Mexico is a land of beauty and diversity – and one that has drawn visitors to it for centuries. It is a place where many people still maintain vestiges of their traditional cultures, even though the waves of modernization that have swept this sun-drenched land.

Travelers to Mexico are treated to a dazzling display of culture, hospitality, fine food, art and history. They are welcomed to small rural villages and vibrant modern centers. They are privy to the deserts, forests, mountains, beaches, and the ancient ruins that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.

Travelling in Mexico, you'll want to have a hat, sunglasses and sunblock at hand. Insect repellent is helpful too, but be sure to bring it along if you can. It may not be readily available outside of the major cities.

The Mexican people are generally friendly and helpful to visitors. Any efforts you can make to speak Spanish – however rudimentary it may be – will bring you an even warmer reception.

Because language is often a barrier outside of the major tourist areas, some people may assume communication will be difficult. But a few words in Spanish is often all it takes to bring smiles and an extra effort towards understanding.

The universal language is in no short supply here – Mexico has a thriving popular music industry, and buskers of all kinds play music for a living. Mariachi bands are most common, with traditional songs comprised of trumpet, violin, guitar and voice. Many of these Mariachi bands even play dressed in traditional "cowboy" costumes.

The Mexican climate is hot and humid in the coastal plains that run along both sides of the country. Mexico's higher central elevations are much more dry and temperate – and the inland mountain peaks are often even capped in snow.

Generally, temperatures and rainfall are greatest from May to October, and both are at their peak from June to September. Generally, the coast has higher temperatures and more rain than the interior, though the variation can be considerable from one region to the next. Travelling north to south, temperatures will rise as you get closer to the equator.

Mexico's peak travel season extends from October to June along the coasts, when the humidity is in check. But the winter months can bring a chill inland – and can even approach the freezing mark in the mountains.

Mexico hosts a vast array of wildlife. The northeast and the Yucatan Peninsula are major bird sanctuaries for flamingos and parrots, with over one thousand species between them. Monkeys, wild cats and other land-bound animals congregate in the more remote mountain and forested areas. As public interest increases in Mexico's natural habitat, Mexican National Parks are investing in roads and car parks that will let visitors see indigenous wildlife in its natural environment.

To visit Mexico, you'll need a valid passport. Residents of the U.S. and Canada do not need visas to enter Mexico as tourists, but will need a government tourist card (Forma Migratoria de Turista) which is available free of charge at official border crossings and airports. The normal maximum stay for tourists in Mexico is 180 days. If travelers under 18 are not accompanied by both parents, Mexican authorities will likely require a notarized letter of consent signed by both parents allowing a minor to enter the country.

In Mexico, the "$" sign refers to pesos. So don't panic if the prices seem a little high at first glance! It's useful to carry money in U.S. dollars or major-brand travelers' checks to ease the hassles associated with currency exchange, especially outside of the major cities.

Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. It's a huge city of about 20 million people spread across twelve hundred square miles of the central highlands.

Mexico City emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries as the political hub of New Spain, in the era following the Spanish Conquest. The city grew at an astounding rate, and today, its 350 neighborhoods cover the bed of the ancient Lago de Texcoco. Driving here can be a challenge, as many streets change names depending on which direction you're going. On smaller streets, the names may even change every few blocks!

Mexico City is the country's cultural center, and the wide urban plaza of El Zócalo is the historic heart of the city. The area is surrounded by the Cathedral Metropolitana, the Palacio Nacional, and the excavated site of the Templo Mayor, an important Aztec temple. There are also many good and reasonably-priced restaurants.

With its surrounding palaces, the Alaneda Central Park is also a popular attraction. Nearby Chapultepec Park is a well-treed area with artificial lakes, and central to many of the city's major museums. For the best night life attractions, head to the "Zona Rosa" – the pink zone!

