Table of Contents

Introduction: Best of Mexico; Que Viva Mexico!; The Mexican Mosaic. History: Decisive Dates; Pre-Hispanic Civilizations; Conquest and Colonial Rule; Independence and Revolution; Modern Mexico. Features: Smoking Mountains and Flowering Deserts; Fiestas; Musica Mexicana; Mexican Food; Artesania; Muralists. Insights: Mini Features: The Virgen of Guadalupe; Colonial Architecture; 21st-Century Challenges; Los Toros; Tequila; Zapatistas of Chipas. Photo Features: Pre-Hispanic Sites; Adventure Tourism; Day of the Dead; The Copper Canyon; Los Charros; Mexico's Beaches; Yucatan's Marine Wildlife. Places: Introduction; Mexico City and Environs; Mexico City; Around Mexico City; The North; Baja California; Through the Sierras; Northwest Coast; Central Mexico; El Bajio and the Colonial Heartland; Jalisco and Michoacan; Acapulco and the Pacific Beaches; The Gulf Coast and the South; The Gulf Coast; Oaxaca; Tabasco and Chiapas; The Yucatan. Travel Tips: Transportation; Accommodations; Eating Out; Activities; A-Z Practical Information; Language; Further Reading. Maps: Mexico; Historic Center; Zona Rosa and Chapultepec; Mexico Distrito Federal and Coyoacan; Around Mexico City; Teotihucan; Puebia; The North; Cabo San Lucas; Central Mexico; Guanajuato; Morelia; Acapulco; The South and Gulf Coast; El Tajin; Oaxaca; Palenque; The Yucatan; Uxmal; Merida; Chichen Itza.