Baja

Baja is one long peninsula that’s officially part of Mexico but geographically part of California. It’s basically a topographic extension of California, separated from mainland Mexico by a strip of water called the Sea of Cortez. The terrain has a little of everything: desert and beaches rising up to craggy mountains down the center of the strip of land. You’ll find Tijuana at the northern end of the peninsula (Baja is not totally separated from mainland Mexico) and Cabo San Lucas down at the southern end. There are wonderful resort towns and beaches in between, and plenty to do if you love action, fishing, and anything that involves being outdoors doing rugged things.

The weather is great year round, but windy in winter and a bit too hot for some in summer. Just remember, there’s always the ocean and the mountains if the heat gets to you, so there are plenty of options all along Baja, no matter what you like to do.

California’s Highway One continues down Baja, partially along Pacific coast buth then crossing over to the Sea of Cortez side at Santa Rosalia, then down the coast then back across to the center of the peninsula, finally curling up around Cabo San Lucas to make a loop at the southern end of Baja. This area contains the “two Cabos”, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, resort towns who attract most of Baja’s tourists. Here you’ll find the usual watersports, golf, beaches, and adventure tours you’d expect in a world-class resort area. Golf is very big here. One extra thing offered by the Cabos, is ATV tours to Cabo Falso (a lighthouse built in the late 1800s) and La Candelaria (mountain-area Indian site. These trips are a few hours each, and make stops at beaches, sea turtle nests, a shipwreck, and sand dunes. You can just rent the ATVs, if you don’t want to take the tours.

Although known as an outdoor playground resort area, Los Cabos also offer some indoor activities such as shopping at places like this:

• El Callejon, for antiques.
• Rostros de Mexico for wooden masks.
• Golden Cactus Studio-Gallery for local art
• Cuca’s Blanket Factory for open air market selling woolen goods.

Also don’t miss the town of Todos Santos, a trendy artist hangout village with great dining. Great arts festival in February and Founder’s Day in October. Also, midway down Baja you’ll find Loreto, Mulege, and Santa Rosalia, great for sportfishing and quaint architecture. Off the beaten path if that’s what you seek. In the Northern part of Baja there’s of course Tijuana, important entry point to Mexico from the USA. Long known as a party town, Tijuana is now becoming a real city, with sports and a cultural scene.

La Paz is a graceful little resort town with wonderful European-style architecture and lovely beaches. Cultural scene is good, since the University of South Baja California is located here. It’s kind of like Los Cabos before they became super developed for tourism.

Gulf Coast Area including Veracruz and Puebla

The Gulf Coast area, which includes the cities of Veracruz and Puebla, is an excellent part of Mexico to travel to if you’re interested in nature and adventure sports. You can get white water rafting excursions, mountain climbing and scuba diving. Travellers to this region can also visit a dormant volcano or see some some ancient ruins. If you want to rest from your adventures, you can take in the scenes in Veracruz, which is known for lots of great cafes.

This is where Hernan Cortez and his conquistadors first landed in Mexico, but today fewer foreigners land here, as it’s been an almost forgotten part of Mexico’s tourism industry. It really is great for experiencing tropical life at its best, however, and you’ll have a great time in Veracruz soaking up local music and great dining, or taking in the history in Puebla. Puebla has ruins galore, including the great pyramid of Cholula which is the New World’s largest man-made structure.

Veracruz was attacked by pirates many times over the years, as well as fatal diseases like malaria and cholera. With such an unlucky history, it’s unerstandable that the museums of Veracruz aren’t the greatest. That’s ok, since there are lots of better things to do in this vibrant city. It’s also a retreat for native Mexicans, who want to escape their own hustle and bustle and get away for a weekend. Life is lived at at relaxing pace here, and everything seems a little less restrained here, even compared to the rest of Mexico. Dancing is popular here, as it is home of La Bamba. You can enjoy wonderful marimba and carnaval music here, like nowhere else.

Veracruz has its own Carnaval, the week before Ash Wednesday, and it’s wonderfully local and filled with tradition. You’ll see the ritual burning of ill humor and the finale, which serves as the funeral of the Carnaval itself. There are of course parades and floats.

Puebla has 1.8 million residents, lots of history, and volcanoes in the surrounding countryside. Mole poblano originated here, and the colonial center of town has been named an World Heritage Site by UNESCO, because it has so many old-world mansions and churches. Many side trips out of this city to see ruins.

One essential part of planning travel to Mexico is deciding which region to visit. Mexico covers a lot of geography, and terrain ranges from beach to valley to volcano. Cities have lots of modern conveniences you’d expect like hotels with internet connection and top restaurants, but rural areas boast jumping-off points for visits to archeological ruins, parks, and hidden beaches. What do you want to do and see while travelling in Mexico? Knowing what you like to do on vacation will help you choose regions to visit. Remember, you don’t have to pick just one!

