Mexico '99: The Complete Guide to the Colonial Cities, Maya Ruins, Resorts, Reefs, Fiestas a nd Folk Art (Fodor's) - Softcover

Fodor's

Softcover

ISBN 10: 067900128X ISBN 13: 9780679001287

Publisher: Fodor's, 1998

Synopsis

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over.  Updated each year and containing a full-color, foldout Rand McNally map, a Fodor's Gold Guide is an essential tool for any kind of traveler.  Smart travel tips and important contact info make planning your trip a breeze and detailed coverage of sights, accommodations, and restaurants give you the info you need to make your experience enriching and hassle-free.  If you only have room for one guide, this is the one for you.

The best guide to Mexico, updated every year
Great drives and walks, with visits to museums, Maya and Aztec ruins, colonial churches, and other sights
Spectacular beaches, snorkeling, diving, and windsurfing
By rail through the breathtaking Sierra Madre
Silver, textiles, ceramics, and leather at great prices

Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget
Chic resorts, sleek hotels, and charming posadas
Smart restaurants, cozy cafés, and traditional taquerías

Fresh, thorough, practical--off and on the beaten path
Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands
All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents

69 pages of maps, 36 vacation itineraries, and more
Important contacts and smart travel tips
Fodor's Choice
What's Where
Pleasures & Pastimes, the don't-miss activities
New & Noteworthy
Festivals
Further Reading
Spanish vocabulary
Complete index

About this title

From the Publisher:

We've compiled a helpful list of guidebooks that complement Fodor's Mexico '99. To learn more about them, just enter the title in the keyword search box.

Exploring Mexico (2nd Edition): An information-rich cultural guide in full color; the perfect complement to a Gold Guide.

Fodor's upCLOSE Mexico: For independent travelers who want to travel well and spend less.

Fodor's Cancun, Cozumel, Yucatan Peninsula '99: The Complete Guide with Beaches, Water Sports, Markets, and Maya Ruins.

Pocket Acapulco (3rd Edition): Compact guide to the best of the city -- perfect for short visits.

Languages for Travelers: Fodor's Spanish for Travelers (Audio Set) (1st Edition): Information-packed, easy-to-use audiocassettes.

Languages for Travelers: Fodor's Spanish for Travelers (Phrase Book) (1st Edition): An information-packed, easy-to-use phrase book.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Pleasures and Pastimes

Beaches
Beaches are the reason most tourists visit Mexico. Generally speaking, the Pacific is rougher and the waters less clear than the Caribbean, which is a better choice for snorkeling and scuba diving. Cancún, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres, as well as what has come to be called the Cancún--Tulum Corridor, are among the best and most popular beach destinations on the Caribbean coast. Beaches on the Gulf of Mexico are often covered with tar. The Acapulco waters, though much improved by a cleanup effort, are still somewhat polluted, but there is no such problem at the other Pacific resorts. All beach resorts offer a variety of water sports, including waterskiing, windsurfing, parasailing, and if the water is clear enough, snorkeling and scuba diving. Surfers favor Puerto Escondido, near Huatulco, and Santa Cruz, near San Blas.

Bullfighting
An import of the Spanish conquistadores, bullfighting was refined and popularized over the centuries until every major city and most small towns had a bullring or some semblance of an arena. As in Spain, the last few decades have seen some decline of the popularity of the sport in Mexico, where it has been superseded by such modern games as soccer and has been the object of negative publicity by animal-rights activists. It remains a strong part of the Latin American culture, however, and can be thrilling to watch when performed by a skilled toreador. Ask at your hotel about arenas and schedules. Most fights are held on Sunday afternoon, and the most prestigious toreadors perform during the fall season.

Charreada
This Mexican rodeo is a colorful event involving elegant flourishes and maneuvers, handsome costumes, mariachi music, and much fanfare. There are charreadas (Mexican-style rodeos) most Sunday mornings at Mexico City's Rancho del Charro; inquire at your hotel or at a travel agency.

Dining
Mexican gastronomes are dismayed by foreigners' glaring misconceptions of Mexican food as essentially tacos, enchiladas, and burritos; they are bewildered by Tex-Mex and appalled by Taco Bell. The staples of rice, beans, chilies, and tortillas on which the poor subsist form the basis for creative variations of sophisticated national dishes but are by no means the only ingredients commonly used. As Mexican cooking continues to develop an international reputation, more people are recognizing its versatility. Seafood is abundant, not just on the coasts but also in the lake regions around Guadalajara and in the state of Michoacán. Ceviche -- raw fish and shellfish (mariscos) marinated in lime juice and topped with cilantro (coriander), onion, and chili -- is almost a national dish, though it originated in Acapulco. It is worth trying, but make sure it's fresh. Shrimp, lobster, and oysters can be huge and succulent. Other popular seafood includes huachinango (sea bass), abalone, crab, and swordfish. Mexicans consume lots of beef, pork, and barbecued lamb (barbacoa), with a variety of sauces. Chicken is often roasted, served in sauces such as mole, or tucked in enchiladas, tacos, or burritos. Mole, a complex, spicy sauce with more than 100 ingredients, including many kinds of chilies and even a bit of chocolate, is one of Mexico's proudest culinary inventions.

Music
From norteño to mariachi to banda, Mexico's varieties of music have at their core expressive power and verve that make their popularity instantly understandable. Banda has risen to fame in the 1990s -- brass bands small and large arranging tunes from other styles, including ranchera and cumbia. Among its premier practitioners is Banda del Recodo. Cumbia has its roots in Colombia, where it is also a favorite. Immensely danceable, cumbia was the craze before banda came along. Danzón is a European-influenced style, accompanying dignified dancing, that came originally to Veracruz from Cuba. The style's popularity there has waned, but not so in Mexico. Mariachi might seem to be Mexico's signature musical style, even though it is just one of many. It originated in the state of Jalisco, by some accounts at a garden party that dictator Porfirio Díaz threw for Americans in 1907. Mariachi bands play in plazas country-wide, their signature brass sounds backed up with guitars, most noticeably the huge, shoulder-strapped acoustic basses. Norteño, characteristically sung without passion, is known for lyrics that pull no punches when it comes to the tragedies of life. It comes from northern Mexico -- border country. Accordions are usually a part of norteño bands. Ranchero is as passionate as Mexican music gets. Linda Ronstadt's recordings of Mexican music have mostly been in the ranchero style.

Ruins  
Amateur archaeologists will find heaven in Mexico, where some of the greatest ancient civilizations -- among them, the Aztecs, the Olmecs, and the Maya -- left their mark. Pick your period and your preference, whether for well-excavated sites or overgrown, out-of-the-way ruins barely touched by a scholar's shovel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fodor's
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 067900128X
• ISBN 13: 9780679001287
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 574