Places christacarroll Wants to Go

A ruined Maya city that suffered a years-long case of mistaken identity.

One of the world's largest pyramids stands within El Mirador, the "lost city of the Maya."

Volcanically heated hot springs.

Hidden deep in the Guatemalan jungle is a turquoise paradise of natural pools, caves, and waterfalls.

A gargantuan crystal kingdom.

A skeleton without arms watches over the side door of one of the most beautiful baroque temples in Mexico.

The walls and ceilings of the "Mexican Sistine Chapel" are almost completely covered with mural, sculpture, inscriptions and oil paintings.

A mysterious, ancient collection of pre-Hispanic petroglyphs hidden deep in the Mexican desert.

This archeological site hidden behind Teotihuacán's pyramids shelters 1600-year-old murals.

A striking depiction of Teotihuacan's mysterious "Spider Woman."

These sacred Mesoamerican ruins feature peculiar petroglyphs hidden in the stones.

The Acropolis of this little-visited Mayan archaeological site offers great views of Chiapas’s Lake District.

Take a dip beneath the stalactites in this amazing cenote.

One of the world’s largest cave systems houses legends, concerts, and wondrous rock formations alike.

Trek through the jungle on a boat and a swinging bridge and you'll be rewarded with these refreshing, if pungent, mineral pools.

This series of waterfalls tumble into a radiantly blue river.

The most complete statue of this Aztec god sits a top a throne carved with images of hallucinogenic plants.

These strikingly colorful paintings were created by a mysterious Mesoamerican civilization.

This popular cave pool is truly magical, despite the crowds.

The development of this cliffside waterpark is representative of Mexico's history of co-op tourism developments.

The enigmatic and seldom visited ruins of a Mayan city-state.

The singular ruins of a mysterious lost city.

A graceful natural rock formation stands astride the point where the Gulf of California meets the Pacific Ocean.

The jewel of western Mexico's archaeological legacy is this tiered circular pyramid now covered in grass.