Health and Safety in Mexico

Nestled amid jagged cliffs and rock-carved mountains, Tepoztlan is a gem that is far away and yet so close to the sprawling metropolis of Mexico City. This ancient town offers the perfect weekend getaway for the Big City's weeklong weary denizens. And yet, despite its proximity, the moment you pass the highway tollbooth and begin the winding descent into the town, you immediately feel yourself transported to a different land.

The "Land of Eternal Spring," as Cuernavaca is popularly referred to, is located a mere hours drive from the bustling metropolis of Mexico City. Although most of us know Cuernavaca as a nearby town where we probably know someone with a nice house and swimming pool, there is more to Cuernavaca than many of us would think.

Oaxaca is one of the most beautiful and varied states of México, and is always mentioned as a "must see" destination. Its diversity spans not only geography - offering everything from cloud forests to arid semi-desert climates - but also culture and ethnicity, being home to a large and multi-ethnic indigenous population that remains the driving force of the economy of Oaxaca through their rich tradition of arts and handicrafts.

Atotonilco is located on a good road just outside San Miguel de Allende, in the state of Guanajuato, and is on the World Monuments Watch list, among 100 "most endangered" sites because of the amazing frescoes that fill the walls, doorways and vaults of its astonishing interior.

Desperately in need of a quick trade route between Southeast Asia and the Mexican Pacific in order to better compete with the British, among other European rivals, Philip II of Spain ordered the conquest of the Philippines, his namesake, and of the Molucca or "Spice" Islands, during the mid-16th century.

The landscape along the "Highway of the Sun," that places Mexico City within a scant three hours of Acapulco, is especially dazzling after the Querendes tunnel, with its palmetto forest, organ and candlestick cactus canefields - often tipped with frail, heather-like flowers - stretching into the distance, wide riverbeds and mesquite-covered red rock hills. We are entering the "Hot Country," where the sun like a hammer on the devil's anvil is king.