Leading visitors through archaeological remnants of the six major pre-Hispanic civilizations of Mexico, this book provides all the details curious travellers need to make informed choices about their itineraries. In addition to providing a history of pre-Columbian cultures, information on visiting the digs, tips on where to camp for free, and ideas on how to spoil oneself after a dry dusty week at the sites, Coe includes fascinating sidebars with topics ranging from Aztec cannibalism to Mayan hieroglyph translation techniques and explains each in light of its known history and the scientific investigations that have taken place.

• The first part of the book provides an overview of Mesoamerican cultures.
• Each site is then introduced with an explanation of how it fits into the larger picture of these cultures.
• Finally visitors are led over the ruins building-by-building, room-by-room, and monument-by-monument accompanied by stories explaining what is behind the sites.

Colonial Mexico focuses on the country's beautiful and intriguing colonial heritage, providing district-by-district explorations that reveal each city's nuances-- its people, its regional cuisine, and its celebrations. Featured in this guide are:

• detailed walking tours of Mexico's major cities and out-of-town day trips originating from each
• local festivals and historical and cultural lore
• a selection of the finest Spanish-flavored accommodations
• city-by-city listings of the best indigenous arts and crafts
• five-hundred-year-old churches, colonial haciendas, and imposing palaces, all with a distinctly Mexican character
• the murals of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, the art of Frida Kahlo, the sculptures of Alejandro Colungas, and paintings by contemporary artist Luis Cuevas and colonial-era artist Miguel Cabrera
• music, from Bach and Mozart played on marimbas, to mariachi bands, la bamba, and the peals of church bells ringing across the countryside.