We recently went back through all 177 of the posts we put up about Mexico and compiled this list of the Top 10 Reasons to Go to Mexico complete with links back to our original words and pictures on the subject.

We road tripped through Mexico because that’s what we do. However, no matter how you explore Mexico you’ll be glad you did because…

#1…the beach is just the beginning

It’s easy to get the impression that Mexico is one long, white sandy beach peppered with frosty cold Coronas and festively-colored hammocks. And there’s plenty of that. However, the great big pleasant surprise about Mexico is its geographic diversity.

Yes, tanning is an outdoor activity but you can have even more fun in Mexico if you venture off the beaten beach.

The north offers expansive deserts. The vast central area of the country is downright mountainous (the capital, Mexico City, is at 7,350 feet or 2,240 meters). One of the largest canyon systems in the world is in Mexico along with enormous volcanoes, meandering caves, impressive waterfalls and tumbling rivers.

Here’s proof.

Copper Canyon, Chihuahua state

This series of six interlocking canyons in northern Mexico is both larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. We know because we spent a month exploring the area on the Copper Canyon train, in our truck and on foot from Cusarare to El Fuerte. We camped on the rim of the Sinfarosa area of the Copper Canyon, enjoyed the area’s massive Basaseachi Waterfall and generally got a sense of the indigenous Tarahumara (who, we learned in the canyon, actually prefer to be called Raramuri) and the gorgeous world they fled into to escape the enslaving Spanish.

Cenotes, Yucatan state

When the ceiling of a cave falls in and the cave fills with crystal-clear fresh water it’s called a cenote. They’re gorgeous oasis perfect for snorkeling and even scuba diving, as we found out when we jumped into Dos Ojos Cenote in southern Mexico for one of the most other-worldly scuba dives of our lives.  In the town of Cuzamá (near Merida) you can rent a horse-drawn cart to pull you along a small-gauge railway track (originally used to transport harvested sisal) around a long circuit that includes stops for swims at three dramatic cenotes.  Up the adrenaline factor by joining the locals and swinging into the water off massive descending tree roots, Tarzan style.

Laguna Media Luna, San Luis Potosi state

Speaking of other-worldly dives, how about diving in a crystal clear, constantly warm, spring-fed, fresh water lake at 3,200 feet (975 meters)? You can do it in Laguna Media Luna in central Mexico.

Lagos de Montebelo, Chiapas state

You can’t dive into them, but the collection of brilliantly colored  lakes (turquoise, jade, aquamarine) that make up the Lagos de Montebello region in southern Mexico is stunning and includes one of the closest things to a US-style national park road in all of Mexico.

Cacahuamilpa Caves, Guerrero state

We’ve ventured inside a lot of caves on the Trans-Americas Journey but none were as surprisingly awesome as the massive Cacahuamilpa Caves in the Parque Nacional Grutas Cacahuamilpa in central Mexico. One of the largest cave systems in the world, it has two rivers running through it, impressive rock formations and no nasty bat poop smell. Honest.

Nevado de Toluca, Mexico state

The active Toluca Volcano in central Mexico (just 50 miles from Mexico City) is the fourth highest peak in the country. At 15, 34 feet  (4,680 meters) it’s a weather-beaten, rugged corner of the country most visitors don’t visit. We did, though the summit eluded us…

Rio Antigua, Veracruz state

White water rafting in Mexico was born in the Jacolmulco region of Veracruz state in the central/southern part of the country and the area continues to offer watery thrills.

Bernal Monolith, Queretarro state

At 1,150 feet (350 meters) this giant hunk of free-standing rock in central Mexico is the fourth tallest monolith in the world (or third tallest, depending on who you ask) after Mount Augustus, the Rock of Gilbraltar and Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio. Smack in the middle of the oldest wine region in The Americas.

#2…you’ll become a better cook (and a better eater)

Since leaving Mexico not a day goes by that we don’t long for the amazing food we ate there. There just is no beating the food you get in Mexico. Whether you have $1 or $100 to spend on a meal you’re gonna get good eats. Here are a few appetizers.

