Latin America Collection

When you head south into Mexico, if you plan to continue on into
Central America, you will have several choices of routes to take. The maps
on pages 20 and 21, and the map of Mexico on page 46 will give you a
breakdown of the most prominent cities along each route.

Mexico is a part of North America, and stretches from the U. S. border
on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the east,
and Belize and Guatemala on the south. On the routes along each coast,
which are at or near sea level, you can expect to find temperatures in the
90 to 100 degree range during the days, with humidity quite high. The routes
in the center of the country start at near 3,500 to 3,700 feet of elevation,
climbing to over 7,000 feet in Mexico City. At those elevations, you can expect
to find more moderate temperatures in the 60 to 80 degree range. Because
of hot summer temperatures and many desolate stretches of highway, we
don't recommend you travel by Mexico's Highway (1) down the Baja
Peninsula to La Paz and then take the ferry to Mazatlán.

If your itinerary allows you the luxury of sightseeing, some of the most
prominent places of interest, from north to south, are:

(1) WEST COAST ROUTE - FROM NOGALES, AZ
HERMOSILLO
is the Capital of the northern state of Sonora. The city has
a beautiful twin-towered Cathedral built in 1821, plus an array of interesting
buildings including museums and the University of Sonora. This city is
popular with travellers along Mexico's West Coast because it has all the
conveniences of a modern city.
GUAYMAS
located on the Gulf of California, is one of Mexico's finest sea
ports, with good fishing and excellent beaches.
MAZATLAN
about 500 miles to the south is opposite the tip of Baja
California and has auto ferry service to and from La Paz. This port offers
numerous hotels, motels and trailer parks of all price ranges, sightseeing,
fishing and beach activities. Travellers will notice that the vegetation starts
to becomes more tropical just north of Mazatlán. This is because this port
lies just below the Tropic of Cancer.
PUERTO VALLARTA
is a once-sleepy seaport which became a tourist
resort after the publicity given to it by the "Liz" Taylor/Richard Burton
filming of The Night of the Iguana. It is one of the West Coast's favorite
resorts, with deep-sea fishing, water sports and sightseeing cruises. An
excursion to the nearby fishing village of Yelapa is worth your while.
ACAPULCO
, is one of the most popular and beautiful beach resorts in North
America. It has hotels of every price range, restaurants and RV facilities.
It offers big game fishing, water sports, bullfights, discoteques, great
nightlife, plenty of picturesque scenry, tennis, golf, spectacular cliff divers,
horseback riding and has long been a favorite with the "Jet Set". Check out
the sunsets at Pie de La Cuesta northwest of the city.
PUERTO ESCONDIDO
or small port in Spanish, is a good spot to layover
between Acapulco and the Mexico/Guatemala border. This beach town
remains charmingly quaint despite recent development in the area. Puerto
Angel, several hours to the south, is another nice fishing village.
TAPACHULA
near the Mexico/Guatemala border, has good hotels and
motels and a convenient stopover prior to entering Central America.
(2) BORDER CROSSING AT NOGALES, AZ
Follow Route #1 past Mazatlán to Tepic, then to Guadalajara.
GUADALAJARA
is Mexico's second largest city, and favorite retirement
haven for "gringos". Its 5,000 foot elevation affords a temperate climate for
comfortable living. The city offers many beautiful buildings, sightseeing
tours, museums, shopping, bullfights, and a full range of sports. One could
spend a week here and not cover everything there is to see or do. Nearby
Lake Chapala is a popular area with retirees. (For those continuing to
Southern Mexico and/or Central America, continue to Mexico City and join
route #4 from Laredo to Central America).
(3) BORDER CROSSING FROM EL PASO, TX
CHIHUAHUA
is noted as the home of the Mexican Chihuahua dogs, as
well as its silver mines and lumber mills. Its greatest attraction is the train
trip to the famed "Copper Canyon", which is said to be more spectacular
than the Grand Canyon. The trip to Los Mochis on the Gulf of California
takes some 14 hours. Also, about 19 miles from the city, one can explore
spectacular Cumbres de Majalaca National Park with its spectacular
geological formations. It offers lodging, camping and food. This area is
very hot in the summer and can drop to freezing temperatures on winter
nights.
