Uruapan, Mexico

URUAPAN, they say, means "the place where flowers bloom" in the Tarascan language, though Appleton's Guide for 1884 tells a different story: "The word Uruapan comes from Urani, which means in the Tarasc language 'a chocolate cup', because the Indians in this region devote themselves to manufacture and painting of these objects." Demand for chocolate cups, presumably, has fallen since then, but whatever the truth, the modern version is certainly appropriate: Uruapan, lower (at around 1600m) and warmer than most of its neighbours, enjoys a steamy subtropical climate and is surrounded by thick forests and lush parks.