Mexico

This fascinating outdoor park-museum was created in 1958, and houses a zoo devoted to animals from Tabasco and nearby regions. You'll find cats including jaguars and ocelots as well as white-tailed deer, spider monkeys, crocodiles and more. There's an informative display on Olmec archaeology as you pass through to the sculpture trail, whose start is marked by a giant ceiba (the sacred tree of the Olmecs and Maya).

The 1km (0.6mi) walk is lined with archaeological finds from La Venta. Among the most impressive are Stele No. 3, which depicts a bearded man with a headdress; Altar No. 5, depicting a figure carrying a child; Monument 77, El Gobernante, a very sour-looking seated ruler; and the monkey-faced Monument 56. Monument No. 1, the colossal head of a helmet-wearing warrior; and Stele No. 1, showing a young goddess (a rare Olmec representation of anything female) are also worth a look.

Animals such as coatis, squirrels and black agoutis roam freely around the park.

After dark, a sound-and-light show takes you around 13 of the most interesting archaeological items, with video sequences and poetry by Carlos Pellicer Cámara (1897-1977), the Tabascan scholar and poet responsible for salvaging these artifacts. If you know enough Spanish, it's an atmospheric experience.