6 Best Sights in Mexico

Some of the country's most celebrated modern architects—including Mario Pani, Enrique del Moral, and Teodoro González de Leon—designed buildings on the massive campus of UNAM, which sprawls across its own city within a city, the 2,500-acre (10-square-km) Ciudad Universitaria. Located in the southern reaches of the city, a little south of Coyoacán and San Ángel, the current campus was constructed in the 1950s on a then completely desolate field of petrified lava produced by the roughly AD 300 eruption of Xitle Volcano (a now dormant 1,000-foot-tall ash cone volcano about 8 km [5 miles] to the south). The university itself was established in 1910 and is one of the largest and most prestigious educational institutions in the world, with about 213,000 undergraduate and 30,000 graduate students enrolled across its numerous campuses around the country (as well as in extension schools in the United States and Canada). UNAM accepts only about 8% of applicants, and the campus here at Ciudad Universiteria is by far the largest and includes a number of outstanding architectural works and cultural attractions. Murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Juan O'Gorman appear on some buildings, most notably the 1956 functionalist Central Library, which O'Gorman designed in collaboration with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martinez de Velasco (and on which his massive murals appear). In addition to its outstanding museums and performance spaces, another highlight on campus is Jardín Botánico. UNAM also operates some other important institutions around the city, including Palacio de Mineria and Colegio de San Ildefonso (with its famous murals) in Centro Histórico, Casa del Lago in Parque Chapultepec, and Museo Universitario del Chopo in Santa Maria la Ribera.

Once the cloister of the adjacent Convent of the Immaculate Conception, this impressive building has been an institute for the study of music, dance, and the visual arts since 1938. Renovated over a period of several years, it has an auditorium, bookstore-giftshop, and salons for rotating art exhibits. Cultural events are listed on a bulletin board at the entrance.

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.

Since the school's founding in 1951, thousands of students from around the world have come here to learn Spanish and to take classes in the arts. The historical campus, a former country estate, is open to visitors—even if you don't plan on taking any courses, the institute is a great place to spend a few peaceful hours, though it is definitely not a must-see. Take a break at El Cafecito coffee bar. The Galería La Pérgola specializes in modern Mexican art. The Institute also provides a complete travel service, hotel bookings, and cultural, adventure, and shopping tours.

Learn how to cook authentic Mexican cuisine from the trained chefs at Casa Caribe's culinary school. After participating in the hands-on making of seven to eight dishes, including guacamole and salsa, you can enjoy the meal you've just prepared. Classes are offered Monday through Saturday, from 10 to 3:30, by reservation only.

Founded in 1732, the university was formerly a Jesuit seminary. The original churrigueresque church, La Compañía, still stands next door. The green limestone facade of the university, built in 1955, was designed to blend in with the town's architecture.

Between the university and the church, several art galleries and one small museum associated with the center of higher learning present rotating exhibits of contemporary art.