Baja California
Few places can compete with Baja California when it comes to offering a variety of exotic locations. The region attracts 50 million visitors each year for duty-free shopping, diving and snorkeling, fishing, water sports, and succulent seafood dining. With its strong U.S. influence, many places in Baja California quote in American dollars and expect to be paid in U.S. currency.

The city of Tijuana is found immediately south of the U.S. border. Through it has a lingering reputation as a "sin city", it's a place of growing sophistication with universities, office buildings and shopping centers. Tijuana's nightlife at the discos and the traditional Sunday bullfights top the list of popular entertainment venues.

Mexicali and San Felipe are also popular draws, though both places are often rowdy. The quieter Guerro Negro is renowned for Seammon's Lagoon, the mating grounds of the California Grey Whales. Tourist-friendly La Paz also offers fishing trips, and quiet places to camp.

North West Mexico
Mexico's principal Pacific Coast Highway, Highway 15, begins in the northwest at the border town of Nogales, Sonora. This is one of the most convenient border crossings from the western USA, and offers a stunning view of the Pacific Coast, before turning inland to Mexico City.

The Copper Canyon Railway is a southwestern attraction that can't be missed. It crosses what is known as the "Grand Canyon of Mexico". The line ends at coastal Los Mochis, close to Topolobampo, where the Ferry from La Paz connects Baja California to the mainland.

The state capital of Sonora is Hermosillo. Hermosillo also sits along Highway 15, right in the middle of the Sonora desert. Hermosillo's main plaza offers dynamic murals and museums, while the Cerrodela Campana (Hill of the Bell) gives visitors a panoramic view of the city and is an easy point of reference by day or night.

Central North Mexico
The Central North region of Mexico sees stifling hot summers and freezing cold winters, while spring and fall are warm and sunny. This dry and sparsely populated region is interrupted periodically by bands of green –rivers that flow intermittently from the Sierra Madre. It's along these river outcroppings that most of the towns here have been established. Crossing through the mountains of the central north region to the Pacific Coast can make for a stunning side trip.

This part of Mexico was marked historically by a long-used travel route that crossed the high plains of the states of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila. The route ran from El Paso, Texas into Ciudad Juárez. Though this bustling border town is somewhat noisy, the ambiance tends to improve the further south you go.

Four hours south of Ciudad is Casas Grandes, a quiet farming town whose name means "Big Houses". It's here that you'll find the ruins of Paquimé, partially excavated adobe structures that were home to the Paquimé Indians, the major native settlement in northern Mexico over 1000 years ago. The town of Madera features a number of Paquimé ruins as well.

The city of Chihuahua is also a worthwhile side trip – it's a prosperous center with a colonial flair, right in the heart of cowboy country. Chihuahua is a good overnight stop while traveling south, before hopping aboard the Copper Canyon Railway.

North East Mexico
The region of northeast Mexico – the states of Nuevo Léon, Tamaulipas and Coahuila – have a geography unlike anywhere else in the country. These vast deserts offer rugged beauty, brought to life by the Rio Grande River.

Along the Gulf Coast are remote beaches and wetlands, home to many birds and marine animals. To the south, the coast extends into the subtropical ecozone of Huasteca.

Inland, the Sierra Madre Oriental rises from the coast, offering spectacular scenery for those who make the climb up its narrow, winding roads. This is Mexico's "wild frontier", where the Southern Spanish and Northern Anglo Saxon colonists confronted each other in 1845 and established the Rio Grande as the border between Mexico and the USA. Despite the division, there's still a fair bit of cultural overlap between southern Texas and northeast Mexico. Today, this region is not so much a tourist attraction as a chance to see the interplay of the two cultures in daily life.

Nuevo Laredo is a border crossing for many tourists as they head south to Monterrey, although many restaurants and souvenir stands there do not accept U.S. currency. The industrial city of Reynosa is an alternate crossing point into Mexico – with craft markets and a bustling nightlife. Further south are Ciudad Victoria and Monterrey; both are clean and pleasant, with the distinctive air of suburban America.

