 
The International AIDS Conference in Mexico
City is drawing near!
The
Caucus for Evidence-Based Prevention will be there in full force.
To help member organizations with logistics while in Mexico City,
the following resources have been developed. We hope that Caucus
members will find these resources useful. Please download all
that you will need for navigating the IAC venues. To download
a resource, right mouse click on the desired link below and then
choose "Save Target As..." You can select a destination
on your local computer.
Map
of the historic district of Mexico City - Centro Historico Map
Map
of Chapultepec, Condesa and Polanco areas of Mexico City - Zona
Rosa_Condesa_Polanco
Map
of the Mexico City Subway
IAC_Mexico
City Transporation Instructions (Excel spreadsheet)
IAC_Mexico
City Shuttle Bus Schedule (Excel spreadsheet)
Additionally,
the Caucus for Evidence-Based Prevention is pleased to provide
Caucus members with a brief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on
navigating the XVII International AIDS Conference. Please feel
free to contact us if you have any additional questions or comments.
Read or
download this FAQ (IAC-Mexico_City_Reconnaissance_FAQ.doc) here.
Here
is some good advice from Bill Smith of SIECUS: And as some
of you may know, SIECUS has had a long-term project in Mexico
supporting the development of advocacy on SRHR within an increasing
framework of participatory democracy. As a result, I’ve
has the good fortune to spend alot of time in Mexico City and
thought I’d share a few thoughts on things I love about
Mexico City and what you ought not to miss on your trip. It is
a country and a city that I love dearly so I hope folks can enjoy
more than the Banamex Center!
-
Spend a few hours strolling the historic zone and visiting its
many sites. The Zocalo is the main square of Mexico City and
the site of most major national events of the country’s
political development. It is lined with many impressive buildings.
It is the largest public square in the Americas. Off to one
side of the Zocalo is the Templo Mayor. Mexico City sits atop
the ancient city of Tenochtitlan and the Templo Mayor was, well,
the main building of the city. Ruins of the Templo Mayor were
unearthed and can be seen here and there is an excellent museum
on site – both worth the small price of admission.
- The
main Cathedral is also one of my favorites and also sits to
one side of the Zocalo. The scale of the building is incredibly
impressive and perhaps for other crazy Catholics like me, might
be spiritually rewarding.
- If
your schedule permits, there is also a day trip to Teotihuacan,
an amazing archeological site with much mystery behind it. It
has two huge pyramids, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid
of the Moon. If you go, take your walking shoes as you can actually
climb to the top of one of the pyramids.
-
There are two of Mexico City’s 16 boroughs that are must
sees from my perspective. Xochimilco because it has these amazing
gardens and gorgeous boats. And Coyoacan because it was once
its own small town (as was most of what is now Mexico City)
but has a beautiful and intimate public square and I think,
some of the best restaurants in Mexico surrounding it for good,
basic food.
-
If you are in town on a Sunday, the Alameda is at the end of
Paseo de la Reforma before you get to the Historic Zone or the
Palacio de Bellas Artes. On Sundays, people of all sorts gather
to enjoy the Alameda and it turns into an impromptu fair. There
is street food (for those with seasoned systems), music, performers,
a bit of shopping and some of the best people watching.
- Finally,
the anthropological museum is really breathtaking. The treasures
of Mexico’s diverse cultures are all there including the
famous Mayan calendar unearthed at the Templo Mayor.
One final word is that despite the reports, I have always found
Mexico City to be as safe as any other city so long as you exercise
basic sense as you would in any city. HOWEVER, I would caution
against hailing taxis directly on the street. These are mostly
the green and white VW bugs. Taxis that are phoned for pickups
or ones that will pick you up out in front of major hotels are
fine. But I have had friends who have had very bad experiences
with hailing taxis on the street and even more local friends say
those cabs are to be avoided.
Listed
below are telephone numbers which visitors to Mexico City may
find useful.
Tourist Assistance - Toll Free from anywhere
in México 01 (800) 903-9200
-
When dialing the local number from the U.S. or Canada: Dial
011 52 55 before the number shown.
- From
within México: Dial 01 55 before the number shown.
- Locally:
Dial the number shown.
Emergency
Telephone Numbers
Police:
060 & 080 (Emergencies, traffic, fire etc.)
To report a crime: 061
Fire Dept: 5768-8261
Ambulance: 5557-5757 (Red Cross)
Federal Highway Police: 5684-2142
Consumer Affairs: 5568-8722
Medical
Services
Private Ambulance: 5705-0925 (English Spoken)
Hospital ABC: 5230-8000 (English Spoken - 24 hrs)
Dr. John F. Symth: (English) - 5250-0019
Clinica Londres: 5229-8400 (English Spoken)
Red Cross: 5557-5757
English Speaking Dentist: Chas. Cornish 5540-2946
Pharmacies
Farmacia Clinica Londres: 5229-8400
Farmacia París: 5709-5349
Farmacia San Isidro: 5578-1825
Farmacia Express: 5356-1156
Farmacia Central: 5522-6422
American
Embassy: 5209-9100
Credit Cards/Travelers Checks
American Express: 01 (800) 001-3600
Banamex: (MasterCard - Visa) 01 (800) 366-3100
Carnet: (MasterCard) 01 (800) 366-3100
Diners Club: 01 (800) 500-3000
B of A - Travelers Checks: 01 (800) 849-4479
Banks
Banamex:
5725-3000
Banco Bital: 5721-2222
Bancomer: 5621-3434
Bank of America: 5230-6300
Citibank: 5258-3200
Radio-taxi
telephone numbers:
Entire city: 5516-6020, 5519-7690, 5648-6857 - Polanco - 5282-1883
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