Sanborn's Mexico Travel Insurance

With a mild climate, once described as the “eternal spring,” Cuernavaca has been a favorite retreat from the winter months for tourists and Mexico residents alike. There are a number of remarkable hotels and restaurants along with many pristine gardens. So be sure to enjoy the peacocks and flamingos strolling through the emerald-green gardens, after you’ve gotten a taste of Cuernavaca’s unique cuisine.

The zócalo, also called Plaza de Armas, is the heart of the city and the best place to begin a tour. A number of traditional restaurants and tourist sites such as the Governor’s Palace are nearby. Cuernavaca’s cathedral stands in a large high-walled compound. It was built on a grand scale and in a fortress-like style to help defend against the natives. The cathedral compound also holds two smaller churches: the Templo de la Tercera Orden de San Francisco, built in baroque style, and the 19^th-century Capilla del Carmen, where believers seek cures for illnesses.

Cueranvaca has no distinctive handicrafts, but you can find onyx ashtrays, leather belts and silver, as well as assorted ceramic figurines of campesino women, animals and miniature buildings. To find the best values, venture a couple blocks south of the center.

Cuernavaca also boasts a lovely park, Chapultepec. It has a playground with a miniature railway, zoo and restaurants. It is extremely popular with families on weekends. Jungla Mágica is a children’s park with a jungle theme and a popular bird show, as well as boating and picnicking facilities where you can even swim with dolphins. Another popular attraction that you don’t want to miss is Salto de San Antón, a 36m waterfall. A walkway is built into the cliff face to go right behind the falls, where they have set up a few picnic tables to enjoy lunch or a snack in this beautiful and unique setting. The village of San Antón, above the falls, is a traditional center for pottery and a great place to find a wide variety of both decorative and functional pottery.

East of Mexico City, past the town of Puebla, you will find the highest mountain in Mexico know as El Pico de Orizaba. It’s actually a volcano and rises 18,490 feet above sea level. The peak or “el pico” is located north of the city of Orizaba. The volcano is currently dormant but not extinct; however, its last eruption occurred in 1687. Although it’s located about 75 miles inland, west of the port of Veracruz, its peak is visible to ships approaching the port in the Gulf of Mexico, and at dawn, rays of sunlight highlight the peak while Veracruz still lies in shadow.

Not many people consider Mexico as a skiing destination but for a proper adventure south of the border this peak offers amazing skiing opportunities in an exotic location. En route from Puebla to the mountain, stop at Tlachichuca — the sort of base town for would be climbers and skiers — and ask for Senior Reyes. His family is well know around here for their climbing experience. They have a place, called “The Hut”, up in the mountain (at 14,000 ft.) that is used by virtually everyone that ascends the volcano. The cost includes lodging and transportation.

Reaching the top is the goal, and looking down into the volcano’s crater is definitely not an “everyday” scene. It’s not a  tough ascent for the average skier and mountain climber, but your stamina can surely be tested. From the summit, the views stretch to the temperate forests on the lower slopes to the other volcanoes and past the flat desert to the gulf coast beyond. Each year adventure seekers enjoy the year-round snow and the Jamapa Glacier on this peak with over 600m of steep descent on the summit glacier. The most exhilarating part is descending the peak, with most of the ski route facing north. Snow conditions are variable; sometimes the snow becomes a chunky powder, but it gets icier as you approach the glaciers.

For information on climbing Pico de Orizaba visit www.summitorizaba.com.

Oaxaca is the name of a Mexican state and its capital city. Mexican cuisine is considered the sixth best in the world and Oaxaca is the culinary capital of Mexico.

Mole is a spicy sauce that traditionally requires at least thirty-one ingredients. It is prepared among other things with chocolate, toasted cilantro, roasted garlic, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and pasilla chiles. A lot of work goes into this sauce that today has some two hundred variations!

History suggests that Oaxacan food can only be explained as the mixing of Spanish and indigenous traditions, the sumptuosity of the native table, the colonial Baroque, a complex technique and that indispensable ingredient that is becoming more and more scarce in the rest of the cuisines of the world: time

Be sure to eat at Casa Oaxaca www.casaoaxacaelrestaurante.com, or El Teatro Culinario www.elteatroculinario.com They are pricy but both worth the expense.

The creativity you see in the culinary traditions is also embodied in a vibrant arts and entertainment life. There are nearly constant cultural celebrations filled with music and dance that will keep your feet moving and your soul stirred, but always leaving you a warm feeling

Lodging for the tourist in Oaxaca goes from humble to luxurious, with many rooms located in historic, stunningly well-preserved mansions and private homes. With amazing formal gardens, world-class service and, of course, the amazing Oaxacan cuisine, you’ll think you’re in paradise.

Ecotourists will be in paradise here, too, with many tours and hostelries catering to earth-friendly lodging and entertainment. The state tourism agency, SEDETUR, has created the Tourist Yu’us (Zapotec word for house) Program to promote nature-oriented tourism in the Oaxaca’s Central Valley. Through this program, the first of its kind in Mexico, small tourist houses known as Tourist Yu’us have been established in nine Indian villages. These houses offer simple, authentic accommodations for travelers who wish to explore rural villages and cultures. Services provided at each Tourist Yu’u vary, but each hostel is locally operated.

The Tourist Yu’u villages are in areas that have been severely deforested and have suffered various forms of environmental deterioration. Officials from SEDETUR hope that the promotion of tourism can reintroduce a respect for local traditions, reduce stresses on the environment, and ultimately improve both living and environmental conditions. (Tourist Yu’u houses are generally the only lodgings available in the villages.) Each tourist house manages its own nursery and raises trees to help reforest the valley. Contact SEDETUR at Independencia 607; (951) 6-01-23, 6-48-28, or 1-50-40; fax (951) 60984

Oaxaca has two places declared by UNESCO as belonging to the Cultural Heritage of Mankind: The Centro Historico (Historic Downtown) of Oaxaca City and the archeological site of Monte Alban. These colonial and prehispanic riches are without compare in Mesoamerica. The state of Oaxaca boasts more than 4,000 archaeological sites, many of which are open for guided or unguided tours. And that’s not even including the many amazingly well kept churches and temples that date back more than two centuries, but it’s not all history and archaeology! Any tourist fan of the outdoors will find plenty to do here. Mountain biking, zip line rides, hiking and many other activities are available in the year-round spring like Oaxacan climate.

Near the capital stands one of the oldest living trees in the world: The Arbol del Tule (Moctezuma cypress) that measures 180 feet in perimeter and is more that 2,000 years old.

So whether it’s food, fun or history you’re after, the whole family will enjoy Oaxaca!