November 12 is Dia del Cartero—Postman’s Day—in Mexico. It’s the day of the year when everyone remembers their local postman and give a small gift in appreciation of the work they carry out.
In Spanish, the word for post is correo, from the verb correr, meaning to run; a direct reference to the original ‘message runners’ (corredores) which preceded the formalized postal service.
Postal services are not new to Mexico. When the Aztecs were administering these lands, the main pathways and roads connecting different locations had small towers alongside them, situated apart every six miles or so. With these in place, relay runners would carry written messages as well as other items, using the towers as relay and distribution stations. Legend has it that Moctezuma ate fresh fish, caught daily off the shores of Veracruz, by means of this ‘relay delivery system’.
Hernan Cortes brought horses from Europe with him and so, during the colonial era, horseback riders replaced runners as a means to carry messages and goods between the main towns and cities across the country.
In 1813, Mexico established its first formal postal service, which delivered regular messages between Mexico City and the provinces each month. In 1824, Mexico’s Treasury Department took over the postal system and this led to the issuance of Mexico’s first postage stamp—which featured on it the ‘father of Mexico’s revolution’, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Further developments of the Mexican postal service took place during the reign of Maximilian, which included the installation of post boxes in urban areas. In 1910, Porfirio Diaz ordered the construction of the country’s main post office, the Palacio Postal, a grand building that remains in operation to this day in the downtown historic district of Mexico City. By this time, trains were also being used to ferry messages and goods around the country.
Today, the use of railways has all but vanished, and yielded to road and air transport systems as the means to deliver post and parcels over long distances. However, the ‘last mile’ of delivery continues to be undertaken by an army of dedicated postmen on foot, cycle and motorcycle.
Dia del Cartero was first established in Mexico on November 12, 1931 and in 1947, the post office printed a its first special stamp commemorating the work and efforts of the nation’s postal delivery men, labeling it “Anonymous Hero”.
If you live in Mexico, it’s traditional to give your local postman a gift—usually a small cash tip—on this day, or a day near November 12 each year. This token of appreciation is an important cultural protocol as well as making a contribution to the people who serve your local community.
