Map vs. Territory
What’s the best map to use when traveling by car in Mexico? I really have no idea — suggestions are always welcome! My strategy is to always have a few on hand for whatever area you might be traveling through, and the more the better.
I have to confess our collection of maps is pretty haphazard, which may be why none of them seems very satisfactory — leftovers from a vacation fifteen years ago, giveaways that came with Mexican insurance, city maps of places we have lived or shopped, a large map of todo Mexico coated in tequila-resistant plastic, and an ancient, crumbling AAA map with an irreplaceable driving distance inset. We do not own the finest examples of Mexican cartography. And of course the older maps don’t reflect the enormous amount of road construction which has been done in recent years.
With that in mind, I’ll say that I’ve noticed numerous inconsistencies among these various maps, and it is always a comfort to be able to consult a second source. The presence of secondary roads on a given map seems to be a complete crapshoot, so if you’re off the beaten path be especially sure to have a few. Inaccuracies are also common; I’ve seen roads shown going through towns miles distant from the actual ones. Visual representations can also be misleading; on the map it appears you need to turn left at the junction to get to X, whereas in fact you must go straight, and you would have to make a hard right to stay on what appears to be the same road on the map. If you get my drift.
When in doubt, ask a local. It’s always safer than depending on maps, or signs for that matter.