I feel like I should have a little bit of a demarcation here as, after almost 140 posts of Central and South America we are moving on to a new continent. The first thing I have to acknowledge is my ignorance going into this. I have learned so much about the cultures of the mostly Spanish speaking world that is right on my doorstep. I've started learning Spanish, because it's crazy that there's this huge continent just south of where I live that mostly speaks that language and I can't even put together one sentence.
I've also started a list of the places I need to visit in the real world - once the pandemic allows for that. I've traveled to Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It's pretty embarrassing that I've never been to South America. There's really not a country in Central and South America that I don't want to visit - but if I have to narrow it down, here are my top ten cities.
1. Merida, Mexico - I'm not sure I had even heard of Merida before I went there virtually. It's a city of almost a million people in the Yucatan peninsula. It is overshadowed by being in the same general area (~3 hours away) as Cancun. It's also inland - so, no beaches. But it is right in the middle of most of the most important Mayan archaeology sites. Chichen-Itza is about half-way between Merida and Cancun. But, closer to Merida is Uxmal - which appears to be just as impressive as Chchen-Itza. There are dozens of smaller sites in the region and a large Mayan Museum in Merida as well.
2. Mexico City, Mexico - Simply a world class city that's far too close to not to have visited. There are also the many Aztec sites in Mexico City and nearby.
3. Cartagena, Colombia - With its many remaining walls and historic buildings - the old town seems like a place where you could easily imagine what it was like in the 16th and 17th centuries - when the Spanish colonies were still new. When English privateers sacked cities like to Cartagena in an attempt to limit the huge power Spain had over the region.
4. Quito, Ecuador - Over 9,000 feet in elevation and the capital city most closely located to the Equator - Quito has a lot of charm. It was actually one of the original UNESCO World Heritage Sites, when UNESCO started the program in 1978. The beautiful topography and historic architecture - it just seems like a very alluring city.
5. Lima, Peru - Peru might be the most interesting country in South America. Home of the huge Inca Empire - there are countless archaeological sites to visit here including Machu Picchu. The city of Lima itself shouldn't be overlooked. It is the second largest population of anywhere in South America. It has a large number of museums and the food is supposed to be incredible.
6. Santiago, Chile - Another huge city on the Pacific, Santiago is very modern. Nearby is the beautiful historic town on the sea of Valparaiso. Not to mention that two of the great wine regions of the world are within driving distance. One in Chile and the other just over the Andes in Argentina - I would say that 90% of the wine I drink is from one of these two places.
7. Buenos Aires, Argentina - Home of the tango - that alone should be enough. Of course there is a lot of beautiful architecture as well and nearby beautiful beaches. Montivideo, Uraguay is also nearby - which is supposed to be worth a trip on it's own.
8. Rio and Sao Paulo, Brazil - I know that any citizen of these two great cities would shudder at being thrown together - but they are relatively close geographically - and I want to squeeze in another city in my top ten. Rio has the beaches and the dramatic terrain - but it also has a lot of culture as well. Sao Paulo is the largest city in the Americas. It has amazing food and even the biggest snob would feel at home with all the cultural offerings of the city.
9. Salvador de Bahia, Brazil - It was actually the first Brazilian capital. The Northeast in general and Salvador specifically is has a very strong African influence - in fact it might be the most African place you can visit outside of Africa.
10. Havana, Cuba - Within 20 years of Columbus landing in the New World Havana was thriving. Cuba was Spain's main base for the colonies in the 1500's. The island has always had political and strategic importance for the area - even up until the present moment. There is also the amazing culture - the beautiful music that formed through interaction with places like New Orleans and South America.
Time to move on to a new continent!
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