Constitution Day in Mexico

When the holiday falls

The anniversary is February 5, but the statutory day of rest is the first Monday in February. That means the day off can fall on a different date from the anniversary. The law names this Monday as a mandatory rest day; it does not provide a separate substitute day when the anniversary falls on another weekday.[1][2]

The Federal Labor Law applies across Mexico to employment relationships covered by its provisions. It lists the first Monday in February among mandatory rest days. If work is required that day, the law says the employer and workers determine how many workers will provide service; if they cannot agree, a labor tribunal decides.[1]

The 1917 Constitution

The holiday recalls the promulgation of Mexico’s Constitution on February 5, 1917. The Political Constitution of the United Mexican States followed sessions of the Constituent Congress in late 1916 and January 1917. It replaced the 1857 Constitution and came into force on May 1, 1917.[3]

Mexico’s cultural heritage authority describes the 1917 document as introducing social rights into the country’s constitutional framework. Its promulgation is commemorated because the Constitution remains the country’s fundamental legal charter, shaping its institutions and public life.[3]

Commemoration and the day off

The anniversary is marked through official commemorations. Mexico’s national commemoration committee records a formal anniversary ceremony at the Teatro de la República in Santiago de Querétaro, the city associated with the 1917 Constituent Congress.[3]

The statutory holiday has a practical effect for covered workers: they are entitled to rest with their regular pay. Workers who do work on the mandatory rest day are entitled to their regular pay for the day plus double pay for the service performed, which PROFEDET describes as triple the daily salary in total.[1][2]

The labor law establishes a workers’ rest day; it does not set one nationwide opening schedule for every shop, attraction, school, bank, or transport service. Opening hours and services can therefore depend on the institution or business. Check directly before making plans.[1]