Awesome Mexico

4WD racer Blake Wilkey hit the streets of Tijuana with his insane Baja Bug trophy truck to kick up dirt and catch some air. Director Michael David Squier and his talented film crew captured the wild ride as Blake burned rubber through the heart of the Mexican city, fled from the police, taunted a bullfighter, and snacked on some churros.

Mexico City is one of the world’s most dog-friendly cities, especially the charming Condesa neighborhood, where dogs outnumber people. At the pet-loving hotel Andaz Mexico City Condesa, canines live it up at the Rooftop Beer Garden & Canine Club. The indoor/outdoor hangout on the second-floor terrace caters to dogs and their humans.

(PG-13) Academy Award-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Babel, Birdman, The Revenant) is the mind behind this epic film about a Mexican journalist and documentarian whose return to his country triggers memories and fears from his past. The film’s surrealist visual approach is sure to wow some and bewilder others.

Baja 1000 champ Alan Ampudia is back with a sequel to his epic trophy truck stunt film AMPD. This time, he drove through Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to catch some crazy air, kick up lots of dirt, and show off sponsor Toyo Tires’ rugged Open Country A/T III tires.

Official Día de los Muertos celebrations took place in early November, but with this deck of cards, you can pay tribute to those who came before us any time. Artist Brad Fulton, Illustrator Jeff Trish, and Art of Play created these fantastic playing cards featuring a heaping helping of skulls and skeletons living their best afterlives.

Undone honors Mexico’s celebration of the dead with its glowing skull watch. The Calavera is decorated with fluorescent paint, which glows under UV light. Its smoked glass caseback features a guitar-playing skeleton and the famous phrase “Todos Somos Calaveras,” a reminder that we are all the same beneath the surface.

We already know that Forza Horizon 5 looks spectacular, but the upcoming Xbox racer will also delight our ears with noise candy. But we’re not just talking exhaust notes, no. Microsoft has filled its environments with realistic ambient sounds, including those in this soothing 30-minute sampler from the game’s locations in Mexico.

The Jose Cuervo Express — AKA the Tequila Train — journeys every other Saturday from Guadalajara, Mexico to the “magical town” of Tequila where the spirit was born. Travel first-class in the Jose Cuervo Express Elite Wagon with panoramic views, an open bar lounge, and guided tastings. Operating at 65% capacity means you can stretch out.

Smithsonian Channel’s Epic Animal Migrations journeys to the west coast of Mexico to witness two spectacles of nature. The first: millions of pelagic red crabs rising to the surface to dine on plankton. The second: thousands of giant eagle rays gliding beneath the waves – some emerging from the water into the air.

Back in 2010, a group of artists in Mexico created this VW Beetle, known as the “Vochol.” The bug is adorned with patterns that celebrate indigenous Huichol culture and spirituality, including deer, scorpions, and peyote flowers. The car is covered with more than 2,277,000 individual beads and took over 9,000 hours to complete.

People do some strange things when they run out of stuff to do. Take, for example, this annual festival which takes place in San Juan de la Vega, Mexico. The sole objective is for participants to hit things with a sledgehammer packed with explosives so it blows up. Todd Hata takes us inside this wild and loud celebration.

Wide Open Baja offers incredible off-road experiences for adrenaline junkies. Drive a $100,000 purpose-built race buggy on the same treacherous dirt and rock trails that comprise the famed Baja 1000 course, and enjoy restful evenings after each days’ thrills.

Every frame is truly a painting in director Alfonso Cuaron’s black and white love letter to his home – a film about a difficult year in the life of a family in 1970s Mexico City. Arrives in theaters 11/21/18 and on Netflix 12/14/18.

Mexico’s Oaxacan highlands play host to the Trans Sierra Norte, a grueling mountain bike race, which ends in Oaxaca City just in time for the Day of the Dead celebration. Red Bull’s exceptional short film invites us to experience both with a rider touched by death.

A look at how raw clay is pulled from the earth and transformed by hand into beautiful and intricate sculptures by artisans in Michoacan, Mexico. It’s a wonderful, all too brief look into artistic traditions from Mariano Rentería’s fantastic Mexican Handcraft Masters series.

From writer and director Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Children of Men) comes a Netflix film that’s close to his heart. Shot entirely in black and white, Roma follows a year in the life of a family in 1970’s Mexico, based on the filmmaker’s memories of growing up there.

We’ve spent some time on the treacherous trails of the Baja 1000, so we know how sketchy things can get. But we did it in a purpose-built Class 10 race car. But there are true madmen who do it in pre-1982 VW Beetles. Meet Eric Solorzano, aka “The King of Class 11.”

Great Big Story introduces us to Butch Locsin, an LA artist who creates wonderful Day of the Dead-inspired skull masks and combines them with colorful smoke grenades to bring them to life. His Instagram feed is packed with wild photos of his work and collaborations.

Adam Conover looks at Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico from a completely practical standpoint. This monstrosity would cost us tens of billions, assuming it could actually be built and staffed, and not solve the problem it’s intended to fix.

UTV Underground is offering a handful of guests the opportunity to enjoy epic off-road baja racing, accommodations, and gourmet food and drink. The first trip takes place 9/23-9/25/16 at the stunning Horsepower Ranch in Ensenada, Mexico.

Team ICON RAIDEN rides across 1,000mi. of Mexican desert on modded Triumph Tiger 800xc street bikes. While they provide an advantage on smooth roads, the brutal off-road stretches push the bikes and riders to their limits. (Thanks Matt!)

Nothing like guns and booze to get your evening off to a rousing start. This tequila from Hijos de Villa in either a Reposado Glock 9mm or Blanco Silver six-shooter bottle, and are perfect for firing “shots” into the two included glasses.

Mexico’s first native sportscar has Lotus-esque styling, zippy performance, and moderate pricing for a first-gen vehicle. It doesn’t hurt that its 2.0L turbo engine is made North of the border by Ford.