Guadalajara
The fabulously wide pedestrian and elevated Plaza Tapatía sprawls for more than 500m eastward from Teatro Degollado to the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas…
Must-see attractions in Western Central Highlands
Rotonda de los Jaliscenses Ilustres
Guadalajara
Jalisco’s hall of fame, in the plaza on the north side of the cathedral, is ringed by 30 bronze sculptures of the state’s favorite writers, architects and…
Guadalajara Region
The more interesting island to visit on Lago de Chapala is Isla de Mezcala. Here you’ll find ruins of a fort where Mexican independence fighters held…
Biblioteca Pública de la Universidad Michoacana
Morelia
Installed inside the magnificent 17th-century Ex-Templo de la Compañía de Jesús, the shelves of the city's breathtaking university library rise up toward…
Pinacoteca Universitaria Alfonso Michel
Western Central Highlands
The modern entrance to this gallery leads into a 19th-century courtyard surrounded by seven halls filled with surrealist art. Included is a permanent…
Guadalajara
Two blocks east of the Basílica de Zapopan, MAZ is dedicated to modern art. Four sleek minimalist galleries hold temporary exhibits, which have included…
Guadalajara
Plaza Guadalajara is shaded by dozens of severly cropped laurel trees and has great views of the east of the cathedral. Boasting a few fine cafes, it's a…
Parque Zoológico Benito Juárez
Morelia
Morelia's zoo is located 2.5km south of the Plaza de Armas and is surprisingly pleasant, with most critters in decent habitats. Animals include sea lions,…
Museo de Arte Sacro de Guadalajara
Guadalajara
This pious collection astride the eastern flank of the cathedral is filled with dark and brooding 17th- to 18th-century religious art, as well as some…
Morelia
Morelia’s impressively preserved aqueduct north runs for just over 2km along (appropriately enough) Avenida Acueducto and then curves around Plaza…
Guadalajara Region
The romantic old Hacienda de San José del Refugio is where Herradura tequila is distilled. It is one of Mexico’s prettiest distilleries, with regularly…
Guadalajara Region
About 2km south of town is the leafy park of Los Cazos, with the 30m waterfall Casacada El Salto another 2km walk from the park entrance. You can picnic…
Guadalajara
It's worth popping into this interesting modern and conceptual art gallery to see if there's an exhibition showing (there's no permanent collection on…
Morelia
A beautifully renovated 18th century casona (mansion), this museum hosts temporary exhibits and workshops often related to the history and culture of the…
Guadalajara
Built in 1588, the Palacio de Justicia began life as Guadalajara's first nunnery. Duck inside to the interior stairwell and check out the 1965 mural by…
Guadalajara Region
Set in an old colonial building just off the main plaza and spread over five rooms, this museum does a good job of illustrating the history of tequila…
Guadalajara
The compact Templo de Aranzazú is perhaps the city’s most beautiful. Built from 1749 to 1752, it has three remarkably ornate Churrigueresque (Spanish…
Guadalajara
South of the landmark Teatro Degollado on Plaza de la Liberación is the baroque-style Templo de San Agustín, all gold and white. Erected in 1573, it is…
Guadalajara
The sanctuary at the Templo Santa Eduviges, built in 1726, is usually packed with worshippers and, during Mass, perfumed with clouds of sandalwood smoke…
Templo de San Francisco de Asís
Guadalajara
Across the road from the Templo de Aranzazú, the larger but less impressive Templo de San Francisco de Asís was begun in the 1660s by the Franciscans. It…
Templo de Nuestra Señora del Carmen
Guadalajara
Facing a small leafy plaza, Templo de Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a 17th-century chapel that was remodeled in the 1860s, with lots of gold leaf, old…
Guadalajara
Close to the city center is the ornate Templo de la Merced, which was built between 1650 and 1721; inside are several large paintings, crystal chandeliers…
Guadalajara Region
Basic tours of Casa Sauza's Perseverancia Distillery last one hour. Longer tours of the estate, lasting two hours, take in the agave fields and include…
Guadalajara Region
El Salto del Nogal is a jaw-dropping, 105m-high waterfall about 18km south of town, off a dirt road. A taxi costs around M$250 one way.
Guadalajara
The cathedral in Guadalajara includes a Gothic crypt, where three archbishops are buried.
Guadalajara
This huge plaza due east of the cathedral was a 1980s urban planner’s dream project – two whole blocks of colonial buildings to be knocked down and…
Morelia
This irregular, conspicuously vacant plaza southeast of the center surrounds the Estatua Ecuestre al Patriota Morelos, a majestic statue of Morelos on…
Morelia
Morelia’s largest park, named after the last Aztec emperor (r 1520–21), is an attractive affair frequented by families for its shady trees, outdoor…
Morelia
Facing the leafy expanse of Plaza de Armas, the Antiguo Palacio de Justicia is in fact two buildings rebuilt in 1884. Its intricate facade blends French…
Guadalajara Region
Just opposite Tequila's main plaza and immediately recognisable by the enormous statue of a crow (cuervo in Spanish), Mundo Cuervo, which is owned by the…
Morelia
Independence leader José María Morelos y Pavón is king in Morelia – after all, the city is named after him. He was born at the site of this one-time casa…
Guadalajara
Orozco’s former home and studio, used briefly by the celebrated muralist in the early 1940s, today hosts temporary exhibitions. On permanent display in…
Guadalajara
This large, leafy park about 2km south of the city center is a nice place to rehab from too much urbanity. There are benches and lawns to lounge upon and…
Morelia
This mildly interesting museum is staffed by guides in period costume. Visitors are walked through the history of candy-making in Michoacán, from the…
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Western Central Highlands
Light floods what is officially called the Basílica Menor Catedral de Colima from its circular dome windows on the northeast side of Plaza Principal. It…
Guadalajara
The Museo Regional de la Cerámica is set in a great old adobe building with stone arches and mature trees in the courtyard. It's a relatively small…
Guadalajara Region
A ticket booth (9am to 7pm) at the pier’s entrance sells boat tickets to Isla de los Alacranes (Scorpion Island), 6km from Chapala, which has some…
Morelia
This landmark church east of the cathedral and dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena was built to house Dominican nuns in 1738. There's a celebrated…
Guadalajara Region
Call ahead for tours at this fine tequila distillery in Atotonilco el Alto, a town about 110km northeast of Chapala. It's located in a large purple…
Western Central Highlands
Local artist Jorge Chávez Carrillo painted the stairway murals in the Palacio de Gobierno to celebrate the 200th birthday in 1953 of independence hero…
