HELPFUL HINTS: BARGAINING TO BORDER CROSSINGS

CLIMATE

Oaxaca has an almost perfect year-round climate, although the month of May, (just before the annual rainy season) can be hot both in the high Central Valleys, the City of Oaxaca and on the Pacific coast. The climate depends on the altitude: hot and humid except in winter on the coasts, cooler in the mountain valleys. The rainy season from June through September means showers, sometimes downpours, in late afternoon or evening and cooler temperatures, although at midday it is always warm everywhere. A light sweater or jacket and an umbrella in the summer is all that you need for climate control.

CREDIT CARDS AND BANKING

Almost all major credit cards are accepted: American Express, Visa, Mastercard. Some shops may apply a credit card service charge.

Value Added Taxes: With the exception of some basic articles, most consumer products and services are subject to this tax of 15%, already included in the final price but noted separately on invoices and sales receipts. The hotel tax is 3%.

Banking hours are 9:00 to 1:30. Bancomer open to 3. Some Banamex offices open in the afternoon. ATM's work 24 hours (see directory for locations).

Business hours in stores and offices are usually 9 to 8 (closed from 2 to 4 or 5). Government offices are open 9 to 3 and 6 to 9. The "siesta" interval is respected and a good time to have a late lunch and relax in your hotel, catch the scene at the Zócalo or go to the markets (open all day).

PAYING DUTY:

MEXICAN CUSTOMS - Duty free (partial list)
- 400 cigarettes or 2 boxes of cigars (50) of 250 grams of pipe tobacco.
- One movie camera and one regular camera.
- 8 rolls of film or video cassettes.
- Reasonable amount of perfume for personal use.
- 3 liter bottles of liquor or wine for personal use.
- Gift items with combined value of not over $300 (not including electrical appliances).

U.S. CUSTOMS - Duty Free:
- Purchases with a combined wholesale value of up to $400 ($800 retail)
- Duty is a flat rate of 10% of the value for the first $1,000 over the free allowance.
Unlimited amounts of items produced in Mexico and specified on the Generalized System of Preferences list.
- One quart of alcohol per adult.
- 100 cigars (not Cuban). 200 cigarettes, 1 carton (if passenger) is over 21 years of age).
- Be cautious of endangered species that you may be unknowingly bringing back to the U.S. Most common items include turtle, iguana and alligator products. Birds, monkeys, animal products, fresh fruits and vegetables are prohibited. Foodstuffs that you CAN bring in include mole, cheeses, chocolate, and dried chile peppers.

SHIPPING

A list of agencies which pack and ship out of the country is provided in the directory, and where shops will do it for you that is also indicated with their listing. The vendors that usually do this for their customers are CHIMALLI, COCIJO, EL SOL Y LA LUNA, LA CORAZON DEL PUEBLO, LA MANO MAGICA and YALALAG. Highly recommended shippers, if you want to do it yourself, are the Mexpost service at the post office on the Alameda Park and DHL, which costs about 25% more than Mexpost but will trace a delayed package. Both are very reliable and take 2-3 days. DHL does all the paperwork; all you need is a list of items and what you paid (your price will he accepted if
reasonable). You can send up to $1000 in value to each address (every 30 days) of most items, duty-free. Be sure to note that the items are gifts (not for commercial use). Pack in boxes or the big split-bamboo baskets from the market. Mexpost has a weight limit of 20 kilos (44 lbs) per package, which you can send to the U.S. for around $60. (usd).

IN CASE YOU ARE VICTIM OF A CRIME

If you become a victim of any crime, go to the Public Prosecutor to report it. There you will be provided appropriate certifications and be instructed on the procedures that need to be followed for the investigation and determination of consequences. If you do not speak Spanish, request a translator. Any policeman or Mexican government office can tell you the address of the appropriate Public Prosecutor; in Oaxaca there in a special office to assist tourists with problems: CEPROTUR Lic. Jorge Ortiz Mellado Murguia # 206 • Working hours 08.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (951) 514.2155. Your local consulate office can recommend how to find an attorney. American Council: Plaza Santo Domingo, Alcalá 407 - next door to the Oaxaca Tours office.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The natural light in Oaxaca is strong, and (unless it is overcast) produces deep shadows in photographs, particularly at midday. In market places, patios and other situations where part of the picture is in bright sunlight and the rest in the shade, shoot most of the picture in one or the other rather than half and half. Dark faces under light-colored sombreros are tricky subjects (over expose 1-2 stops on manual). Photographs taken in the early and late hours nearer to sunrise and sunset, have richer color and softer, more even light, also longer and more interesting shadow effects. Landscape photographs look more balanced and dramatic if they include clouds and a close-up object or person in the foreground. Polarizing filters bring out the clouds.

