Teotihuacán
This expansive square complex is believed to have been the residence of the city’s supreme ruler, and its rooms may have been the city’s administrative…
Must-see attractions in Mexico
San Miguel de Allende
The shady Parque Benito Juárez is a lovely place to relax and meander through, with benches, well-maintained pathways and a popular play area for children.
Guanajuato
Built in 1663 by members of St Diego of Alcántara, the facade – carved pink quarry stone – exemplifies Mexican Churriqueresque and is quite lovely.
Chichén Itzá
This group east of El Castillo pyramid takes its name – which means ‘Group of the Thousand Columns’ – from the forest of pillars stretching south and east…
San José del Cabo
The colonial-style Iglesia San José, built in 1730 to replace the Misión San José del Cabo, faces the spacious Plaza Mijares.
San Miguel de Allende
One of the best views over the town and surrounding country is from the mirador southeast of town.
Museo de las Misiones Jesuíticas
Loreto
The modest yet interesting Museo de las Misiones chronicles the settlement of Baja California.
Chiapa de Corzo Archaeological Site
Chiapas
On a trade route between the Pacific and the Gulf, the sprawling Chiapa de Corzo settlement had close ties to neighboring Maya and Olmec cultures. At its…
Centro Histórico
The Centro Cultural de España always has a variety of cutting-edge art exhibitions going on, such as 'Vibraciones' where visitors 'listened' to music…
Jardín Botánico El Charco del Ingenio
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel's 88-hectare botanical garden is also a wildlife and bird sanctuary. Pathways head through wetlands and magnificent areas of cacti and native…
Templo y Convento de la Santa Cruz
Querétaro
One of the city's most interesting sights, this convent was built between 1654 and about 1815 on the site of a battle in which a miraculous appearance of…
Morelia
Housed in a dozen rooms of a renovated late-18th-century baroque palace, this museum contains an impressive array of pre-Hispanic artifacts, including a…
Riviera Maya
Paamul, 87km south of Cancún, is a de facto private beach on a sheltered bay. Like many other spots along the Caribbean coast, it has signs prohibiting…
Chiapas
Plunging into the sheer Río La Venta canyon, El Aguacero is a gorgeous series of frothy stairsteps that tumble and spray. You'll descend over 700 steps to…
Guadalajara
Guadalajara's most important museum tells the story of the city and the surrounding region, somewhat haphazardly, from prehistory to the revolution…
Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán
Western Central Highlands
A 1396-sq-km swath of the jungle-clad limestone mountains northwest of the city of Colima is protected by Unesco as critical habitat. It is certainly…
Cuernavaca
Opened in 2018, this contemporary art museum is comprised of off-white cubes squatting a few blocks west of the zócalo. Temporary exhibits have included…
Tabasco
Though most monuments from La Venta are at Villahermosa’s Parque-Museo La Venta, this ancient Olmec ceremonial site still fascinates as the largest and…
Chiapas
The Río Santo Domingo is a beautiful, turquoise mess of cascades and rapids accessed from the community lodging at Las Nubes and Ecoturismo Xbulanjá. Some…
Plaza Hidalgo & Jardín Centenario
Coyoacán & San Ángel
The focus of Coyoacán life is its central plaza – actually two adjacent plazas: the Jardín Centenario, with the village’s iconic coyotes frolicking in its…
Oaxaca City
Wander northwest of the historical core and you’ll ultimately encounter this arched aqueduct rendered in typical green cantera stone that runs the length…
East of Mexico City
It’s easy to pass an afternoon reading or just people-watching in Tlaxcala’s shady, spacious zócalo. The 16th-century Palacio Municipal, a former grain…
Ex-Convento Franciscano de la Asunción
East of Mexico City
Built between 1537 and 1540, this was one of Mexico’s earliest monasteries and its church – the city’s cathedral – has a beautiful Moorish-style wooden…
Veracruz City
The city's colonial fortress is almost hidden amid the container ships and cranes across the harbor. The central part of the fortress was a prison, and a…
Zacatecas
Built between 1729 and 1752, the pink-stone cathedral is an ultimate expression of Mexican baroque. The stupendous main facade is a wall of detailed…
Guadalajara
The golden-hued Palacio de Gobierno, which houses the Jalisco state government offices, was finished in 1774 and is well worth visiting to see two…
Northeast Mexico
This, the first winery in the Americas, was established at Parras in 1597, a year before the town itself sprang up. It’s now an industrial-sized operation…
Chetumal
The Museo de la Cultura Maya is the city’s claim to cultural fame – a bold showpiece that's beautifully conceived and executed, though regrettably short…
Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe
Morelia
A standard baroque structure on the outside dating from 1708 to 1716, this hushed sanctuary to Mexico's patron is a different story within. Get ready for…
Monterrey
Sister to the Museo de Historia Mexicana and Museo del Noreste, this small museum in the Palacio de Gobierno focuses on the history of the state of Nuevo…
East of Mexico City
A small but delightful botanical garden in a mountain forest with fine views 4km northeast of central Cuetzalan. Admission includes a Spanish-speaking…
Chiapas
The entrance to this long cavern is situated in pine woods 9km southeast of San Cristóbal, a five-minute walk south of the Pan-American Hwy. The first…
Xalapa
Xalapa's central main square doubles as a terrace, with its south side overlooking the valley below and, in clear weather, the snowcapped cone of Pico de…
Mérida
Paseo de Montejo, which runs parallel to Calles 56 and 58, was an attempt by Mérida’s 19th-century city planners to create a wide boulevard similar to the…
La Huasteca Potosina
The extraordinary limestone sinkhole, known as Swallows’ Cave, is located near Aquismón. One of the world’s deepest pits at over 500m (over 370m free fall…
Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de la Laguna
Southern Baja
Hardcore backpackers can strap on hiking boots, fill water bottles and head into the uninterrupted wilds of this lush and rugged biosphere reserve, south…
Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó
Loreto
This wonderful mission is well worth a daytime detour. The windy road passes some beautiful arroyos (streams) before arriving at the mission. Be sure to…
Zona Rosa & Reforma
The symbol of Mexico City, known as 'El Ángel' (The Angel), this gilded Winged Victory on a 45m-high pillar was sculpted for the independence centennial…
Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
Morelia
This building is now part of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, which produced such scholars as Morelos, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and…
Veracruz
This small museum on Santiago Tuxtla's main plaza focuses on the pre-Columbian peoples that inhabited this region from 1600 BC to around AD 1200, with a…
