I could go on and on.

When I do 10-day tours “On the Trail of Pancho Villa,” I make folks sit about six hours the first day and talk non-stop about the nation’s pre-history, its beginnings, its politics, its culture and, of course, the Mexican Revolution. That day is the only one where we have a semblance of a lecture room, because during the rest, we’re in small, out-of-the-way places. Besides, there’s too much to see to worry about lectures.

The good news is that I can’t force you to listen to six hours about Mexico. So I’ll try to summarize succinctly:

• Mexico’s past goes way, way back and no one really knows why the Olmec stone heads look the way they do. Mexico’s pre-history is at least as interesting as Egypt’s and it’s a lot closer and more diverse.
• The blending of 14th century Spanish culture into that of the New World brought about some beauties and some issues that still exist. Look for both Europe and ancient Mexico in the architecture, the clothing, the faces.
• Don’t assume that what you’ve eaten in East L.A. is typical of Mexico. Each region has its own cuisine. Try something different. Don’t assume that it’s all super-hot. But don’t assume it isn’t, either. That’s dangerous.
• Don’t assume everyone in Mexico speaks Spanish. There are entire villages that speak a tongue that goes back centuries. Wycliffe is very busy in Mexico.
• The Church was important in early Mexico, it got dethroned at the time of the Revolution. (It took a literal act of Congress for one of the Popes to tour wearing clerical garb in public.) But it’s back to being important in the culture today.
• But so is the bruja, the herbal medicine man or woman, in much of rural Mexico.
• Mexico was a Spanish colony until about 1820 (it celebrates 1810 as we celebrate 1776, even though the deed wasn’t completely done) and it was ruled by France during part of the 1860s. (A battle against the French is celebrated on Cinco de Mayo, but it’s not independence day.)
• For most of its existence, Mexico was governed by a rigid caste system that is still felt today. Until very recently, Mexico had an extremely small middle class.
• It’s getting ready to celebrate (in 2010) both the bicentennial of independence and the centennial of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.
• Emiliano Zapato is the hero in the south and Pancho Villa in the north, though over the latter there is much controversy. (I was told that Panch is “hated by thousands and loved my millions.)
• Mexico expropriated much oil production capacity in the 1930s and beyond and that today is the basis of its wealth, through the national oil company Pemex. Mexico has scads of other natural resources spread through the country.
• Mexico is very interested in tourism, which is a big piece of its economy, and is working  hard to make it more pleasant and “institutionalized.” But don’t worry: There are still plenty of places off the beaten path where you can see the real Mexico.