Time in Mexican Culture: A Living, Breathing Cycle
- Angelica Garcia Genel
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 3
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I've often heard that Mexicans aren't fond of punctuality—that our time is flexible. Like everything, this statement is nuanced. My grandfather, a military man and the anchor of our family, would have proven you wrong. When his eyesight faded, he got a talking watch with a little rooster sound he’d play with a quiet smile.
When Time Lived and Breathed
Before mechanical clocks divided our days, our ancestors saw time as a living force. In Mesoamerican cosmovision, each day in the 260-day sacred calendar (Tzolk'in) had a divine name, spiritual energy, and a unique destiny. In other words, the calendar wasn't just a tool for organizing days—it was a spiritual map (Rice).
Over seven million Maya today live with this dual consciousness—engaging the modern world while honoring their ancestral rhythms. For example, in many rural Mexican communities, time follows the agricultural calendar more than the mechanical clock. The milpa system—a traditional intercropping method including corn, beans, and squash—structures not just farming, but communal labor, spiritual rituals, and shared meals (Living Maya Time).
The Silent Language of Clock Conquest
The arrival of the mechanical clock during colonization imposed a new framework: time as measurable and enforceable. Monasteries and churches installed bells to mark the hours, while labor systems demanded punctuality (University of Texas Libraries). Yet resistance endured. What we see today—flexible time, relational rhythms—can be interpreted as cultural survival.
One of the oldest expressions of this worldview lies in the Five Suns—the great eras of Mesoamerican cosmology. Each Sun represented a world age, complete with origin and end. Yet this cyclical view was never fatalistic. In these cycles, life didn't end; it renewed. Research into Indigenous calendrics shows how time wasn't about running out—it was about returning (Forgotten Lives of Latin America).
The Poetry of Ahorita
Unlike clock time, which measures time objectively, event time is subjective and situational. It focuses on the experience of completing the moment (Fulmer, Crosby, & Gelfand, 53-75). In cultures like mine, this orientation shapes how we move through the day and how we connect.
One word captures this beautifully: ahorita. Depending on context, tone, and region, it can mean "now," "in a bit," or sometimes "never"—linguists have identified at least six distinct interpretations of this word. Anthropologists describe ahorita as a “social buffer” since using it avoids abruptness, leaves room for change, and values relationship over rigidity. Cross-cultural studies classify this as a trait of “polychronic” cultures—where time adjusts to human needs, not the other way around (Hall 18–20).
In contrast to models that emphasize productivity and efficiency, Mexican temporalities invite us to pause, adapt, and connect. Expressions echoing this philosophy are: al rato ("later"), luego luego ("right away"), and even mañana (not always literally tomorrow). These words reflect a shared cultural understanding of time as flexible and relational (Spears et al. 57-75).
I don’t remember anyone ever explicitly teaching me that being late—or losing track of time—was socially accepted. I don’t think it truly is, at least not across the board. It depends on the context. I do remember that pit in my stomach when I knew I’d be late to an event. But to be fair, being on time in Cuernavaca—with its traffic, potholes, and beautiful chaos—is a daily adventure.
So perhaps yes, time in Mexico carries both: my grandfather’s precision and the elastic warmth of a conversation that stretches into the night after ten hugged goodbyes.
© Spanish Learning Edge. Angélica García Genel, Editor.
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References
Western Time Linear?" Forgotten Lives of Latin America, 12 June 2018, forgottenlivesla.com/2018/06/12/was-indigenous-time-cyclical-and-western-time-linear/.
Fulmer, C. Ashley, Brandon Crosby, and Michele J. Gelfand. "Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Time." Time and Work, Volume 2: How Time Impacts Groups, Organizations and Methodological Choices, edited by Jody A. Shipp and Yitzhak Fried, Psychology Press, 2014, pp. 53–75.
Hall, Edward T. The Silent Language. Doubleday, 1959.
Levine, Robert. A Geography of Time. Basic Books, 1997.
Living Maya Time. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, maya.nmai.si.edu/. Accessed 30 July 2025.
Paz, Octavio. The Labyrinth of Solitude. Translated by Lysander Kemp, Grove Press, 1961.
Rice, Prudence M. "How the Maya Kept Time." JSTOR Daily, 2020, daily.jstor.org/how-the-maya-kept-time/.
Spears, Nancy, et al. "Time Orientation in the United States, China, and Mexico." Journal of International Consumer Marketing, vol. 13, no. 1, 2000, pp. 57–75.
Tavárez, David. The Invisible War: Indigenous Devotions, Discipline, and Dissent in Colonial Mexico. Stanford University Press, 2011.
University of Texas Libraries. "Spiritual Conquest." A New Spain, UT Austin Exhibits, exhibits.lib.utexas.edu/spotlight/a-new-spain/feature/spiritual-conquest. Accessed 30 July 2025.
Wikipedia. "Five Suns." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Suns. Accessed 30 July 2025.