• The Gulf Coast
  Visit Old Mexico as you drive along Highway 180 which begins at the border with Texas.
• Baja
  Baja is longer than the country of Italy and includes the cities of Tijuana and Cabo San Lucas.
• The Copper Canyon
  This region is located in the state of Chihuahua and its giant and vast canyons are a primitive playground for nature lovers.
• Oaxaca & Chiapas
  Mayan culture is alive here, with fascinating villages and local crafts.
• The Yucatan Peninsula
  The Yucatan holds some of Mexico’s most precious ancient ruins, remnants of ancient cultures such as Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Uzmal. It also holds the coastal resort city of Cancun, another modern Mexico prize jewel.
• Mexico City Region
  Mexico City is creating interest amongst international travelers who want to discover new urban areas full of energy and culture.
• The Pacific Coast
  If you love to relax on the beach you’ll love the Pacific coast of Mexico. Here you’ll find Puerto Vallerta and Mazatlan and many small beach towns for you to explore.

Museums in Oaxaca and Chiapas

• Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Oaxaca
• Museo Regional de Oaxaca
• Rufino Tamayo Museo de Arte Prehispanico de Mexico
• Casa Na-Bolom. You can also stay here, if you’re interested in anthropology it’s good bet. Used to be a seminary, now full of artifacts and 12 guest rooms.
• Museo del Ambar in Chiapas, one of the world’s leading producers of amber.
• Museo Templo y Convento santo Domingo. circa 1560, with small museum about San Cristobal and Chiapas.

Museums in Pacific Coast area and Puerto Vallarta

• Acuario Mazatlan
• Museo Arqueologico de Mazatlan
• Museum of Archaeology and History in Manzanillo
• Fuerte de san Diego in Acapulco
• Museo Historico de Acapulco

Museums in Mexico City

• Museo Frida Kahlo. Her art has become very popular since a movie was made about her life.
• Museo nacional de Antropologia. Beautiful courtyard and good restaurant. refurbished recently. World-class museum.
• Palacio Nacional. Old building has murals done by Deigo Rivera, married to Frida Kahlo. President of Mexico has his offices here.
• Museo del Templo Mayor. Pyramid of Huitzilopochtli is here.

Museums in Yucatan Peninsula Area

• Museo de la Isla de Cozumel. Learn about endangered species and coral. Town history and nautical artifacts.
• Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Ateneo de Yucatan in Merida. Contemporary art by Yucatan artists.
• Museo de la Ciudad in Merida. Learn about the history of Merida.
• Museo Regional de Antropologia in Merida. Interesting architecture and pre-Columbian culture, especially Mayan.

Museums in the Gulf Coast Area

• El Acuario (Aquarium) in Veracruz City, the largest in Central and South America.
• Museo historico Naval in Veracruz City. Was once a naval academy. It’s free, and guards will show you around.
• Museo de la Ciudad in Veracruz City. Learn about history of this city.
• Bibioteca Palafoxiana in Colonial Puebla. 17th century library within the Casa de Cultura.
• Museo de Arte Popular in Puebla. Used to be a convent. Mole sauce was invented here.
• Exconvento de Santa Monica. Fascinating history of nuns hiding behind walls during oppressed years. Beautiful chapel.
• Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal in Puebla. Restored old hospital, lots of travelling exhibitions.
• Museo Amparo in Puebla. Houses pre-Columbian art.
• Museo Nacional del Ferrocarril. Railroad buffs will love this.

Museums in the Baja Area

• Anthropology Museum in La Paz. Cave paintings from Baja’s prehistoric era.
• Biblioteca de las Californias. Collection of historical documents housed in Library.
• Titanic Museum in Rosarita Beach. Seaside production site of the 1997 film.

Retreats in Copper Canyon Area

• Rio Vista Lodge is a small hotel on top of a hill. You’ll see artifacts and murals in your room as well as a view of the river and more hummingbirds than you’ll ever see anywhere else on earth.
• Cabins at Mansion Tarahumara, made of stone and wood with fireplaces. Restaurant has perfect views of the Canyon

Resorts in Pacific Coast area and Puerto Vallarta

• Terra Noble Art & Healing Center. Day spa that sits up on a mountain, has a temascal, or sweatlodge. You can work with clay or paint and get a massage.
• Mazatlan’s El Cid Mega Resort for everything you can imaginge. Golf course, villas, excursions, tennis, sailing school, on-site spa, you name it.

Resorts in Yucatan Peninsula Area

• Hilton Cancun Beach & Golf Resort. Big, showy, expensive and luxurious. On-site golf course is rare.
• Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa. THeir Spa del Mar is one of the best in all of Mexico, with inhalation rooms, tranquillity rooms, full-service salon the list goes on.
• Villa Vera Puerto Isla Mujeres. Tropical and wild landscaping, mangroves and lagoons, teak rooms and wood-beam ceilings.