DURANGO
is a good overnight stop. There is a lot of sightseeing available,
including movie sets that are used for filming Westerns. This is where
John Wayne had his movie-set ranch. From Durango, your route can take
you to Mazatlán to join the Pacific Coast route, or to San Luis Potosí to join
the Laredo to Mexico City route.
(4) CROSSING THE BORDER AT LAREDO, TX
MONTERREY, NUEVO LEON
is Mexico's third largest city, and is an easy
drive from San Antonio, Texas. A city of both light and heavy industry, it
has abundant hotels, motels and RV parks. It offers much to see in the way
of palaces, museums and parks, as well as golf, bullfights and other sports.
SAN LUIS POTOSI
was originally established as a mining town. It is has
numerous hotels, motels and RV accommodations. Like most large cities
in Mexico, it has museums, cathedrals, and other sightseeing.
QUERETARO
is a city noted for its historical role in the development of
Mexico from the 1500s into the 20th century. Of interest is its six-mile-long
aqueduct that is still in use 200 years after it was built.
MEXICO CITY, D.F.
is the largest city in Mexico and its capital. It is worthy
of a long visit to absorb all of its archaeological sights, museums and
palaces. The city's elevation ranges from 7,200 to 8,000 feet, covering some
1800 square miles. A large part of the valley was originally a large lake bed,
giving the city a very unstable foundation and making it subject to disastrous
damage during its frequent earthquakes. Mexico City was the adopted home
of the Aztec Indians who settled in Chapultepec in the 13th century. The
original natives of the area, who lived in "city/states" that were each ruled
by a king, did not like these invaders because of their religion of eating human
hearts during their religious ceremonies. They drove the Aztecs out to one
of the areas where the University of Mexico now stands. From their base
on an island of Lake Texcoco, the Aztecs launched attacks on the other
cities of the area, until by 1428 they controlled the entire area. By the 16th
century, their conquests had expanded to include all of Mexico. When
Hernan Cortés landed in Mexico in 1519 looking for gold and silver, he began
to conquer the Aztecs. By 1521, he had captured all of the Aztec holdings.
Today you can still see some of vestiges of the different pre-Colombian
peoples who lived in the area of Mexico City:
Teotihuacán
was the center of power in the area from 100 A.D. until
destroyed in 750 A.D. The huge pyramids and plazas are still there.
Texcoco
was prominent in pre-Columbian times. The remains of hilltop
gardens and aqueduct system are still visible.
Xochimilco Gardens
date from the time of theAztecs and is made up of
clumps of floating surface vegetation held in place by being anchored to
trees, with colorful floating gardens of flowers. You can view all of this if
you take a gondola ride.
The Popocapetetl (Smoking Mountain) and Ixataccihualtl (Sleeping
Woman) volcanoes, are highly visible towering over the Mexico City area.
Other interesting sights include The Alameda and Chapultepec parks.
While at the latter park be sure to visit the Castle of Cahpultepec, which
was once the seat of the Aztec rulers, and is now a museum that contains
relics of the Emperor Maximillian and his wife Carlotta. Another "must'
is the Museo Nacional de Antropología. It is filled with pre-Columbian
artefacts and is considered one of the best museums in the world. You will
need a couple of days to see everything.
PUEBLA
located just two hours from Mexico City, it is a city that should interest
visitors. One place that draws many tourists is the Talavera Tile Works, where
colorful tile and ceramics are molded and painted by hand, then fired and
cooled as you watch. The streets are crowded and narrow, so it may be
advisable to leave your car at your hotel and take a bus. Other items of interest
are pottery, carved onyx ornaments, furniture, candy shops and delicious
cuisine. CUERNAVACA is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, and
just a short drive from Mexico City. A drive through the colorful residential
neighborhood is well worth your while. If you are fortunate to be there on
a Thursday of one of the first three months of the year, many of the homes
are open to the public. This has been a favorite summer retreat for the rulers
and the wealthy from the time of Cortés. There are many museums including
the former home of Cortés, and several Aztec pyramids in the area.
