And it continually devalued until it reached the 3000+ level. That is when they converted to the new peso and it was pegged to a controlled slide of a few centavos a day for the next almost 2 years.


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## chicois8

Cristobal said:


> Your memory needs refreshed. The days of 8 to 1 belonged to the 1950s. It began the 80s at approx 25 to 1US. And it continually devalued until it reached the 3000+ level. That is when they converted to the new peso and it was pegged to a controlled slide of a few centavos a day for the next almost 2 years.




Cristobal, I believe your a little confused with your numbers...When I started visiting Mexico in the 50's the peso was 12.5 to the $1 or 8 cents to the peso ..............


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## Isla Verde

chicois8 said:


> Cristobal, I believe your a little confused with your numbers...When I started visiting Mexico in the 50's the peso was 12.5 to the $1 or 8 cents to the peso ..............


You're right, chico. And it stayed that way for many years.


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## Cristobal

Isla Verde said:


> You're right, chico. And it stayed that way for many years.



No confusion whatsoever. As I posted previously, the peso hadn't been exchanged at 8 to 1 since the 1950s.


_"En la Semana Santa de 1954, el 17 de abril Ruiz Cortines devaluó el peso de $8.50 a $12.50 por dólar"._

I too, lived here when the peso was 12.50 to 1 and I was here when it went to 22.50 (actually it was slightly higher for a few days but was fixed at 22.50) during Echevarria's term. And I have been through all of the subsequent devaluations since.


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## chicois8

You mean Echeverria's term not Echevarria's ,correct?


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## Cristobal

chicois8 said:


> You mean Echeverria's term not Echevarria's ,correct?


Of course. Just as you misspelled "your" in the following quote in which you erroneously claimed I was confused. Spelling mistakes happen to all of us, but it is generally considered petty for others to point them out.



> Cristobal, I believe your a little confused with your numbers...When I started visiting Mexico in the 50's the peso was 12.5 to the $1 or 8 cents to the peso ..............


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

Cristobal said:


> Your memory needs refreshed. The days of 8 to 1 belonged to the 1950s. It began the 80s at approx 25 to 1US. And it continually devalued until it reached the 3000+ level. That is when they converted to the new peso and it was pegged to a controlled slide of a few centavos a day for the next almost 2 years.


Picky, picky, picky! I said the new peso was established in 1993, which it was, on Jan. 1, 1993 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuevo_peso). I said it lasted until 1994, which it did, as it was devalued in Dec. 1994 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peso_crisis).

In any case, what you fail to appreciate in your rush to criticize is that I was responding to member questions on whether the current exchange rate was the lowest in history, and I had to go back to the "new" peso to explain that. I used the "eight" figure as that was the rate when Mexican was able to keep it pegged to the dollar for the longest period in the modern era, as anyone who knows Mexican history would appreciate. Take a deep breath and read the entire thread next time.


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## Cristobal

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> Picky, picky, picky! I said the new peso was established in 1993, which it was, on Jan. 1, 1993 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuevo_peso). I said it lasted until 1994, which it did, as it was devalued in Dec. 1994 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peso_crisis).
> 
> In any case, what you fail to appreciate in your rush to criticize is that I was responding to member questions on whether the current exchange rate was the lowest in history, and I had to go back to the "new" peso to explain that. I used the "eight" figure as that was the rate when Mexican was able to keep it pegged to the dollar for the longest period in the modern era, as anyone who knows Mexican history would appreciate. Take a deep breath and read the entire thread next time.


The peso was only exchanged at 8 to 1 for 6 years, far from the 22 years it was at 12.50 as anyone who knows Mexican history would appreciate.


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## ojosazules11

Isla Verde said:


> A great answer, ojos! Were you a Spanish teacher in a past life?


Come to think of it, I did have a brief stint in college 30 years ago teaching an evening conversational Spanish course, along with a Guatemalan friend. We got to the level of "¿Donde está el baño?" and "La cuenta, por favor." 