- Making mole poblano at the cooking school at Mesones Sacristia hotel in Puebla

- The tempting tacos of Mexico City

- Why everyone should mix lemon sorbet and cheap red wine like they do in Queretaro

- The best ice cream in the land (and that’s saying something)

#3…you’ll finally learn how to drink good tequila (and mezcal)

Tequila is a passion in Mexico–a delicious, fascinating, artisanal passion. To be called tequila the stuff must be made from blue agave from specific regions in Mexico including the town of Tequila (near Guadalajara) where large producers and small producers rub shoulders. Tequila can also be produced in the Los Altos region. Yes we visited both areas. What’s your point?

Tequila may be “the drink of Mexico” but in the foodie state of Oaxaca (birthplace of mole, tlayudas and much more) a community of small batch mezcal makers is quietly at work on a tasty revolution.

Forget shots. Start sipping.

#4…you’ll really appreciate a good cup of coffee

A visit to the coffee plantations in the Ruta de Cafe in Chiapas is a tasty education in the economics of coffee, how to brew a perfect cup and a glimpse at impressively innovative organic farming methods that are changing the way coffee is grown. It doesn’t hurt that many of the plantations now have gorgeous hotels and spas on site too.

#5…they’ve got animals all over the place

Monarchs on the march
Monarch butterflies know Mexico is a great place to go. Every year, between November and March, hundreds of millions of monarchs somehow navigate their way to the exact same areas of central Mexico—some flying 5,000 miles or more from where they were born in Canada and the northern US. Scientists say they’re drawn to Mexico’s fir trees, but can’t provide a more complete explanation than that. Once the butterflies arrive, they rest and eat then mate like crazy before attempting the return flight home. And you can stop by and check them out.

Flamingos galore
In the Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO site in Yucatan state, we sawthousands of long-legged, pink stunners as they gorged on the shrimp that thrive in this unique super-salty estuary.

Cave of swallows
Every morning thousands of swifts fly up and out of their home inside a 1,220 foot deep pit called the Sótano de las Golondrinas (Cave of Swallows) in San Luis Potosí state. The birds burst out into the world and spend the day feeding before returning home in the evening. Yes, we have video.

Abyss of the parrots
The Sima de las Cotorras (Abyss of the Parrots) in Chiapas state is another feathery find as hundreds of parrots squawk their way out of an almost perfectly round  sinkhole that’s 525 feet (160 meters) wide and 460 feet (140 meters) deep.

Scarlet macaws and howler monkeys
Centro Ecoturistico Las Guacamayas is a sanctuary for the flamboyant namesake birds (guacamayas is Spanish for scarlet macaws) and a haven for other jungle finds like howler monkeys. You’ve got to hear it to believe it…

Jaguarte!
Fine. We never actually saw a wild jaguar in Mexico (in fact, we’ve never seen a wild jaguar at all despite much trying). But we did see an impressive installation of 25 life-size jaguars decorated by 25 different artists when we were in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas. We’re counting it as a partial sighting…

#6…you won’t believe how great the hotels are

We’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels in Mexico from quirky boutique properties to flawless all-inclusive resorts. Here are just a few of our most memorable Mexican stays.

Verana: A hippie-chic hilltop retreat outside Puerto Vallarta (as published in Afar)

Maison Couturier: French farmhouse charm in Veracruz

Clarum 101: Guadalajara’s hidden hipster

Casa de Mita: Your Punta Mita beach home, only  WAY better

Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort:Riviera Maya all-inclusive-ness, perfected

Casa del Atrio: The best arty b&b bargain in the laid back (but happening) town of Queretaro (as published in National Geographic Traveler)

Boutique Hotel Quinta Chanabnal: A Mayanist infuses his passion into the first boutique hotel on the doorstep of the Palenque archaeological site

Boca Chica: Elvis was here, sushi by the seashore and a dose of retro Acapulco

#7…when the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 you’ll have an idea why

We don’t know exactly how many Mayan archaeological sites there are in Mexico. We do know that we visited 54 of them–from stars like Palenque and Chichen Itza to little-visited WAY off the beaten path digs. To save you from trolling our blog endlessly in search of each of our posts about these sites we (thoughtfully) compiled all of them into this handy alphabetized list of archaeological sites we visited with links back to our original posts about them. Now you can really get serious about planning your vacation in the Mundo Maya before the Mayan calendar mysteriously ends on December 21, 2012.

