Mexican Money
A dollar gets you between 11 and 12 pesos, depending on current rates.
100 centavos make a peso. You will run across coins in 10-, 20-, 50-centavo,
and 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-peso denominations. The 10-centavo coins look a
lot like dimes, and are worth only about a penny, so I throw them away.
The centavo coins have the letter 'c' after the number; the '$' sign is
used to indicate pesos.
The 1- and 2-peso coins are similar in size and appearance, and I still
have trouble distinguishing them.
The paper money is of different colors, depending
on the denomination, and they are starting to incorporate plastic into the
actual bills. I accidentally melted the little plastic window on a 20-peso
bill once.
If you are doing much shopping, you are better off
changing money in one of the casas de cambio, rather than spending dollars.
There are many casas de cambio in downtown Juarez, a few in downtown El Paso,
and a few in other parts of Juarez. In downtown El Paso, there is Valuta
(Paisano and Mesa), as well as one across the street (can't remember the name -
doh!). I think there are also 1 or 2 on El Paso street, close to the bridge.
I always change money in Juarez, though. A little better, in my opinion,
to walk a few blocks down before changing money. Inside Coyote Invalido,
a restaurant few blocks down on the right side of Juarez Avenue, there
is a casa de cambio. If you eat there and pay in dollars, they rip you off
like any other restaurant - they do not give you the same rate that they do
if you change your money before eating.
There is a place in Bassett Center
that exchanges money.
If you pay in dollars in Juarez, and can do math in
your head, you will notice that people try to rip you off once in a while in
transactions. Not only that, but you also run into people that
simply don't understand the exchange rates. In other places, they post the
rate at which they will take your dollars, but they round down. I.e.,
it makes the math easier, but they come out a little bit ahead on the deal.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
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