But I've lived my entire adult life in both languages, at work, at home and socially. Occasionally I'm unaware of which language I'm speaking, until I get a quzzical look if it's the wrong one for the person being addressed. Once I was translating a live speech from English to Spanish at an event with a mostly Spanish speaking audience. Then another speaker came up and started speaking in Spanish. I seamlessly transitioned from translating English into Spanish to translating Spanish into .... Spanish. I was oblivious to what I was doing until the entire audience burst out laughing. Oops! Or in Spanish, "¡Ups!"


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## Hound Dog

> ...But I've lived my entire adult life in both languages, at work, at home and socially. Occasionally I'm unaware of which language I'm speaking, until I get a quzzical look if it's the wrong one for the person being addressed. Once I was translating a live speech from English to Spanish at an event with a mostly Spanish speaking audience. Then another speaker came up and started speaking in Spanish. I seamlessly transitioned from translating English into Spanish to translating Spanish into .... Spanish. I was oblivious to what I was doing until the entire audience burst out laughing. Oops! Or in Spanish, "¡Ups!"


Good story Ojo. My wife, Citlali occasionally experiences the same language confusión. She grew up in France, lived in the U.S. for some 30 years and has been a retiree in Mexico for almost 15 years. She speaks French, English and Mexican Spanish interchangably and I only speak English fluently so once in a while she may rattle off some remark to me in a language not intended and I get a big kick out of that in a fun sort of way as an a mutual amusement.

A few years ago, we were shopping in Paris and the vendor at a charcuterie spoke no English so I made a lame effort to buy some (Spanish) chorizo by uttering ,"Do you have Spanish style chorizo?" slowly in English which didn´t register at all for the shopkeeper so, she said, "Let me handle this." Then, addressing the shopkeeper, she inquired, "Do you have any Spanish style chorizo?" without even realizing she was speaking English to him. Needless to say, her inquiry resulted in a blank look across the counter from the vendor but she was able to correct herself quickly upon observing the confusión and we walked out of the shop with the appropriate sausage. This is one of many amusing anectotes along those lines over the years and I wish I had a problem similar to her´s of achieving fluency in other languages and occasionally experiencing normal confusion when trying to communicate among those languages.


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## Isla Verde

I'm nowhere as fluent in Spanish as ojos or citlali, but I do remember this happening many years ago, while visiting my mother in the States after having lived in Mexico for a couple of years. We were chatting about this and that, and all of a sudden I came out with a comment in Spanish, in the middle of our conversation in English. She looked at me as if I were slightly cuckoo, and then I laughed and proceeded to translate to English what I had just said.


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## ojosazules11

I hope I maintain all my faculties right to the end, but if I don't, I wonder what I'll end up speaking. Likely some sort of Spanglish. Even now, when I'm really, really tired, my English becomes a bit _chueco_ as I stick Spanish words in. I especially find myself substituting the Spanish version of the small, connecting words, y for and, o for or, porqué for because, si for if, con, qué, por, etc. The strange thing is I'm more likely to insert Spanish words into my English when I'm tired than vice versa. I would think it would be the opposite, given that English is my first language. If there are any neurolinguists out there, please enlighten me.


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## TundraGreen

ojosazules11 said:


> I hope I maintain all my faculties right to the end, but if I don't, I wonder what I'll end up speaking. Likely some sort of Spanglish. Even now, when I'm really, really tired, my English becomes a bit _chueco_ as I stick Spanish words in. I especially find myself substituting the Spanish version of the small, connecting words, y for and, o for or, porqué for because, si for if, con, qué, por, etc. The strange thing is I'm more likely to insert Spanish words into my English when I'm tired than vice versa. I would think it would be the opposite, given that English is my first language. If there are any neurolinguists out there, please enlighten me.


I am in awe of people who pick up languages easily and speak several. I am slowly mastering Spanish. But I am also trying to learn German. When I am in a German speaking country and trying to speak German, some of the words often come out in Spanish, especially the first day or two. My brain seems to realize that English isn't the right language but the next one it tries is Spanish.


