Iztapalapa, Mexico · UTC-6 ☆

Iztapalapa is a borough (alcaldía) of Mexico City, one of the most populous urban subdivisions in the world with over 1.8 million residents. It runs on Central Standard Time, UTC-6 in winter and Central Daylight Time, UTC-5, in summer. The timezone is shared with Mexico City and most of Mexico.

Mexico observes daylight saving from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, following a schedule that roughly but not exactly mirrors US conventions.

The Passion Play and holy time

Iztapalapa is famous for its Semana Santa Passion Play, which has been performed annually since 1833. On Good Friday, tens of thousands of people participate in a reenactment of the crucifixion that fills the streets for hours. This is sacred time that operates outside the civil clock: the Passion Play follows liturgical time, tied to the Christian calendar and the position of the sun.

Cerro de la Estrella and the New Fire ceremony

Iztapalapa contains Cerro de la Estrella, a hill that was the site of the Aztec New Fire ceremony every 52 years. This ceremony marked the end of one Calendar Round and the beginning of the next, a crucial event in Mesoamerican timekeeping. The Aztec solar calendar, the 365-day xiuhpohualli, and the 260-day tonalpohualli meshed every 52 years, creating the Calendar Round that the New Fire ceremony reset.

Convert 9am Iztapalapa time to other cities.

Sources

• IANA Time Zone Database
• INEGI Mexico
• Carrasco, David. City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization. Beacon Press, 1999.