Mexico

Mexico is not one country - it is an entire civilization packed into a single border. Before Europeans arrived, this land held the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Toltec, and Aztec empires, each building pyramids, inventing writing systems, and developing some of the most advanced cultures in the ancient world. The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was larger than any city in Europe when Cortes showed up in 1519 and could barely believe what he was seeing.

Modern Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country on Earth, with over 130 million people and a cultural output that is staggering. Mexican food is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage - and we are talking about the real thing, not the Tex-Mex version. The country gave the world chocolate, vanilla, corn, tequila, mezcal, Frida Kahlo, Octavio Paz, and Day of the Dead. Mexico City is one of the great metropolises of the Western Hemisphere, with world-class museums, street food on every corner, and a creative energy that rivals anywhere on the planet. From the Copper Canyon to the Caribbean coast, from Oaxacan mezcalerias to Baja California wine country, Mexico is endlessly, overwhelmingly rich.