#8…you’ll never watch US-style rodeo the same way again

Rodeo was invented in Mexico, specifically in the Lagos de Moreno area of Jalisco which is still a hotbed of horsemanship. Lagos is where we spent many blissful days riding from hacienda to hacienda (often over stretches of the original Camino Real), watching amazing horse trainers at work, cheering along with the crowd at charreadas (Mexican rodeos), taking part in branding day and learning how to ride like a charro (Mexican cowboy). Sort of.

#9…the cultures (and culture) will floor you

Mexico is a huge country and every region has produced distinct cultures including like the Aztecs and the Lacandon, who cling to existence with less than 1,000 members. Vibrant (literally) cultures remain strongest in Chiapas where many different traditions in clothing, food and customs exist in and around San Cristóbal de las Casas.

For culture of another kind, you can’t beat the museums of Mexico City where you can see everything from ancient Olmec heads carved out of enormous boulders to the most modern of modern art. We’re from New York City and we were floored by the museums here.

#10…you’ll have a clue what you’re talking about when the issue of tourist safety in Mexico comes up (again)

For the record: after 18 months of independent overland travel driving nearly 25,000 miles through 29 of the country’s 31 states we can report, first hand, that we have never seen or sensed any threat or danger of any kind at any point anywhere in Mexico. Period.

Want to see where we wandered? You can see all 177 of our posts from Mexico displayed geographically on this map.

Related posts:

1. July 4th: A Trans-Americas Journey Retrospective
2. Bicentennial Build Up – Mexico City, Mexico
3. Tasting Limited Edition “Vinos Mexico 2010″ – Puebla, Mexico

Anyway, we’ve just completed five weeks of Spanish language immersion classes at a school in Guadalajara called IMAC. With the help of our teacher Saray (pitcure a 23 year old Spanish-speaking Julie McCoy after a few double espressos), we learned four new tenses, a ton of new vocabulary and more grammar rules then we remember ever learning in English.  Right now it’s all a muddle of Spanglish in our heads.

Why did we choose to torture ourselves at IMAC as opposed to any of the other language school options in Guadalajara like CEPE or the Harvest Language Center? Well, after fairly exhaustive comparative research, it became clear that most language schools are essentially the same and you’re just  not going to know which one works  best for you until you’re sitting there in class. Also, IMAC was offering a two-for-one special.

Conicidentally, near the end of our course, the “Travel with Val” program on NY1, a local news station in our hometown of New York City, aired a segment on IMAC.

So, did we learn how to comprehend, read, write and speak Spanish? This post is in English, isn’t it? Seriously, we know a LOT more about speaking, reading, writing and understanding Spanish then we did five weeks ago–and certainly more than we did after graduating from our weak high school Spanish classes. Karen’s two big take-aways from two years of high school Spanish are that she knows all of the words to Cielito Lindo and she can remember that her “Spanish” name was Ramona. Thanks, public school.

However, it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than five weeks to get us speaking with confidence, but we’re on our way. Our skills are WAY better than this guy’s…

We have to say, we came up with what must rank as the best gracias por todo gift a Spanish language student ever gave their 23-year-old female teacher: access to the set where Alejandro Fernández–a singer almost inconceiveably huge in Latin America–was shooting his latest music video. Many thanks, also, to our friend Pepe Homs, an executive producer at  Cedro Films and co-owner of the awesome Casa del Atrio in the city of Queretaro, for making dreams come true. Again.

Trust us when we tell you that Alejandro Fernández is hotter (and more universally appealing) than a cross between Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, Frank Sinatra and Barry White. Oh, and he’s about to embark on an eight city, month-long tour of the US in the spring so check your local listings.

Where are we headed next? Don’t you know not to ask us that by now? All we can tell you with any certainty is that wherever we go, they’ll speak Spanish when we get there.

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How you can support the Trans-Americas Journey:

If you are interested in learning Spanish, check out our Amazon store for our personally recomended Spanish language learning products and resources.

Listen to and buy Alejandro Fernández’s new Album, Dos Mundos (Two Worlds) – Two albums produced and released at the same time. One is a pop album (Evolución), the other contains traditional ranchera and mariachi music (Tradición).

