Come and stay with Corky Carroll and his lovely wife Raquel at their home on the beautiful tropical beach of La Saladita, Mexico. Located just 35 minutes north of Ixtapa and 45 minutes north of Zihautanejo along Mainland Mexico’s most fertile surf coastline. More Corky Carrolls Surf Adventure...
10 Things You Didn't Know about Mexico by Surftrip.com
(1) The ancient Maya of Mesoamerica calculated the solar year at 365.2422 days and the moon's period at 29.5209 days. Both figures are so accurate that it was only in the 20th century that scientists came up with measurements infinitesimally more exact.
(2) Mexico is one of the few remaining countries in Latin America where bullfighting is still practised. The Plaza Mexico in Mexico City is the biggest bullring in the world, seating 50,000 spectators.
(3) The world-famous resort of Cancun in the Yucatan Peninsula was a government-planned creation. Before 1970 the huge holiday centre was not even marked on maps.
(4) Mexico City's two most famous volcanoes, Popocatupetl (5,452 metres) and Iztaccahuatl (5,286 metres) are affectionately known as Popo and Izta. According to legend, Popo (Nahuatl for "Smoking Mountain") was a warrior in love with Izta ("white lady").
(5) Under Mexican law, at least 51 percent of any tequila must come from the tequila weber agave plant, which grows only in the region around the town of Tequila, to the northwest of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco.
(6) Papantla is a village near the Port of Veracruz in Mexico. Vanilla is produced in the area. One main tradition in Papantla is the Rito de Los Voladores (Rite of the Flyers).
(7) Mexico City is the largest city in the world. It was built on the site of the ancient city of Tenochtitlán. Tenochtitlán was built in 1325 by the Aztecs. It was destroyed by the Spanish when they conquered Mexico. Hernando Cortez first entered the Valley of Mexico in 1519. With fewer than 200 soldiers and a few horses, he conquered the Aztecs. In 1521 the Spanish destroyed the city of Tenochtitlán.
(8) Corn is the main food crop grown in Mexico. It is grown on half of the cultivated land. The Indians living in what is now central or southern Mexico ate corn from wild plants about 10,000 years ago. About 5000 B. C. the Indians learned how to grow corn themselves. Corn is used to make flat pancakes called tortillas. They are sometimes folded and stuffed with different foods to make tacos.
(9) Mexican children are given both their father's last name and their mother's maiden name. This tradition helps preserve the heritage of both parents. Fathers would often weave a God's eye when their children were born. At each birthday for five years the father would weave another God's eye.
(10) According to the 1995-1999 figures, the "quality of life" in Mexico was as follows:
Population that lives in poverty (1999): 44 to 60%, Houses with electricity (1995): 93.52%, Houses with running water (1995): 87.0%, Houses with sewage (1995): 76.7%, Houses with an earthen floor: 15.40%.
Comment La Paz based airline with extensive route system throughout Mexico. Gateways in US include Los Angeles and Tucson. In addition to non-stop service from Los Angeles to Loreto, Manzanillo, La Paz, and Los Cabos other destinations in Mexico with direct service from the US include Hermosillo, Tepic, Durango and Torreón.
Service to: Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Culiacan, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, Loreto, Los Cabos, Los Mochis, Manzanillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Mexico, Monterrey, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tepic, Tijuana, Torreon.
Comment Mexicana's regional carrier serving secondary markets and major cities such as Mexico City, Monterrey and Cancun.
Service to: Bahias de Huatulco, Cancun, Chetumal, Ciudad del Carmen, Cozumel, Leon - El Bajio, Los Cabos, Merida, Mexicali, Mexico, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa.
Comment Aeromexico's US-Mexico service originates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Ontario CA, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Tucson.
Cities in Mexico with direct Aeromexico service include Loreto, Hermosillo, Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancun, Leon (Bajio Airport) and others.
Service to: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Bahias de Huatulco, Campeche, Cancun, Chetumal, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Obregon, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Cozumel, Culiacan, Durango, Guadalajara, Guaymas, Guerrero Negro, Hermosillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Leon - El Bajio, Loreto, Los Cabos, Los Mochis, Manzanillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, Mexicali, Mexico, Monclova, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Palenque, Piedras Negras, Poza Rica, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Queretaro, Reynosa, Salina Cruz, San Luis Potosi, Tampico, Tapachula, Tepic, Tijuana, Torreon, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Uruapan, Veracruz, Villahermosa.
Comment Following its western tradition, Alaska's non-stop Mexico service originates from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Phoenix.
Mexico destinations currently served include Cancun, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Manzanillo/Costa Alegre, and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo..
