What to Wear in Mexico City in December

Pack for the edges of the day. SMN's 1991–2020 normals for its Tacubaya observatory give December 22.4°C by day and 8.4°C at dawn, with 5mm of rain over about 1 day, the fewest rain days of the year. Mexico City's tourism office is blunt about the cold end: "During winter months, December through February, temperatures will sometimes drop close to freezing at night and in the early morning." In between comes a strong sun, about 20% more ultraviolet than at sea level on SEDEMA's figures. December also puts the city on foot. The pilgrimage to the Basílica de Guadalupe peaks on 12 December, when the city counted 12.3 million arrivals over the week in 2024, and the posadas fill the evenings from the 16th to the 24th. Wool for the ends of the day, sunglasses for the middle, and nothing for rain.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Navy knee-length wool coat, single-breasted

   Tacubaya's normal December low is 8.4°C, and the station's record is 1.1°C. A knee-length wool coat covers an 8am walk and a 10pm posada, and a single-breasted front hangs open when the sun reaches the Zócalo at noon. Navy works over the cream knit and the grey dress alike.

2. 
   02

   Cream fisherman-rib crew knit

   Sunset comes at about 6pm, and the valley loses its heat quickly after it. A fisherman rib holds warmth, the crew neck sits under the coat collar without bulk, and cream keeps a dark coat from reading as city winter in a place where lunch is 22°C.

3. 
   03

   Charcoal straight trousers

   For the walking days: the Centro in the morning, Coyoacán in the afternoon, a pastorela at night. Straight charcoal trousers go under the coat and with the knit, cover the ankle at a cold dusk, and look right in a restaurant without a change.

4. 
   04

   Tan suede low ankle boots, stacked heel

   December is dry enough for suede, with about one wet day in the month. A low boot on a stacked heel walks the Centro's stone for a full day and keeps your ankles warm after dark, and tan ties it to the brown bag and the rust in the scarf.

5. 
   05

   Cream-and-rust patterned wrap scarf, fringed

   Mexico's civil protection agency tells people to dress in layers during a cold front, covering face, head, hands and ears, and SMN forecasts nine fronts for the country in December. A large patterned wrap does the work of a rebozo: over the shoulders at a posada, round the neck at dawn, up over your head in a cold wind.

6. 
   06

   Grey ribbed button-front maxi dress, long sleeves

   For the posadas, which the city's tourism office describes as nights of clay piñatas and hot fruit punch from the 16th to the 24th, or a pastorela in Coyoacán, San Ángel or the Centro. A ribbed knit maxi with long sleeves is warm enough under the coat, and grey takes the rust scarf.

7. 
   07

   Brown leather oval micro crossbody

   Small, zipped and worn in front on a crowded street or Metrobús. In the week of 12 December 2024 the city deployed 6,050 security staff around the pilgrimage routes, which tells you how full those streets get. A micro bag holds a phone, a card and cash for a posada's punch.

8. 
   08

   Red oval sunglasses

   SEDEMA notes that cloud "disminuye la sensación de calor pero no disminuye la intensidad de la radiación solar UV": it lowers the feeling of heat, not the UV. In the driest month there is little cloud anyway. Red oval frames are the capsule's one bright note. Take them off at the Casa Azul, which asks visitors to enter without sunglasses, hats or caps.

A suggested look — grey ribbed maxi dress, navy wool coat, tan suede ankle boots, cream and rust patterned scarf.

What to avoid

• Rain gear — about one wet day and 5mm
• A light jacket as your only layer — near-freezing dawns happen
• A hat, cap or sunglasses inside the Casa Azul — enter without them
• Driving north on 12 December — pilgrims on foot fill the northern accesses
• A museum day on 25 December — the Frida Kahlo museum is closed