843 Best Sights in Mexico

The building that now houses one of several national libraries scattered around the city was first designed as a cigarette factory at the end of the 18th century. A grid of nine square modules, including open courtyards lined with neoclassical columns, construction on the building lasted from 1793 through 1807. Within a year, the building had taken on other uses, including as a prison. By the middle of the struggle for Mexican independence, which lasted from 1810 to 1821, the building had become an armory. After decades of multiple uses, a substantial part of the building was dedicated as part of the new national library system and eventually inaugurated as such in 1946. Today, the library houses the collections of several of Mexico's most celebrated writers. It's also a beautiful place to sit with a book of your own. Guided tours through the library's elegantly staid courtyards are available by request from Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit the library's website.

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.

About 4 km (2½ mi) south of Playa Mocambo is Boca del Río, a small fishing village at the mouth of the Río Jamapa that is quickly getting sucked into Veracruz's orbit. A taxi from the city center costs about $4.

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.

Bonampak, which means "painted walls" in Mayan, is renowned for its courtly murals of Mayan life. The settlement was built on the banks of the Río Lacanjá in the 7th and 8th centuries and was uncovered in 1946. Explorer Jacques Soustelle called it "a pictorial encyclopedia of a Maya city." In remarkable tones of blue, red, green, and yellow, the scenes in the three rooms of the fascinating Templo de las Pinturas recount such subjects as life at court and the aftermath of battle.

Wear sturdy shoes and bring insect repellent, good sunglasses, and a hat. Note that only four visitors are allowed in each room of the Templo de las Pinturas at a time, and you can't use a flash.

The city's best (read: only) real park is around the corner from the aquarium. With 29 acres of shaded playgrounds, trails, and a train to ride, it's a great place for kids to work off hotel-bound energy. It really gets moving on Sunday, frequently to the beat of a live band.

The stretch of sand right in front of downtown Bucerías is not as appealing as what you'll find if you just walk about 200 meters south. The shore break can get a bit sketchy when there's a swell, so you might just want to walk toward Nuevo Vallarta before planting your beach umbrella. Amenities: parking (free); food and drink; water sports. Best for: walking; windsurfing; sunset. 

Adjacent to the Grand Palladium Resort and the Secrets Resort, you'll encounter rocks and sea urchins at this beach once you reach the water. Burros has one of the most consistent surf breaks in the area and thus gets crowded with surfers. Non-surfers also come here to check out the action, and it is possible to swim when the waves are small. During low tide you can make your way to the beach on the other side of the small cliff where there's a natural saltwater pool. Amenities: water sports. Best for: surfing; walking.

The dominant landmark is the chalk-white Cabeza Maya, a giant sculpture of the head of a Mayan chieftain just west of downtown. It sits in La Cañada, a quiet neighborhood with many great hotels and restaurants.

Tlaxcala's most famous site isn't in the town at all. At the nearby archaeological site of Cacaxtla you'll see some of Mexico's most vividly colored murals. Accidentally discovered in 1975, the main temple at Cacaxtla contains breathtaking scenes of a surprisingly vicious battle between two bands of warriors. The nearly life-size figures wearing jaguar skins clearly have the upper hand against their foes in lofty feathered headdresses.

The site, dating from AD 650 to AD 900, is thought to be the work of the Olmeca-Xicalanca people. Other paintings adorn smaller structures. The newly restored Templo Rojo, or Red Temple, is decorated with stalks of corn with cartoonlike human faces. Perhaps the most delightful is in the Templo de Venus, or Temple of Venus, where two figures are dancing in the moonlight, their bodies a striking blue.

On a hill about 1½ km (1 mile) north of Cacaxtla is the site of Xochitécatl, with four Classic Period pyramids. You can see both sites with the same admission ticket. Head south from Mexico City toward Puebla on Carretera Federal 119. Veer off to the right toward the town of Nativitas. Both sites are near the village of San Miguel del Milagro.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee may be enough to draw you into this three-room museum, which doubles as a restaurant. The well-executed displays about the local cash crop will be enough to keep you here. Chiapas is the country's biggest producer of coffee, harvesting almost as much as Oaxaca and Veracruz combined. Although indigenous people were exploited for centuries by wealthy landowners, they now produce more than 90% of the region's coffee. The captions are in Spanish, but there are information leaflets in English. When you're finished with the museum, head to the central café for a taste of rich cafe chiapaneco.

Some of Campeche's finest homes were built on this street between Calles 8 and 18. Most of the two-story structures were originally dual-purpose, with warehouses on the ground floor and living quarters above. These days, behind the delicate grillwork and lace curtains, you can glimpse genteel scenes of local life. The best-preserved houses are between Calles 14 and 18 (many of those closer to the sea have been remodeled or destroyed by fire). Campeche's INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) office, between Calles 14 and 16, is a prime example; each month it displays a different artifact in its courtyard. At the end of Calle 59 is Puerta de Mar, a main entrance to the historic city. Look for the names of the apostles carved into the lintels of houses between Calles 16 and 18.

