841 Best Sights in Mexico

Fairly close to Freixenet México and therefore popular to visit when heading there or to the nearby town of Bernal, La Redonda is one of the most prestigious and popular wineries in central Mexico. The sprawling property is laced with pathways and beautiful landscaping, and it's very accommodating of families and even visitors with dogs. You can come and sample the many varieties of wine produced here by booking a full meal in the restaurant or opting for a more casual experience in the wine garden and wine bar. La Redonda also offers overnight winery glamping experiences, and festivals and events open to the public take place throughout the year.

For a better understanding of the wine-making process, the Museo de la Vid y el Vino in the heart of Valle de Guadalupe has exhibits on wine history, viticulture, and wine-inspired art. The museum showcases a vast collection of agricultural tools and more than 100 wines from the region. Don’t miss the spectacular panoramic view of the valley and the outdoor amphitheater surrounded by vineyards.

Near the entrance to Ocotlán the workshops of the Aguilar sisters are brimming with distinctive figurines fashioned from red clay. The sisters, now elderly, might be there to show you around their adjoining workshops. If not, one of their children or grandchildren will. Their shops are clustered near each other on the road, so it's easy to go from one to the next. You can find these figures in the markets and shops of Oaxaca City, but at extremely inflated prices.

About 10 km (6 miles) south of Akumal, this beach (also written Xca-Cel), has white powdery sand and a nearby cenote that can be accessed through a jungle path to your right. Snorkeling is best on the beach's north end. To reach it from Carretera 307, turn at the dirt road that runs between Chemuyil and Xel-Há. The route is blocked by a guard who will charge you MX$97 to enter; after paying, simply continue on to the beach itself. From May through November, this area is reserved for turtle nesting. Avoid stepping on any raised mounds of sand as they could be turtle nests. Note that the beach road is open daily 10–4. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.

At this Maya site, two plazas, surrounded by rather plain structures, have been restored so far. The tallest temple is the Xcambo, also known as the Pyramid of the Cross. Salt, a much-sought-after commodity in the ancient world, was produced in this area and made it prosperous. Indeed, the bones of 600 former residents discovered in burial plots showed they had been healthier than the average Maya. In addition, unearthed ceramics indicate that the city traded with other Maya groups as far afield as Guatemala and Belize. The Catholic church here was built by dismantling some of the ancient structures, and, until recently, locals hauled off the cut stones to build fences and foundations.

Designed for thrill seekers, this 125-acre park features underground rafting in stalactite-studded water caves and cenotes. Swim in a stalactite river, ride in an amphibious vehicle, or soar across the park on 14 of the longest zip lines in Mexico. Daytime admission (valid 8:30 am to 6 pm) includes all food, drink, and equipment. A separate evening admission from 5:30 to 11:00 pm includes "Xplor Fuego" activities, which include similar things but with a nighttime theme. Mix-and-match packages can be purchased online to include both day and evening admission and entry to Xcaret next door.

Xpujil (sometimes spelled "Xpuhil," meaning "cat's tail," and pronounced ish-poo-hil) takes its name from the reedy plant that grows in the area. Elaborately carved facades and doorways in the shape of monsters' mouths reflect the Chenes style, while adjacent pyramid towers connected by a long platform show the influence of Río Bec architects.

Some buildings have lost a lot of their stones, making them resemble "day after" sand castles. In Edificio I, three towers—believed to have been used by priests and royalty—were once crowned by false temples, and at the front of each are the remains of four vaulted rooms, each oriented toward one of the compass points. On the back side of the central tower is a huge mask of the rain god Chaac. Quite a few other building groups amid the forests of gum trees and palo mulato (so called for its bark with both dark and light patches) have yet to be excavated.

The ruins at Yagul aren't as elaborate as those at Monte Albán or Mitla, but their position atop a hill makes them worth a visit. This city was predominantly a fortress protecting a group of temples. The Palacio de los Seis Patios (Palace of the Six Patios), a maze of hallways leading to hidden courtyards, is fun to explore.

If you find the eerie Tumba Triple (Triple Tomb) locked, give the guard $1 or so to open it for you. He may even let you borrow a flashlight to get a good look at the spooky carved skulls. Follow the steep trail that starts near the parking lot for a good hike and great views over the valley and ruins. The site has restrooms, but no other facilities.

