Mexico City has long been a center for the arts, but it has recently grown into a global destination for culture. For the past decade, the city’s contemporary art scene has rivaled the rigorous programming and sophistication of European and North American destinations, says Anna Di Stasi, director of Sotheby’s Latin American art department.

Flying over the southern Pacific coast of Mexico, travellers get a bird’s-eye preview of the topographical contrasts awaiting them at their final destination. A magnificent panorama of rugged mountains dotted with farms and villages gives way to pristine beaches and the jewel-toned waters of the aptly named Emerald Coast.