843 Best Sights in Mexico

This sprawling botanical garden inside the massive walls of the Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo was the first of its kind in the Americas. Many plants that are now known throughout the region were first cultivated here. Species found only in Oaxaca are on display, including many varieties of cactus. Two-hour-long English-language tours are conducted on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 11 am. There are daily Spanish-language tours. You must take a tour to gain admission, and tours fill up quickly, so sign up as early as you can. Afterward you can roam the grounds.

This small but sweet town square sits between the cathedral and the former government palace, which now houses El Museo de Arte de Baja California Sur (MUABCS). Admission to the museum is free, so stop in to see a collection of work by local and national artists. Concerts are held in the garden's gazebo and locals gather here for art fairs and farmers markets.

About a 40-minute drive south of Cuernavaca, just off toll Highway 95D, this sprawling 125-acre mashup between a theme park and a botanic garden is one of the region's leading attractions. The park claims to be the largest floral gardens in the world, and indeed, it takes two to three hours to walk the entire property, which is divided into a number of sections, each with its own theme and design: Italian, Japanese, cactus, tropical, labyrinth of senses, children's garden, and several more. A big focus of the owners are weddings and events, and there's also a large restaurant and gift shop---in other words, this experience is more commercial than a lot of traditional botanic gardens. That said, the whimsical animal-shape topiaries, thoughtfully designed paths, and sweeping views of the surrounding mountains make for a fun visit. Keep in mind that there isn't a lot of shade, so bring a hat and wear sunscreen.

Opened in 1795, the José Cuervo Distillery is the world's oldest tequila distillery. Every day, 150 tons of agave hearts are processed into 80,000 liters of tequila here. Tours are given daily every hour from 10 to 4; the tours at noon and 3 are in English, but English speakers can often be accommodated at other times. The basic tour, which includes one margarita cocktail, costs $8. It's $12 for tours with a few additional tastings as well as an educational catalog, or $20 if you want to add special reserve tequilas to your tasting. Tours including round-trip transportation can be arranged through the major hotels and travel agencies in Guadalajara. This is a good deal, including several tequila tastings, a complimentary margarita, and time for lunch for about $22. Call at least a day in advance to make arrangements.

Make sure to ask the guide for coupons for an additional margarita, as well as discounts at an area restaurant and in the gift shop.

Tours of the mission route can be arranged through the compelling and extremely amiable local historian José Jesús "Loco" Valenzuela Luna The rates, based on your area of interest, range from $45 to $75.

A ceremonial center of almost Grecian beauty, Kabah was once linked to Uxmal by a sacbé, or raised paved road, at the end of which looms a great independent arch—now across the highway from the main ruins. The 151-foot-long Palacio de los Mascarones (Palace of the Masks) boasts a three-dimensional mosaic of 250 masks. On the central plaza, you can see ground-level wells called chultunes, which were used to store precious rainwater.

The Kinich Kakmó pyramid was the largest pre-Hispanic construction in the Yucatán and is the third-largest pyramid in Mexico, after the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan and the Cholula Pyramid near Puebla. It's all that remains of the royal Maya city that flourished here between AD 250 and 600. Dedicated to a Maya sun god, the massive structure is more remarkable for its size than for any remaining decoration.

After you've seen its sister city, Dzibanché, make your way back to the fork in the road, and head to Kinichná ("House of the Sun," pronounced kin-itch-na). At the fork, you'll see the restored Complejo Lamai (Lamai Complex), the administrative buildings of Dzibanché. Kinichná consists of a two-level pyramidal mound split into Acropolis B and Acropolis C, apparently dedicated to the sun god. Two mounds at the foot of the pyramid suggest that the temple was a ceremonial site. Here a giant Olmec-style jade figure was found. At its summit, Kinichná affords one of the finest views of any archaeological site in the area.

Kohunlich (pronounced Ko-hoon-lich) is renowned for the giant stucco masks on its principal pyramid, the Edificio de los Mascarones (Mask Building). It also has one of Quintana Roo's oldest ball courts and the remains of a great drainage system at the Plaza de las Estelas (Plaza of the Stelae). Masks that are about 6 feet tall are set vertically into the wide staircases at the main pyramid, called Edificio de las Estelas (Building of the Stelae). First thought to represent the Maya sun god, they're now considered to be composites of Kohunlich's rulers and important warriors. Another giant mask was discovered in 2001 in the building's upper staircase.

Kohunlich was built and occupied during the Classic Period by various Maya groups. This explains the eclectic architecture, which includes the Petén and Río Bec styles. Although there are 14 buildings to visit, it's thought that there are at least 500 mounds on the site waiting to be excavated. Digs have turned up 29 individual and multiple burial sites inside a residence building called Templo de Los Veintisiete Escalones (Temple of the Twenty-Seven Steps). This site doesn't have a great deal of tourist traffic, so it's surrounded by thriving flora and fauna.

