Host City
Monterrey is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the ninth largest city and second largest metro area in Mexico behind Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Monterrey is a major North American business and industrial hub, as well as the most populous city in Northern Mexico.
The city is anchor to the Monterrey metropolitan area, the second-largest in Mexico with an estimated population of 5,341,171 people as of 2020 and the second most productive metropolitan area in Mexico with a GDP (PPP) of US$140 billion in 2015. According to the 2020 census, the city itself has a population of 1,142,194.
Monterrey is one of the most livable cities in Mexico, and a 2018 study found that suburb San Pedro Garza García is the city with the best quality of life in Mexico. It serves as a commercial center of northern Mexico and is the base of many significant international corporations. Its purchasing power parity-adjusted GDP per capita is considerably higher than the rest of Mexico’s at around US$35,500, compared to the country’s US$18,800.
The city has hosted international events such as the 2002 United Nations Conference on Financing for Development with the participation of more than 50 heads of state and government, as well as other ministers and senior delegates from over 150 countries. The conference resulted in the adoption of the Monterrey Consensus, which has become a reference point for international development and cooperation. In 2004, the OAS Special Summit of the Americas was attended by almost all the presidents of the Americas. In 2007, Monterrey held the Universal Forum of Cultures, with four million visitors.
Automotive industry: A Korean manufacturer KIA plant was opened in 2016. A 3 million-square-foot plant produces two models – the K3 sedan and the subcompact Pride – and manufactures 400,000 units a year. In March 2023, Tesla announced that it would build a new gigafactory—Gigafactory Mexico— in Monterrey. The factory will be a US $10 billion-dollar investment.
Climate: Monterrey is located at 540 m. (1,770 ft.) above the sea level. In the beginning of March, you can expect dry sunny weather with max 25 °C and min 13 °C. This is an orange blossom period, full of a sweet orange aroma (natural aphrodisiac) in parks and squares.
Taxes: Mexico imposes 16% VAT on goods and services, which is always included in the price (by law) and does not need to be specially calculated.
Power: Mexico uses the US power standards of 110V and 60 Hz.
Conference Venue
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL)
Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas (FCFM)
Av. Universidad s/n. Ciudad Universitaria San Nicolás de los Garza, C.P. 66455
Nuevo León, México
You can find the venue location on Google Maps here and Open Street Map here
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon) was officially established on September 25th, 1933 by a vote of the Honorable Congress of Nuevo Leon. With a legacy of 90 years, it is now the largest educational institution in northern Mexico and the third most important university in the country. More than 214 thousand students are currently pursuing their professional goals in one of the 360 programs offered at high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels, which are available through 29 high schools and 26 colleges located across 30 municipalities in the state of Nuevo Leon. The main university campus is located in the northern part of Monterrey, connected to the city center by subway line 2 (5 subway stops).
The School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FCFM) was established in 1953. The School offers six undergraduate majors, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Actuarial Science, Multimedia and Digital Animation, and Security in Information Technology, and five graduate programs, Engineering Physics, Mathematics, Astrophysics, Security in Information Technology, and Data Science, totally counting with 4,425 students and more than 300 teachers. The School consists of the main building (administration, library, classrooms), two annexes of classrooms, the graduate school building with an annex of classrooms, and the laboratory corpus, offering more than 80 classrooms. Almost all classrooms are equipped with overhead projectors, some of them have smart whiteboards and special audiovisual tools. The internal yard (esplanade) of the main building is covered by a glass roof, making it an ideal place for coffee breaks, lunches, conversations, discussions, etc.
Visa Information
Citizens of a large number of countries do not need a visa to enter Mexico: USA, Canada, European Union countries, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and many others. Even more travelers can enter Mexico without a visa with a service passport, for instance, from China, India, and Thailand. Please check the complete list at https://visaguide.world/mexico-visa/who-needs-visa/. In addition, you are exempt from the visa requirement, if you have a current valid visa for or a residence permit in Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, or any of the states of Schengen area. Citizens of Russia, Turkey, or Ukraine only need electronic travel authorization.
Need an Invitation Letter to Apply for a Visa?
You will receive a proof of registration soon after the registration fee has been received. The confirmation document will serve as your invitation letter when applying for the visa.
