Whether you're planning to watch the thrilling cliff divers of Acapulco, stroll on cobblestone streets amid the silversmith shops of Taxco, or laze on a Yucatan beach after a day visiting ancient Mayan pyramids, "National Geographic Traveler: Mexico" has everything you need to make your trip a memorable one. You'll find 3D illustrations, including one of Copper Canyon, and museum floor plans - the Museo de Antropologia in Mexico City, for example. Guided driving tours take you down Baja's coastline and along the road to Mitla, while a stroll around historic Oaxaca is among the featured walking tours. An extensive section on the country's history and culture leads the guide, while wonderfully detailed cultural sidebars - Mazatlan's unique Carnival, cave painting, and Tapatio traditions, for instance - delve deeper into Mexico's allure. And no visitor, equipped with this guide's 20 indispensable regional and neighbourhood maps, should get lost.
The book is chock-full of the "Traveler" series' attractive new features, such as Insider Tips from National Geographic and local experts on favourite or little known sites and events, as well as dozens of sidebars highlighting experiences that allow the visitor to truly get inside the local culture - such as discovering the Temazcal steam ritual, a pre-Hispanic tradition similar to a sweat lodge; learning to dance Latin rhythms; and, horse-trekking deep into Copper Canyon for first-hand contact with the indigenous Tarahuara people.