Beneath Mexico's characteristic boldness are layers of culture and regional variation.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
The ruins at Palenque, in a jungle in the state of Chiapas, are among Mexico's best examples of Maya architecture. Visitors flock to the many sites in Mexico that offer clues to ancient lifestyles.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
Near Tulum on the Yucatan Peninsula, the Grand Cenote offers subterranean swimming. A cenote is an underground lake or river, common in the Yucatan Peninsula because of a limestone shelf that forces water underground before it can collect.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
Lime- and chile-spiced chapulines are ready for sale in a market in Oaxaca. The grasshoppers are fried, seasoned and eaten as a snack.
Experience Mexico —
Near Oaxaca stand the ruins of Monte Alban, a Zapotec civilization. Ball courts like this one are a common feature of pre-Hispanic meso-American cities, where a game with ritual significance was played.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
Tlayudas are a Oaxacan specialty, an open-face crisped tortilla with toppings such as beans, cheese, tomatoes and chorizo.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
Grand Cenote near Tulum offers a shady oasis from the heat.
Wes Little/CNN
Experience Mexico —
Monte Alban archaeological site near Oaxaca sits on a scenic hilltop.