Resorts in the Baja Area

• La Concha Beach Resort. Great watersports on a curved beach and packages available for fishing and scuba.
• The Bungalows in Los Cabos, charming retreats. Terra cotta tiles and authentic Mexican furniture. Homey and creative yet elegant retreat.

Nature Activities in Copper Canyon Area

• Get off the railway at stop 5 and view the Canyon.
• Get off any stop on the railway and hike. Catch the train again in 24 hours.

Nature Activities in Oaxaca and Chiapas

• Agua Azul waterfalls, which cascade down onto a wide river. Near Palenque ruins.
• Misol Ha waterfall, also from Palenque.

Nature Activities in Pacific Coast area and Puerto Vallarta

• Tukari Serviciios Turisticos can get you a tour to see fertile birding grounds.
• Fishing trips can be arranged through Cooperativa de Pescadores (Fishing Coops)
• Bike Mex gives guided bike tours and hiking too.
• You can take a snorkeling tour on sailboats from Sail Vallarta, and you get lunch too.
• Swimming with Dolphins is possible at Dolphin Adventure or dolpin Encounter in small pools where you’re encouraged to touch the dolphins.

Nature Activities in Mexico City

• Chapultepec Park
• Alameda Park
• Floating Gardens of Xochimilco

Nature Activities in Yucatan Peninsula Area

• Nichupte lagoon in Cancun for watersports and relaxing.
• Isla Mujeres, offshore from Cancun. Nice relaxing day trip for snorkeling.
• Cancun’s El Garrafon Natural Park is also good for snorkeling.
• Aktun Chen, huge park, with 5000 year old grotto, giant cave system, stalactites, fossils, wildlife.

Nature Activities in the Baja Area

• Nature tours offering land and water-based tours doing things like kayaking, snorkeling, diving, and ATVing.
• Estero San Jose is a nature preserve great for bird watching. Protected estuary reserve.
• Mulege, for guided hikes and beach camping.

Ruinas del Rey

There are some ruins right near the city of Cancún, although smaller and less impressive than Tulum. The religious site was built by fishermen long before Tulum was ever built, and re-settled during the post-Classic era. The temples and platforms now sit amidst the lush trees and jungle flowers adjacent to the Hilton Cancún golf course. The ruins are just over 10 miles from the center of the city of Cancún, just ouside the Hotel Zone. Follow directions for the Hilton, which will land you almost in Punta Nizuc.

Admission to Ruinas del Rey is $4.50 and it’s open every day. There’s a restaurant near the ruins, which combines dinner, tour of the ruins, and a show for one fixed price.

The Ruins at Tulum

About 80 miles from Cancún, high above the water, lies the post-Classic Mayan ruins of Tulum. Perched with a view of the Caribbean, this walled city fortress holds palace as well as fortress building ruins, set above a sandy beach. With the fascinating Maya stucco buildings and stone relief set near a sandy, deserted beach with no commercial development in sight, the ruins and their beach are a popular spot with vacationers from Cancún.

History of Tulum

The great Mayan Empire, with its big cities and regional domination, had begun to wane by A.D. 900. As population shrank and power declined, the cities were abandoned and remaining Maya moved into smaller city-states like Tulum. There were less than 1000 people living here, probably. most probably lived outside the walls. Interior parts were reserved for important citizens like priests and government. By 1200, Tulum was important and bustling, mainly due to its prominent location on the Caribbean Sea. It was an important port town and controlled the seas around it, even after the Spanish arrived. Trade routes ran from Honduras to the Yucatan, all overseen by Maya. These Mayans worshipped multiple gods, as did the Maya everywhere, but the main god here at Tulum was the god of diving. Some know it as the bee god, though.

Buildings of Tulum

The site was mainly a religious site, with the people living outside the walls. In fact, the walls were probabl built after the temples and palaces, for protection. Tulum means “wall”. The Maya probably didn’t call this site Tulum, but rather Aáma, which means morning or dawn. Since Tulum is set on the east coast of the mainland, sunrises are spectacular over the water from the site. The main building ruin is the Temple of the Frescoes, with paintings from the 1200s on the walls depicting gods and goddesses. There are representations of the rain god Chaac as well as goddess of weaving, moon, and medicine, Ixchel. There’s also Castillo, which means castle. It’s made of stone, and is part temple, part fortress.