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## ojosazules11

TundraGreen said:


> I am in awe of people who pick up languages easily and speak several. I am slowly mastering Spanish. But I am also trying to learn German. When I am in a German speaking country and trying to speak German, some of the words often come out in Spanish, especially the first day or two. My brain seems to realize that English isn't the right language but the next one it tries is Spanish.


Totally! Years ago I had enough German, French, and Italian for very basic conversations. I could even sing some songs and say tongue twisters in Serbo-Croatian. Then I became fluent in Spanish, and had no regular opportunities to use the other languages, and now when I try, my brain defaults to Spanish. My kids are trilingual (English, Spanish, French) and they laugh when I try to speak French because they say I speak it with a Spanish accent. I disagree, of course...


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## citlali

German was my first foreign language and I used to speak it but totally forgot it..I did not use it for years, did not particularly liked the language and forgot it. I also took Russian and could read and write the cyrrillic and I forgot that too.. If you do not use languages you just forget them, at least I did and so did my grand mother who spoke Basque as a first language and could not speak it at the end of her lilfe..you do not use it , you lose it..
Another thing is that languages change a lot and everytime I go back to France I learn new vocabulary , mostly words that are part of the young people language but also fad words , the grammar does not change but the vocabulary sure does.


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## Waller52

TundraGreen said:


> I am in awe of people who pick up languages easily and speak several.


I teach Pig Latin, $75/hour, 10% discount for forum members. Good deal, trust me.


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## Isla Verde

Waller52 said:


> I teach Pig Latin, $75/hour, 10% discount for forum members. Good deal, trust me.


Is that 75 pesos or 75 dollars?


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## ojosazules11

Waller52 said:


> I teach Pig Latin, $75/hour, 10% discount for forum members. Good deal, trust me.


I'll match Waller's offer and teach the Spanish version of Pig Latin, called _jerigonza_.

¡Hofolafa! ¿Cofomofo efestafas? 

Or another variation (regional dialects, you see):

Upunapa cepervepezapa, popor fapavopor.


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## theabroma

Excellent point! If they bring dollars, they will need to visit a Casa de Cambio in order to exchange them. As for Traveler's Checques, fewer Casas will handle them. ATMs rule. There is a fee per transaction, but the machines are all over the place, so they are very convenient.


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## kcowan

In our condo, everyone speaks Spanish but the neighbours are from Paris and Italy, so the conversation drifts into French and Italian. I speak French better than Spanish so I can talk to their dogs who understand French! The neighours are quite unaware of their switching among languages.


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## Meritorious-MasoMenos

kcowan said:


> In our condo, everyone speaks Spanish but the neighbours are from Paris and Italy, so the conversation drifts into French and Italian. I speak French better than Spanish so I can talk to their dogs who understand French! The neighours are quite unaware of their switching among languages.


But how do the Mexican dogs treat those fancy French mutts? Do they even speak Spanish or do they bark only in French?


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## citlali

My dogs understand French Spanish and English but they bark in esperanto.


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## chicois8

Can we get back on topic? = US $ in Mexico..


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## Isla Verde

citlali said:


> My dogs understand French Spanish and English but they bark in esperanto.



Do they also understand Tzeltal and Tzotzil?


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## Cristobal

chicois8 seems upset that some posters are barking up the wrong tree.


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## chicois8

arf,arf,arf,lol


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## ojosazules11

chicois8 said:


> arf,arf,arf,lol


Or is that "guau, guau, guau"?


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## citlali

or ouaf ouaf..


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## ojosazules11

Thinking about it, I realize our little dog - born in Mexico, raised in Ontario - is bilingual (or trilingual if you include dog-speak). 

She knows "walk" in English, "home" or "casa" in both languages, and our word for treat is a "puppy-talk" version of _huesito_ (little bone), _"hueti, hueti"_. That's her favourite word of all, and she knows the meaning very well.


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## kcowan

Meritorious-MasoMenos said:


> But how do the Mexican dogs treat those fancy French mutts? Do they even speak Spanish or do they bark only in French?


The dogs were all born Mexican but just trained to understand French. No Fifis here just Mexican mutts.


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