The Country
Mexico is a traveler's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialized cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and an incomparable collection of flora and fauna. While Mexico is ethnically and culturally diverse, with an estimated population of about 106 million, it is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Particularly since the signing of NAFTA in 1994, Canada-Mexico economic relations have strengthened. Today, Mexico is Canada's fourth largest export market, while Canada is Mexico's second largest. For more information about Mexico see sites such as en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico
The City
Xalapa is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Xalapa is known as the “Athens of Veracruz” because of the strong cultural influence of its major university, Universidad Veracruzana (the main public university in the State of Veracruz). Xalapa is home to numerous classical music, orchestras and bands.