Or, Shop at the iTunes Music Store.

Note: If you purchase any of these products from the Amazon or iTunes links above, you help fund on our Journey just a little bit, without paying a penny more. As they say, muchas gracias.

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Related posts:

1. A Week in the Life – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
2. Forget Fruitcake – Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
3. Guadalajara to Tequila (literally)

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Related posts:

1. Our Latest Work: Zacatecas, Mexico
2. Our Latest Work: Horsing Around at the Best Guest Ranches in the U.S. and Mexico
3. Our Latest Work: Hotelito Desconocido Renovation To Watch – Costalegre, Mexico

But Querétaro’s most famous influx of people didn’t come looking for a chic wine bar or a cool hotel. Nope. In 1810 Josepha Ortiz de Dominguez, also known as La Corregidora, and her compatriots came to  Querétaro to plot a revolution. Though their plan was eventually discovered, the Querétaro conspirators captured and their co-conspirators in neighboring areas narrowly warned, this is considered one of the earliest actions by the Mexican Independence movement.

San Francisco de Querétaro, the city's main cathedral, from the Jardin Zenea which is one of the city's many lively plazas.

In 1847 Querétaro was made capital of the Republic when the U.S. invaded during the Mexican American War. On May 30 1848, the two countries ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in Querétaro, which called for Mexico to give half of its territory to the United States including vast areas encompassing what’s now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, parts of Colorado and New Mexico.

A sculpture of an Aztec below the dome of San Francisco de Querétaro, the city's main cathedral.

Querétaro became the capital of the Republic again on February 5, 1917, when the Proclamation of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States was established by President Venustiano Carranza at the Constitutional Congress in the city’s Teatro de la República. The Constitution remains in force to this day.

The historic center of Querétaro is filled with colorful colonial buildings all protected by its World Heritage Site status.

More recently, UNESCO named the Historic Monuments Zone of Santiago de Querétaro a World Heritage Site, which has protected and preserved it’s colonial look and feel. Happily, Querétaro is also in the process of burying downton power lines which will elminate the ugly overhead tangle of wires.

Though not the most spectacular theater we've seen in Mexico, the Teatro de la Republica may be the most important. It's where the Mexican Constitution was signed in 1917 and where the PRI, Mexico's ruling party for most of the country's modern history, was organized. It's also where Emperor Maximillian was sentenced to death.

The beautiful Convento de la Santa Cruz, founded in 1654, was one of the most important missionary colleges in New Spain and many friars set off from here to found important missions throughout the Americas, including Junípero Serra who walked to Alta California and founded the missions of California. Antonio Margil, who founded the missions of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, also left from this convent.

Following the Spanish conquest the Querétaro area, strategically on the way as you connect the mining areas of Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas with Mexico City, became a kind of base camp for Catholicism with many convents springing up to house and educate monks and, to a lesser degree, nuns who then fanned out from Querétaro to conquer the north of the country and convert local people to the Catholic faith. One extreme example is Catholic missionary Junípero Serra who left Querétaro for Alta California ON FOOT and ultimately founded many of the major cities in what became California, including the city of San Francisco. This role in the northward spread of Catholicism explains why downtown Querétaro has so many religious sites.

Querétaro's Aqueducto is almost a mile long, more than 80 feet tall and has 74 arches. At one time it fed 60 public fountains and many private ones.

During our time in Querétaro  we couldn’t shake the feeling that we were in Rome. Okay, not literealy but Querétaro, like Rome, was built and populated thanks to an elaborate aqueduct system which, at one time, fed 60 public fountains and many private one. You can still see working fountains around town. There are also statues all over the place and the peole who live here have a real fondness for snacking in open air cafes–just replace the ubiquitous Italian panini with a gordita, a local specialty that’s essentially a fried corn batter pita pocket stuffed with whatever you like, and you’ve got it. In Querétaro they gorditas are even served with oregano.

There’s also an ice cream shop called Italy (more on that in our next post).

This church's domes and towers are covered in red, green and white tiles in homage to the colors of the Mexican flag. Some tourists, however, see the colors and think it's in reference to Italy.

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1. Our Latest Work: Stays Under $150 – Querétaro, Mexico
2. Wonderful Wine Ice – Querétaro, Mexico
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