I was born and raised in Mexico. Here are the 12 mistakes I see tourists make when they visit the most popular spots.

Mexican food is famous around the world for good reason. I know you want to make the most of your trip, but having a combination of chilaquiles for breakfast, mole or cochinita pibil for lunch, and tacos al pastor for dinner may lead you to have some gastrointestinal troubles.

Pace yourself. Eating rich, greasy food three times per day, several days in a row would make even locals sick.

If you explore the street-food scene, try to make sure that the food stand where you're about to eat follows basic hygiene practices. For example, check that the cook pulling apart the queso Oaxaca for your quesadilla with their bare hands isn't also thumbing customers' bills.

All that said, please be adventurous with food on your trip, and don't just stick to the dishes you're familiar with, like tacos and enchiladas, or else you'll be missing out on a potential trip highlight.

Most Mexican food isn't meant to be drenched in salsa.

I often see my foreign friends add a spoonful of salsa to their tacos before even tasting it to ascertain its spice level. The result is that they practically burn their mouth off.

At most taco places here, servers will present you with multiple tiny bowls of different salsa varieties. Use a spoon to scoop a minuscule amount and add drops of it to your taco before tasting it.

This way, you can adjust the amount of salsa and land at just the right level of spiciness for you.

When there's a variety of salsas on hand, they usually range in spiciness. Watch out for the habanero sauce.

There's a certain type of traveler who checks countries off a list without actually leaving their all-inclusive resort.

I love hotels, don't get me wrong, but if you have all your meals at the buffet and spend all your time at the pool or beach, I'm not sure you can really say you got to know a destination.

People I meet who aren't from Mexico usually assume that the country has high temperatures year-round, but Mexico City, where I'm from, feels like spring for most of the year.

In the capital city, winters are mild and the hottest time of year is around Easter, not summer. In fact, I've had friends visit in July and August who wound up disappointed by the gray skies and daily evening showers.

If you're planning on visiting during the summer, consider which part of the country you're going to. Along the coast, the rainy season, which runs from May to October, doesn't just bring annoying precipitation, but there's also a chance hurricanes will hit.

As far as cooler climates go, the northern parts of the country get quite cold in the winter. San Cristobal de las Casas, a city in the southern state of Chiapas, has a higher elevation, so bring layers if you plan on visiting.

To avoid any disappointment, make sure you check the weather forecast prior to booking.

Shorts and flip-flops are appropriate at any Mexican beach town, but in Mexico City and other metropolitan areas, it's best to try to blend in with the locals.

It's not just about breaking etiquette rules and looking out of place at nicer restaurants, but it will also make you look like a street-savvy expat and keep you from sticking out as a tourist.

When it comes to tipping, I'm a firm believer that travelers need to find out about local customs instead of just applying what they would do back home.

In Mexico, it's customary to tip 10%, 15%, or 20%, but sticking to 15% is a sure way of never messing up. However, I've never seen a local tip 20%.

Nobody likes getting ripped off, and "gringo prices," or premiums for foreigners, are indeed a thing in Mexico, so make a counteroffer when it's appropriate.

But if you're buying handicrafts that only cost a few dollars, consider the amount of time the creator invested in making it before you try to shave off a couple of dollars.

Even though $2 may not be much to you, it could help pay for the artist's next meal or new supplies that allow them to continue making their pieces.

I've seen people marvel at how cheap something is right in front of their tour guide, who probably doesn't agree.

When you're in Mexico, you may find restaurants and the price of services a lot cheaper than what you're used to, but in my opinion, it feels a bit crass to say it out loud in front of the locals.

Many wages in Mexico are considerably lower than they are in countries like the US, so a lot of Mexicans have less purchasing power.

In laidback beach towns like Mazunte and towns like Mérida, time seems to slow down, and local waiters tend to take their time serving you.

It's not personal, and it's not bad service. It's just not in their nature to rush through life the way many city dwellers are used to doing in large metropolises.

Learn to relax, sit back, and accept that your meal will get there when it gets there.

On a similar note, the concept of being on time varies. Being 15 minutes late is still considered on time, even in Mexico City. So, cut people some slack.

I can't tell you how many foreign friends have told me that they've run into trouble with the police for drinking in the street. In Mexico, it's illegal to drink alcohol in public streets and to carry open alcohol containers in public.

You can drink at restaurants with liquor licenses that enable them to serve alcohol at outdoor tables on the sidewalk, but you can't buy beer at a 7-Eleven and drink it as you walk down the street.

The same rule goes for outdoor picnics, as it's illegal to drink alcohol at parks and beaches.

Hailing a taxi off the street is a major security risk in many parts of Mexico, especially in cities. Pirate taxis, illegal and unlicensed cabs, are a big problem in Mexico City, and getting into one can be dangerous.

Do yourself a favor and opt for car-sharing apps whenever possible, or get a taxi from an official taxi stand, called a sitio. Your concierge or restaurant host can easily help you find one.

I love being able to pay for absolutely everything, from a taxi to a bottle of water, with my credit card when I'm in places like Europe. But you should always have spare change in the local currency when you travel to a new country.

In Mexico, you may need it to pay for a taxi or a street taco.

And regardless of where you are in the world, you should be cautious when you use an ATM. Some criminals install devices on them that help them clone cards, so always make sure you withdraw money in broad daylight at an ATM that's located inside a bank.