OAXACA
is a colorful city was founded by Cortés in 1529 and has
maintained its original Indian influence over the years. Shoppers will
delight in the local-made leather goods, jewelry, hand carved handles of
the Oaxacan knives with etched blades. If you are there on a Saturday,
don't miss the "Mercado de Abastos", a 10 square block area where Indians
from the surrounding villages come to sell their wares. In the evenings,
plan to have your dinner at the Zócalo (Central Plaza) where many sidewalk
restaurants serve fine cuisine to the accompaniment of Mariachi bands.
TAPACHULA
is the last Mexican city you will have to pass through if you
are planning to drive to Guatemala and into Central America. See page 52
for travelling through Guatemala.
(5)BORDER CROSSING AT BROWNSVILLE, TX
You have two choices here: If you want to take the shortest and fastest
route to Guatemala and limit your driving time in Mexico, take gulf route
(6) from Brownsville. But if you are planning to drive at a higher elevation
along the central route, you will head inland from Bownsville towards
San Luis Potosí. So, please refer to route #4 on page 49 and pick up this
route at San Luis Potosí.
(6) BORDER CROSSING AT BROWNSVILLE, TX
TAMPICO
is a seaport town with oil refineries on the Gulf Coast. Fishing
is its greatest tourist attraction.
VERACRUZ
is Mexico's principal port of entry on the Gulf of Mexico. It
is noted for its cigars, coffee and seafood. Veracruz has been the invasion
route into Mexico since the time of Cortés in 1519. Pirates, slave traders,
the French troops in 1860, the U.S. forces in the Mexican-American War of
1846-1848 and again in 1914, all used this route to enter Mexico. Sidewalk
cafes in the heart of the city, around the Plaza de Armas, are active in the
evening for dinner and listening to the famous Jarocho harp music of this
area.
ACAYUCAN
is the best place to cross over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
westward from the east coast to the Pan-American Highway (200) and on
into Central America. If you are going to the Yucatan Peninsula, continue
to:
VILLAHERMOSA
, founded by Cortés in 1519, was a seaport for exporting
rubber, cocoa and coffee. Lately it has become a center for exporting oil
from its rich oil fields. Mayan ruins abound in the surrounding area and
are within driving distance of the city. Comalcalco, consists of the ruins
of several temples and tombs. Palenque, located nearby, has some of the
best preserved ruins in Mexico. There are also several museums in the area
filled with artifacts from the Mayan era.
MERIDA
is the site of an ancient Mayan city. It is the capital of the state
of Yucatan and has been given the name "The Paris of the Western World",
with many European-type homes, some made of Carrara marble.
Horsedrawn carriages take you sightseeing in the downtown area, where
there are many fine restaurants, museums and art galleries.
CHICHEN ITZA
is considered an archaeological wonder which has been
partially restored. It was believed to have been built between 350 and 450
A.D. and has a nine level pyramid, the Court of the Thousand Columns,
and many temples. If interested in exploring this area, you should hire a
guide and allow at least two or three days.
CANCUN
is located on white coral sand beaches with a row of hotels at
the water's edge. It has become the main tourist attraction on the Yucatán
Peninsula. The Cobá area , south of Cancún, is a classical Maya city aand
ceremonial center and has more than 6500 buildings dating from 600 to 900
A.D. It also has a 138 foot high pyramid.
CHETUMAL
, is located near the border of Belize, and on the only overland
route to Belize from Mexico. Near this city are more Mayan ruins for you
to explore.
(7) FROM TAPACHULA, MEXICO TO PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
On the following pages will be outlines of the countries of Central America.
You may follow the order as listed on page 23.
GUATEMALA ROUTES MAP