Central Pacific Coast
The coastal region stretching from Mazatlán to Acapulco is one of the country's best-known vacation regions, offering the principal beach resorts of Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa and Acapulco, along with a handful of lesser-known but beautiful escapes.

Highways up and down the Pacific Coast make for easy driving in this region, and several highways connect the coast to the mountainous interior of the country. Air travel to this part of Mexico is abundant as well, due to the high numbers of tourists that come to the area.

Camping is a popular way to enjoy the beaches. Known as the "Pearl of the Pacific", Mazatlán is famous for its nearly 10 miles of beaches and opportunities for fishing marlin, swordfish, sailfish, tuna and dolphin fish (dorado). Both the historic and the new sections of town are worth a tour, too.

Puerto Vallarta is a world-famous resort city where English is spoken almost as commonly as Spanish, and the coastline is dominated by luxury resorts. Yet despite its growth as a tourist destination, the city's cobblestone streets and adobe architecture make Puerto Vallarta one of the most picturesque coastal cities.

Acapulco evokes images of white sandy beaches and bustling night life – and though the commercial center of the city is a maze of streets and urban congestion, the curve of Bahía de Acapulco gives way to beautiful beaches, hotels, discos and shopping opportunities.

Western Coastal Highlands
West of Mexico City, the Western Coastal Highlands is a region of great cultural and geographical variety encompassing the inland states of Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima.

This area is off the beaten path for tourists, but boasts the vibrant cities of Guadalajara, Morelia, and the breathtaking El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary.

Guadalajara is Mexico's 2nd-largest city, and has a reputation as the most "Mexican" spot in Mexico. It is Guadalajara that brought the world Mariachi music, tequilla, the Mexican Hat Dance, and the sombrero hat. Like Mexico City, Guadalajara boasts historic buildings, music, museums, culture and excellent food – but in this modern and well-designed center, the traffic flows freely!

The colonial town of Pátzcuaro in the Michoacán highlands is in the heart of Purépecha Indian country. Mexican tourists come here in large numbers over Christmas and New Year. The 1st and 2nd of November draw substantial crowds as well, for the area's famous "Day of the Dead" celebrations.

Northern Central Highlands
Stretching northwest of Mexico City, this dry and temperate region includes the southern part of the Altiplano Central between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. This was where Spanish colonialists unearthed much of the silver that fuelled their ambitions in Mexico.

The products of their silver fortunes can be seen in the magnificent cities of Guanajuanto and Zacatecas. The region is a wealth of colonial architecture, and features lively arts and entertainment scenes.

This part of Mexico is less visited than many, but it's passed through by those going from north to south. Close by the city of Guanajuanto is Bajío, an agricultural center known throughout Mexico as the "Cradle of Independence", for it was here that the movement for independence from Spain began back in 1810.

Nearby Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende are full of important sites that commemorate this event.

Central Gulf Coast
The road from northeast to southeast Mexico lies along the hot coastal region between the Gulf of Mexico and the country's central mountains.

Veracruz is the most appealing of this region's coastal cities, and it's festive atmosphere makes it a popular holiday resort for mexicans. Veracruz is home to the country's most riotous annual carnival. Inland, the foothills of the Sierra Madre offer Xalapa and Cordoba as attractive destination cities as well.

Xalapa (also spelled "Jalapa") is a colonial gem of a city, ripe with art, entertainment and good food. The semi-tropical landscape has many parks and panoramas. Light rain and drizzle are commonplace here – which presents the perfect opportunity to visit the city's renowned anthropology museum.

Cordoba has a long colonial history and pleasant surroundings, with lush, green hills surrounding the town. Many historic sites of interest lie within a few blocks of the central Plaza de Armas.

Oaxaca State
The rugged southern state of Oaxaca is only 150 miles away from Mexico City, but with the mountains that shield it from the capital, it manages to preserve a unique regional atmosphere. The pace of life is slower in Oaxaca. The weather is brighter, and the population is more sparse than in the city. The rocky, dry landscape supports a strong Indian population, credited with producing most of the fine handicrafts for which Oaxaca is known.