Devoted snorkelers may want to follow the unmarked dirt road to Laguna Yal-kú, about 3 km (2 miles) north of Akumal town center. A series of small mangrove-edged lagoons that gradually reach the ocean, Yal-kú is an eco-park that's home to schools of parrot fish in clear water with visibility to 160 feet in winter and spring. Snorkeling equipment can be rented in the parking lot; the site also has toilets, lockers, changing rooms, outdoor showers, and a snack bar. Sunscreen is not allowed, so bring a T-shirt to keep from getting burned.

Located on Cancún's highest point (the name means "hilly land"), this archaeological site is on the grounds of the Park Royal Cancún and Westin Lagunamar, which means that nonguests can visit only from the beachside. The concierges at either hotel may let you enter through their property if you ask nicely, but otherwise head to Playa Marlín and admire the ruins from a distance. Although it consists of two structures—one probably a temple, the other probably a lighthouse—this is the smallest of Cancún's few archaeological sites. Discovered in 1842 by John Lloyd Stephens, the ruins date from the late 13th or early 14th century. Keep an eye out for roaming iguanas.

A visit to Yaxcopoil (yash-co-po-eel), a restored 17th-century hacienda 47 km (29 miles) north of Uxmal, makes a nice change of pace while touring area Maya sites. The main building, with its distinctive Moorish double arch at the entrance, has been used as a film set and is one of the best-known henequen plantation in the region. The great house's rooms—including library, kitchen, dining room, drawing room, and salons—are fitted with late-19th-century European furnishings. You can tour these, along with the chapel, the storerooms, and the machine room used in processing henequen. In the museum, you'll see pottery and other artifacts recovered from the still-unexplored Classic period Maya site for which the hacienda is named. Yaxcopoil has restored a one-room guesthouse (reserve online) for overnighters and will serve a continental breakfast and simple dinner of traditional tamales and horchata (rice-flavored drink) by prior arrangement.

About 8 km (5 miles) outside Cuetzalan lies the splendid archaeological zone of Yohualichan, founded by the Totonac around AD 400. Partly obscured from the road by an austere stone church, Yohualichan (which means "house of night") consists of a lovely hilltop grouping of administrative and ceremonial buildings, houses, plazas, and a long ball court. The easiest way to get here is to take a taxi (the ride should cost no more than MX$80), but combis (vans used for public transport) also make regular drop-offs at the top of the road that leads down to the site. To return to Cuetzalan, you can either make arrangements with your taxi driver to wait for you or walk up to the road and hail a combi or taxi.

Just behind the Temple de Santa María Natividad in Zaachila is the small Zona Arqueológica, with a pair of underground tombs that are fun to explore. A pair of eerie carved owls guards one of the graves containing a noble named Lord Nine Flower. He was buried along with an unidentified young man among riches that rivaled those of Tumba 7 at Monte Albán. These treasures, however, are in the archaeological museum in Mexico City.

On the town's square you'll find the Renaissance-style church, La Parroquia de San Francisco, as well as the Palacio Municipal. The bandstand and the municipal clock tower were both built in the early 20th century. As you take in the sights, vendors will try to sell you everything from flowers to napkin holders. If you are not interested in buying, sometimes saying "no, gracias" ("no, thank you") is not sufficient. If you want to get your point across, try "ya compré" ("I already bought one").

Also known as the Plaza de Armas, this square has distinctive portales (colonnades) and bells that compete for your attention. The hands-down winners are the deafening chimes of the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asunción, which sits on the square's southwest corner. It dates from 1721. The runners-up are the bells of the 1635 Palacio Municipal, which have a fainter but no less insistent tune. The tower originally did double duty as a lighthouse.

During the day it seems as if everyone passes through Oaxaca's shady main plaza, with its wrought-iron benches and matching bandstand. At night mariachi and marimba bands play under colonial archways or in the bandstand. It's a historic and truly beloved spot: when McDonald's tried to open a branch on its east side in late 2002, grassroots opposition led by painter Francisco Toledo brought the project to a halt. There's marimba music almost every night on the west side of the square (in front of Del Jardín restaurant). On Sunday, a free classical music concert is held in the corner of the Zócalo.

Bordered by Calle Camargo and Avenida Juárez, Tlaxcala's main square has a gorgeously tiled bandstand shaded by graceful trees. Adjoining the zócalo at its southeast corner is another square, Plaza Xicohténcatl. Souvenir shops line its eastern edge.

