November 12 is Dia del Cartero (Postman’s Day) in México. It’s the day of the year when everyone remembers their local postman and gives a small gift in appreciation of the work they perform.
In Spanish, the word for post is correo, from the verb correr, meaning to run; a direct reference to the original ‘message runners’ (corredores) which preceded the formalized postal service.
Hernan Cortes brought horses from Europe with him and so, during the colonial era, horseback riders replaced runners as a means to carry messages and goods between the main towns and cities across the country.
In 1813, México established its first formal postal service, which delivered regular messages between México City and the provinces each month. In 1824, México’s Treasury Department took over the postal system and this led to the issuance of México’s first postage stamp, which featured on it the “father of México’s revolution,” Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Dia del Cartero was first established in México on November 12, 1931.
Your mailman will be expecting a tip today. They do not expect more than an amount between $20 pesos and $50 pesos, depending on how much mail you get and how much they do for you, but if you would like to be more generous, it will be deeply appreciated. This is an important day for mailmen in México because they depend on their tips to make up for a salary that is not as much as it should be.
(from Vanguardia)
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