New Clues for 1922 M de M Mystery
Where is this 1922 plate from? Is it indeed from Mexico, but long believed. But no one has definitive proof and there have been many questions. For examples, the surviving examples (at least two are known) are all five digits long, which seemed very high. It must be from Mexico City, but the “M de […]
1965 Chihuahua. Mystery or Propaganda?
This 1965 Chihuahua pair is a mystery. But does the answer to its origins somehow involve Mexico President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz and American President Lyndon Johnson? To start, the plates are thin metal with screened black stencil lettering. The odd thing is that these plates do not resemble 1965 Chihuahua plates at all, which were […]
1952 Distrito Federal Flooding
Mexico City was built to flood. Over 700 years ago, the largest city in Mexico was built on a lake–literally. Each rainy season in Mexico City seems worse than the last, and year after year it is said to have broken its own record for the amount of water falling from the sky. The capital’s residents, […]
1952 Distrito Federal Floods
While Mexico City oftens deals with chronic water shortages, heavy rain storms can flood the city streets in a moment. This was in 1952, as evidenced by the passenger plate on the rear of the car plying its way through the inundated streets.
1970 Mexico IX Campeonato Mundial
This commemorative booster plate celebrated the first time that Mexico hosted a World Cup tournament. The 1970 World Cup was the ninth edition of FIFA’s quadrennial international football championship for men’s senior national teams. Held from 31 May to 21 June in Mexico, it was the first time hosted in North America, and the first […]
1941 Distrito Federal
1941 Distrito Federal plate taken at the beach in Veracruz state. For the national series from 1937-1946, the national capital district used the D, E, and F prefixes. No state names were used during this period. (While you may think “D” could also be Durango, they used “U” instead.)
2026 CDMX World Cup FIFA Commemorative
Ciudad de Mexico motorists can choose from three different designs for an optional commemorative plate celebrating the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The opening game was played by host Mexico against South Africa.
1933 Sinaloa
1933 Sinaloa This photograph shows a 1933 Sinaloa plate affixed to the rear of a car in Mazatlán, the Pacific resort city. In 1933, Mexico introduced its first national issue. For passenger plates, the plate was black on orange with a 1933 tab with the same colors as the base plate. The large tab was […]
1962/63 Distrito Federal Race Cars
A racing magazine featured Mexican rally race cars, a 1962 Renault Dauphine and a pretty model. Surprisingly, the economical Dauphine stunned the motorsport rally world by notching top position finishes at the the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally in its first years of production. It sped past Alfa Romeos, Porsches and other well-known models because it […]
1939 Mexico
In 1939 Buick introduced a stylish new design, including this Century sedan. The photo sports a passenger license plate, issued in pairs. The passenger plates were maroon on white and marked the third annual national issue where there was no distinction on state or territory where it was issued. This photograph of proud owner of […]