843 Best Sights in Mexico

Inside this imposing early 20th-century mansion and its connected buildings, artists are nurtured and browsers are welcomed in the airy exhibition spaces, a library, a bookstore, a wide range of courses, a café, and a swanky restaurant called Nueve Nueve that serves upmarket contemporary Mexican and international cuisine. All of the spaces surround a beautiful courtyard, and the restaurant—set inside a modern glass-walled addition—offers particularly nice views.

The place where the Mexica emperor Cuauhtémoc was held prisoner by Cortés is often alleged to have been rebuilt in the 18th century from the stones of the conquistador's original house, although historians agree that Cortés himself lived not here but several blocks away by La Conchita Church. Topped by two coyote figures, this long, single-story building on the north side of Plaza Hidalgo houses Coyoacán's municipal government offices and a small tourism visitor center (as well as the local library in the adjacent building). You can wander through the wide arches to see the handsomely tiled courtyard.

You're welcome any time at the Casa Museo de Doña Conchita. The affable owner shows visitors photos of her venerable family—which she traces back six generations. See banknotes from the mining days, bloomers, shirts made by hand by the lady for her many children, and other memorabilia. If you speak Spanish, ask Doña Conchita to tell you about the ghosts that haunt her house, which is right on the square between the basketball court and la presidencia, or town hall.

Built by the renowned architect Antonio Rivas Mercado between 1893 and 1898, the recently restored Rivas Mercado House is among the finest freestanding homes in the city's central neighborhoods and one of the remaining reminders of the colonia Guerrero's heyday as one of the city's more fashionable districts. The house was also the childhood home of writer and intellectual Antonieta Rivas Mercado, a great cultural gatekeeper of early 20th-century Mexico. A contributor to the avant-garde Teatro Ulises and the now-legendary literary magazine Los Contemporáneos, Rivas Mercado died tragically in 1931 at age 30 by shooting herself on the altar at Notre Dame. The house is open for guided tours at 10 am and noon on weekends, which must be reserved via email.

One of the city's earliest colonial homes now serves as a cultural center. Its fully restored rooms are furnished with period antiques and a few well-chosen reproductions; original frescoes at the tops of the walls remain, and you can see patches of the painted "wallpaper" that once covered the walls, serving to simulate European trends in an environment where real wallpaper wouldn't adhere due to the humidity. There is a small coffee shop on-site, plus a gift shop selling products from Campeche. The Moorish courtyard is occasionally used as a space for exhibits and lectures. Activities occur here several evenings a week. Vivo Recuerdo, a musical/theater interpretation of Campeche's history, is presented Thursday through Sunday; Con Sabor a Chocolate, a chocolate-making demonstration, takes place on Friday and Saturday.

Xico is known for its natural wonders, notably the Cascada de Texolo, a majestic waterfall set in a deep gorge of tropical greenery. The lush area surrounding the falls is great for exploring; paths lead through forests of banana trees to smaller cascades and crystal-blue pools, perfect for a refreshing swim. There's also a steep staircase that will take you from the observation deck to the base of the falls.

The falls are about 3 km (2 mi) from the center of town. To reach them, start from the red-and-white church where Calle Zaragoza and Calle Matamoros meet and follow the cobblestone street downhill, bearing right when you reach the small roadside shrine to the Virgin Mary. Continue through the coffee plantations, following the signs for "La Cascada" until you reach the main observation deck.

It's a long walk, so if it's a hot day you might want to take a taxi from the main square.

Entry is free, though there's a small fee for parking.

A (usually) dry riverbed called an arroyo runs through the center of Los Barriles, and it is a wild landscape to rip through on an ATV. About 20 km (12½ miles) in is a waterfall whose size changes by the month; sometimes its pool is only deep enough for a splash, but it's still miraculous to see freshwater rapidly gushing out of rocks in the middle of an otherwise barren desert.

