Ready for us to connect you
to a Vacation Specialist?
Click Here.

Palenque:  Surrounded by jungle, Palenque's setting is like nowhere else, its Mayan architecture and decoration exquisite. With the exception of Comalcalco to the northwest on the Gulf coast, it is the western-most Mayan site.

Evidence from pottery fragments indicates that the site at Palenque was first occupied more than 1500 years ago, but flourished during the late Classic period, reaching its zenith in the 7th-century when many of the plazas and buildings you can see today were constructed under the rule of Lord Pacal (AD615-683) then later continued under the reign of his son, Chan-Bahlum.

The site straddles the geographical divide between the highlands of Chiapas, the steamy lowlands of the Mexican Gulf and the great Yucatán plain. The buildings rest elegantly within the reaches of the dark green rainforest; to the north, the site looks out over a vast, flat, as-far-as-the-eye-can-see stubbly plain, stretching to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Morelia:  Three-quarters of a million inhabitants project an almost tangible civic pride as they go about their daily business in the beautifully preserved rose-tinted colonial city centre.  This is the capital of the state of Michoacán, which has so much to offer visitors, it could be a country in its own right. But other than language students (there are a number of good schools offering Spanish courses here), few foreign tourists seem to make it to Morelia, preferring the overnight shuttle between Mexico City and Guadalajara, both 6 hours from Morelia by fast motorway. This leaves you free to explore the city's many attractions and use it as a base for visiting the surrounding towns and villages.

The history of Morelia began in bitterness rivalry. In the late 1530s Bishop Vasco de Quiroga established his bishopric in the lakeside town of Pátzcuaro, at the heart of the old Tarascan empire. However, Spanish colonists resisted settling in an 'Indian' town, and Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza decided to establish a new regional capital nearby, to be called Valladolid -- after the Spanish university city.

Cancún:  Sandy beaches, packed with luxury hotels that hug the shore, form the shape of a lucky number seven, wedged between the turquoise sea of the Caribbean and the calm waters of the Nichupté Lagoon. The name Cancún in Mayan means "Golden Snake" and it aptly describes the slender slither of its powdery white sand shoreline. Last year, some 2.5 million plus visitors touched down at its modern airport, most bound for the luxury and pampering of the famous hotel zone. There you'll be surrounded mostly by Americans, although Germans, Swiss, Italians, and fellow Brits are also finding out how what good value a holiday in Mexico can be.

Unlike Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta, which were idyllic little villages until tourism replaced fishing as the major source of income, Cancún is a made-to-order resort, built specifically for tourism where the wild jungle once met a deserted shore. One creation story claims that in 1968 a computer was asked to pick the best new holiday destination. After being fed vital statistics from all over Mexico, including climate and beach conditions, the name Cancún popped out. Whether that legend is true or not, Cancún's reliable sunshine, warm weather and sparkling waters present a perfect place to vacation.