L.A. Cetto is a giant that produces 50% of the wines that come out of Valle de Guadalupe, making it the closest thing to a California wine country experience south of the border. When tasting or buying, avoid the more affordable wines, and go straight for the premiums. Having earned over 950 international awards for their 40 labels, they are well known for their lovely Nebbiolo and Chardonnay, and their nicely balanced Don Luis Concordia. Don't miss the Peninsula Espaldera, a Sangiovese-Aglianico blend with aromas of black fruit and toffee. Tours take place daily 10–5 on the half hour.

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.

Legend has it that La Bufadora, an impressive tidal blowhole (la bufadora means the buffalo snort) in the coastal cliffs at Punta Banda, was created by a whale or sea serpent trapped in an undersea cave. The road to La Bufadora along Punta Banda—an isolated, mountainous point that juts into the sea—is lined with olive, craft, and tamale stands; the drive gives you a sampling of Baja's wilderness. If you're in need of some cooling off, turn off the highway at the sign for La Jolla Beach Camp. The camp charges a small admission fee for day use of the beachside facilities, but it's a great place to do a few "laps" of lazy freestyle or breaststroke at La Jolla Beach. At La Bufadora, expect a small fee to park, and then a half-mile walk past T-shirt hawkers and souvenir stands to the water hole itself. A public bus runs from the downtown Ensenada station to Maneadero, from which you can catch a minibus labeled Punta Banda that goes to La Bufadora. Guided tours from Ensenada to La Bufadora will run you about $40.

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.

For many, a visit to Baja Norte must include an afternoon drive to the cheese caves of Marcelo in Ojos Negros, just 45 minutes outside Ensenada. With Swiss-Italian roots, owner Marcelo Castro Chacon is now the fourth generation to carry on the queso tradition since it first began in 1911. A visit to the farm includes a tour of the milking facilities and a tasting of seven cheeses and their signature Ramonetti red wine. Milder selections seasoned with basil, black pepper, and rosemary are more popular with locals than their sharper cheeses, aged up to 2½ years, loved by out-of-towners. As Mexico’s only cheese cave (and the first in Latin America), this beloved factory produces 450 pounds of cheese per day. Milking takes place at 5 pm daily and the small on-site shop sells the remarkable marmalade and wine that accompany your cheese tasting. Those with time and an appetite can dine under the shade of a peppertree for a lunch menu integrating Marcelo’s cheeses and organic fruits and vegetables from his farm (expect flies in summer). The cactus salad and portobello mushrooms with melted cheese make the ideal starters to the regional trout served with roasted garlic. The fig mousse alone is worth a visit. Be aware that cell service is limited and the road here is winding.

This 35-foot-high, 88-foot-in-diameter, Burning Man–style sculpture is one of the defining sights of Costa Careyes. Created by Gian Franco Brignone, who also founded the Careyes community, it is a representation of a woman getting the gift of life directly from the sun (Copa del Sol means "Cup of the Sun"). During music festivals at Playa Teopa the Copa becomes a very popular meeting point.

This hub of commerce most closely resembles a real Mexican town. Its leafy central plaza is flanked by the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, whose interior is covered with hand-painted frescoes; on the ceiling is an impressive fresco the locals claim is the world's largest image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. You can dine, hang out at a bar or sidewalk café, enjoy an ice cream, and browse in boutiques. You'll also find ATMs, a modern bus station, and Internet cafés here.

Regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the bay, La Lancha requires some effort to get to, which means fewer crowds. To reach it, you'll need to walk for about 10 minutes along an overgrown trail that gets very muddy during the summer months. It's a great surfing beach for beginners when the waves are small, and fantastic for advanced surfers when they're big. The sand is ideal for families with small kids—just keep an eye on them if there's some surf. Amenities: water sports. Best for: sunset; surfing; swimming

Located at Playa Xpu-Ha, this beach club is open year-round from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Guests of nearby villas are often lured here by the plethora of amenities—including showers, lockers, hammocks, umbrellas, chaise lounges, and a rental shop that has snorkeling gear, WaveRunners, boogie boards, and kayaks. In full beach club tradition, there's a restaurant and a bar with swings instead of stools. You can burn off your lunch with a game of volleyball, or opt for hair braids and henna tattoos. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; swimming; walking.

