The time is right to cast a new eye over our southern neighbor.

In Los Cabos, Mexico's Baja Peninsula, a few years ago, I accepted an invitation to spend the evening with the owner of a gallery. I was on vacation, and up until that point, I'd been partaking in activities typical of tourists to Los Cabos:

• Going on a whale-watching trip
• Trying out a few spa services
• Lazing around on the beach

However, I was quickly prepared for a change. We headed out together through the gallery district of San José del Cabo's cobblestone streets when I first met Patricia Mendoza at her namesake gallery, which exhibits works by modern Mexican artists. Ivan Guaderrama, whose vibrant works make sounds when touched, and Enrique Bascón, whose humorous paintings poke fun at Mexican society and politics, were two of the artists Mendoza introduced me to. Mendoza and I stopped for a glass of wine at H Bistro along the road and talked about our various family backgrounds. I explained to her that even though my great-grandfather was born in Guadalajara and the majority of the Mexican side of my family has resided in the United States since the 1800s.

We later went back to Mendoza's gallery, where a young Mexican chef served us a multi-course dinner. The only American at our table was me. We discussed politics, travel, culture, the arts, and everyday life as the dialogue smoothly transitioned between Spanish and English. Despite the many times I had visited Mexico, that particular evening I felt a deeper and more meaningful connection to its people.

Mexico is the most popular international tourist destination for Americans due to its pleasant climate, low cost of travel, and marketing featuring images of Spanish colonial grandeur. We travel by plane to the coastal resort towns to unwind, unwind, and be pampered; some of us go to Mexico City for gastronomy and history. We travel to places where our friends and family have already settled and where we are surrounded by citizens of the same nation.

But Mexico is also the location of a wide range of Indigenous cultures, intricate religious traditions, and spectacular natural treasures like petrified waterfalls, pink lakes, towering mountains, and deep canyons. Many of us haven't ventured past the beaches and swimming areas. The way a good neighbor should, we haven't gotten to know our neighbor to the south.

In the United States, we've recently started talking openly about racism, colonialism, unconscious prejudice, and privilege and thinking about how these impact various aspects of our lives, including travel. We have reexamined what we previously believed to be true and made an effort to comprehend the perspectives of those who are different from us.

I believe the actual reason people should visit Mexico in 2022 is because of this process of introspection and empathic development. A border may geographically separate our nations, but policies that foster division and fear have made us further apart. We can fix it this year using the lessons we've gained from 2020 and 2021. We can decide to engage with Mexicans and discover what makes their culture, environment, and sense of community so rich.

The newest music and clothing from the nation's punk and goth scenes may be found there when you pay Mexico City's El Chopo flea market a visit. Or you might visit the communities of the Zapotec weavers to learn more about the indigenous peoples of Oaxaca. You can learn more about Mexico's Indigenous past by taking a quick boat journey down the Usumacinta River, which is home to many crocodiles, to the spectacular ruins of Yaxchilán.

Travelers can easily get to know Mexico better by visiting lesser-known Mexican locations. Try to learn Spanish, eat where Mexicans eat, shop where Mexicans shop, and stay in locally owned hotels or vacation rentals to take it a step further. After all, it's the people who make a trip memorable.

The second-largest city in Mexico, Guadalajara, is on my itinerary for my upcoming trip there. It will be a trip to honor my ancestors, and if I'm lucky, I could run into a distant cousin. I'll undoubtedly be amazed by the cathedral and the Mariachi bands at the Plaza de Los Mariachis, but I'll also make it a point to meet the residents, known as Zapatos.

I might go on a hike with some friends and check out the Barranca de Oblatos canyon nearby. The following day, I'll binge on Tapato delicacies like pozole, birria, tortas ahogadas, and tejuino in between trips to upscale clothing stores and contemporary art galleries, depending on what my fellow hikers recommend as the best restaurants in the city for these dishes. A trip to Los Guachimontones' circular-stepped pyramids might teach me about the Teuchitlán culture. Whatever I do, I'm eager to get a more profound experience of Mexico.