Journey from Mexico City southeast to the Cinco de Maya city of Puebla, a UNESCO World Heritage Center known for thousands of historic buildings, world-famous mole poblano cuisine, and colorful Talavera pottery. The colonial splendors of Oaxaca City come next, a centuries-old center of culture and cuisine that gave the world its first taste of chocolate, followed by a visit to the nearby pre-Columbian ruins of Monte Albán.

From there it’s south to Puerto Escondido for fishing, world-class surfing, or breathtaking hikes along towering seaside cliffs. Further down the Pacific coast you’ll find Zipolite, with its laid-back “hippie” beaches like the idyllic (and clothing-optional) Playa los Amores.

Next you’ll ascend to the mystical highland city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, where Mayan traditions still live and breathe, before plunging into the ancient past of Chiapas: the stunning temples of Palenque at the foot of the emerald Tumbalá mountains, the jungle-enshrouded Yaxchilán Acropolis, the Temple of Murals at Bonampak, or the step-pyramids of Chinkultic.

Next, the exotic murals and Moorish towers of colonial Merida introduce you to the Yucatán Peninsula and the world-renowned ruins at Uxmal, Ruta Puuc, and Chichen Itza, along with Tulum, a picturesque, 16th-century walled city overlooking the sea. The trip north along the “Mayan Riviera” leads you at last to the hip Caribbean hotspot of Playa del Carmen and your final destination of Cancún.