Oaxaca city has become popular with tourists, but has managed to retain a lively artistic community and the colonial markings for which it is known. The city is surrounded by thriving village markets and spectacular pre-Hispanic Indian ruins like Monte Albán and Yagul, in Oaxaca's Central Valleys.

The Oaxaca coast is not a wealthy region, but it does support a number of small-scale beach resorts. For many tourists, the initial reception by the locals of Oaxaca is a little hesitant – understandably so, as the people here have been driven to this remote region by hundreds of years of colonial conflict.

Tabasco
Tabasco is a wealthy region of equatorial rainforest, watered by the rivers that run through the state on their way to the Gulf of Mexico. Tabasco's economic strength comes from the petroleum and other mineral deposits that have led to an oil boom here in recent years.

The state is culturally rich as well – Tabasco was the homeland of the Olmecs, known as the first great Mesoamerican civilization. The Olmecs left their mark through their pursuit of religion, astronomy, art and architecture.

Tabasco tends to be sparsely populated, with the exception of Villahermosa. Situated on the banks of the Rio Grijalva river, this boom-town of 250-thousand is known for its intense tropical heat and humidity. But Tabasco's wide, tree-shaded boulevards and parks make it a beautiful city indeed. Local museums offer a look into the Olmec culture, and the ruins of ancient Comalcalco are just a short drive away.

Chiapas
Directly south of Tabasco, is the state of Chiapas. Though it doesn't share the same level of economic fortune as its northern neighbor, Chiapas is rich in its tremendous diversity.

The state is covered largely by volcanic mountains, which offer elevation differences of thousands of feet as you travel. At the center of Chiapas is San Cristobál de Las Casas, a cool and tranquil colonial town set among a collection of traditional and mysterious Indian villages.

Two hours west, is the modern state capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, home to one of the best zoos in Mexico. The facility is comprised entirely of the varied species indigenous to Chiapas. Just outside of Tuxtla is the 2000-foot deep Sumidero Canyon, where visitors come to enjoy breathtaking boat rides.

Right along the Guatemalan border is the Montebello Lakes region, and the steamy Pacific Coast to the south offers laid-back beachfront escapes. To the north, the Chiapan rainforest hosts a variety of Mayan ruins, including the Agua Azul waterfalls, that rank among Mexico's most spectacular.

The Yucatan Peninsula
The Yucatan Peninsula is the heart of Maya country. Here in the southern tip of Mexico, the land is flat and hot – but its endless archaeological sites mark the proud history of the Maya. One of the most impressive if these sites is Chichén Itzá, a three-hour drive out of Cancun.

For tourists, the Yucatan Peninsula is prime vacation territory, with bathtub-warm blue waters, lagoons full of spectacularly colorful sea life, and the pristine white beaches of the three main tourist areas: Cancun, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres.

Cancun's hotel zone is where many spend their days, for all of the beaches are open to the public and offer opportunities for swimming, windsurfing, jet skiing, diving and snorkeling. The nearby restaurants and shopping opportunities are plentiful, and many leave with bags of handicrafts and silver jewelry to take home with them. Travel around this busy city is easy by bus or by taxi, though you may prefer the easier pace of a rented moped or bicycle.

Nearby Isla Mujeres is a short ferry ride away, and makes for an excellent day trip. This tiny island can be toured by moped, or even by golf cart! The thatched-hut restaurants and shopping is popular, and the unbelievable beaches are a draw for swimmers and snorkelers.

An hour ferry ride from the port city of Playa del Carmen will land you in Cozumel. Known primarily as a cruise ship port of call, the restaurants and shops are a little pricier here. But the handicrafts are plentiful, and the world-renowned Palancar Reef (made famous by Jacques Cousteau) draws divers from around the world to enjoy the fantastically beautiful sea life.

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