For all-around use, films with speeds of ASA 100 or 200 are usually good; faster ones allow for pictures in darker places but have more grain.

Automatic camera flashes go off in those situations but disturb people.

It's smart to be discreet and polite taking photographs in the market places and of people, because they consider it an invasion of their privacy and will turn away, move away or even get angry. Asking permission sometimes helps, as well as a purchase or sincere attempt at conversation.

The use of cameras of any type with tripods or flash is not permitted in archaeological zones, museums or colonial monuments without a special permit from INAH, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Dirección de Asuntos Jurídicos, at Cordoba 45, Mexico, D.F.; 511-0884, 533-2266 and 533-4976 ext. 152. The Oaxaca office of INAH is at Pino Suárez 715; tel. 5-00-02; 5-03-89.

MANNERS, CUSTOMS and BARGAINING

Mexicans, like Japanese, have very good manners on the street, in conversation and in business and personal dealings with others. Foreigners often seem impatient, rude and arrogant. Good manners are simply being kind and considerate, and the world needs more of that. Besides, one does better that way, in business, shopping and every other aspect of life. People in Oaxaca are customarily very polite, and the kind, sincere generosity of village people warms the heart of every person who comes in contact with them (one good reason to visit artisans on their home turf). General suggestion: be sincerely nice.

The North American style of shopping with focus on the price tag, is a concept to be left at the border. In Mexico the asking price is a hypothetical figure, just like the final price. In between comes bargaining, an art form practiced with great skill in Mexico. It takes wit, imagination, patience, and practice. All sorts of extraneous matters enter in: whether or not it's going to rain, if the hour of lunch is at hand, the adorable qualities of the vendor, the adorable qualities of the vendor's daughter and her activities, the built-in idiosyncracies of kilns, natural cowhide, fibers, stone, and other materials, the non-arrival of somebody or other to maybe do something; the object that "amaneció roto" (woke up broken), the marital state and happiness of them, you, whomever. Obviously, the market is no place for introverts!

You banter back and forth, joking, cajoling, deep in thought, commiserating, sharing disdain and sympathy for the state of politics, the rotten economy and the cruelties and joys of human existence. At the end you make a purchase and, if you 'done good', you made a friend. When you come again you are an old client, welcome to the same discount or price and to pick up the same conversation (so remember the details and identities of all the participants, present or imagined). And the more you know about the article you wish to buy, the better, if you intend to make an intellegent case about its supposed defects to save a few pesos. As James Norman wrote in his book about buying handicrafts: "Haggling and bargaining are an art, a vehicle for social and cultural exchange and therefore often intellectually complicated... A skilled practioner enters the fray with patience and humor, knowing exactly what he wants, where he is going and how much he expects to shell out. He is alert and wary every inch of the way because there are always startling turns..."

On dealing with artisans in the villages of Oaxaca, Norman continued, "Store-bought souvenirs may be timesavers, but when you go into the village markets or to the workshop of the craftsman you reduce your costs and increase your fun a hundred per cent. You eliminate guides, middlemen and markups tha refuse to be scaled down. You deal directly with the local artisan who is genuinely polite and friendly. Your contact with him will offer insights into the character of Mexico which you might otherwise get only by combing through reams of sociological studies. Also, unlike the American business or professional man, who feels that an interrupted workday is a lost day, the Mexican artist always welcomes you. He is happy to make friends."

In regard to prices, in Oaxaca a buyer will find that pottery is very cheap, and only the most expensive pieces are worth bargaining for. The same is true of wood items (except painted wood sculptures), basketry and other items under $ 200 pesos. Textiles are higher due to labor, but worth it.

So what are the exact rules, how much should you offer to start, half, or what? To the asking price, you can start by countering with 20% less than you are actually willing to pay for the item, and see how it goes. The vendor's markup is less flexible than a vacationer's wallet, and he will do what the can to make the sale if you act halfway decent. Keep in mind that it's a fraction of the price it is worth in any market, and much lower than what you would pay at home, even elsewhere in Mexico. It is helpful to carry lots of small bills, expecially in markets and villages where credit cards are not accepted. In shops, gets a receipt for Customs.

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