67 Best Sights in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

San Miguel's botanical garden has an extensive variety of Mexican cacti and succulents collected from different parts of the country. The area is protected from encroachment by an ecological reserve of 445 acres and was visited by the Dalai Lama, who declared El Charco one of the five "zones of peace" in Mexico. A garden area will introduce you to some of the 120 varieties of agaves that grow here.

The reserve is huge and has special pathways for walking, running, and mountain biking. If you don't have MX$40 (or are with your dog, which is not allowed in the garden), the adjacent Parque Landeta has nice walking paths as well.

Twice a month, during full and new moon phases, it opens the

, ritual herbal steam baths (MX$250). If you're driving up Salida a Querétaro from El Centro, turn left at the traffic circle and follow the signs to the main entrance. A taxi will cost about MX$45.

A tranquil courtyard girded by towering, century-old ash and pine trees and 16th-century mansions (since converted into hotels and shops), the larger of the two downtown plazas commemorates the bishop who restored dignity to the Purépecha people. During the Spanish conquest, Nuño de Guzmán, a lieutenant in Hernán Cortés's army, committed atrocities against the local population in his efforts to conquer western Mexico. He was eventually arrested by the Spanish authorities, and in 1537 Vasco de Quiroga was appointed bishop of Michoacán. To regain the trust of the indigenous people, he established model villages in the area and promoted the development of artesanías (crafts) commerce among the Purépecha. Quiroga died in 1565, and his remains were consecrated in the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud.

The only cable car in the world to cross an entire city, the Teleférico runs from Cerro del Grillo (Cricket Hill) above the Mina Edén to Cerro de la Bufa. Though it crosses at the narrowest point, it showcases the city's magnificent panorama and baroque church domes and spires. It's worth the cost to get the ride up to Cerro de la Bufa, which is quite a climb otherwise.

Previously, this 18th-century grain-storage facility served as a jail under Emperor Maximilian and as a fortress during the War of Independence, where El Pípila helped the revolutionaries overcome the royalists. The hooks on which the Spanish Royalists hung the severed heads of Father Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, and two other independence leaders still dangle on the exterior of this massive stone structure. It's now a state museum with exhibits on history, archaeology, and crafts.

Amateur anthropologist Bill LeVasseur shares with the public his collection of more than 500 ceremonial masks collected from all over Mexico. Since visits to this private museum are by appointment only, LeVasseur or his wife, Heidi, will be on hand to talk about the masks as well as the folk art in the adjacent salon. Some of the masks and handicrafts are for sale; museum entrance fee goes to a local preschool.

Painted in a striking marigold yellow, the 18th-century Basílica dominates Plaza de la Paz. Inside is Mexico's oldest Christian statue: a bejeweled 8th-century Virgin. The venerated figure was a gift from King Philip II of Spain in 1557. On the Friday preceding Good Friday, miners, accompanied by floats and mariachi bands, parade to the lovely baroque temple to pay homage to the Lady of Guanajuato.

Once the cloister of the adjacent Convent of the Immaculate Conception, this impressive building has been an institute for the study of music, dance, and the visual arts since 1938. Renovated over a period of several years, it has an auditorium, bookstore-giftshop, and salons for rotating art exhibits. Cultural events are listed on a bulletin board at the entrance.

Within the library complex are a lovely courtyard café, the offices of the English-language newspaper Atención San Miguel, and reading rooms with back issues of popular publications and books in English. Movies, plays, lectures, and concerts are presented at its Santa Ana Theater. The bookstore sells gifts and souvenirs as well as books about Mexico and San Miguel, including those by local authors, in both English and Spanish. On Sunday at noon a two-hour house-and-garden tour (about $20) of San Miguel leaves from the library.

Notices about such things as literary readings and yoga and aerobics classes are posted on the bulletin board in the library's entrance.

