I wish more people could see Mexico as it would surely be seen if we lived in a world without corruption.

Or greed.

The real Mexico is not Cancun. Cancun is a wonderful place if you’re looking for a margarita and a wide beach, but it actually rose up from a Mayan jungle that once boasted a small fishing village and was surrounded by pristine undiscovered shores.

Today it looks like Las Vegas but with a lot more water. And like Vegas, the 25 million Americans who visit Mexico each year head to the resorts.

And drug cartels do not tell Mexico’s story very well. It is part of the corruption of this country, but focusing on the violence absolves you of the opportunity to find its heart.

Here is the Mexico I know: I once walked into the heart of a little town called Puebla on a Sunday at dusk. In the middle of the park in the heart of the town there were millions of bubbles floating in the air.

There were also balloons tied to every tree branch and they bobbed up and down in a warm breeze.

And when the old fashioned park lights came on, it cast a rosy glow over this whole scene and I decided I must be walking through a movie set.

Families were all gathered in this park for a Sunday celebration, and old Mexican men were selling ice cream from vintage carts and people were buying watermelon slices and holding children’s hands and listening as organ grinders turned out beautiful Mexican ballads.

And everyone was happy.

I sat and watched the children squeal and the adults embrace their neighbors and I wondered why anyone from Mexico would want to leave this little piece of heaven for a perilous trip over the U.S. border to work menial jobs and shop at a mall.

I know the answer is obvious: money makes the world go round. But do the Mexicans appreciate what they have here?

In central Mexico right now, our guide told me this morning: “Mexicans are embarrassed about their country. They think they’re missing out on something.”

Just outside of Puebla there are beautiful ruins left by a mysterious civilization where preserved pyramids and the remnants of houses and apartments built before the birth of Christ are encircled by mountains and yet no tourists are here visiting: they’re all in Cancun sipping pineapple juice and getting a tan.

Families in rural Mexico are close knit and reminiscent of a 1950’s America. Men still rule the roost to a certain degree but women run the show. But these families are a dying breed: American TV came to town and everyone was lulled to cities to participate in the new global economy. You can shop at Pottery Barn now in Mexico City and you won’t find an organ grinder or a bunch of bubbles within a mile of that place.

Here is something you might not know: when Spanish conqueror Cortez came to town — in what is today known as Mexico City — he and his band of ruffians could not believe their eyes.

The Aztecs had built a beautiful, glittering city in the middle of a lake that was ten times the size of anything Cortez had ever seen in his life in Spain.

This giant city of 250,000 people had towering white pyramids and marketplaces and thousands of houses literally floating on the lake — like a gleaming Venice. And this place boasted a happy and contented populace, as later described by Spanish chroniclers.

During the conquest, nine out of every ten people here died — mostly by disease. But I want you to imagine that: when 9/11 happened in our country, 3,000 people died and it is still and always will be a catastrophic memory in our country.

Imagine now having lost 90 percent of the population in New York that day and you will understand the true scale of what the Aztecs endured.

When one of Cortez’ chroniclers returned a year after conquest, he was shocked by what he saw: the gorgeous floating city was decimated, thousands of people lay rotting in the streets, the glittering pyramids destroyed.

Nobody hears the stories of Spanish conquest without a sliver of compassion.

What I’m trying to understand is why the Mexicans are not holding up this country — with its incredible ancient ruins, quaint towns, colorful festivals and lovely families — as a thing of beauty.

They were able to patch together a unique culture after conquest. Today, there is so much to see here — there are still ancient sites covered by jungle in every corner of this country. There is their lively cuisine, amazing museums, and very congenial hosts.

Mexico is not just sombreros and tacos and towering resorts on the Mexican Riviera.

If you ever get the chance, if you haven’t already, delve a little deeper when you visit, and find the grand old Mexico.