The square around which this colonial city was built is officially called the Parque Manuel Velasco Suárez, but no one bothers with that name. In its center sits a gazebo used by marimba musicians most weekend evenings at 8. You can have a coffee on the ground floor of the gazebo; expect to be approached by children and women selling bracelets and other wares. Surrounding the square are a number of 16th-century buildings, some with plant-filled central patios. On the facade of the Casa de Diego de Mazariegos, now the somewhat downscale Hotel Santa Clara, are a stone mermaid and lions that are typical of the plateresque style—as ornate and busy as the work of a silversmith. The yellow-and-white neoclassical Palacio Municipal (Municipal Palace) on the square's west side was the seat of the state government until 1892. Today it houses a few government offices, including the municipal tourism office. The tree-lined square leads to the vast, barren plaza that fronts the Catedral de San Cristóbal Mártir across the street.

The occupants of cars and buses speeding along the city's Anillo Periférico (southern beltway) are sometimes surprised to see an ancient, conical pyramid rising just off the side of the highway, standing out rather strangely among the modern buildings that dominate the surrounding landscape of the city's Pedregal area. From around 1400 to 200 BC, a Mexica settlement with as many as 20,000 residents thrived here along the southern shoreline of Lake Texcoco, the now drained body of water on which Mexico City now stands. They built this impressive pyramid likely around 800 BC, several centuries before the construction of the massive pyramids of Teotihuacán (a settlement that some believe was created by descendants of Cuicuilco inhabitants). It's thus considered the oldest of the major archaeological sites in metro CDMX. Today you can visit the site, which has been remarkably well preserved in part because it was covered in lava by the eruption of nearby Xitle around 100 BC. A small museum designed by noted Mexican architect Luis Macgregor Krieger houses excellent exhibits tracing the settlement's history as well as countless pots, figurines, tools, and other artifacts unearthed on the site. You can also walk the grassy, verdant grounds and stand atop the pyramid. Cuicuilco is a five-minute drive from Tlalpan Centro and about a 15-minute drive from UNAM and Ciudad Universitaria. You can Uber here, or take the Insurgentes Sur Metrobus to the Villa Olímpica stop, from which it's an easy five-minute walk.

Located relatively close to the city center in the San Pedro de los Pinos colonia, near San Ángel and Del Valle, this important archaeological site is on what centuries ago was the southwestern shore of Lake Texcoco, an area fed by streams from the western mountains. Its name, which in the Nahuatl language of the Mexica who resided here means "viper of the cloud," is believed to refer to the swirl of stars above that we call the Milky Way. The physical structure preserved at this site is relatively young, having been inhabited from around AD 900 to 1521. One of Mexico's smallest archaeological sites (it's just under 2 acres), Mixcoac only opened to the public for visits in summer 2019, under the aegis of Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH). Visitors can tour the remaining structures, which include a central courtyard surrounded by east and west platforms, with a ceremonial plaza, residential rooms, and other spaces.

By the time the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, this ancient city was already a ruin. The site's original name, Chicomostoc, means "place of the seven tribes." It was previously believed that seven different cultures had occupied the area, each one building atop the other's city. Debate continues as to whether the inhabitants of the area were related to the Mesoamericans (who occupied what is today central Mexico through northern Central America) or the indigenous cultures of what is now the southwestern United States. The site consists of the ruins of a ceremonial pyramid and a ball court; the principal draw is the rose-colored Salón de las Columnas, containing 11 massive round columns built of the same small slabs of rock. Interesting artifacts are housed in the site's impressive museum. To get here, take a bus toward Villanueva, get off at the entrance to La Quemada, and walk 3 km (2 miles). The bus ride takes about an hour and involves a long walk. Most visitors find it easier to take a taxi or guided tour out of Zacatecas.

In the early 16th century, Mexico City's zoo in Chapultepec housed a small private collection of animals belonging to Moctezuma II; it became quasi-public when he allowed favored subjects to visit it. The current zoo opened in the 1920s, and has the usual suspects, as well as some superstar pandas. A gift from China, the original pair—Pepe and Ying Ying—produced the world's first panda cub born in captivity (much to competitive China's chagrin). Today, a descendent of those original pandas, Xin Xin, is one of only three pandas in the world not owned by China. Chapultepec is also home to a couple of California condors plus hippopotamus, giraffes, and kangaroos. The zoo includes the Moctezuma Aviary and is surrounded by a miniature train depot, botanical gardens, and two small lakes. You'll find the entrance on Paseo de la Reforma, across from the Museo Nacional de Antropología.

