The city of Oaxaca lies about 290 miles southeast of Mexico City in an area enclosed by three valleys. In these valleys developed some of the richest cultures of pre-Columbian Mexico: first, the Zapotecs, whose earliest noteworthy archaeological site, San José Mogote, dates from the 7th century BC (perhaps even much earlier, to the 15th century BC), then, much later, the Mixtecs, who probably arrived in the valleys in the 9th and 10th centuries AD.

Two of Mexico’s foremost...

It is always a good time to compare travel tips with fellow travelers, so this month I will invite readers to each share their favorite On-the-Road Travel Tip to my email address following this article. 

To try and insure clarity, it seems appropriate to have a few ground rules. On-the-Road Travel Tips apply to anything that makes your travel experience work better for you while actually traveling. Please do not send travel tips related to any aspect of pre-tour planning or...

Seeing the top sights in Europe's big cities can be intense. It's hot, it's crowded, and your dream of having a quiet moment with the Mona Lisa is shared by around six million people every year.

The mission of my most recent trip to Europe was finding peace and tranquility in big cities that, in many ways, feel overrun with tourists. And it's surprisingly easy to do.

Many travelers stick to the most famous sights -- and I don't blame them...