If you've heard whispers of a waterfall, it was likely this: Cascada Sol del Mayo, located at the base of a canyon within the Rancho Ecológico Sol de Mayo, just outside of the town of Santiago. It's a bit of a journey to reach, but it's a fun adventure for active travelers. First, head down a long dirt road from the Mirador Santiago de Yola, a small observation platform overlooking Santiago's lagoons and palm groves; you'll likely lose cell reception, but it's hard to get lost (download the route on Google Maps ahead of time if you'd like the reassurance). Once you reach the ranch, you'll need to pay an entrance fee, and it's a short but steep hike down into the canyon. You'll be rewarded halfway with a view of the twinkling green swimming hole and dainty but powerful cascade. The crystal clear, freshwater pool is incredibly refreshing (especially after that descent on a warm day) and has pockets both deep (nice for jumping) and shallow (nice for standing or floating).

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.

Cortés ordered the construction of this cathedral, also known as Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, with work beginning in 1525. Like his palace, the cathedral doubled as a fortress. Cannons mounted above the flying buttresses helped bolster the city's defenses. The facade may give you a sense of foreboding, especially when you catch sight of the skull and crossbones over the door. The interior is much less ominous, though, thanks to the stained-glass windows and the murals uncovered during renovations.

Begun in 1561 and consecrated in 1618, this downtown focal point is an intriguing mélange of baroque, Gothic, and other styles. Its emblematic twin towers replaced the originals, felled by the earthquake of 1818. Ten of the silver-and-gold altars were gifts from King Fernando VII in thanks for Guadalajara's financial support of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. Some of the world's most magnificent retablos (altarpieces) adorn the walls; above the sacristy (often closed to the public) is Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's priceless 17th-century painting The Assumption of the Virgin. In a loft above the main entrance is a magnificent 19th-century French organ.

It took two centuries (from 1650 to 1850) to finish this cathedral, and, as a result, it incorporates both neoclassical and Renaissance elements. On the simple limestone exterior, sculptures of saints in niches are covered in black netting to discourage pigeons from unintentional desecration. The church's neoclassical interior is also somewhat plain and sparse. The high point of its collection, now housed in the side chapel museum, is a magnificent Holy Sepulchre carved from ebony and decorated with stamped silver angels, flowers, and decorative curlicues. Each angel holds a symbol of the Stations of the Cross.

A new lighting scheme gives nighttime drama to the bright yellow spires of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which have towered over downtown for more than a century. Church construction began in 1855 and took nearly 50 years, along the way embracing Moorish, Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical architectural styles. A recent restoration has the Italian marble, cedar fixtures, elaborate chandeliers, and Parisian organ shining brighter than ever.

This cathedral is atop a hill one block south of Plaza Xicohténcatl. Its most unusual feature is its Moorish-style wood ceiling beams, carved and gilded with gold studs. There are only a few churches of this kind in Mexico, as Mudejar flourishes were popular here only during the really early years after the Spanish conquest. The austere monastery is home to the Museo Regional de Tlaxcala, which displays 16th- to 18th-century religious paintings as well as a small collection of pre-Columbian pieces. A beautiful outdoor chapel near the monastery has notable Moorish and Gothic traces.

The downtown church, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Paz, is a simple, unassuming building near the site of La Paz's first mission, which no longer exists. Built in 1861, it's one of La Paz's oldest buildings, and so no changes can be made, even for restoration. It was built with volcanic stone, the primary available material at the time; inside you can find a modest gilded altar but beautiful stained-glass windows.

Construction on Puebla's immense and impressive cathedral began between 1536 and 1539. Work was completed by the city's most famous son, Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, who donated his personal fortune to build its famous tower, the second largest in the country. The altar was constructed between 1797 and 1818. Manuel Tolsá, Mexico's most illustrious colonial architect, adorned it with onyx, marble, and gold. The meticulously preserved interior is among the most impressive of Mexico's churches.

Dedicated to St. Christopher the Martyr, this cathedral was built in 1528, then demolished, and rebuilt in 1693, with additions during the 18th and 19th centuries. It has become the iconic symbol of the city and is pictured on countless postcards. Note the classic colonial features on the ornate facade: turreted columns, arched windows and doorways, and beneficent-looking statues of saints in niches. The floral embellishments in rust, black, and white accents on the ocher background are unforgettable. Inside, don't miss the painting Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) to the left of the altar, beside the gold-plated Retablo de los Tres Reyes (Altarpiece of the Three Kings); the Chapel of Guadalupe in the rear; and the gold-washed pulpit.