Puebla is famous for all kinds of homemade goodies. Calle de Santa Clara, also known as Sweets Street, is lined with shops selling a wide variety of sugary treats in the shape of sacred hearts, guitars, and sombreros. Don't miss the cookies—they're even more delicious than they look.

During high season (December–April), this street is the place to go once the sun sets. There are several restaurants, art galleries, and cafés.

Mayto’s Turtle Camp is a yearslong, well-run project from Universidad de Guadalajara that patrols the beaches of the area in search of turtle nests and their eggs in order to save them from poachers. They constantly receive groups of students from schools in Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and other cities. With some luck you might get to see the release of baby turtles into the sea.

This 262-foot rotating tower has a bird’s-eye view of Cancún and the bay. The experience—which includes the ascent, a few rotations at the top, and the descent—takes about 10 minutes and is accompanied by Spanish-English narration.

The massive orange-trimmed church on the north side of Plaza Zaragoza is the Capilla de la Candelaria, constructed in 1779. It houses the town's patron saint, the Virgen de la Candelaria. The saint is honored each year with a festival that runs from January 31 to February 9; a parade with hundreds of horses is followed by the running of the bulls through the streets. The most famous image of the festival is a statue of the Virgin Mary drifting down the river, followed by a flotilla of little boats. The buildings in Plaza Zaragoza are helpfully marked with snippets of history printed in Spanish and English.

The magnificent church of St. Dominic is famous for its overwhelming Capilla del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary), where almost every inch of the walls and ceilings is covered with gilded carvings. Dominican friars arrived here in 1534, barely a dozen years after the Spanish conquered this region. The Capilla de la Tercera Orden (Chapel of the Third Order) was originally called the "Chapel of the Dark-Skinned Ones," named for the mixed-race population born a short time later.

Easily accessible by cab from downtown or the cruise piers, this spot at Playa San Francisco is a rowdy affair with a restaurant and bar where waiters break into song and draw customers into line dances. The food is typical of the chain—burgers, barbecued ribs, tacos—and the alcohol flows generously. While there's a wide array of water sports offered, the water is shallow, not always clear, and congested with Jet Skis and water toys. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: partiers.

The neoclassical Casa de Cabildo, which houses all the governmental offices, is painted vivid shades of red and green. The huge arch in the center of the building leads to the old port, and all newcomers once passed through this portal.

Although locals call it Casa de Cortés, the 16th-century customs house actually had nothing to do with the conquistador. Little is left of the structure, which once housed 22 rooms surrounded by a huge courtyard. Its crumbling masonry has been reclaimed by clinging vines and massive tree roots.

This cultural space and art gallery was created to give community members a way to interact with local artists, take workshops and classes ranging from yoga to ceramics, and generally participate in San Rafael's burgeoning arts culture. 

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.

The city's cultural center has first-class regional and Mexican handicrafts for sale, the Ixcateopan art gallery, and a small sports hall of fame with photos of local athletes. The center also sponsors folk dancing and theater productions, as well as language workshops.

What was originally a coffee processing plant now houses a public library, the town archives, and a somewhat haphazard ethnographic museum, which often displays works by local artists. Opposite the building across Avenida Miguel Alvarado is Cuetzalan's daily crafts market, open from noon to 5.

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.

Originally built as a home in the 16th century, the "House of Tiles" only acquired the celebrated facade that lends it its name a century later when the material was likely introduced from the workshop of the Dominican friars in the nearby city of Puebla. The dazzling designs, along with the facade's iron balconies and bronze handrails, the latter imported from China, make it one of the most singular baroque structures in the city. The interior is also worth seeing for its Moorish patio, monumental staircase, and mural by Orozco. The building is currently occupied by Sanborns, a chain store and restaurant; if you have plenty of time (service is slow), this is a good place to stop for a meal—especially breakfast, when older men gather to read their newspapers around the snaking bar. There's also a store with a pharmacy, bakery, candy counter, and an ATM.

The brainchild of Hugo D'Acosta, Casa de Piedra is part of an impressive portfolio that includes Paralelo, Aborigen, and La Borde Vieille, known for its Mexican and French blends. Try Casa de Piedra's flagship wine Contraste or their sparkling wines. The space is interesting and modern, designed by the winemaker's architect brother. Visits are by reservation only.

Just a few blocks from Casa Estudio Luis Barragán, you'll find the famed architect's final design project. This narrow, deep house looks modest from the street, but its light-pink facade hints at something interesting within. Indeed, a tour of this house that Barragán constructed in 1976, well after he'd retired professionally, reveals many of the trademark features that characterize his design approach: boldly colored walls, geometrically shaped windows that allow light to filter in at interesting angles, and a stunning back patio anchored by a jacaranda tree. There's also an almost miragelike indoor swimming pool. A visit here is a must for devotees of Barragán, but anyone with an interest in design will enjoy a tour. Because the occupants of the house still reside here (their son gives the tours), visiting does require a little effort: advance reservations are required (you must call or email), and tours are offered only twice a day on weekdays and once on Saturday morning.