Time Zones in Mexico

By Suzanne Barbezat

Mexico Travel Expert

gomexico.com

Mexico's Time Zones.  Photo courtesy CENAM

NOTE: On February 1, 2015,the state of Quintana Roo, including the tourist destinations of Cancun and the Riviera Maya are changing their clocks one hour ahead. This is due to the creation of a new time zone, the Southeastern Zone, which will coincide with Eastern time (except for some variation with the dates when Daylight Saving Time is observed). 

There are four time zones in Mexico:

• The Northwest Zone (Zona Noroeste) is exclusively for the state of Baja California, and is equivalent to the Pacific Time Zone (UTC -8). The Northwest Zone is pictured on the map in light blue.


• The Pacific Zone (Zona Pacífico) applies in the states of Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora, and is equivalent to the Mountain Time Zone (UTC -7). The Pacific Zone is pictured on the map in beige.


• The Central Zone (Zona Centro) covers over three fourths of the country - covering all of central and eastern Mexico, including the capital, Mexico City, and stretching all the way to Cancun in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Central Zone is equivalent to the Central Time Zone in the U.S. and Canada (UTC -6). The Central Zone is pictured on the map in dark blue. 
• The Southeastern Zone (Zona Sureste) The state of Quintana Roo, which is home to Cancun and the Riviera Maya is on Southeastern time  as of February 1, 2015. The state had previously been on Central time. 

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time applies from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. The state of Sonora (pictured on the map in blue and beige stripes) and some remote villages do not observe DST. Areas along the northern border have adapted to the schedule of DST in the United States.