If you need a formal letter of invitation, it can be provided by the conference organization. Please contact us. Letters of invitation will be sent in PDF format to the email address provided. Please send us all information you need for the letter (for example title, affiliation, etc. if needed) in the same format used for your visa application, and include the name and number of your paper.
The organizing committee also reserves the right to ask for further information to ensure the validity of requests.
Please note that the organizing committee is not responsible for starting the process for visa application; we will only be sending the invitation letter. You make your own visa application.
Travel Information
Arriving at Monterrey (Mariano Escobedo International Airport)
The Monterrey International Airport (MTY) is located northeast (about 30 km) from the city center and has three terminals, A, B, and C, reachable by feet from one to another. There is also an interterminal shuttle. Monterrey is directly connected with many US cities, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New York, and Miami, but especially well with Houston (7 daily flights) and Dallas (6 daily flights). There is a direct daily flight to/from Madrid, Spain, and Seoul, Korea. There is also a direct flight from Beijing to Tijuana (a city in Northwest of Mexico, state of Baja California), which is well connected to Monterrey by local flights. Flights from Monterrey to Mexico City and back depart every half hour from 5 AM to 10 PM by various lowcosters.
Ground transportation
It is possible to reach the university area or the city center from the airport by official taxis (about 40 USD) or Uber/Didi (about 25-30 USD). There is also a bus going to “Y Griega” subway line 1 stop (every 20 min, about 1 USD, 55 min en route, from 5 AM to 10 PM). It is also possible to rent a car (40-50 USD a day with full insurance), all main rental agencies, Hertz, Budget, Avis, Dollar, Sixt, Europcar, are present at the airport.
There are three subway lines, 1,2,3, in Monterrey (0.5 USD for a single ride). Line 2 goes from the city center to the university area. Taxis and Uber/Didi inside the city are inexpensive. There is an extensive bus network, a single ride costs about 1 USD.
Accommodation
There are several chain hotels along Av. Universidad at only one subway stop from the conference venue, Holiday Inn Monterrey Norte (195 rooms, 175-180 USD), Wyndham Garden Monterrey Norte (235 rooms, 110-115 USD), Sleep Inn Monterrey Norte (82 rooms, 80-95 USD), City Express by Marriott Monterrey Universidad (147 rooms, 110-115 USD), with restaurants and supermarkets nearby. There are also a number of variously priced hotels (from 35 USD) in the city center, connected to the conference venue by subway line 2 (5 stops), including historic “Gran Hotel Ancira” (244 rooms, 95-100 USD), built in 1912, where Pancho Villa, a hero of the Mexican Revolution, rode up on a horse by the main stairway in 1914.
Sightseeing
Monterrey is full of architectural landmarks and natural beauties, including:
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The Santa Lucía artificial river, built between 1996 and 2007. It currently joins the Macroplaza with the Fundidora Park.
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The Cerro de la Silla (Saddle Mountain).
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The Macroplaza, the 8th largest city square in the world, is the cultural and administrative heart of the city featuring remarkable monuments, green areas and buildings.
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Faro del Comercio (Lighthouse of Commerce), another trademark of the city. This monument beams a green laser around the city at night.
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Barrio Antiguo (lit. Old neighborhood or old town) is the historical urban center of the city of Monterrey. There are preserved houses from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Nowadays bars, cafes, art galleries and restaurants can be found there.
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The Museum of Modern Art is a post-modern Mexican architecture, designed by Ricardo Legorreta
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Fundidora Park is a large urban park that contains old foundry buildings, 120 hectares of natural ambiance, artificial lakes, playgrounds, museum, hotel, auditorium, and convention center.
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Puente de la Unidad (sometimes called Puente Atirantado) is a suspension bridge that crosses the Santa Catarina River and joins San Pedro Garza García with Monterrey.
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The Government Palace of Nuevo León is a pink marble neoclassical building, built in 1908, where the governor’s office is located.
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El Cerro del Obispado (Bishop’s Hill) which includes a public, scenic lookout called Mirador del Obispado, a Monumental flag and the museum inside the Palacio del Obispado (the Bishop’s Palace, 18th century).
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Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery (Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma), with its 19th-century buildings and museum.
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The Cola de Caballo (Horse Tail) waterfall, declared a UNESCO-protected site, about 35 km (22 mi) southeast.
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The Chipinque natural park, south of Monterrey, on the slopes of Sierra Madre Oriental mountains.