The water
Bottled water everywhere, including for teeth-brushing outside big hotels; ice is fine when from sealed bags. Tap water: Not drinkable.
Mexico
The vaquita, the world's most endangered marine mammal, found only in Mexico's northern Gulf of California.
RegionNorth AmericaCurrencyMXNPowerType A/B, 120VTap waterNot drinkable
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Mexico is a major producer and exporter of avocado, tomatoes, berries, chillies and agave, and the milpa system of maize, beans and squash is still farmed widely. It nonetheless imports large volumes of basic grains such as…Read more
Mexico is a major producer and exporter of avocado, tomatoes, berries, chillies and agave, and the milpa system of maize, beans and squash is still farmed widely. It nonetheless imports large volumes of basic grains such as yellow maize and wheat for feed and industry. Domestic food production is deep and diverse.
Local staples
Maize tortillas, beans, squash, chillies, nopales, avocado, tomatoes.
Markets
Daily mercados plus rotating weekly tianguis street markets in most towns.
In season
Rain-fed maize harvested in autumn; avocado year-round; highland coffee from November to March.
Wildlife
Mexico is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, holding a large share of global reptile, mammal and plant diversity with high endemism. Iconic species include the overwintering monarch butterfly, the jaguar, the axolotl…Read more
Mexico is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, holding a large share of global reptile, mammal and plant diversity with high endemism. Iconic species include the overwintering monarch butterfly, the jaguar, the axolotl and the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. It anchors flagship phenomena such as the monarch migration and grey whale calving lagoons.
Found nowhere else
Axolotl, vaquita, volcano rabbit (teporingo), Mexican prairie dog, and hundreds of endemic reptiles and cacti.
Natural phenomena
Rainy season May–Oct with hurricane risk on the coasts; the monarch migration peaks Nov–Feb.
When to go
Dry season.
Getting around
Extensive ADO and long-distance buses, domestic flights, colectivos, the Mexico City metro, and the new Maya Train in the south-east.
Good to know
Cash in markets, cards in cities. Haggle politely; carry small bills.
Safety
Solo female travel: Take care. LGBTQ+: Mixed.
Only hereThe vaquita, the world's most endangered marine mammal, found only in Mexico's northern Gulf of California.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
72/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Mexico
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here The vaquita, the world's most endangered marine mammal, found only in Mexico's northern Gulf of California.
- Forest cover
- 33.7%
- Land protected
- 14.5%
- Sea protected
- 22.6%
- Organic farmland
- 0.2%
- Found nowhere else
- Axolotl, vaquita, volcano rabbit (teporingo), Mexican prairie dog, and hundreds of endemic reptiles and cacti.
- Renewable power
- 22%
- CO2 per person
- 3.5 t (2024) t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 20.1
- Cleanest air
- Baja California Sur, highland forests and rural coasts away from cities.
- Water from
- Bottled water everywhere, including for teeth-brushing outside big hotels; ice is fine when from sealed bags.
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 43%
- Cleanest water
- Yucatan cenotes, Chiapas rivers such as Agua Azul, and Baja California waters.
- Springs
- Abundant thermal springs and balnearios, including Hierve el Agua and Tolantongo; Aguascalientes means hot waters.
- In season
- Rain-fed maize harvested in autumn; avocado year-round; highland coffee from November to March.
- Plastic ban
- State and city bans (Mexico City banned plastic bags in 2020 and other single-use plastics in 2021); no single national ban.
- Watch out for
- Over-touristed resort belts damaging reefs, captive-dolphin swims, the sea-turtle-egg trade, and avocado-driven deforestation; avoid dolphinariums and bullfights.
- Solo female travel
- Take care
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Mixed
- Best months
- November to April.
- Getting around
- Extensive ADO and long-distance buses, domestic flights, colectivos, the Mexico City metro, and the new Maya Train in the south-east.