The gleaming white St. Mark's Cathedral sits across from the sprawling Parque Central, which is really more plaza than park. The modern structure shows some colonial touches. The tower has 48 bells that ring every hour as mechanical figures resembling the apostles appear halfway up the tower. Inside, you’ll hear services in Tzotzil and Tzeltal, Chiapas’s primary indigenous languages, as well as Spanish. The Vatican approved official mass translations for both languages in 2013, and Catholic churches throughout Chiapas use them. The building is open daily 8–2 and 4:30–8. A sound-and-light show is presented Thursday through Sunday evenings at 8, with brightly colored Chiapas-themed images projected onto the cathedral's white facade.

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.

Begun in 1544, the cathedral was destroyed by earthquakes and fire and not finished until 1733. It honors the Virgin of the Assumption, whose statue can be seen on the facade above the door. The chapel at the back of the church and to the left of the altar houses the revered crucifix of El Señor del Rayo (Our Lord of the Lightning Bolt), the only piece to survive a fire that started when lightning struck the thatch roof of the original structure. There's no clapper in the bell, supposedly because it started to ring on its own accord back in the 18th century. A recent scrubbing has made this a contender for the city's most gorgeous church. On festival days, the cathedral is filled with flowers.

Heading toward the river on Calle Ruiz Cortés you'll see a tree with tentacle-like branches blocking the road. This is the Ceiba de la Noche Feliz. It's said the river once extended to this tree and that Cortés tied his boats here when he arrived.

Cempoala (sometimes spelled "Zempoala") was the capital of the Totonac people. The name means "place of 20 waters," after the sophisticated Totonac irrigation system. When Cortés arrived here under the cover of night, the plaster covering of the massive Templo Mayor (Main Temple) and other buildings led him to believe the city was constructed of silver. Cortés placed a cross atop this temple—the first gesture of this sort in New Spain—and had Mass said by a Spanish priest.

The city's fate was sealed in 1519 when Cortés formed an alliance with the Totonac leader. Chicomacatl—dubbed "Fat Chief" by his own people because of his enormous girth—was an avowed enemy of the more powerful Aztec, so he decided to fight them alongside the Spanish. The alliance greatly enlarged Cortés's army, and encouraged the Spaniard to march on Mexico City and defeat the Aztec. The strategic move backfired, however. The Totonac could protect themselves against the Spanish swords, but were powerless against the smallpox the invaders brought with them. The population was devastated.

Upon entering the ruins, you'll see Círculo de los Gladiadores, a small circle of waist-high walls to the right of center. This was the site of contests between captured prisoners of war and Totonac warriors: each prisoner was required to fight two armed warriors. One such prisoner, the son of a king from Tlaxcala, won the unfair match and became a national hero. His statue stands in a place of honor in Tlaxcala. Another small structure to the left of the circle marks the spot where an eternal flame was kept lighted during the Totonac sacred 52-year cycle.

At the Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon), to the far left of Templo Mayor, outstanding warriors were honored with the title "Eagle Knight" or "Tiger Knight" and awarded an obsidian nose ring to wear as a mark of their status. Just to the left of the Moon Temple is the larger Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun), where the hearts and blood of sacrificial victims were placed. Back toward the dirt road and across from it is the Templo de la Diosa de la Muerte (Temple of the Goddess of Death), where a statue of the pre-Hispanic deity was found along with 1,700 small idols.

There's a small museum near the entrance that contains some of the minor finds the site has yielded. Well-trained guides offer their services, but tours are mainly in Spanish. Voladores from Papantla usually give a performance here on weekends. To get here from Veracruz, drive 42 km (26 mi) north on Carretera 180, past the turnoff for the town of Cardel. Cempoala is on a clearly marked road a few miles farther on your left. If you are coming by bus, take an ADO bus to Cardel. The terminal for Autotransportes Cempoala buses is at the corner of Calle José Azueta and Avenida Juan Martinez, two blocks from the ADO station. A ride directly to the site costs about 80¢ each way.

