Inland Michoacán
This old textile factory from the 19th century is essentially a living museum. Hand-loomed and hand-dyed bedspreads, tablecloths and curtains are still…
Must-see attractions in Western Central Highlands
Guadalajara Region
The Casa Sauza estate invokes Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic fairy tale The Secret Garden. The colonial-style grounds are adorned with Italianate…
Museo Nacional de la Escultura Sebastián
Western Central Highlands
Housed in an eye-catching steel and glass structure, the 'National Sculpture Museum Sebastián' is a two room gallery showcasing over 70 works, most by one…
La Campana Archaeological Site
Western Central Highlands
The low, pyramid-like structures at this bell-shaped (thus campana) archaeological site date from as early as 1500 BC. They have been excavated since the…
Inland Michoacán
Pátzcuaro’s second plaza, usually referred to as Plaza Chica, is officially named after a local heroine who was shot by firing squad in 1818 for her…
Guadalajara
Three blocks west of Parque Revolución is this museum of contemporary art housed in a French Renaissance building (1917) that once served as the…
Museo de Arte Huichol (Wixarika)
Guadalajara
This small but surprisingly informative museum has a worthwhile display of artifacts from the Huichol (or Wixarika) people, an indigenous group known for…
Inland Michoacán
A converted missionary hospital now houses the rustic ceramics studio of Manuel Morales, a fifth-generation local potter. His colorful, intricate work is…
Guadalajara Region
El Tépalo waterfall can be reached on foot from Ajijic. From the center follow Guerra and Encarnación Rosas north, then turn right on Callejón al Tépalo;…
Guadalajara Region
Don’t miss this school for special-needs kids dedicated to teaching self-confidence along with computer and art skills. Wonderful recycled art is made by…
Inland Michoacán
Embedded in the Huatápera, an old colonial courtyard building on the northeast corner of the main plaza, this small museum showcases handsome artesanías …
Morelia
This ambitious museum contains five rooms chock-a-block with religious paintings and sculptures, including more than 100 depictions of the crucified…
Western Central Highlands
Some 4km northeast of Colima, this extensive, manicured site was settled some time around 1300 BC, reaching its zenith between AD 1100 and 1400. There are…
Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento
Guadalajara
This dramatic neo-Gothic church, begun in 1897 but not completed until 1972, dominates the neighborhood thanks to its enormous stone columns, 15m-high…
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Alfredo Zalce
Morelia
Modern-art fans might find something interesting at this art museum in Morelia's city park named for the Michoacano artist and muralist Alfredo Zalce …
Guadalajara Region
Two kilometers south of Tequila sits the beautiful Hacienda La Cofradia estate where the 100% blue agave Casa Noble tequila brand is distilled. The…
Guadalajara
Construction of this neoclassical theater, which is home to the Guadalajara Philharmonic, was begun in 1855 and completed four decades later. Above the…
Rotonda de los Jaliscenses Ilustres
Guadalajara
Jalisco’s hall of fame, in the plaza on the north side of the cathedral, is ringed by 30 bronze sculptures of the state’s favorite writers, architects and…
Guadalajara
The fabulously wide pedestrian and elevated Plaza Tapatía sprawls for more than 500m eastward from Teatro Degollado to the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas…
Guadalajara Region
The more interesting island to visit on Lago de Chapala is Isla de Mezcala. Here you’ll find ruins of a fort where Mexican independence fighters held…
Inland Michoacán
This restored mid-16th-century church in the village of San Francisco Coatepec de Morelos across Hwy 51 south of Zitácuaro appeared in the great John…
Biblioteca Pública de la Universidad Michoacana
Morelia
Installed inside the magnificent 17th-century Ex-Templo de la Compañía de Jesús, the shelves of the city's breathtaking university library rise up toward…
Pinacoteca Universitaria Alfonso Michel
Western Central Highlands
The modern entrance to this gallery leads into a 19th-century courtyard surrounded by seven halls filled with surrealist art. Included is a permanent…
Guadalajara
Two blocks east of the Basílica de Zapopan, MAZ is dedicated to modern art. Four sleek minimalist galleries hold temporary exhibits, which have included…
Guadalajara
Plaza Guadalajara is shaded by dozens of severly cropped laurel trees and has great views of the east of the cathedral. Boasting a few fine cafes, it's a…
Parque Zoológico Benito Juárez
Morelia
Morelia's zoo is located 2.5km south of the Plaza de Armas and is surprisingly pleasant, with most critters in decent habitats. Animals include sea lions,…
Museo de Arte Sacro de Guadalajara
Guadalajara
This pious collection astride the eastern flank of the cathedral is filled with dark and brooding 17th- to 18th-century religious art, as well as some…
Morelia
Morelia’s impressively preserved aqueduct north runs for just over 2km along (appropriately enough) Avenida Acueducto and then curves around Plaza…
Guadalajara Region
The romantic old Hacienda de San José del Refugio is where Herradura tequila is distilled. It is one of Mexico’s prettiest distilleries, with regularly…
Guadalajara Region
About 2km south of town is the leafy park of Los Cazos, with the 30m waterfall Casacada El Salto another 2km walk from the park entrance. You can picnic…
Inland Michoacán
This creaky church is one of Pátzcuaro's oldest and is built on the site of a former hospital in the 16th century. Until the early 1900s, it housed the…
Guadalajara
It's worth popping into this interesting modern and conceptual art gallery to see if there's an exhibition showing (there's no permanent collection on…
Morelia
A beautifully renovated 18th century casona (mansion), this museum hosts temporary exhibits and workshops often related to the history and culture of the…
Inland Michoacán
Among the intricately decorated guitars displayed at this small museum in the Casa de la Cultura – including classical, Flamenco, Hawaiian and steel…
Guadalajara
Built in 1588, the Palacio de Justicia began life as Guadalajara's first nunnery. Duck inside to the interior stairwell and check out the 1965 mural by…
Guadalajara Region
Set in an old colonial building just off the main plaza and spread over five rooms, this museum does a good job of illustrating the history of tequila…
Inland Michoacán
This sensational 16th-century church on the main square has a beautifully carved portal at the entrance carved in the Moorish Mudéjar style by an…
Inland Michoacán
Built between 1526 and 1539, this pink-stone eclectic-style Franciscan church has an impressive Plateresque-style doorway, an adjoining cloister and a…
Guadalajara
The compact Templo de Aranzazú is perhaps the city’s most beautiful. Built from 1749 to 1752, it has three remarkably ornate Churrigueresque (Spanish…
Guadalajara
South of the landmark Teatro Degollado on Plaza de la Liberación is the baroque-style Templo de San Agustín, all gold and white. Erected in 1573, it is…
