The Rough Guide to Mexico 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) - Softcover

Fisher, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858287308 ISBN 13: 9781858287300

Publisher: Rough Guides, 2002

Synopsis

INTRODUCTION

Mexico enjoys a cultural blend that is wholly unique: among the fastest growing industrial powers in the world, its vast cities boast modern architecture to rival any in the world, yet it can still feel, in places, like a half-forgotten Spanish colony, while the all-pervading influence of native American culture, five hundred years on from the Conquest, is extraordinary.

Each aspect can be found in isolation, but far more often, throughout the Republic, the three co-exist – indigenous markets, little changed in form since the arrival of the Spanish, thrive alongside elaborate colonial churches in the shadow of the skyscrapers of the Mexican miracle. Occasionally, the marriage is an uneasy one, but for the most part it works unbelievably well. The people of Mexico reflect it, too; there are communities of full-blooded indígenas, and there are a few – a very few – Mexicans of pure Spanish descent. The great majority of the population, though, is mestizo, combining both traditions and, to a greater or lesser extent, a veneer of urban sophistication.

Despite encroaching Americanism, a tide accelerated by the NAFTA free trade agreement, and close links with the rest of the Spanish-speaking world (an avid audience for Mexican soap operas), the country remains resolutely individual. Its music, its look, its sound, its smell rarely leave you in any doubt about where you are, and the thought "only in Mexico" – sometimes in awe, sometimes in exasperation, most often in simple bemusement – is rarely far from a traveller’s mind. The strength of Mexican identity perhaps hits most clearly if you travel overland across the border with the United States: this is the only place on earth where a single step will take you from the "First" world to the "Third". It’s a small step that really is a giant leap.

You have be prepared to adapt to travel in any country that is still "developing" and where change has been so dramatically rapid. Although the mañana mentality is largely an outsiders’ myth, Mexico is still a country where timetables are not always to be entirely trusted, where anything that can break down will break down (when it’s most needed), and where any attempt to do things in a hurry is liable to be frustrated. You simply have to accept the local temperament – that work may be necessary to live, but it’s not life’s central focus, that minor annoyances really are minor, and that there’s always something else to do in the meantime. At times it can seem that there’s incessant, inescapable noise and dirt. More deeply disturbing are the extremes of ostentatious wealth and absolute poverty, most poignant in the big cities where unemployment and austerity measures imposed by the massive foreign debt have bitten hardest. But for the most part, this is an easy, a fabulously varied, and an enormously enjoyable and friendly place in which to travel.

Physically, Mexico resembles a vast horn, curving away south and east from the US border with its final tip bent right back round to the north. It is an extremely mountainous country: two great ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental in the west and the Sierra Madre Oriental in the east, run down parallel to the coasts, enclosing a high, semi-desert plateau. About halfway down they are crossed by the volcanic highland area in which stand Mexico City (or México; see the box on p.ix) and the major centres of population. Beyond, the mountains run together as a single range through the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Only the eastern tip – the Yucatán peninsula – is consistently low-lying and flat.

WHERE TO GO

The north of Mexico, relatively speaking, is dull, arid and sparsely populated outside of a few industrial cities – like Monterrey – which are heavily American-influenced. The Baja California wilderness has its devotees, the border cities can be exciting in a rather sleazy way, and there are beach resorts on the Pacific, but most of the excitement lies in central and southeastern Mexico.

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Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about—having either traveled extensively or lived there—and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

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WHERE TO GO

The north of Mexico, relatively speaking, is dull, arid and sparsely populated outside of a few industrial cities – like Monterrey – which are heavily American-influenced. The Baja California wilderness has its devotees, the border cities can be exciting in a rather sleazy way, and there are beach resorts on the Pacific, but most of the excitement lies in central and southeastern Mexico.

It’s in the highlands north of and around the capital that the first really worthwhile stops come, with the bulk of the historic colonial towns and an enticingly spring-like climate year-round. Coming through the heart of the country, you’ll pass the silver-mining towns of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, the historic centres of San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro, and many smaller places with a legacy of superb colonial architecture. Mexico City itself is a nightmare of an urban sprawl, but totally fascinating, and in every way – artistic, political, cultural – the capital of the nation. Around the city lie the chief relics of the pre-Hispanic cultures of central Mexico – the massive pyramids of Teotihuacán; the main Toltec site at Tula; and Tenochtitlan, heart of the Aztec empire, in the capital itself. Guadalajara, to the west, is a city on a more human scale, capital of the state of Jalisco and in easy reach of Michoacán: between them, these states share some of the most gently! scenic country in Mexico – thickly forested hills, studded with lakes and ancient villages – and a reputation for producing some of the finest crafts in a country renowned for them.

South of the capital, the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas are mountainous and beautiful, too, but in a far wilder way. The city of Oaxaca, especially, is one of the most enticing destinations in the country, with an extraordinary mix of colonial and indigenous life, superb markets and fascinating archeological sites. Chiapas was the centre of the Zapatista uprising, though visitors are little affected these days, and the strength of indigenous traditions in and around the market town of San Cristóbal de las Casas, together with the opening-up of a number of lesser-known Maya cities, continue to make it a big travellers’ centre. East into the Yucatán there is also traditional indigenous life, side by side with a tourist industry based around the magnificent Maya cities – Palenque, Chichén Itzá and Uxmal above all, but also scores of others – and the burgeoning new Caribbean resorts that surround Cancún. The capital, Mérida, continues its provincial life remarkably unaffected by the crowds all around.

On the Pacific coast, Acapulco is just the best known of the destinations. Northwards, big resorts like Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta are interspersed with hundreds of miles of empty beaches; to the south there is still less development, and in the state of Oaxaca are some equally enticing shores. Few tourists venture over to the Gulf Coast, despite the attractions of Veracruz and its mysterious ruins. The scene is largely dominated by oil, the weather too humid most of the time, and the beaches, on the whole, a disappointment.

WHEN TO GO

To a great extent, the physical terrain in Mexico determines the climate – certainly far more than the expected indicators of latitude and longitude. You can drive down the coast all day without conditions changing noticeably, but turn inland to the mountains and the contrast is immediate: in temperature, scenery, vegetation, even the mood and mould of the people around you. Generalizations, therefore, are difficult.

Summer, from June to October, is in theory the rainy season, but just how wet it is varies wildly from place to place. In the heart of the country you can expect a heavy but shortlived downpour virtually every afternoon; in the north hardly any rain falls, ever. Chiapas is the wettest state, with many minor roads washed out in the autumn, and in the south and low-lying coastal areas summer is stickily humid too, with occasional spectacular tropical storms. Winter is the traditional tourist season, and in the big beach resorts like Acapulco and Cancún, December is the busiest month of the year. Mountain areas, though, can get very cold then: indeed nights in the mountains can be extremely cold at any time of year, so carry a sweater.

In effect there are now tourists all year round – sticking on the whole to the highlands in summer and the coasts in winter. Given a totally free choice, November is probably the ideal time to visit, with the rains over, the land still fresh, and the peak season not yet begun. Overall, though, the climate is so benign that any time of year will do, so long as you’re prepared for some rain in the summer, some cold in winter, and for sudden changes which go with the altitude at any time.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1858287308
• ISBN 13: 9781858287300
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 842