All the animals at the Zoológico Regional Miguel Álvarez del Toro, known to locals as ZooMAT, are native to Chiapas. You'll find more than 100 species in settings designed to resemble their natural habitats, including jaguars, black panthers, tapirs, iguanas, and boa constrictors. Rather than sit in cages, spider monkeys swing from trees. Birders will be excited to see the rare resplendent quetzal at close quarters. Many animals from this zoo have been sent to other zoos around the world. The lush, forested setting and slightly higher elevation on the edge of town translate into slightly cooler temperatures than in the center city. Plan on a $5 taxi ride to get here from downtown Tuxtla.

Even though it's not a typical excursion for tourists, the Alta Vista petroglyphs offer an interesting and different day in the outdoors. Discovered by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the petroglyphs are a series of drawings set in stone in what seems to have been a ceremonial center for the ancient people of the Texcoquines. The petroglyphs possibly represent a 1,500-year historical span. Nowadays, the indigenous Huichol people still visit the site to celebrate different rituals. The self-guided tour ends up at the majestic "King's Pool," a naturally formed pool surrounded by cube-like stones. You can finish your history-rich excursion with a refreshing swim in the crystal-clear waters. This is a hard-to-get place, so make sure you have a reliable guide.

A couple of miles north of La Peñita, a dusty road leads to this long, secluded sandy beach with excellent swimming. The rutted dirt road from the highway, although only about 4 km (2½ miles) long, takes almost a half hour to negotiate in most passenger cars. Enjoy great views of the coastline from one of nearly a dozen seafood shanties. Turtles nest here in August and September. There are rumors of a major development here in the near-ish future. Facilities: Restaurants. Best for: swimming; walking.

Some 30 km (19 miles) north of Rincón de Guayabitos, Chacala is another 9 km (5 miles) from the highway through exuberant vegetation. You can dine or drink at the handful of eateries right on the beach, take in the soft-scented sea air and the green-blue sea, or bodysurf and boogie board. Swimming is safest under the protective headland to the north of the cove; surfing is often very good, but you have to hire a boat to access the point break. The beach is long but rather narrow when the tide is in. Facilities: Food concessions. Best for: surfing; swimming.

A classic in the region's beach scene and favorite of locals, this beach stretches a few miles north of Piedra Blanca headland. It's a wide, 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) beach with powder-soft beige sand and sometimes good waves for bodysurfers and boogie boarders. It's a pretty scene with the blue mountains to the north and south and the area's ubiquitous coconut palms framing views of the sky. On weekends and holidays, vendors prepare and sell yummy barbecue-blackened shrimp and fish kebabs, fresh fruit, and ceviche. A new development called Nahui was built above the beach and it brought with it better facilities for the beach. At the north end of the beach, Punta el Burro is a popular surf spot often accessed by boat from Punta Mita. Facilities: Food concessions, bathrooms, trash bins, parking. Best for: surfing; swimming; sunset.

The most accessible beach at Punta de Mita and considered to be surf central is El Anclote, whose name means "the big anchorage." Just a few minutes past the gated entrance to the tony Four Seasons and St. Regis hotels, the popular beach has a string of restaurants—once simple shacks but today of increasing sophistication and price. This is a primo spot for viewing a sunset. The surf is calmed by several rock jetties and is shallow for quite a way out, so it's a good spot for children and average to not-strong swimmers; however, the jetties have also robbed sand from the beach. There's a long, slow wave for beginning surfers; you can rent boards and take lessons from outfitters in town. Most of the jewelry and serape sellers and fishermen looking for customers have moved—or been moved—off the beach to more official digs in buildings along the same strip or facing the Four Seasons. Accessible from El Anclote (or the adjacent town of Corral del Risco), more than half a dozen great surf spots pump year-round; most are accessible only by boat. Punta de Mita is the northernmost point of Banderas Bay, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Puerto Vallarta. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling, surfing, paddle surfing; food concessions, showers, parking. Best for: snorkeling; surfing; sunset.

You know how in New York they reserved a huge piece of much-coveted land for Central Park? Well, something like that happened in Puerto Vallarta with the Estero El Salado. This estuary right in the middle of the city has been declared a protected area featuring spectacular examples of biodiversity. Boat tours go deep into El Salado from Tuesday to Saturday at 11 am and 3 pm. Get ready to see plenty of crocodiles up close and personal in their natural habitat, as well as a variety of birds and impressive vegetation. There is a museum and a tower offering stunning views of the estuary and the city. Call or write ahead (via the website) to book a tour.