Texas and Mexico Welcome Nature Lovers 
GREETINGS FROM LAREDO, TEXAS, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 
The vast territories of Texas and Mexico offer to nature lovers 
the greatest variety of climate, plant life and scenery found any¬ 
where in the world. 
In a few hours, a traveller can pass from semi-arid desert country, 
with its magnificent cacti and shrub life, to rich irrigated lands, deep 
green with citrus groves and winter vegetable crops. In some parts 
of Mexico it is possible in one hour’s drive to pass from an alpine 
climate to the lush growth of the tropics and watch the changing 
nature of trees and flowers as you descend thousands of feet over a 
paved highway in the shadow of perpetually snow-clad volcanoes. 
Texas is already well known to millions of tourists from other 
parts of the United States. With 17,000 miles of paved highways and 
thousands of miles of subsidiary roads any part of this industrial, 
agricultural and mining empire can be easily reached. 
1936, the Centennial year of Texas Independence from Mexico, 
will be celebrated all over the State by numerous festivals, fairs, mem¬ 
orial services and exhibitions. The focus of attention will be the great 
Dallas Exposition where millions of dollars are being spent to por¬ 
tray to visitors the vast resources and activities of the state. Open¬ 
ing on June 6th, this tremendous Fail', which not only rivals the 
Chicago Worlds Fair of two years ago but actually surpasses it in 
scientific and industrial expositions, will last throughout the year, 
and indications are that nearly ten million visitors will pass through 
the gates during the season. 
Many who visit the Texas Centennial will also include in their 
trip a visit to the interior of Old Mexico. 
This fascinating land of the ancient Toltecs and Aztecs is just 
being opened to automobile tourists through the completion of the 
Pan American highway between Laredo, Texas and Mexico City. This 
magnificent engineering feat leads the traveller from desert to rich 
tropical lowland jungles, from palm forests up and up the sides of 
mighty mountain ranges to the great central plateau of Mexico at 
an elevation of 7600 feet. 
On the trip from the border to the capital of the Southern Repub¬ 
lic an indescribable variety of scenery and plant life presents itself. 
In one hour, as far as the eye can see are vast stretches of desert 
shrubbery and flowering cacti. In the next hour there will be great 
forests of palm trees and a little later huge tropical hardwood trees 
with rare orchids clinging to their lofty branches. 
The new highway, already being traveled daily by hundreds of 
tourists, is disclosing beautiful and quaint Indian villages which, 
until recently, were practically unknown to any but the hardiest 
tourists who would require weeks of horseback riding to reach them. 
From Mexico City there are many interesting and fascinating 
trips leading to other parts of the high plateau, up the slopes of great 
volcanoes, or over the rim of the valley and down to the magnificent 
tropics bordering the Pacific coast. 
Tourists before entering Mexico through Laredo, which is the 
only gateway to the interior of the country by automobile, should 
stop at one of the information bureaus maintained by the Laredo 
Chamber of Commerce for their convenience. 
At these offices preliminary papers for the tourist passports and 
car bonds can be obtained as well as the latest information about the 
highway and expert guidance in the planning of itineraries. All of 
these services are free of charge. 
With the opportunity now presented of combining a visit to the 
Texas Centennial Exposition with the long desired trip to Mexico, 
it is expected that the greatest number of tourists in the nation’s his¬ 
tory will enter Texas during 1936 and most of them continue on into 
Mexico.—Laredo, Texas Chamber of Commerce. 
Printed by SID MURRAY & SON San Antonio, Texas 
