The Pueblos Mágicos scheme was first envisioned by Mexico’s Secretariat of Tourism in 2001. The idea was to begin and sustain a celebration of Mexico, but not as tourists know it. This was not about the glittering lights, beautiful bodies and sparkling waters of Mexico’s beach Meccas like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Rather the Pueblos Mágicos scheme was about celebrating the villages up and down Mexico’s rivers, in and around the outskirts of the big cities, and even those sitting on isolated islands, that personify the spirit and history of Mexico.