Tips

You can take a bus from Cancún, since there are many each day running all day. Try to take an early bus, since the trip to Tulum is popular one, and the later in the day you go, the more crowded it gets at the ruins. They’re open every day, and admission is $4. There’s a video camera fee of $4 too. If you have driven to Tulum, parking is a small fee. There’s a shuttle from the visitor’s center to the entrance to the ruins, and if you want a ride that’s a small fee as well. The walk to the entrance takes only about 5 minutes. You can wander Tulum on you own, or hire a private guide. Look for a stand near the pathway to the ruins, for they have a designated place from which they are supposed to wait for cutomers. These guides are good: they’re licensed and they do a good job, offering mamy details on architecture or culture you would’t otherwise come up with or notice yourself. You can hire on in English, French, or Spanish.

If you drive to Tulum, the ruins are off Highway 307, just before you get to the town of Tulum. In the village, there are hotels and other traveller resources. The Tulum Archaeological Site has Art & Craft booths where you can buy souvenirs of your trip, as well as a bookstore. There’s a museum and restaurant, too.

The Ruins at El Tajín

This is one of the most significant ruins sites in all of Mexico today. It’s a large site with several pyramids and lots of other structures still to be excavated. El Tajín was probably constructed by the Totonac Indians who still live in the area today. Probably the most famous aspect of these ruins is this fact, since the Totonacs will perform their ritualistic acrobats at the site, just as they must have done when El Tajín was at its height. The cander-acrobats are called voladores, and the rituals they perform date back to the Pre-Columbian era. A drum and flute set the scene for the balancing feats performed atop a tall pole.

El Tajín is accessed from the nearest town called Papantla in the hills, and 140 miles north of Veracruz. A taxi is about $25 but the bus is a bargain at about $1. They run every 15 minutes, with the first bus going out at 7am.

The Structures at El Tajín

The ruins at El Tajín lie amongst low hills covered in lush tropical forest greenery. This makes for picturesque views, which you can get plenty of if you climb the man-made terrace near the back of the site area. Since it’s not allowed to climb on the pyramids, and you might be tempted to do so to get a better view, the terrace is your best bet for good views. The terrace supports the Tajin Chico (newer part of the site) buildings. There are about 150 building in all at El Tajín, of which around two dozen have been excavated. Don’t miss the Pyramid of the Niches, made of stone and adobe and, you guessed it, niches. The niches, or hollowed-out areas, were painted a contrasting color for maximum visual effect. Temple of the Columns is wonderful for its heiroglyphs and carvings of priests and warriors. There’s also a Museum with gift shop and snack bar.

Cacaxtla & Xochitecatl

Cacaxtla

Cacaxtla is mainly about murals. First discovered in 1975, the colorful murals at the Cacaxtla site depict symbols of Maya warriors. Cacaxtla is about 12 miles southwest of Puebla, so it makes a good day trip from that cololial city, especially when combined with a trip to the nearby Xochitécatl ruins. The main attraction is a large mural showing a victory scene between dark-skinned warriers wearing Jaguar pelts, and other warriors, the losers in battle, having their intestines pulled out. Pretty gorey! Like at many other ruins sites, there are symbols of the planet Venus scattered around, as well. In general, archaeologists theorize that appearance of the symbol of Venus means that ritualistic sacrifices took place at that site. The goal was probably to ensure good crops. Cacaxtla was geographically very centrally located, on a trade route. Merchants would have passed through here as well as astronomers and people from all over the corners of the Mesoamerican world. Cacaxtla reached its height of power and activity bewteen A.D. 650 and 900, just after the fall of Teotihuac&aactue;n. This leads some scholars to think that maybe the survivors of whatever happened at Teotihuac&aactue;n could have ended up at Cacaxtla.

Xochitécatl

Xochitécatl is a small site on a hill overlooking Cacaxtla, about half a mile from the larger site. Probably the same people lived at both sites. There’s an interesting circular pyramid at the tip top of the hill, which is about 600 feet high. Other two more pyramids here, as well as some impressively huge boulders that were hollowed out. Nobody knows why these 10-foot diameter buolders were hollowed out like this. Other hollowed-out boulders can be found but only in the Puebla valley. Rounded pyramids seem to also be indicative of the Puebla area. They are thought to have been dedicated to Eh&eactue;catl, who was god of the wind. The circular pyramid here at Xochitécatl is 50 feet high and has a diameter of 180 feet at the base.

Rounded boulders are also present in construction of the Pyramid of the Flowers. The bodies of children were found during excavactin of this pyramid, about 30 in all. Scientists think that Pyramid of the Flowers was dedicated to Xochitl, goddess of flowers and fertility. There are also a museum and a garden here at Xochitécatl.

Tips

$6 admission price gets you into both sites, and the $4 videocamera fee is good for both as well. You can take a city bus to Cacaxtla from Tlaxcala, the nearest city. Take the bus to the town of Nativitas, or San Miguel Milagro, which is the nearest village to Cacaxtla. There’s a short climb from the parking lot to the ruins.