Copper Canyon, also known as Barrancas del Cobre, is a series of six green canyons in the Sierra Occidental Mountains that covers an area four times larger than the Grand Canyon. The best way to explore the area is by train — the Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico (Copper Canyon Railway) winds over and through the canyons, with stops at towns, parks, and hikes along the way.

The axolotl was named for the Aztec god of fire and lightning, who disguised himself as a salamander. The unique amphibian was once found in the lakes surrounding Mexico City, but due to habitat loss, there are only between 50 and 1,000 axolotls in the wild today. Axolotls breed easily in captivity, though, and their cherubic smiles have made them a popular housepet.

Lucha Libre wrestling originated in Mexico in 1863 as a freestyle wrestling format, straying from the traditional Greco-Roman tradition. Wrestler El Ciclon McKey wore the first lucha libre mask in 1933, inspiring more “enmascarados” (masked ones) to don the head-covering mask. The mask eventually became mandatory during the Golden Age of Lucha Libre in the 1950s, and luchadores maintain secret identities as long as they are not unmasked during a match.

If it’s not made in the Mexican state of Jalisco, it’s not tequila. Located in western Mexico on the Pacific Coast, Jalisco has fields of blue-green agave plants and thousands of years of practice in making the beloved spirit. Jalisco’s capital, Guadalajara, is where visitors can catch the “Tequila Express,” a train touring the area’s historic distilleries and agave farms.

The world’s largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, located near the city of Puebla southeast of Mexico City. At first glance, the pyramid looks like a simple hill, topped with a 16th-century Spanish church. Also known as Tlachihualtepetl, the pyramid was not in use when Spaniards arrived, and the overgrown greenery (whether accidentally or intentionally) camouflaged the giant pyramid and saved it from destruction.

Stretching between the eastern and western Sierra Madre mountains, the Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North America. About 90% of the desert is located in northern Mexico, but the desert also extends into parts of Texas and New Mexico. It covers about 250,000 square miles, an area larger than all of California.

Mexico City’s La Casa Azul (The Blue House) was once home to famous married artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Since 1958, the house has been a museum showcasing the artists’ work, as well as their personal art collections, books, and furnishings. Kahlo was born in 1907 and raised in La Casa Azul, and her husband Rivera joined her there in the 1940s.

The Mexican coat of arms depicts an Aztec legend that led to the founding of the city of Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City is located today. The founders saw an eagle clutching a snake in its beak while perched on a cactus growing from rocks in the middle of a lake. Tenochtitlan was founded on an island in Lake Texcoco, but the lake was drained and Mexico City now fills the entire basin.

Mexico is home to 31 different species of dahlia, and throughout history the flowers have been used for medicine and even food. President Adolfo Lopez Mateos declared it the official flower of Mexico in 1963. The other flowers listed here are plentiful in Mexico, too. Marigolds are associated with Dia de Los Muertos celebrations, and poinsettias are called flor de nochebuena, meaning “Christmas Eve flower.”

Located in southeast Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea. The peninsula was once a center of Maya civilization and is home to the ruins of Chichén Itzá. The modern beaches of the Yucatan include some of Mexico’s most popular destinations in an area known as the Riviera Maya, including Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum.

Cenotes are sinkholes that form when limestone bedrock collapses to reveal caves below ground. Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has a unique limestone bedrock, and as a result, these pools are scattered across the region. Cenotes come in all shapes and sizes, and while some are now popular for swimming, throughout history they have been a crucial source of freshwater in this region without lakes and rivers.

The Maya civilization ruled the Yucatán Peninsula for nearly a thousand years. The Maya settlement of Chichén Itzá was founded as early as the fifth century CE, and the city was at the height of its power around the ninth century. The last major buildings at Chichén Itzá date to the 14th century. Today, the ruins are a popular tourist attraction on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is about celebrating death and the lives of those who have died. November 1 is dedicated to deceased children, while November 2 is for deceased adults. La Calavera Catrina, meaning “the elegant skull,” is the name for the skull imagery associated with the holiday which is often painted onto faces. Sugar skulls are also molded from a paste of sugar and lemon.

Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16, marking the day in 1810 when Father Hidalgo declared rebellion. Americans often confuse the celebration of Cinco de Mayo with the celebration of independence. Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in Mexico — in the state of Puebla, the holiday commemorates May 5, 1862, when a Mexican army defeated the French army.

The first cacao plants originated in southern Mexico over 3,000 years ago. Evidence of chocolate consumption has been found among the ruins of Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec civilizations, and cacao may have even held religious significance in some cases. The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word, “xocolatl.”

The Baja California Peninsula extends about 760 miles from Tijuana to the city of Cabo San Lucas at its southern tip. The Gulf of California — also called the Sea of Cortez — is an inlet separating the peninsula from the mainland, starting in the north where the Colorado River delta meets the ocean. The peninsula is also mountainous, featuring several dormant and extinct volcanoes.

All four of these cities are located close to the Mexico-U.S. border, but Tijuana — which sits 12 miles south of San Diego — is the farthest west. Nogales is located at the Arizona border. Juarez is just across the border from the city of El Paso, Texas. And Nuevo Laredo lies across the Rio Grande from the city of Laredo, Texas.

Mexico’s northern border with the United States is nearly 2,000 miles long, and more than half of that border is shared with the state of Texas. California, Arizona, and New Mexico also share borders with Mexico. In the south, Mexico shares a 541-mile-long border with Guatemala. Belize lies southeast of Mexico, with a 160-mile border that mostly follows the Hondo River. Costa Rica, however, does not share a border with Mexico.

The peso is the currency of Mexico and many other Latin American countries. It was introduced in Spain in the 15th century and used throughout the Spanish colonial empire in the Americas. Many of those countries (including Mexico) retained the peso after gaining independence. One peso is divided into 100 centavos.

The smallest recognized dog breed, the chihuahua has a long history as a beloved lap dog in Mexico. The breed is named for the state in Mexico where it was first noted in the 1800s. Chihuahuas are believed to have come from the Toltec peoples’ Techichi breed, which originated during the ninth century. Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico, bordering parts of New Mexico and Texas.