When you’ve exhausted your interest in archaeology—or are just plain exhausted—Cenote Ik Kil (meaning "place of the winds") offers a refreshing change of pace. Located across from the Doralba Inn in Pisté, this is an especially photogenic cenote to swim in. Lockers, changing facilities, showers, and life jackets are available.

Perhaps the most photographed cenote in the Yucatán, this sinkhole is across the road from another one, Cenote X-Keken, about 5 km (3 miles) west of the main square. A narrow stairway leads to crystal clear water where tree vines dangle overhead and hundreds of birds nest between the stalactites. Don't be alarmed by the tiny Garra rufa fish that nibble at your feet—they are actually eating away the dead skin cells. Guides offer tours for tips.

Five kilometers (3 miles) west of the main square, you can swim with the catfish in a lovely, mysterious cave illuminated by a small natural skylight. There are toilets and changing facilities but no lockers. Directly across the street is the equally stunning Cenote Samulá. Guides offer tours for tips.

A large, round, and beautiful sinkhole right in town, Cenote Zací—zací means "white hawk" in the Mayan language—is sometimes crowded with tourists and local boys clowning it up; at other times, it's deserted. Leaves from the tall old trees surrounding the sinkhole float on the surface, but the water itself is quite clean. If you're not up for a dip, visit the adjacent handicraft shop or have a bite at the popular, thatched-roof restaurant overlooking the water.  We recommend paying the extra MX$30 to rent a life vest here.

The Ex-Convento San Pablo has been turned from dereliction into a stunning new cultural and academic center for the city of Oaxaca. Visitors can enjoy the ongoing program of artistic and musical events, as well as the café, the children’s library, archaeological exhibition, restored chapel, and the interesting Moroccan-Oaxacan restaurant with roof terrace. San Pablo really is a triumph of sensitive restoration creating a truly public space.

The Cultural Center of Spain is an art space, restaurant, and bar in the heart of the neighborhood, just steps away from the Cathedral and the Templo Mayor and with beautiful views of both from its open-air rooftop. It was built in an area that Hernán Cortés himself assigned to his butler, Diego de Soto, though the land changed hands many times and the current building was constructed in the 18th century, well after the years of Cortés. Temporary exhibits housed in the seven exhibition rooms often highlight young artists and showcase current artistic trends. While the exhibitions are worth a look, there are also conferences and workshops held on a nearly daily basis for anyone interested in art and culture. The rooftop bar, which hosts frequent live music events, is one of the neighborhood's better-kept secrets, with a balcony opening directly onto the Cathedral's magnificent dome and buttresses: easily one of the area's best views. Check out the center's website for listings.

Referred to as simply the "Olimpo," this beautiful porticoed cultural center was built adjacent to city hall in late 1999. Its marble interior hosts international art exhibits, classical-music concerts, conferences, and theater and dance performances. The adjoining 1950s-style movie house shows both classic art films and animated features targeting younger viewers. The center also houses a planetarium with 60-minute shows explaining the solar system (narration is in Spanish); they run Tuesday through Sunday at 6 pm and Sunday at 10, 11, noon, 6, and 7—be sure to arrive 15 minutes early as nobody is allowed to sneak in once the show has begun.

This 1681 mansion, which contains both a cultural center and Museo Casa del Risco, is one of the prettiest houses facing the Plaza San Jacinto. The huge 18th-century Risco Fountain—exploding with colorful porcelain tiles, shells, and mosaics—dominates the eastern wall of the enclosed courtyard. Inside, the upper galleries contain a splendid if slightly somber collection of 17th- and 18th-century European baroque and colonial Mexican paintings and furnishings, all donated by the house's last owner, statesman and politician Isidro Fabela, who died in 1964. Fabela also donated books and magazines to a small library behind the museum (by way of a lovely patio) that's open to the public. Events and rotating art exhibits are staged throughout the year.