Grupo Mayan would like to welcome you to Mexico! You tropical holiday at any one of our Grupo Mayan resorts will be a vacation you always remember. While at your resort you will not be faced with using unfamiliar currency but once you are in the neighboring towns and villages, shopping for souvenirs, you will need to know a little about the local currency. The Grupo Mayan staff would like to offer you a few tips.
Mexican currency is based on the peso. The peso can be broken down into 100 centavos. Five or ten steel centavos; twenty or fifty brass centavos; one, two, or five steel ring pesos; or ten, twenty, fifty, or one hundred brass pesos. The higher peso denominations are rare as are the lower centavo denominations. Mexican banknotes are available in ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, and one thousand denominations. When you exchange money or receive change from a clerk, be sure that the peso is no older than 1992. Pesos issued before this date are not worth anything today. United States dollars and pesos use the same symbol which can cause confusion. If you are in a tourist area the US price of an item will be marked as US$. The exchange rate in the fall of 2008 is about one US dollar to a little over eleven pesos.
You will find US dollars accepted in many places throughout the country. Euros are not so easy to exchange and if traveling from a country whose currency is the Euro you might want to exchange funds before travel. The Grupo Mayan staff will help you with exchanges while you are on site.
Tourists have told the Grupo Mayan staff that one of the best places to exchange pesos is in the supermarket. Many gas stations have proven less reliable. If you plan to make a purchase with a credit card you will need to ask beforehand if credit cards are accepted. All Grupo Mayan resorts are happy to accept your credit cards.
You will find Automated Teller Machines located at Grupo Mayan resorts and throughout the country. Your bank may have a policy with certain Mexican banking establishments that will wave ATM fees. You will want to check with your bank before leaving on vacation. If you are in a smaller town for a tour you will want to get money from an ATM at your Grupo Mayan site before going on tour. Small town ATMs frequently run out of cash.
Merchants in many of the smaller towns will look over your money for rips and tears. Some will only accept pristine bills. Many merchants do not like to give change so try and pay with small denominations. Again, you will run into none of these problems while at any of our Grupo Mayan resorts.
The best advice we can offer our guests is to be as diligent with your Mexican money as you are with the currency from your country. All Grupo Mayan resorts offer lock boxes for your use while on holiday. You will find them to be a safe and convenient location for not only your money, but your travel documents and other valuables.
