Sadly, I have a feeling that TaxiAeroCentroAmericano = TACA
With a million or half-million miles at stake, I am very very tempted to go on my first-ever mileage run. But, I must add that as a (former) veteran of biz travel in South America, there was always one reason why I avoided the Latin Pass program: the airlines in the group were all second rate (especially once LanChile left - and I think Mexicana was in the program once as well).
I don't want to sound alarmist, but, unfortunately, the safety record of the carriers in the program has a lot to be desired relative to North American carriers. I think only Cubana Airlines has a poorer safety record in the Western Hemisphere.
Yet, like many of you, I am already thinking about all the ways I could use those miles on KLM and TWA ;o)
Oh yeah, ONE MUST SEE in the region, if not the world, is Macchu Piccu in Peru. With Taca Peru flying the Lima to Cuzco route, it is an easy way to see one of the natural wonders of the world (if only for one or two days as opposed to the week or so it would take to hike the Inca Trail). Also, with flight delays not uncommon, it would be much better to spend a day looking down from the clouds than inside a cramped airport. Alternatively, Taca Peru flies to Iquitos, where you can see the Amazon.
In Central America, I would highly recommend seeing the Mayan ruins in Guatemala (such as Tikal, as featured in Star Wars) and the beaches along the eastern shore. Closer to the Panama Canal, I can recommend the coastal cities in Colombia, such as Barranquilla with the influences of 16th Century Spanish empire building.
(this is my first post on FT but hopefully not my last)