Mexico is a melting pot of Central American cultures and modern indigenous tribes. Its modern vibrant economy is the biggest in Latin America after Brazil. The Mexican landscapes are equally diverse, from the shimmering coastline of Baja California and the cactus-strewn deserts of the north, to the Mayan villages and palm-smothered beaches of the south. You can climb volcanoes, watch whales, swim underground and tour tequila farms. Sprinkled throughout, you’ll find richly adorned colonial churches, giant ancient pyramids and a sophisticated cuisine that bears little resemblance to nachos and burritos.
This variety is also reflected by Mexico’s population of 114 million people, about 10% of whom are made up of indígenous groups, such as the Nahua, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomí and Totonac. There is also a substantial body of massively rich Mexicans of pure Spanish or European descent. However, more than 80% of the population is mestizo, comprised of European and indigenous traditions with a certain extent of urban sophistication. Add to this a selection of quite distinct regional characteristics, whether cowboy culture of the northern deserts or the more traditional Mesoamerican south, and you have a fascinating and ever-changing experience on offer.
Despite the obvious influence of the USA and its close links to the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, Mexico remains fiercely individual. The music-filled plazas and the smells emanating from their rows of taco carts will leave you with no doubt about where you are.
Many new visitors to Mexico will be surprised to find that it’s not really what you might call a “developing” nation: the country has a robust economy - the world’s fourteenth largest; a remarkably well-established and efficient internal transport system; and a healthy contemporary arts and music scene. In fact, over the last two decades, Mexico has finally become a middle-class society, perhaps the country’s greatest achievement since Independence. Mexico is often associated with the so-called BRIC economies and is expected to have a higher GDP per capita than all but three European countries by 2050.
However, it’s not yet all suburbs and SUVs; you’re still likely to chance upon a village fiesta, complete with a muddy bullfight and robust dancing, or you might hop on a rural bus, packed with farmers all carrying machetes half their height and curious about how you ended up going their way. Mexico is not always an easy place to travel around - the power may go off, the water may be undrinkable and occasionally it can seem a place of relentless noise and dirt. While rural Mexico is still a place where timetables cannot be entirely trusted; a place where anything that can break down will break down (when it’s most needed), any attempt to do things in a hurry is liable to be frustrated.
The contrasts of ostentatious wealth and grim poverty can be deeply disturbing and most poignant in the big cities, where unemployment is high and living conditions shockingly crowded. The ongoing drug wars provide a seemingly non-stop stream of sensational, often gruesome headlines and, whilst the violence is very real in some parts of the country, the danger for tourists is absolutely minimal. For the most part, you’ll find this is a convivial, wonderfully varied and enjoyable place in which to travel.
Where to Go
The urban sprawl of Mexico City is completely fascinating - the artistic, political, cultural capital of the nation. Around the city lie the pre-Hispanic relics of the massive pyramids of Teotihuacán and the main Toltec site at Tula. To the West, Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco, has a much more human ambience, being within easy reach of Michoacán: Between them, these states share some of the most gently scenic country in Mexico.
South of the capital lie the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Home to some of the largest populations of pure indigenous groups, they are beautiful and mountainous, but in a far wilder way. Oaxaca is especially enticing, with a fantastic blend of colonial and home-grown life, with superb markets and archeological sites. The traditions of the market town of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas make it a magnet for travellers, before they move on to the picturesque Maya ruins of Palenque. East into the Yucatán lies more traditional indigenous life, jostling for attention with a tourist industry based around the truly magnificent Maya cities of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, and the burgeoning Caribbean resorts that stretch down the coast from Cancún.
On the Pacific coast, you’ll find the surf wilder and the scenery more rugged than in the Caribbean, Acapulco being the best known of the beach destinations. Along the coast to the north, hundreds of kilometres of relatively empty sand are interrupted by resort cities like Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Few tourists venture over to the Gulf coast, despite the attractions of Veracruz and its mysterious ruins. A pity, as for music and general bonhomie, the city’s central plaza is one of the country’s finest destinations.
Coming through the heart of the country, the Bajío, you’ll encounter the beautiful silver-mining towns of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, the historic centres of San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro and many smaller places with a wonderful architectural legacy. Between here and the US border you’ll encounter vast deserts and mountain ranges (home of the Copper Canyon, with its spectacular rail journey), the mysterious ruins at Paquimé and dynamic Monterrey. In the far northwest of the country lies Baja California, a major destination in its own right, with first-class whale-watching, pristine beaches and crumbling Spanish ruins.
Title Image Credit: Credit NameThomas Schlosser (Image Cropped)