Some sounds in Mexico City don’t translate. One completely freaked me out when I first heard it… An eery, long whistle. Mexico City residents, can you guess what it was?

They're not dangerous, just unfamiliar at first. A late-night whistle, a shouted announcement, a bell that means it’s time to take out your rubbish. I didn’t misunderstand them so much as… notice them. Often loudly.

Here are six sounds that once gave me pause, and now just mean everyday life is ticking along:

1. The gas truck shout

The “¡Gggghaaaaaaas!” call means the truck’s doing its rounds, selling gas cylinders for homes that run on them. No app, no schedule, just sound. You flag it down when it’s time to top up.

2. The garbage bell

There’s no wheelie bin or exact pickup time—just the clang of a handheld bell, often early in the morning at the exact moment you’re half-dressed. If you want your rubbish collected, you bring it out yourself when you hear the bell.

3. The knife sharpener’s whistle

A single, piercing whistle signals a man with a stone wheel strapped to a bike, ready to sharpen your knives on the spot. He doesn’t say anything—just rides through neighbourhoods with that signature sound. It’s lo-fi, analogue, and still very effective.

4. The sweet potato vendor’s steam whistle

The camote cart runs on steam and lets you know it. The whistle is high-pitched, eerie, and hard to place—especially at night. It’s how he sells roasted sweet potatoes and bananas, cooked right on the cart. It’s dramatic for a snack alert, but you’ll only hear it in certain areas.

5. The tamales Oaxaqueños recording

This one’s famous. The recording is grainy and repetitive, blasted from a speaker strapped to a bike: “¡Ricos, tamales, Oaxaqueños!” It cuts through everything—sleep, headphones, meetings—and works.

6. The scrap metal chant

“Se compran colchones, tambores, refrigeradores…”—the list goes on. It’s a slow, droning announcement from a speaker on a pickup truck offering to buy your broken or unwanted appliances. The iconic audio was recorded in 2005 by María del Mar Terrón at the request of her father, a scrap metal collector.

You’ll hear it weekly, no matter where you live. Some people remix it into techno. I’ll spare you the link to that…

These sounds don’t fade into the background, they are the background. They're also not subtle, perfectly fitting for this city!