843 Best Sights in Mexico

At the northernmost point of Boulevard Costero, the main street along the waterfront, is an indoor-outdoor fish market where row after row of counters display piles of shrimp, tuna, dorado, and other fish caught off Baja's coasts. Outside, stands sell grilled or smoked fish, seafood cocktails, and fish tacos. You can pick up a few souvenirs, eat well for very little money, and take some great photographs. If your stomach is delicate, try the fish tacos at the cleaner, quieter Plaza de Mariscos in the shadow of the giant beige Plaza de Marina that blocks the view of the traditional fish market from the street.

It's a 10- or 15-minute walk from Jardín de la Union to see this 1910 structure of pink quarry stone, cast iron, and glass, designed by the one-and-only Gustave Eiffel.

T-shirts and cheap plastic toys fill the balcony stalls, but the lower level is full of fresh produce, hot food, and colorful basketry, as well as peanuts and regional candies (some shaped like mummies).

Locals from surrounding towns come to sell and buy produce, crafts, and everything from peanuts to cell phone covers at this bustling market. It's directly down the hill from Santa Prisca, accessed through a series of pedestrian alleyways and staircases. Look for the market's chapel to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Mezcal Benevá, at the Rancho Zapata restaurant complex, is a short drive out of the town of Mitla toward Oaxaca. Take a guided tour through the mezcal distilling process; during one part, a horse walks around in circles, stomping on the cooked agave. Benevá's mezcals are also notable, especially their five-year-old gran reserva.

From 1586 until 1960 this mine supplied Zacatecas with most of its silver. Most tours are in Spanish, but props and dioramas within the individual caves (those that aren't flooded) help re-create a picture of the miner's life. Visitors enter on a little train, but there is walking, too, and plenty of steps; wear sturdy shoes and bring a sweater. There's a snack shop, a museum where you can see examples of different minerals and fossils, and, of course, the obligatory gift shop.

One of the most magical experiences in San José is strolling past this historic mission as its bells chime. Originally founded in 1730 near the local estuary, it was the southernmost Jesuit mission established in the Vieja California territory during Mexico's colonial days. The mission walked a tightrope between baptizing the area's indigenous Pericú and being locked in battle with them. In the 19th century the mission was destroyed by an attack, and it wasn't until 1940 that the mission was rebuilt on its current site. The mission is currently the head of a parish comprising six churches and more than 45,000 parishioners. It holds English mass every Sunday at noon.

Veracruz City's beaches are not particularly inviting, being on the brownish side of gold, with polluted water. Decent beaches with paler, finer sand begin to the south in Mocambo, about 7 km (4½ mi) from downtown, and get better even farther down. The beach in front of the Fiesta Americana hotel is particularly well maintained. (Although it may appear to be claimed by the hotel, it's public.)

Situated on Dzul-Ha reef, the island's most upscale beach club has a small sandy beach, sunset views, and great food. Entry is free; once inside, you can pay for individual activities or choose an all-inclusive package that might cover anything from meals and massages to guided snorkel tours. (If you snorkel the fish-filled reef on your own, watch out for sea urchins on the rocks.) A water-sports center rents snorkel gear, kayaks, and small sailboats. Mingle with locals and sip frothy cocktails during the two-for-one sunset happy hour. There's live music and dancing on weekend nights. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming.

Although open only on weekends, this palatial former home of Emilio "El Indio Fernández"—one of the greatest directors in Mexican cinematic history—is well worth a visit any time of year, but is especially a must-see during the weeks around Día de Muertos, when its rooms and gardens abound with remarkably extensive and colorful ofrendas (altars). The fortresslike home, built in the 1940s of volcanic rock with a design influenced by prehistoric temples, is filled with movie memorabilia, and vendors sell crafts, food, and other goods in the house's tree-shaded front courtyard. There are also theatrical presentations and other events throughout the year, some with additional admission charges. 

There's always something going on at Mr. Sancho's. Scores of vacationers come here to swim, snorkel, drink, parasail, and ride around on Jet Skis. The restaurant, which offers a number of meal options, holds a lively, informative tequila seminar at lunchtime. Grab a swing seat under the palapa and sip a mango margarita, or opt for a massage. Lockers are available and souvenirs are for sale. This is one of the few bars on the west side that is free to enter and also offers an all-inclusive package. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers; swimming.

The building that now houses the Museum of the Photography Archive is one of the oldest on the Zócalo, first built in the late 16th century as part of the property of the Nava Chávez family, founded by the canon priest Pedro Nava Chávez and passed down through his niece, Catalina de Nava. Decorated in a neo-Moorish style popular in Mexico's colonial period, the house became famous in 2006 when archaeologists uncovered a monolithic statue of the goddess Tlaltecuhtli under its floors. That same year, the building opened its doors for regular photography exhibitions, often focused on the work of Mexico's finest photojournalists.

The malecón ends at this archaeological museum, a gray stone building identified with a wooden shingle. A permanent display of pre-Hispanic archaeological pieces traces the history of the so-called Costa Grande (Grand Coast) through the colonial era. Beyond the museum, a footpath cut into the rocks leads to Playa la Madera.

The black-and-red pottery of the Totorame (an indigenous tribe that inhabited the area until 200 years before the Spanish arrived) highlights a small but interesting collection of regional artifacts here. Temporary exhibits fill the small main hall. Little of the information is in English.

