Tourism in Mexico is a very large industry. The most notable tourist draws are the ancient Meso-American ruins, and popular beach resorts. The nation's temperate climate and unique culture – a fusion of the European (particularly Spanish) and the Meso-American – also make Mexico a large draw. The peak tourists seasons in Mexico are during December and during the mid-Summer, with brief surges during the week before Easter and surges during Spring break at many of the beach resort sites which are popular with vacationing college students from the United States.

In 2002 Mexico had 19.7 million tourists.

The vast majority of tourists to Mexico come from the United States and Canada and, to a lesser degree, from Europe and Asia. There is also a burgeoning domestic tourism trade as a growing affluent middle class begins to vacation within their own country (and abroad as well). A small number of tourists also come from other Latin American nations.

City Destinations

• Mexico City/ Federal District (Mexico) – Capital of Mexico and popular with tourists as an ancient Meso-American city, a megalopolis conurbation, and the site of many popular tourist attractions such as the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The man-made tourist zones of La Zona Rosa , El Palenque and El Zócalo are also here. The city is also home to the Plaza de Toros – the world's largest bullring – and to the Mexican National Palace built on the site of Moctezuma's palace.

Beaches

• Acapulco, Guerrero
• Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
• Cancún, Quintana Roo
• Ensenada, Baja California
• Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo
• Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca
• San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur

The coastlines of Mexico harbor many stretches of beaches that are frequented by sun bathers and other visitors. On the Yucatán peninsula, one of the most popular beach destinations is the resort town of Cancún, especially among university students out on spring break. Just offshore is the beach island of Isla Mujeres, and to the east is the Isla Holbox . A day trip to the south of Cancún is the historic port of Tulum. In addition to its beaches, the town of Tulum is notable for its cliff-side Mayan ruins.

On the Pacific coast is the notable tourist destination of Acapulco, once the destination for the rich and famous. The beaches have become crowded and the shores are home to many multi-story hotels and vendors. Acapulco is home to renowned cliff divers: trained divers who leap from the side of a vertical cliff into the surf below.

Further south down the coast are the surfing beaches of Puerto Escondido, the snorkeling, harbor beach of Puerto Ángel , and the naturist beaches of Zipolite . To the north of Acapulco is the resort town of Ixtapa and the neighboring fishing town of Zihuatanejo. Beyond to the north are the wild and rugged surfing beaches of the Michoacán coast.

Along the central and north Pacific coast, the biggest draws are beaches of Mazatlán city and the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Less frequented is the sheltered cove of Bahía de Navidad , the beach towns of Bahía Kino , and the black sands of Cuyutlán . San Carlos, home of the Playa los Algodones (Cotton Beach), is a winter draw, especially for retirees.

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula is the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, a town noted for its beaches and marlin fishing. Further north along the Sea of Cortés is the Bahía de La Concepción , another beach town known for its sports fishing. Closer to the U.S. border is the weekend draw of San Felipe.

Meso-American Ruins

• Malinalco
• Palenque
• Xochicalco
• Teotihuacan

The central and southern parts of Mexico was host to several pre-Hispanic civilizations, with the most prominent being the Aztec, Mayan, and the Olmec. There are numerous tourist destinations where these ruins can be viewed.

The Yucatán peninsula was home to the Mayan people, and many of the indigenous people still speak the language. The area also contains many sites where ruins of the Maya civilization can be visited. The richest of these are located in the eastern half of the peninsula and are collectively known as La Ruta Puuc. The largest of the Ruta Puuc sites is Uxmal, which was abandonded in the 12th century.

A one hour drive to the northeast of Ruta Puuc are the surviving remains of the city of Mayapán. This settlement was controlled by Chichén Itzá to the east, now a large archaeological site with many interesting ruins. Other ruins on the peninsula include the aforementioned Tulum on the east coast, Cobá to the northwest of Tulum, and Calakmul in the nature reserve along the Guatemala border. However this list by no means exhausts the number of archaeological sites to be found in this area.

To the west, the state of Chiapas includes the temples and ruins of Palenque, the glyphs of the city of Yaxchilán , the painted walls of nearby Bonampak, and the remains of the fortress of Toniná . In the city of Villahermosa to the north is the Parque-Museo La Venta, with a collection of Olmec sculptures.

Along the gulf coast area in the state of Veracruz are more archaeological sites, with the Olmec ceremonial center of Tres Zapotes , the ruins of the large Totonac city of Zempoala , and the ruins of El Tajín with the Pyramid of the Niches. The city of Xalapa contains the Museo de Antropología, a notable museum featuring a collection of massive Olmec head sculptures.

In the state of Oaxaca along the Pacific coast are the ruins of Mitla, known as the "City of Death" and of Monte Albán, the remains of the once extensive Zapotec capital and religious center.

Moving to the north, the central region about Mexico City contains several archeological sites. To the southwest are the massive ruins of Teotihuacán, including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl. To the southeast near the city of Cholula is the Great Pyramid, visible from the city center. Just to the north of Cholula are the well-preserved ruins of the city of Cacaxtla. Last but not least is the Toltec capital of Tula, to the north of Mexico City. In the capital itself is the largest museum in Mexico, the Museo Nacional de Antropología .

Finally, less visited than the major sites are the mysterious ruins of La Quemada , located south of Zacatecas, Zacatecas. in the northern half of Mexico.

Spanish Colonial History

• Campeche, Campeche
• Cuernavaca, Morelos
• Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato
• Guanajuato, Guanajuato – also the Museo de las Momias
• Mérida, Yucatán
• Morelia, Michoacán
• Oaxaca, Oaxaca
• Puebla, Puebla
• San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
• San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato – one of Mexico's older towns. Many historic churches and the open-air Plaza Allende.
• Taxco, Guerrero – Silver jewelry
• Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala
• Valle de Bravo, México
• Veracruz, Veracruz
• Zacatecas, Zacatecas – city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Natural Wonders

• Barranca del Cobre
• Cascada de Texolo
• Cozumel
• Durango
• El Nevado
• El Rosario – in the last two months of the year, a mass migration of monarch butterflies reaches the El Rosario sanctuary near Zitácuaro, Michoacán.
• Isla Mujeres
• Mazatlán
• Parque Nacional Sierra San Pedro Mártir
• Real de Catorce
• Río Lagartos
• Tzararecuita

General tourism

• Monterrey, Nuevo León
• Guadalajara, Jalisco – and nearby Lake Chapala
• Papantla, Veracruz – vanilla
• San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
• San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
• Saltillo, Coahuila
• Tequila, Jalisco
• Tijuana, Baja California