Is the Water in Mexico Safe to Drink?

Is the Water in Acapulco, Mexico Safe to Drink?

"The Manager has personally passed all the water used here."
- A notice to guests posted in an Acapulco Hotel

Yes, what ever you do be sure that all the water has passed through the manager's system!

Amusing translation issues aside, Mexican water is famous around the world for not being safe to drink. "Don't drink the water" is the common refrain... and it's been earned, beleive me. I've been on most of the world's continents and, even in Kenya, and I didn't run into the problems that are commonplace here in Mexico where the water is basically a massive amoeba factory.

The short answer to the question is the water in Acapulco safe to drink is that it depends on where you're getting your water. Generally the water is safe if it's purified, otherwise it's not safe to drink. In other words, the water they serve you, or that you buy in bottles is ok, but not the water from the tap (though some of the finer hotels treat this water as well.)

Mexicans don't even drink tap water. If you're wondering what happens if you drink the tap water, I refer you to our section on Montezuma's Revenge.

So what actually causes the problem? Any number of things including "bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, and vibrios; parasites such as Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica, Cryptosporidium, and Cyclospora; and viruses." If your body is your temple, this is obviously not good stuff to be letting inside the temple.

For the most part, you won't get served untreated water anywhere. Everyone in Acapulco (indeed in Mexico) knows better. Serving someone water, ice, or food prepared with untreated water is tantamount to walking up to them and giving them a big kick in the stomach. A universally frowned upon practice to be sure.

Once in a while, you'll get street vendors or low end restaurants that might use a little tap in the preparation, but usually in amounts proven not to harm the stomachs of their clients. Be forewarned though, that's the stomachs of their Mexican clients. We extranjeros have weaker digestive systems by nature so we might not have any tolerance at all. I eat street food all the time and the only time I ever got a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge was, ironically, from a Domino's Pizza that must have been sitting out too long before delivery. Which reminds me... Don't leave food sitting out too long before you eat it. Bacteria and germ carrying insects will see it on their radar screens and intercept it faster that the U.S. Air Force can respond to a North Korean fighter jet buzzing the White House.

Actually, I think the biggest danger isn't in the water being served in hotels, bars, restaurants and even on the street, but rather what you do to yourself when your guard is down such as when you get up and take a shower and brush your teeth in the morning or when you're buzzing from one too many cervezas or just totally tired before bed. If you're like me, from time to time you'll find yourself "out of it" and just use the tap water to brush and gargle like it was nothing.

A lot of party-hounds will be so drunk and dehydrated while laying there spinning in their hotel beds that they will forget and go right over to the tap and get themselves a nice big plastic cup of water and down it in the hopes of taking the edge off. Not only will they have a hangover the next day, but will have the additional pleasure of meeting Montezuma. Party on!

Most often, people get sick just becuase they (or someone else) puts unwashed hands into one or more of their bodily orifices including eyes, nose, mouth, et al. but ends up blaming the water or restuarant food.

Needless to say, none of these things are a good idea and can bring the joy part of your "enjoyable" vacation to a screeching halt. So as they say in Mexico "¡Ojo!" (which is the word for "eye" but also means caution or beware.)

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