Going Postal, Mexico Style

Getting a Post Office Box
Here in Pátzcuaro, apartados postales become available to rent after the first of the year. Not necessarily the first working Monday, but when it's time.

To obtain one is easy, you will have had practice with similar situations already, such as getting an FM-3. You go to to the Oficina de Correos, inquire, you are given una carta de solicitud (application form), you show your passport/FM-3, give them a copy of the first pages of said documents; Comprobante de Domicilio (copy accepted), and, ¡que milagro! no copía de fotografía needed. No waiting period either, the clerk helped us fill out the application.
We then paid the rental fee, which had risen a few 20 or 30 pesos from 2005.
(I think it was $185MXP, but I'm too lazy to look it up.)

We chose a box, and stood there, expecting to receive a key.
But no. The clerk went with us to our chosen mailbox, unscrewed the lock mechanism from the inside, and handed it to us. ¿Y, ahora?

We were expected to go to a cerrajería to get our own keys made. There was one about 6 or 8 blocks away, so we waited while la Señora cerrajerista changed the lock combo and made us two new keys.

We then walked back to the Correos, got the clerk, and he screwed in the lock. Handshakes all around. ¡Éxito!

Now we are waiting for someone to send us some mail; but we have advised our friends and relatives NOB never to send valuables. I guess we can get promotional materials for Domino's Pizza or something.

(Thanks to Miguel Dickson, creator of "Tales of Zapata Street", and other Pátzcuaro blogs; who bugged me to move this post from my Mexican Kitchen blog, to the Surviving La Vida Buena blog.)