Colima, the capital of the state of the same name, is located near Mexico’s mid-Pacific coast. Founded in the 11th century, when it was known by the Aztec word ‘Cajitlán’, the city was captured in 1523 by Spanish conquistadors loyal to Cortés. One of its principal sights is the Cathedral whose twin towers were constructed out of volcanic stone quarried from the local Volcán de Colima National Park, one of whose peaks, the Volcán del Fuego de Colima, last erupted in 1991. Colima also hosts a festival, the ‘Virgin of the Health’ in late January and early February, where amateur toreadors can attempt to overpower a local bull in the Torre de Once competition.