- Power
- Type A/B, 120V
- Currency
- MXN
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 2/5 | Mexico's water is unevenly spread, with a wetter, water-rich south and a dry, over-extracted north, while Mexico City is sinking as its aquifer is drained. Full assessmentOnly about 43% of the population used safely managed drinking water in 2020 (WHO/UNICEF JMP), and tap water is widely treated as non-potable, so bottled and purified water dominate. Basic access is near-universal, but true safety and security are the constraint. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 4/5 | Mexico is a major producer and exporter of avocado, tomatoes, berries, chillies and agave, and the milpa system of maize, beans and squash is still farmed widely. Full assessmentIt nonetheless imports large volumes of basic grains such as yellow maize and wheat for feed and industry. Domestic food production is deep and diverse. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 5/5 | Mexican cooking is one of the world's great plant-forward cuisines, built on maize tortillas, beans, squash, nopales, chillies, tomatoes, avocado and a vast range of produce. Full assessmentMarkets and street food make cheap, unprocessed plant meals easy across the country. This is a whole-food plant culture by heritage. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 2/5 | FiBL records about 215,634 hectares of certified organic farmland, roughly 0.2% of agricultural land in 2020, though Mexico is a leading organic exporter of coffee, agave and cacao. Full assessmentThe small share reflects a very large total farmland base, much of it extensive grazing. Certified organic is significant in absolute terms but a small percentage. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 3/5 | About 14.5% of land was in terrestrial protected areas in 2021 and 22.6% of territorial waters in marine protected areas by 2024 (World Bank), a large national system including major biosph… Full assessmentre reserves. Marine protection is genuinely strong, but chronic underfunding and enforcement gaps mean some areas function as paper parks. Mexico has pledged to reach 30% marine protection by 2030. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 4/5 | Mexico is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, holding a large share of global reptile, mammal and plant diversity with high endemism. Full assessmentIconic species include the overwintering monarch butterfly, the jaguar, the axolotl and the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. It anchors flagship phenomena such as the monarch migration and grey whale calving lagoons. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 5/5 | Mexico has an exceptionally rich living textile and natural-fibre tradition, from backstrap-woven cotton and wool to agave-derived ixtle and henequen fibre, palm basketry and cochineal and … Full assessmentndigo natural dyes. These crafts remain in daily use and are central to Indigenous economies. It is one of the strongest surviving natural-materials cultures in the Americas. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 3/5 | Mexico City and several states have introduced single-use plastic bans, with the capital prohibiting plastic bags in 2020 and other single-use plastics in 2021, though there is no single na… Full assessmentional ban. Annual mean PM2.5 was about 20.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 (IQAir), moderate, with urban and industrial hotspots. Litter and open dumping persist in many areas. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 2/5 | Mexico has no strong national recycling rate; formal municipal recycling is low, commonly estimated under 10%, while informal pepenadores recover a meaningful share of materials from waste. Full assessmentDeposit and scrap markets drive much of the recovery. Scored from documented reality rather than a single published rate. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 3/5 | Mexico's electricity still leans heavily on fossil fuels, with renewables supplying only around a fifth of generation (roughly 20 to 24 per cent in 2024) while the state favours oil and gas… Full assessmentthrough Pemex and the utility CFE. Emissions per person are relatively modest at about 3.5 tonnes in 2024, well below the world average, reflecting a large population and lower industrial intensity rather than a clean grid. National climate policy has weakened in recent years, with an updated NDC targeting a 35 per cent cut by 2030 but continued investment in refining and fossil generation. The country holds strong solar and wind potential that remains underused. Low per-person emissions lift the score, yet fossil dependence and fossil-favouring policy hold it back. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 5/5 | Mexico is home to around 68 Indigenous peoples with living languages, cuisines, crafts and community governance, and a strong tradition of comunidad and ejido land holding. Full assessmentCommunity and Indigenous tourism thrives in states such as Oaxaca and Chiapas, keeping income local. This coexists with extractive resort development along the Riviera Maya. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Mexico carries one of the world's richest bodies of living heritage, rooted in Mesoamerican civilisations and still practised daily. Full assessmentDia de Muertos, mariachi and the Danza de los Voladores of Papantla are all recognised by UNESCO, alongside son jarocho, son huasteco and the jarabe tapatio. Indigenous nations including the Maya, Nahua, Zapotec, Mixtec, Purepecha and Wixarika keep their languages, festivals and ancestral traditions alive, often blending pre-Hispanic spirituality with Catholic practice in celebrations such as the Guelaguetza. Curanderismo and ancestral healing knowledge remain widely held. This is deep, widely alive heritage across dance, music and living spirituality. |
Before you go
Cash in markets, cards in cities. Haggle politely; carry small bills.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, Mexico 33.7% (2022) — source
- World Bank and UNEP-WCMC, Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, Mexico 14.5% (2021) — source
- World Bank and UNEP-WCMC, Marine protected areas ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, Mexico 22.6% (2024) — source
- Ember, Mexico electricity, 22% from renewables (2024) — source
- WHO/UNICEF JMP via World Bank, Safely managed drinking water SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, Mexico 43.0% (2020) — source
- IQAir, World Air Quality Report, Mexico PM2.5 20.1 micrograms per cubic metre (2023) — source
- FiBL, The World of Organic Agriculture, Mexico 215,634 ha and 0.2% (2020) — source
- World Bank, Threatened higher plant species EN.HPT.THRD.NO, Mexico 484 (2018) — source
- Our World in Data, CO2 emissions per capita, 2024 source
- Ember, Mexico electricity generation, 2024 source
- Our World in Data, Mexico energy profile source
- UNESCO, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Mexico carries one of the world's richest bodies of living heritage, rooted in Mesoamerican civilisations and still practised daily. Dia de Muertos, mariachi and the Danza de los Voladores of Papantla are all recognised by UNESCO, alongside son jarocho, son huasteco and the jarabe tapatio. Indigenous nations including the Maya, Nahua, Zapotec, Mixtec, Purepecha and Wixarika keep their languages, festivals and ancestral traditions alive, often blending pre-Hispanic spirituality with Catholic practice in celebrations such as the Guelaguetza. Curanderismo and ancestral healing knowledge remain widely held. This is deep, widely alive heritage across dance, music and living spirituality.
- Mariachi, son jarocho and son huasteco music
- Danza de los Voladores and jarabe tapatio dances
- Dia de Muertos
- Concheros dance
- Maya, Nahua, Zapotec and Wixarika ancestral traditions
- curanderismo ancestral healing.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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