One stop service is offered from Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, BC to various cities in Mexico with daily connections from over 70 cities throughout the West.
Alaska was awarded the right to serve non-stop between Los Angeles and Mexico City after Delta Airlines dropped the route in January 2005. Alaska plans to start service in August 2005.
Service to: Cancun, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment Using its Phoenix and Las Vegas hub systems, America West serves Mexico City and the resort cities of Acapulco, Cancun, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. Through its America West Express affiliate, flight service is provided to Guadalajara, Guaymas and Hermosillo and Monterrey.
In June 2004, daily non-stop service between Los Angeles and Puerto Vallarta was initiated through the America West Express affiliate.
Service to: Acapulco, Cancun, Guadalajara, Guaymas, Hermosillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment American Airlines was one of the first US airlines to transport passengers and cargo to Mexico. American US-Mexico routes use the Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami gateways and serve Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Cancun, Acapulco and Leon. Through its regional affiliate, American Eagle, American also serves Aguascalientes. Seasonal service includes departures from Chicago, St. Louis, Boston and New York gateways and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Cozumel destinations.
Service to: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Leon - El Bajio, Los Cabos, Mexico, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, ATA operates non-stop scheduled and charter service to Mexico from US gateways that include San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago's Midway airport. Mexico destinations include Cancun, Cozumel, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.
Scheduled service between Chicago/Midway and Guadalajara was increased in early June 2004 from daily flights to 13 flights per week. Convenient inbound and outbound ATA connecting flights are in place from Boston, Charlotte, Dayton, Ohio, Grand Rapids and Flint, Michigan; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis, Moline, Illinois, Newark, New York's La Guardia, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Washington, DC.
Service to: Cancun, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment Mexico City based airline with convenient schedules to popular cities throughout Mexico. Present U.S. gateways include Houston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami.
Service to: Acapulco, Cancun, Chetumal, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Leon - El Bajio, Merida, Mexicali, Mexico, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Tapachula, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Villahermosa.
Comment Continental's routes into Mexico originate in its Houston, TX and Newark, NJ hubs. In May 2004, daily service to Mexico City was added from San Antonio and McAllen, Texas.
Continental offers service to 28 cities in Mexico - more than any other US airline. Cities added since December 2003 include Manzanillo, Puebla, Oaxaca, Ciudad del Carmen, Monclova and Toluca.
Subject to Government approval, service from Houston to Durango will commence on July 1, 2004.
Service to: , Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Bahias de Huatulco, Cancun, Chihuahua, Ciudad del Carmen, Cozumel, Durango, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Leon - El Bajio, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Merida, Mexico, Monclova, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Saltillo, San Luis Potosi, Tampico, Toluca International Airport, Torreon, Veracruz, Villahermosa.
Comment Delta's Mexico experience began with its purchase of Western Airlines in the early 80's. Delta currently serves Mexico City, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara and Cancun. US gateways include Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta.
Service to: Cancun, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment Based in Denver, Colorado, Frontier Airlines has daily service from Denver to Cancun, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Frontier has filed an application to serve non-stop between Denver and Cozumel. If approved, service will commence November 19, 2005. An additional application has been filed for service from Salt Lake City and Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta, also due to commence in November 2005.
Service to: Cancun, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta.
Comment Mexicana's gateways in the US include Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, San Antonio, New York (JFK), Miami, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Portland and Denver. Canadian gateways include Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Latin American gateways include Bogota, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Guatemala, San Jose Costa Rica, Panama City Guayaquil and Havana. Some routes are operated under code-share agreements with other airlines.
Destinations in Mexico with direct service from the US include Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Morelia, Leon, Zacatecas, Cancun, Mazatlan and Los Cabos. Mexicana was the first international carrier to serve Los Angeles when flights were inaugurated in the 1930's.
Mexicana holds one of the best safety and on-time performance records among international carriers and has received prestigious travel industry awards for its customer service.
Service to: Acapulco, Bahias de Huatulco, Cancun, Ciudad del Carmen, Cozumel, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Leon - El Bajio, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Merida, Mexicali, Mexico, Minatitlan/Coatzacoalcos, Monterrey, Morelia, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Saltillo, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Zacatecas.
Comment United serves Mexico City all year round out of San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC and Miami. Seasonal service out of Denver.
In May 2004, United applied for service to Cozumel, Cancun, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. If approved, service will commence in December 2004.
Comment USAir serves Cancun and Cozumel out of Charlotte, NC where it connects to an extensive route system to secondary cities in the Eastern US. In Fall 2003, USAir initiated non-stop flights between Charlotte and Mexico City.