Located in the former home of an Independence fighter, this charming museum facing the main square is also known as la Casa de Mariano Abasolo. While the placards are in Spanish only, most of the small artifacts on display—everything from finely embroidered tea towels, to lapel pins with the image of "President for Life" Porfirio Díaz, to carefully preserved cigar bands several centuries old—speak for themselves. There are also a number of black-and-white photos of Dolores Hidalgo in the days before the Mexican Revolution.

After he was orphaned, 12-year-old Benito Juárez, the future Mexican president and the first indigenous one, walked to Oaxaca from his village in the mountains. He was taken in by a bookbinder named Antonio Salanueva, whose colonial-era home is now a small museum honoring the president. A carefully restored workshop and gallery space, as well as a kitchen, dining room, and bedroom give you a peek at 19th-century Oaxacan life.

Three Franciscos de Montejo—father, son, and nephew—invaded the peninsula and founded the city of Mérida in January 1542, on the site of T'Hó, a Maya city. They completed construction of this stately home on the south side of the central plaza in 1549. All that remains of the original structure is the facade, which is the city's oldest and finest example of colonial plateresque architecture, a Spanish architectural style popular in the 16th century and typified by elaborate ornamentation. A bas-relief on the doorway depicts Francisco de Montejo the younger, his wife, and daughter, as well as Spanish soldiers, standing on the heads of the vanquished Maya. An on-site museum showcases several rooms that have been restored and are furnished as they would have been at the end of the 19th century.

What is now a two-story museum was acquired in 1801 by José María Morelos and was home to generations of the independence leader's family until 1934. It exhibits family portraits, various independence-movement artifacts (including a camp bed used by Ignacio Allende), and a fragment of the blindfold Morelos wore at his execution. Display tags are in Spanish only, but interesting information about the independence movement is presented in both English and Spanish.

The birthplace of Diego Rivera contains family portraits, period furniture (late-19th- and early-20th-century pieces re-creating the painter's family home), and finished works and sketches by Mexico's foremost muralist; among them are his studies for the controversial mural commissioned for New York City's Rockefeller Center. Completed in 1933, the mural's portrait of Lenin and overall Communist bent prompted Rivera's benefactors to destroy it immediately after it was displayed. The museum's upper galleries show revolving contemporary art exhibitions, often from other countries.

Museo Casa Lara is filled with photographs and other items that belonged to Augustín Lara, a musician and movie star. Look for stills from films such as Los Tres Bohemios and Los Tres Amores de Lola. The best reason to visit, though, is the chance to poke around a lovely colonial-era home.

Once Father Hidalgo's home, Museo Casa Miguel Hidalgo is now a museum with copies of Hidalgo's important letters and other independence memorabilia.

José María Morelos's birthplace is now a national monument and library, with mostly literature and history books, naive paintings of the rebel, and prints of old Morelia (as well as two murals by Morelian Alfredo Zalce). In the back courtyard, a marker and an eternal flame honor the fallen hero.

While not something to go out of your way to visit, this museum is just a few blocks from the more interesting Museo Casa de Morelos.

Don't miss the Museo Costumbrista de Sonora for an excellent overview of the history of the state of Sonora. The displays include antique wagons, artifacts from the nearby silver mines, and coins from the mints of Álamos and Hermosillo. There are also examples of the clothing and furnishings of prominent local families.

This cube-shape art museum built in 1972 by businessman and collector Dr. Alvar Carrillo Gil is one of the top venues in the city for viewing vanguard art. Rotating exhibits showcase contemporary art in a wide range of media, often by young, emerging artists. At times you can also view portions of the immense permanent collection, which consists of more than 2,000 works, about 1,400 of which Gil collected himself. These include more than 150 murals and paintings by José Clemente Orozco, 45 works by David Alfaro Siqueiros, and important pieces by Rivera, Klee, and Picasso.

On a lovely property a stone's throw from both the aqueduct and the Bosque Cuauhtémoc, this late-19th-century summer home is now Michoacán's principal contemporary-art museum. The permanent collection has work by famed muralist, lithographer, and illustrator Alfredo Zalce, a Pátzcuaro native. Some of Mexico's leading contemporary artists have temporary exhibitions here. Dance, cinema, theater, and music performances are held regularly in the small auditorium.

Although it's in a lovely colonial residence, MACO houses changing exhibitions of contemporary art. Inaugurated by graphic artist Francisco Toledo, the museum has in its collection quite a few of his etchings, though they're not always on display. Be sure to check out the front gallery on the second floor, which displays fragments of frescoes that once decorated the walls of this old mansion. Signs are in Spanish only.

Although less visited than some of the city's better-known attractions, this excellent (and free) art museum shows thoughtful and well-curated rotating exhibits of contemporary art. It's on a hilltop in the attractive La Cruz neighborhood, in a beautiful historic building beside the imposing Santuario de la Santa Cruz de Los Milagros. There are two floors of galleries, and the art is by a mix of regional and international artists.

The revival of the Centro Histórico has injected new relevance into this small museum. Beyond recognized Mexican artists like José Luis Cueva and Armando Nava, there are also debut exhibits by lesser-known artists in the burgeoning local scene, as well as eclectic concerts, films, and symposiums.

Focusing mostly on European and Mexican artwork, this baroque 18th-century Augustinian monastery-turned-museum exhibits paintings from the 17th through 19th centuries, as well as multiple rotating exhibits of contemporary art. Ask about the symbolism of the columns and the figures in conch shells atop each arch on the fascinating baroque patio.