La Huasteca

Head a couple of hundred kilometres north-east of Mexico City and you’ll find the moonscapes of white dirt and cacti drop away into a warren of jungled mountains and deep, deep valleys. The Huasteca is a region that covers most of the state of San Luis Potosi and parts of neighbouring states, and is named for the Huastec people who lived here before the Spanish turned up and did their best to ruin everything. The Huastecs are, in general, a pretty chill bunch and friendly to boot. Foreign tourism and the hostels that pop up around it hasn’t yet touched the Huasteca, so you’ll want to bring camping gear and/or do some pre-departure couchsurf-spamming if you want to avoid (slightly) costly hotel rooms. In addition to these recommendations, look for the spiritual home of peyote around Catorce in the northern deserts of San Luis Potosi and the Lago de la Media Luna near Rio Verde, a lake with water clear enough to attract divers.

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