MND_YUCATÁN PENINSULA

After a down year, Cancún International Airport's passenger load should pick up signficantly in 2026, with new routes to 11 U.S. cities and five Canadian cities, plus Dublin, Ireland.

From Cancún to Tulum, here's a local guide to the very best of things to do.

2025 was a year when Mexico couldn't help but make headlines — sometimes for all the right reasons, sometimes for all the wrong ones, and sometimes just because the internet decided chaos was the vibe.

Cancún is a rarity in Mexico, a resort destination built completely from scratch. To say that the plan worked is a wild understatement, but Cancún unusual origins also created a number of problems.

The tourism-focused project is so deep in the red that it may require subsidies for another two decades. The hope is that the launch of freight service next year will turn things around.

Time, weather and visitors' feet had taken their toll on the stone steps of the pyramid. A new wooden staircase will again allow for climbing to the top, a key part of the experience for many.

Hernán Cortés wasn't the first Spanish leader of an expedition to Mexico. Two previous ones had already set sail from Havana in the early years of the 16th century, after Columbus' voyages had introduced the Spanish to the Americas.

Mérida, the capital city of the state of Yucatán, is one of the most charming cities in Mexico, thanks to its pleasing mix of Indigenous and Colonial architectural styles and its signature decorative accents.

How could a Russian who had never even visited Mexico become the first person since the ancient Maya to underderstand their written language? It all started with a few Mayan codices stolen by the Nazis.

The long-awaited bridge will make life easier for hotel and restaurant workers commuting to and from the tourism zone, as well as for visitors eager to start their vacation.