MEXICO

Mexico City (CDMX) is a megacity of 22 million people and one of the great cultural capitals of the world. The historic center contains the Zócalo — one of the largest public squares on Earth — the Metropolitan Cathedral built on Aztec foundations, and the Templo Mayor ruins where excavation continues to reveal the pre-Columbian city beneath the colonial one. The Palacio Nacional contains Diego Rivera's epic mural of Mexican history. The Museo de Antropología in Chapultepec is the finest pre-Columbian collection in the world. The neighborhood of Coyoacán has Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul. The food — from tacos al pastor at El Huequito to tasting menus at Quintonil — represents the full range of one of the great cuisines on Earth.

Oaxaca is the food capital of Mexico, which makes it arguably one of the food capitals of the world. Mole negro — with its 30+ ingredients and days of preparation — is native here. Tlayudas, memelas, tasajo, chapulines (grasshoppers, which taste like smoky popcorn): the Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre are the starting points. The mezcal here is produced in the surrounding valleys by small distillers using traditional methods — a mezcal tasting with a knowledgeable guide is the best single afternoon available in Oaxaca. Monte Albán, the Zapotec city on the hill above the valley, is one of the finest archaeological sites in Mexico.

Chichen Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and best visited at dawn before the crowds arrive. Tulum's clifftop Mayan ruins overlooking the Caribbean are the most photographed ruins in Mexico and the most crowded — visit at opening time. The cenotes of the Yucatán — natural sinkholes in the limestone that connect to an underground river system — are the real revelation: Cenote Ik-Kil near Chichen Itza, Cenote Samula, and the Gran Cenote near Tulum all offer swimming in surreally clear blue water inside cathedral-like chambers. Valladolid is the base worth choosing over Cancún for visiting the peninsula — a colonial city with its own cenote in the center of town.

Oaxaca's Pacific coast (the Oaxacan Coast) is the Mexico that travelers who love Mexico love most: Puerto Escondido for surfing (the Mexican Pipeline at Zicatela is one of the most powerful beach breaks in the world), Mazunte for slow living and sea turtles, Zipolite — Mexico's only official nude beach — for a particular kind of freedom. The coast is underdeveloped by Mexican tourism standards, reached by a winding mountain road, and rewards patience. Huatulco to the east has the infrastructure without the character. Go west.