México versus Mexico City
For clarity, we've referred to Mexico's capital as Mexico City
throughout this guide, though its literal translation "Ciudad de
México" is rarely used. To Mexicans it is known simply as
México, La Ciudad or El DF (El "day effay") - the
Distrito Federal being the administrative zone that contains most
of the urban areas. It's a source of infinite confusion to
visitors, but the fact is that the country took its name from the
city, and "México" in conversation almost always means the latter.
The nation is La República, or occasionally in speeches La Patria -
very rarely is it referred to as Mexico.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.
The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.