Photo: Matt Beard; Costumes: Giovanna Buzzi

Inspired by our neighbors to the south (and no, we don’t mean Rhode Island), Cirque du Soleil’s latest spectacular, Luzia, makes its Boston debut at Suffolk Downs through August 12. Featuring Cirque’s usual dazzling array of colorful costumes, eye-popping sets and heart-stopping acrobatics, Luzia is distinguished by surreal imagery that takes its cues from, in Cirque’s own words, “a waking dream of Mexico,” with performers carrying out daring feats in simulated rainstorms and interacting with animal characters that draw on Mexican folklore and mythology—all in a variety of settings that reflect the country’s varied terrain, from the ocean to the desert and the jungle to the city.