Introducing North of Mexico City
The two big attractions north of Mexico City are both ancient sites: the extraordinary complex at Teotihućan, once the largest metropolis in the Americas and one of Mexico’s most spectacular pre-Hispanic sights; and the lesser-known Tula, the Toltec capital northwest of Teotihuacán, far smaller but home to some truly extraordinary stone statues that have been almost perfectly preserved in a small central plaza.
Advertisement
Far more obscure but equally impressive is the Parque Nacional El Chico and the charming village of Mineral del Chico –the perfect escape from the big city, with stunning views, wide open spaces and friendly locals.
Pachuca, the fast-growing capital of dynamic Hidalgo state, has little to recommend it overall, although it does look charming from a distance, with its brightly painted houses, and it has a pretty colonial center and a great line in Cornish pasties. From Pachuca, well-paved routes snake east and north to the Gulf coast, traversing some spectacular country as the fringes of the Sierra Madre Oriental tumble to the coastal plain.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
