No stranger to the popular vacation destinations of Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, Marco Salazar, founder of Tesoros Experiences, spent a sizeable stretch of the COVID-19 crisis in Central Mexico.

“I really found it to be amazingly beautiful,” Salazar said. “And there was just so much culture and so much heritage.”

Salazar told me that his time in Central Mexico featured a number of encounters that felt far more genuine than those on other trips to the country’s celebrated beachfront destinations — and that authentic vibe ultimately sparked a business idea.

“I felt that when COVID-19 ended, there would be an opportunity to promote actual experiences [in Mexico],” he explained. “Not based upon just going to the beaches and sitting on the sand and looking at the ocean, but actually trying to have true Mexico experiences.”

In 2021, Salazar helped launch Tesoros Experiences, a destination management company (DMC) that has since partnered with Tesoros de Mexico, a collection of roughly 40 boutique hotels, hoping to provide travelers with a more authentic vacation experience in Mexico.

“We find adventurous individuals who want to embrace the culture, and we facilitate something very unique.”
— Marco Salazar, FOUNDER