The architect and well-known painter and muralist Juan O'Gorman created a vast and wonderful mural depicting the history of the region and of the Purépecha people in the back of this library in 1942. At the bottom right is Gertrudis Bocanegra, a local heroine who was shot in 1814 for refusing to divulge the revolutionaries' secrets to the Spaniards. The Biblioteca is on lively Plaza Chica.

A Valenciana mine near the church has one entrance at Bocamina de San Ramón, whose inexpensive tour you might call entry-level—you just head down 66 feet, look around, and pop back up.

Constructed in 1764, this house is the birthplace of Ignacio Allende, one of Mexico's great independence heroes. Allende was a Mexico-born aristocrat of Spanish blood who, along with Father Miguel Hidalgo, plotted in 1810 to overthrow the Spanish regime. He was captured and executed by the Spanish Royalists in 1811. As a tribute to his brave efforts, San Miguel El Grande was renamed San Miguel de Allende in 1826. The highlight of the museum is the second floor, with period rooms and furnishings including a kitchen, chapel, parlors, and bedrooms.

In the 16th century, Vasco de Quiroga, the bishop of Michoacán, helped the Purépecha people develop artistic specialties so they could be self-supporting. At this two-story museum and store you can see the work that the Purépechas still produce: copper goods from Santa Clara del Cobre, lacquerware from Uruapan, straw items and pottery from Pátzcuaro, guitars from Paracho, fanciful ceramic devil figures from Ocumicho. Some of these items are showcased on the two main floors around the courtyard of the Museo Michoacana de las Artesanías, and artists demonstrate how they are made.

Morelia's cathedral is a majestic structure built between 1640 and 1744. It's known for its 200-foot baroque towers, which are among Mexico's tallest, and its 4,610-pipe organ.

This is one of Mexico's finest interpretations of baroque style. It has three facades—the principal one dedicated to the Eucharist is best viewed from 2 to 6 pm, when the afternoon sun lights up the deeply sculpted reliefs. Inside, the 20-ton main altarpiece is bathed in 24-karat gold and has statues of 11 important saints, including the Virgin of the Assumption, to whom the cathedral is dedicated. It was completed in 2010, to replace more sober, neoclassical altar decorations that in the 19th century were installed to replace the original baroque altar.

If you have time, visit the nearby Cavas Freixenet, where inexpensive guided tours are offered daily. Several different options are available, although only one tour offers tastings of several different wines.

Pancho Villa's definitive battle against dictator Victoriano Huerta occurred on this rugged hill, now a city landmark, in June 1914. The spacious Plaza de la Revolución, paved with three shades of pink Zacatecas stone, is crowned with huge statues of Mexican heroes. You can ride a zip line (MX$200 per person, or MX$300 for two) or have your photo taken dressed up like Pancho Villa (complete with antique rifle) and a soldadera (female soldier) companion, with outfits supplied by an enterprising young man. A walk up to the observatory gets you the best view of Zacatecas. Also on-site is the Sanctuario de la Virgen de Patrocinio, a chapel dedicated to the city's patron, and the Museo de la Toma de Zacatecas, which has a separate admission charge.

Some folks take a cab up and the cable car back down to the city; others enjoy taking the cable car up to the site and walking back down.

San Miguel's heart, the plaza commonly known as El Jardín (the Garden), is where much of the town's action takes place, from live music to dance presentations and fireworks on special occasions. You can get a real feel for the town just by sitting on one of its wrought-iron benches, where locals and expats alike enjoy the early-morning sunshine or the shade of the geometrically cut laurel trees on a hot afternoon. The Parroquia bells toll each quarter-hour, and at dusk the square fills with lovers smooching, men getting their shoes shined, roving musicians, and teenagers practicing break-dancing moves in the central kiosk.

A half-hour climb or short funicular ride from downtown is this statue of Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, a young miner and hero of the War of Independence of 1810. Nicknamed El Pípila, de los Reyes crept up to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, where Spanish Royalists were hiding, and set the door ablaze. This enabled Father Hidalgo's army to capture the Spanish troops in this first major military victory for the independence forces. The monument has spectacular city views, as well as a clutch of souvenir and snack stands. Funiculars run daily from 9 to 9 from behind the Juárez Theater and cost MX$36 round-trip.

Renowned Mexican architect and Bajío native Eduardo Tresguerras built this fountain in an orchard of the San Antonio monastery in 1797. According to one story, the monks sold some of their land and the fountain along with it when they were facing serious economic problems. It now stands next to the Templo de Santa Clara.

Adjacent to Bellas Artes cultural center this church—aka "Las Monjas" ("the nuns")—has one of the largest domes in Mexico. The two-story dome (completed in 1891) and the elegant Corinthian columns and pilasters gracing its drum are said to have been inspired by Paris's dome of the Eglise des Invalides. Zeferino Gutiérrez, the architect of La Parroquia, is credited with its design.

This church has one of Guanajuato State's finest churrigueresque facades. The term for this style refers to José Churriguera, a 17th-century (baroque) Spanish architect noted for his extravagant surface decoration. Built in the late 18th century, the church was financed by donations from wealthy patrons and by bullfight revenues. Topping the elaborately carved exterior is the image of St. Francis of Assisi. Below, along with a crucifix, are dozens of limestone sculptures of angels, saints, and Franciscan friars. The church's interior, by contrast, is rather stark.

Since the school's founding in 1951, thousands of students from around the world have come here to learn Spanish and to take classes in the arts. The historical campus, a former country estate, is open to visitors—even if you don't plan on taking any courses, the institute is a great place to spend a few peaceful hours, though it is definitely not a must-see. Take a break at El Cafecito coffee bar. The Galería La Pérgola specializes in modern Mexican art. The Institute also provides a complete travel service, hotel bookings, and cultural, adventure, and shopping tours.

This plaza is prominently marked by a statue of its namesake and War of Independence heroine—Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez. Behind the monument stands the Arbol de la Amistad (Tree of Friendship). Planted in 1977 in a mixture of soils from around the world, the tree symbolizes Querétaro's hospitality to all travelers. This is the town's calmest square, with plenty of choices for patio dining.

Guanajuato's central square is a tiny, tree-lined, wedge-shaped plaza bordered by pedestrian walkways. There are musical performances in the plaza's band shell Thursday at 6 pm and Sunday at noon; at other times, groups of musicians break into impromptu song along the shaded tile walkways. Strolling mariachis will perform, too—for a price. This is a great place to sit—on the wrought-iron benches or at an outdoor café—to enjoy the scene and to reconnoiter.

Vasco de Quiroga began this church in 1554, and throughout the centuries others—undaunted by earthquakes and fires—took up the cause and eventually completed it in honor of the Virgin of Health. Above the main altar is a statue of the Virgin made of derivatives of cornstalks and orchids. Several masses are held daily; the earliest begins shortly after dawn. Out front, Purépecha women sell hot tortillas, herbal mixtures for teas, and religious objects.

One of the most recently excavated cities of ancient Mesoamerica, La Cañada de la Virgen represents the northern boundary of this pre-Columbian civilization whose ancestors and customs have only recently been revealed. Only the priestly castes lived on the site, which was occupied between approximately AD 540 and 1050. Ceremonial graves show that people were buried with pottery and other artifacts, as well as animals, such as the coyote, thought to guide the deceased to the afterlife. Among those discovered so far is the only female warrior found in Mesoamerica to date.

A half-dozen groups of buildings of locally quarried limestone in a variety of hues comprise the site. Both the access road and the temple mounds (the permanent structures on which temples of perishable materials were constructed) were aligned in a precise orientation (west to east) that mirrored the movement of the stars, sun, and moon.

Within Complex D, Casa del Viento (House of the Wind) is a circular building seemingly dedicated to Ehecatl, the god of the wind. In Complex B, Casa de la Noche Más Larga (House of the Longest Night) shows distinct periods of construction. Here are a steam bath and granary.

In Complex A, Casa de los 13 Cielos (House of the 13 Skies) is the only structure visitors can climb, and affords good views of the site and surrounding countryside. Atop the structure in Templo Rojo (Red Temple), archaeologists have discovered a burial site with an unusual twist: carbon dating indicates that the warrior entombed here died at least 1,000 years before he was buried in this location. Because this was earlier than the site’s founding, the corpse or skeleton was obviously transported here from elsewhere.

Unlike the major archaeological sites of southern Mexico, La Cañada de la Virgen (Virgin’s Canyon) sees only a few dozen visitors on an average day. All must meet at the visitor center, where a guide explains history during a short bus ride to the site, set among rolling hills and studded with mesquite trees, cacti, and other desert plants.

Tours leave on the hour, from 10 am to 4 pm. The nominal entrance fee includes guide (not all guides speak fluent English, though most speak enough to get by) and transportation from the visitor center to the archaeological site. Arrive 15 minutes before the hour to purchase tickets.

No bags or even purses are allowed on-site, so wear pants with pockets if you want to stash a camera or other items. Wear a sun hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

A maze of shops featuring Purépecha handiwork is housed in this former 18th-century convent. As you meander through the shops and courtyards, you'll encounter weavers producing large bolts of cloth, artists working with black lacquerware trimmed with gold, vendors selling woven hats and place mats, and seamstresses embroidering blouses. Prices are very reasonable. Some shops close for lunch from 2 to 4.

Officially called La Iglesia de San Cayetano—and a 15-minute trek from the city center—this is one of the best-known colonial churches in Mexico. The mid- to late-18th-century pink-stone facade is brilliantly ornate. Inside are three altars, each hand carved in wood and brightly gilded, in different styles: plateresque, churrigueresque, and baroque. There are also religious paintings from the viceregal period.

Both the mine and church are included in guided tours of Guanajuato, and buses (marked "La Valenciana") frequently make the trip from the city center.

The tranquil shores of Lake Pátzcuaro are a 10-minute cab ride from downtown. There are two different muelles (docks) from which you can catch a boat to Janítzio, but you should head to the central muelle, which offers far more frequent service. Wooden launches with room for 25 people (but that rarely take that many) depart for Janítzio and the other islands daily from 9 to 5. Purchase round-trip tickets at a dockside office. For those who enjoy bucolic settings, it is absolutely worthwhile to visit La Pacanda, a quiet and peaceful island: amazing flowers abound, cows laze about, and the few inhabitants of the island go about their daily activities—which do not include trying to sell you souvenirs. La Pacanda might be even more idyllic than tiny Yunuen, but most folks won't want to stay more than an hour or so. If you want to linger, however, both La Pacanda and Yunuen offer simple yet clean visitor cabins for stays of overnight or longer.

Feel the ordinary world fade away with a trip to the decidedly off-the-beaten-path Las Pozas, the extraordinary sculpture garden of the late, eccentric English millionaire Edward James (1907–84). A friend to artists Dalí and Picasso and rumored to be King Edward VII's illegitimate son, James spent 20 years building 36 Surrealist concrete structures deep in the waterfall-filled Xilitla jungle. These astonishing structures are half-finished fantasy castles, gradually falling to ruin as the rain forest slithers in to claim them. The castles don't have walls, just vine-wrapped pillars, secret passageways, and operatic staircases leading nowhere.

It's a six- to seven-hour thrilling but exhausting mountainous drive to Xilitla, with hairpin turns and spectacular desert, forest, and jungle vistas. On the way to Xilitla it's well worth taking the time to stop at the five Sierra Gorda missions established by Padre Junípero Serra in the 18th century. They're a mixture of baroque styles and the local imagination of the Indians who worked on them, with angels, saints, and flora and fauna in great profusion.

Plan on staying at least two nights, as you'll want time to soak up the jungle magic.

If you choose not to drive, you can take a bus to Ciudad Valles (a 1½-hour drive from Xilitla) or fly to Tampico (a 3½-hour drive from Xilitla), and arrange ahead for the staff of Posada El Castillo to pick you up.