US Time Zone Map

Mexico Time Zone Map

Since daylight saving was abolished nationwide in 2022, most of Mexico keeps Central Standard Time (UTC−6) all year. Border municipalities (Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros) still switch on the US dates, Sonora stays on UTC−7 like Arizona, and Quintana Roo (Cancún) is on Eastern Standard Time without DST.

Mexico City / most of Mexico · CST12:08 PMUTC−6
Your time11:38 PMSAT, OCT 31UTC+5:30
Mexico City timeMexico City12:08 PMSAT, OCT 31UTC-6
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Zones in this view

ZoneIANAStandardDaylightAbbr
Mexico City / most of MexicoAmerica/Mexico_CityUTC−6— (no DST since 2022)CST
Tijuana / San Diego borderAmerica/TijuanaUTC−8UTC−7 (PDT), follows USPST/PDT
Cancún / Quintana RooAmerica/CancunUTC−5— (EST year-round since 2015)EST
Ciudad Juárez / El Paso borderAmerica/Ciudad_JuarezUTC−7UTC−6 (MDT), follows USMST/MDT

Good to know

How it compares to the US: most of Mexico is now a fixed UTC−6, while US zones move forward an hour each spring. So in winter Mexico City shares a clock with Chicago and Dallas, and in summer it is one hour behind them and two hours behind New York. Border cities keep the US clock so cross-border trade and commuting stay consistent.

Where the offsets come from

Every offset on this map is counted from Greenwich. Five dates in how the world agreed on that.

Before 1883

Sun time

Every town set its clocks by the sun overhead, so noon in Boston came about twelve minutes before noon in New York, and railroads juggled dozens of local times.

A weathered stone sundial with Roman numerals and an iron gnomon
A sundial on the porch of St Giles’ Church, Chesterton, England.

November 18, 1883

Railroad time

U.S. and Canadian railroads switched to standard zones an hour apart, set from Greenwich. Many towns reset their clocks the same day, remembered as “the day of two noons.”

A gold railroad pocket watch with a white dial, lying on its chain
A railroad pocket watch made for the Plant System, a railroad of the Southeast.

1884

Greenwich

Delegates at the International Meridian Conference in Washington chose the Greenwich meridian as longitude zero — the line every UTC offset on this site is counted from.

A red time ball on its mast above the octagonal turret of the Royal Observatory
The time ball on the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, dropped at 1 p.m. as a public time signal since 1833.

1918 and 1966

Time by law

The Standard Time Act made the zones federal law in 1918. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 set common daylight-saving rules and let a state opt out, as Arizona and Hawaii do.

The open back of a railroad-grade pocket watch, showing its jewelled movement
The movement of a Hamilton railroad-grade pocket watch, about 1929.

2026

Daylight saving

Since 2007 clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March and fall back on the first Sunday of November: March 8 and November 1 this year.

A large 24-hour clock face set into a red brick wall beneath a sign reading Royal Observatory Greenwich
The Shepherd Gate Clock at Greenwich, which shows Greenwich Mean Time on a 24-hour dial.

Frequently asked questions

Did Mexico get rid of daylight saving time?

Yes — the last nationwide change was in October 2022. Most of the country is now on CST (UTC−6) year-round, with border municipalities keeping US-aligned daylight saving.

What time zone is Mexico City in?

America/Mexico_City, UTC−6, with no daylight saving since 2022.

Is Tijuana on Pacific Time?

Yes. Tijuana, across from San Diego, stays on US Pacific Time (PST/PDT) instead of the national CST, so it is two hours behind Mexico City in winter and one hour behind in summer.

What time zone is Cancún in?

Cancún and the rest of Quintana Roo have been on Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) year-round since 2015, one hour ahead of Mexico City. The neighboring states of Yucatán and Campeche use Central Time.

Sources: offsets and daylight saving rules from theIANA time zone database; zone shapes from Timezone Boundary Builder. See Data Sources for versions and limitations.