Located at the harbor entrance of the Puerto Los Cabos Marina, La Playita (meaning “The Little Beach”) is one of the most popular beaches among local families due to its shallow waters and an almost complete lack of waves. Kids can run, swim, and splash around, while parents (if they so choose) will enjoy the tranquillity of the beach, the small palapas available for rent, and the convenience of having shops and small food stalls in the area. Some locals (and a few expats) also come here to fish from the shore. Amenities: toilets; free parking; food and drink. Best for: swimming; walking; sunrise.

Rustic beach bungalows, tattooed hipsters, and Aussie surfers toting custom surfboards create a laid-back vibe at La Punta, a hip, golden stretch of sandy beach at the southeastern end of Playa Zicatela. If you plan to walk there midday, take water and wear a hat as the beach is wide and there’s no shade. Once you arrive, a string of palm-fringed beach palapa restaurants offer loungers free with a drink or food purchase. La Punta's surf break is more forgiving than Zicatela’s Mexican Pipeline, so it’s a good spot for beginners to go boogie boarding or learn to surf. But strong undertows and unpredictable wave patterns mean you should still exercise caution when swimming. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; water sports. Best for: walking; surfing; sunset.

Excellent naturalist-led tours can also be arranged through La Ruta de Sonora in Tucson.

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.

La Villa—the local moniker of the site of the two basilicas of the Virgin of Guadalupe, about 7 km (4 miles) north of the Zócalo—is Mexico's holiest shrine. Its importance derives from the miracle that the devout believe occurred here on December 12, 1531: a Mexica named Juan Diego received from the Virgin a cloak permanently imprinted with her image so he could prove to the priests that he had experienced a holy vision. Although the story of the miracle and the cloak itself have been challenged for centuries, they are hotly defended by clergy and laity alike. Every December 12, millions of pilgrims arrive, many crawling on their knees for the last few hundred yards, praying for divine favors.

Outside the Antigua Basílica (Old Basilica) stands a statue of Juan Diego, who became the first indigenous saint in the Americas when he was canonized in 2002. The canonization of Juan Diego was wildly popular among Mexican Catholics, although a vocal minority of critics (both in and out of the Church) argued that, despite the Church's extensive investigation, the validity of Juan Diego's existence is suspect. Many critics see the canonization of this polarizing figure as a strategic move by the Church to retain its position among Mexico's indigenous population. The old basilica dates from 1536; various additions have been made since then. The altar was executed by sculptor Manuel Tolsá. The basilica now houses an excellent museum of ex-votos (hand-painted depictions of miracles, dedicated to Mary or a saint in gratitude) and popular religious, decorative, and applied arts from the 15th through 18th centuries.

Because the structure of the Antigua Basílica had weakened over the years and the building was no longer large enough or safe enough to accommodate all the worshippers, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, the architect responsible for Mexico City's splendid Museo Nacional de Antropología, was commissioned to design a shrine, which was consecrated in 1976. In this case, alas, the architect's inspiration failed him: the Nueva Basílica (New Basilica) is a gigantic, circular mass of wood, steel, and polyethylene that feels like a stadium rather than a church. The famous image of the Virgin is encased high up in its altar at the back and can be viewed from a moving sidewalk that passes below. The holiday itself is a great time to visit if you don't mind crowds; it's celebrated with various kinds of music and dancers.

It's possible to take the metro here—La Villa-Basílica station is just a couple of blocks south. But it's not the safest or most scenic part of town, and it's quicker and more secure to go by Uber.

Although it has a palace and a small pyramid, the most photographed building at Labná is a striking monumental corbeled arch. With its elaborate latticework and a small chamber on each side, it provided a grand entrance into a sacred precinct for anyone arriving on the road to and from Uxmal. It is believed that Labná was used mainly by royalty and the military elite.

About 20 esteemed contemporary artists show at this spacious, airy gallery across the street from both Casa Estudio Luis Barragán. Like its neighbor, the gallery is a prominent work of Mexican modernist design, having been built in 1948 by functionalist architect Enrique del Moral, who resided here for many years. Both solo and group shows usually run for a couple of months, and the openings always draw a cadre of big names in the art world. The adjoining gardens, with benches and tables, are a relaxing spot to take a break from art viewing.

The facade of this refurbished building from the 1950s has a colonial air, but inside is one of the most contemporary art museums in town, with a mission to explore how art intersects with science and technology. There is a space for contemporary and often experimental art, a display area for video and photographs, and a room where artists whose works are not displayed in other museums and galleries can exhibit. These are not necessarily young artists, but those who have yet to become truly established.

Lago Juanacatlán is a lovely lake in a volcanic crater at 7,000 feet above sea level. Nestled in the Galope River valley, the pristine lake is surrounded by alpine woods, and the trip from Mascota past fields of flowers and self-sufficient ranchos is bucolic.