The “Green Angels” primary focus is to patrol Mexico’s Federal Highways and help stranded travelers they find on the side of the road. These friendly, trained mobile mechanics are bilingual and are able to provide such roadside services as helping to change a tire or install a new engine belt.

However, much more than the basic services, they can also diagnose and fix many other minor (and sometimes not so minor) mechanical / electrical problems as well.

Using their onboard tools, they can extract a malfunctioning alternator, starter or water pump and drive it to a nearby shop to be rebuilt, often at a fraction of the cost of a new one. And once the part is fixed, they can reinstall it in your vehicle and get you quickly back on the road.

Often in just a few hours at most. If the cause of the breakdown is more serious and they are unable to get you back on the road, they can also provide you with a free tow to the nearest mechinic as well as information on where to eat, stay overnight if necesary and answer any other questions you may have.

Their services are indeed free but of course you are responsible for the costs for any outside repairs performed as well as any required parts used.

If you ever do personally benefit from their friendly help while traveling in Mexico, we strongly recommend you consider giving them a very generous tip after they stop and provide you with their helpful service.

History

The Angeles Verdes is a federally funded program under the direction of the Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) and was first started back in September of 1960, modeled after the AAA Auto Club across the border to the north.

These friendly, helpful “Angels” drive along all of Mexico’s federal highways 7 days a week (including holidays) and on average cover over 22 million kilometers each year. For over six decades the Angeles verdes have helped millions of stranded travelers get back on the road, saving countless thousands of vacations.

On top of providing help in the case of a mechanical breakdown, each of their vehicles is equipped with radios and they are able to summon additional emergency services if needed. They are even called to duty in cases of local emergencies and natural disasters to assist.

Funding for the Green Angels did see some cutbacks a few years ago in a bnudget crunch and for awhile their presence was a bit more limited. However due to public outcry, their funding has now been increased again with new vehicles being added to their fleet along with the hiring of additional mobile mechanics to help travelers.

They mostly operate only during dayight hours which is another good reason why it’s best to follow our advice to avoid night time driving.

How to Contact the Green Angels

The Green Angels routinely patrol the highways but if you need their services now, call 078 from your phone or contact them via an app on your smartphone.

Below are the links for the app which you can install on your smartphone to have ready if you should ever need their services in your future travels south of the border: