From Mexico in the north to Argentina and Chile in the south, Latin America includes within its far-flung boundaries some of the highest and most mysterious mountains in the world. Like fumes slowly dissipating from past eruptions, memories of little-known civilizations linger around the cones of Mexican volcanoes such as Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. The surrounding highlands of Mexico and Central America hold ruins with ancient pyramids whose forms reflect the shapes of mountains still revered by native peoples. From the warm Caribbean shores of Colombia and Venezuela to the icy fjords of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, the Andes stretch 4,500 miles down the west coast of South America to form the longest mountain range in the world.