Visiting Mexico, Telling the World MexicoVisitor

  Oaxaca, the mezcal hub of Mexico Santa Domingo Cathedral is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of 17th-century colonial architecture. Photo by Elijah-Lovkoff/Getty Images By Lydia Carey July 18, 2023 Travelers have long flocked to Oaxaca City for indigenous traditions, deliciously warm weather, and incredible cuisine. But these days, the city’s slow, leisurely pace belies a blossoming cultural evolution: This state capital marked by cobblestone streets and a lively central plaza is becoming an international hot spot thanks to its star export, mezcal. In case you’ve missed it, mezcal has exploded in popularity. Americans are spending record sums on the strong, smoky spirit. You’d be hard-pressed to find a trendy cocktail menu in the U.S. without a paloma or other me...

Original article: https://www.ace.aaa.com/publications/travel/international-destinations/mexico-city.html Why travelers are flocking to Mexico City Sunset view of the Basilica of Guadalupe and the Mexico City skyline. Photo by Martin Molcan/Envato Elements By Lydia Carey A tortilla filled with thin, salty beef and french fries drips fiery green salsa over my fingertips. Two teenagers rap over a scratchy boom box soundtrack as men selling kitchen towels walk past and women cluster in groups, pressing tortillas and catching up on the latest news. Mexico City’s second-largest market, La Merced, barely sleeps and is a microcosm of the city: colorful, chaotic, and delicious. To be sure, the market has a film of city grime, but it’s also home to the storied building blocks of Mexican cuisine, inc...

  By Tim Leffel June 21, 2023 As I strolled down the Puerto Vallarta waterfront, I admired sculptures by some of Mexico’s most famous artists and savored mariachi blending with the sounds of crashing waves and ringing church bells. When I reached the end of the pier, I gazed out at the expanse of Banderas Bay and the Sierra Madre behind it—one of Mexico’s most distinctive views. Whereas resort areas such as Cancún and Cabo San Lucas were developed in the 1970s to draw tourists, Puerto Vallarta began as a fishing village and port in Spanish Colonial times. The town evolved in the late 1800s, but it really landed on the visitor map in the 1960s thanks to Hollywood royalty vacationing here and publicity from the 1964 film Night of the Iguana . In the ensuing decades, regular appearances on The Love Boat added to the city’s celebrity. As a result of this history, Puerto Vallarta f...

 Repost from AAA Magazine By Tim Leffel July 18, 2023 A  single shaft of light cut through the jungle and illuminated a patch of water before me. I set down my sandals and dove in. The water was clear, cool, and refreshing. I could see fish below me, and much deeper down—perhaps 60 feet—the bottom of this mystical pool, named Chukum-Ha. Thousands of freshwater sinkholes called cenotes dot Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. They were created some 66 million years ago when a massive, miles-wide asteroid crashed into the area. The cataclysmic event is thought to have eventually wiped out the dinosaurs, but it also sent a lot of freshwater underground—so instead of ponds and rivers, the Yucatán Peninsula today has caverns and hidden pools. Some, like Chukum-Ha, became exposed when the ground covering them collapsed.   Cenotes for the modern world To the Mayan peopl...