From the archive: Are Mexicans really always late?

The goal of our “From the Archive” series is to revisit popular stories that capture the unique history and culture of life in Mexico. This Sarah DeVries article — originally published in December 2024 — is a humorous look at a stereotype regarding Mexicans and punctuality.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts regarding Mexican punctuality — or lack thereof — it’s important to clarify one thing. Mexicans are not actually always late.

That said, all stereotypes have to come from somewhere, don’t they? But like everything in life, there’s nuance to it.

Just like people all over the world, there’s room for a great deal of variety. Some people are always on time, and some people never are. Most people are punctual for certain activities, and unpunctual for others.

My dad, for instance, has never been punctual; I remember my mother saying she was terrified he wouldn’t make it to their wedding on time. My ex-husband also has challenges with punctuality, as does one of my best friends; I’ve spent great chunks of my adult life waiting hours.

I’m always super duper on time for everything, though I might let myself get to a party up to an hour late. My kid is leaning unpunctual, but I’m doing my damnedest to lecture it out of her. Because if there’s one thing kids love and respond to, it’s a good lecture.

Linguistic flexibility

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One of the problems about even defining “late” is the language around defining time. For a deep dive into this, check out Joseph Sorrentino’s excellent piece on this specific type of vocabulary. Ahorita, al ratito, mañana … None of these words specify an actual time, you see? So “ahorita” could mean right this minute, and it could mean in five hours, or never. Al ratito (in a while) might mean in a couple of hours, or it might mean in a few years, depending on who’s saying it. You get the idea.

And really, this kind of language is useful because it allows for flexibility. In this way at least, Mexico is a flexible country.

Really, it has to be. Things come up that need tending to. Public transportation can be unpredictable. The opportunity to have a meal or talk to a pretty girl might come up. Your mom tells you to go fetch some things from the store, and you don’t tell her, “Sorry, I have plans.” Really, you just never know what can happen!

Life is unpredictable, and Mexicans have a fairly high tolerance for it being unpredictable, which is lucky for all of us.

Sometimes, though, there are things you must be on time for. And a good indicator of what those things are is whether or not there’s a specific time attached to them.

The meaning of ‘tolerancia’

School is one of those things. At my daughter’s school, for example, 8 a.m. is the official time kids have to be in the door. As a courtesy to the perpetually-late parents, there’s a “tolerance” of 10 minutes. To me, this means my daughter must be there before 8 a.m. if we’re not to be seen as rude and irresponsible. To others, it means 8:10 or even 8:11 is the limit. If kids aren’t in by that time, they must wait to enter the 9 a.m. class.

It was like this when I taught school here, too; some things, I suppose, are non-negotiable.

The same goes for official appointment times, even if the official or doctor you’re meeting isn’t exactly on time. So if you have a meeting with, say, immigration, you’d better be there at your appointment time! Some places will let you know that they have a tolerancia (literally, tolerance) of 10-15 minutes. This means that if you’re more than that amount of time late, you lose the appointment!

For other things, usually involving celebrations, arrival and start times are more flexible. This is especially true of parties, to which you can show up rather late without causing a fuss. Unless you’ve promised to bring something essential for the party, they’re just glad to have you there at some point. This doesn’t mean they’ll wait for you to start in on the cake and piñatas, though, so beware!

Clocks vs. cultural norms

Concerts and plays typically start within 15 to 30 minutes of their “official” start time; rock concerts might start hours after they’re meant to. Oh, well!

And if you’re meeting friends, it might depend on the specific circumstances. Are you meeting someone busy who only has a few minutes? Are you meeting them alone? In my group of mom friends, we always know that things can come up. “I’ll text you when I leave” is a good, flexible bridge that keeps people updated but keeps plans flexible.

In my own conservative and somewhat strict view, being on time means showing respect for the other person. If you are not on time, then you do not care about them or their time. And if you are on time, not only are you showing respect for them, but you’re making things easier for yourself, avoiding fluster. My cultural chauvinism is showing, I know.

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But for plenty of people here, that’s a ridiculous notion. Why stress so much about being on time when literally anything can happen to make you not on time? Perhaps there’s a message here too about avoiding blame and responsibility. “Se me durmió el gallo” (The rooster went to sleep on me; as in, the rooster didn’t wake me up).

But that’s for another article. For now, I’ll leave you with a cute little proverb, as well as its juxtaposed, more truthful meme:

“Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda.” (The one who rises early receives God’s help.) It rhymes!

“Al que madruga, encuentra todo cerrado.” (The one who rises early finds everything closed.)

Truer words were never spoken.

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, https://sarahedevries.substack.com/