Discussions towards a free trade agreement between Mexico and the Central American countries began in January 1991, when the presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and Mexico signed the Declaration of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, which provided a framework for trade relations between Central American countries and Mexico. At the second Tuxtla Gutierrez Summit, held in 1996, countries reaffirmed their commitment to the creation of a free trade zone and agreed to continue working on the bilateral or regional free trade negotiations.
In 1991 Mexico and Nicaragua initiated negotiations towards a free trade agreement. In the second Tuxtla Gutierrex Summit, in the Joint Declaration and Plan of Action, Mexico and Nicaragua pledged to conclude these negotiations during the first semester of 1996. The free trade agreement was signed on 18 December 1997 in Managua, Nicaragua. This agreement replaced a 1985 bilateral partial scope trade agreement, which was in force until 30 June 1998.
| Documents relating to the negotiations |
| 16 February 1996 |
Joint Declaration and Plan of Action of the second Tuxtla Gutierrez Summit   |
| 11 January 1991 |
Declaration of Tuxtla Gutiérrez |
| 11 January 1991 |
Act of the Heads of State of the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United Mexican States |
| 11 January 1991 |
Agreement of Tuxtla Gutierrez between the presidents of Central America and Mexico  |
| Source: Secretaría de Integración Económica Controamericana (SIECA) |
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