🇲🇽Mexico

Chichén Itzá

The best-known Maya ruin, its stepped pyramid, El Castillo, aligned so that during the spring and autumn equinoxes, shadows create the illusion of a serpent descending its staircase. The site also includes the largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica and an observatory used for tracking celestial events. It's one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and among the most visited archaeological sites in the Americas.

Tulum

Clifftop Maya ruins overlooking the Caribbean, unusual among major sites for their direct coastal setting, once serving as a fortified trading port. The beach below the ruins remains one of the most photographed in Mexico. Numerous cenotes, natural limestone sinkholes filled with clear freshwater, dot the surrounding jungle for swimming and diving.

Historic center, Mexico City

The Zócalo, one of the largest public squares in the world, is flanked by the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace, home to Diego Rivera's sweeping murals depicting Mexican history. Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul in nearby Coyoacán preserves her home much as she left it. The historic center sits atop the ruins of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, parts of which remain excavated and visible.

Oaxaca

Markets, mezcal producers, and some of the country's strongest regional cooking define this southern city, considered by many to be Mexico's culinary capital. Its well-preserved colonial architecture earned it UNESCO World Heritage status alongside the nearby archaeological site of Monte Albán. The region's Day of the Dead celebrations are among the most elaborate and widely photographed in the country.

Copper Canyon

A network of canyons in northern Mexico larger and, in places, deeper than the Grand Canyon, home to the indigenous Rarámuri people known for their long-distance running traditions. The Chepe railway crosses the region via dramatic bridges and tunnels, offering views inaccessible by road. It remains one of Mexico's least-visited major natural attractions despite its scale.

Guanajuato

A colorful colonial mining city built into a steep ravine, its brightly painted houses stacked along narrow alleyways too tight for cars, including the famously narrow Callejón del Beso. Underground tunnels, originally built for flood control, now carry much of the city's traffic beneath the surface streets. Its historic center and nearby mines together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site.