Mexico: First Name or Title?

From ExecutivePlanet.com

Addressing others with respect

First names are reserved for family and closer acquaintances. Follow Mexican business etiquette and wait to be invited before using first names.

Professional titles [i.e. “Doctor”, “Profesor”] are an extremely important part of Mexican business protocol. Doctors, professors, engineers, lawyers, CPAs, and architects are always addressed by their professional titles.

During initial meetings, use a professional title [i.e. “Ingeniero”, meaning “engineer”] followed by a surname. When you develop a closer acquaintance with a Mexican professional, you may be invited to use the title without the surname.

Anyone without a professional title should be addressed by a courtesy title such as “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Miss” followed by a surname. If you don't know someone's last name, just use the courtesy title.

Mr. = “Señor”

Mrs. = “Señora”

Miss = “Señorita”

Mexican men either carry their father's surname alone or may follow it with their mother's surname. In the latter case, one should address the man by either both names or the father's name alone but never by just the mother's surname.

In writing, you'll notice that a Mexican will sometimes reduce his or her second surname to an initial.

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