Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco hosted the 2011 Pan American Games. The event is the world's second largest athletic competition, ranking behind the Summer Olympics, and had a significant economic impact on the state of Jalisco. 6,000 athletes competed in a variety of sports. Water skiers from across the Americas came to the beautiful lakeside town of Ajijic, with sport fans from across the globe gathering in the charming town to watch. Ajijic is perfect for water skiing. The venue for the games was Boca Laguna, an artificial lake adjoining Lake Chapala in this central Jalisco town. Ajijic’s draw to the adventurous has created a town perfect for an exhilarating vacation. 

The Pan American Games’ sailing competition took place at the Vallarta Yacht Club in Nuevo Vallarta. Fans of windsurfing, laser radial, laser standard, J-24, hobit cat, snipe, lightning and sunfish gathered to watch the 140 athletes compete. Nuevo Vallarta is no stranger to tourism, with many Americans and Canadians choosing its white, sandy beaches as a vacation destination. 

Tapalpa, a municipality within Jalisco, was the perfect location for a mountain biking venue in Mexico. As part of the Sierra de Tapalpa, it has an extremely mountainous terrain – 74 percent of Tapalpa is considered “hilly!” In addition to being a haven for mountain bikers and mountain hikers, this environment has made Tapalpa a home for hang-gliding and paragliding. 

In March, Mexico hosted the third round of the World Rally Competition as the first gravel event. Mexico spread 23 stages across 397 kilometers. It took place in the mountains surrounding the towns of Leon, Silao, Irapuato and Guanajuato. The Rally Guanajuato Mexico was the longest at 54.9 kilometers. While the dust may have settled from the action-packed event, the excitement over it has not. The event has become increasingly popular, for both competitors and spectators, and is expected to only gather more and more followers every year.

Whether it’s the sport itself that calls to you or the excitement of watching, Mexico provides many unparalleled destinations for the avid sports fan. Come play in Mexico, and have the most exhilarating vacation of your lifetime! 

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Towns such as Tapijulapa and Capulalpam de Méndez are overflowing with culture. Tapijulapa, Tabasco, is renown for its crafts, tradition and nature. The picturesque cobblestone streets are lined with whitewashed houses with red-tiled roofs. Artisans make crafts that woven from regional vines called “matusay,” with the end products resembling wicker furniture. These crafts have been made for over half a century. Tapijulapa is also home to ecological reserves. Inside Yu-Balcah, tourists walk through the jungle and experience endangered animals, camping, biking and kayaking. The Kolem Jaa ecotourism center has a breathtaking collection of waterfalls with botanical gardens and nature trails scattered in-between. 

The quiet Capulalpam de Méndez is nestled within the mountains of Oxaca. Originally settled a century ago, Capulalpam’s ecotourism center is equipped with zip lines that take visitors soaring over the Molinos River. Forest trails play home mountain bikes, horseback riding, and local foot tourists. A little off the beaten track, Capulalpam provides the quiet serenity of nature, along with the organic excitement of nature. 

In the forests of central Mexico hides the winter home to monarch butterflies. The iconic monarch is truly a marvel of nature. Every fall, tens of millions of the nearly threatened species fly to Mexico to seek refuge in the warm weather. There are only a dozen sites in central Mexico that the monarchs can thrive in. They fill the trees and completely coat the branches in flurries of orange and black. Those lucky enough to see these clouds of monarchs say it is a marvelous phenomenon.

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