Puebla
The north doorway of this church is a good example of 16th-century plateresque; the tower and fine brick-and-tile facade were added in the 18th century…
Must-see attractions in Around Mexico City
Cuernavaca
This very small archaeological site, 1km northeast of the center, actually has two pyramids, one inside the other. You can climb on the outer base and see…
Toluca
This large cultural center, 4.5km west of the city center, houses three good museums (which all keep the same hours). It’s no must-see, but still a…
Cholula
Cholula’s zócalo (in San Pedro Cholula, not to be confused with Zócalo de San Andrés to the east) is so huge and exposed that most people prefer to…
Puebla
This pockmarked 19th-century house was the scene of the first battle of the 1910 Revolution. The renovated house retains its bullet holes and some…
North of Mexico City
There is an easy 1.5km self-guided walk to this small river dotted with abandoned mines and surrounded by trees. From the left of Mineral del Chico's…
North of Mexico City
Pachuca’s mining museum provides a good overview of the industry that shaped the region. Headlamps, miners’ shrines and old mining maps are on display,…
Cuernavaca
Built as part of a land deal with the city, this excellent children’s museum has an odd location in a shopping center beside a Costco, about 4km north of…
South of Mexico City
In 1911 presidential candidate Francisco Madero embraced Emiliano Zapata at Cuautla’s old train station in the sprawling monastery grounds of Ex-Convento…
Museo Felipe Santiago Gutiérrez
Toluca
Dedicated to Mexican painter Felipe Santiago Gutiérrez (1824-1904), the Museo Felipe Santiago Gutiérrez is divided into eight rooms in an 18th Century…
Museo de Arte Prehispánico Carlos Pellicer
Tepoztlán
Behind the Dominican church, this archaeology museum has a small but interesting collection of pieces from around the country covering the Maya to Olmec,…
Puebla
This long, narrow park is an attractive counter to the centro histórico’s zocálo. The park is festive and crowded in the afternoons, when kids in school…
Taxco
This well laid-out three-story history and archaeology museum is off an alley behind Templo de Santa Prisca. It contains a small collection of pre…
West of Mexico City
A well-restored 16th-century convent, fronted by a tranquil tree-lined yard, faces the zócalo. Impressive frescoes fashioned from herb- and flower-based…
Taxco
Built by José de la Borda in 1759, the Casa Borda serves as a cultural center hosting experimental theater and exhibiting contemporary sculpture, painting…
East of Mexico City
The 16th-century building on the plaza's northwest side is the Palacio de Justicia, the former Capilla Real de Indios, built for the use of indigenous…
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca's zócalo, Plaza de Armas, is flanked on the east by the Palacio de Cortés and giant 'Cuernavaca' letters, on the west by the Palacio de…
South of Mexico City
The former residence of José María Morelos houses the Museo Histórico del Oriente. Each room here covers a different historical period with displays of…
Cholula
The Templo de San Gabriel was founded in 1529 on the site of a pyramid and the ruins of a temple dedicated to Quetzalcóatl. The exterior is partially…
Museo Vivo de Artes y Tradiciones Populares
East of Mexico City
This small, neglected arts museum has dusty displays on Tlaxcalan village life, agave, weaving and pulque-making, sometimes with demonstrations. Artisans…
East of Mexico City
Just below the Ex-Convento Franciscano de la Asunción, beside the 19th-century Plaza de Toros (bullring), is this capilla abierta (open chapel) with three…
Museo José Luis Bello y González
Puebla
This house is filled with the diverse art-and-crafts collection of the 19th-century industrialist Bello family who lived here. It's a treasure trove for…
Toluca
This museum is dedicated to landscape painter José María Velasco (1840–1912), who helped to create a sense of Mexican identity through the country's…
North of Mexico City
The 40m-high Reloj Monumental, built between 1904 and 1910 to commemorate the independence centennial, overshadows the north end of Pachuca’s remodeled…
North of Mexico City
This 30-sq-km national park was established as a reserve in 1898. In Pachuca and the town of Mineral del Chico you will find plenty of flyers for…
Cuernavaca
Although you can't enter the Palacio de Gobierno, it is a nice spot to contemplate some attractive architecture and enjoy the music outside. The baroque…
Museo de Bellas Artes de Toluca
Toluca
The ex-convent buildings adjacent to the Templo del Carmen, on the north side of Plaza Garibay, house Toluca’s Museo de Bellas Artes, which exhibits…
Cuernavaca
In the main cathedral of Cuernavaca is the small Museo de Arte Sacro, a museum (opened in 2018) displaying 92 pieces of religious paintings, ornaments and…
Cholula
In the middle of Cholula's huge zócalo is the 19th-century Capilla de la Tercera Orden. The church forms part of the Ex-Convento de San Gabriel.
Puebla
Next door to the Iglesia de la Compañía is the 16th-century Edificio Carolino, now the main building of Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
West of Mexico City
This sprawling outdoor water park mixes curative thermal-water pools with waterfalls, water slides, a wave pool and a miniature railway.
East of Mexico City
The Museo Regional de Tlaxcala has a large collection of religious paintings and a few pre-Hispanic sculptures and artifacts.
East of Mexico City
The 16th-century Palacio Municipal, a former grain storehouse, occupies the north side of the zócalo.
Ex-Hacienda de San Juan Chinameca
South of Mexico City
In 1919 Zapata was lured into a fatal trap here by Colonel Jesús Guajardo, following the orders of President Venustiano Carranza, who was eager to…
Museo de la Lucha para la Tierra
South of Mexico City
In Anenecuilco, 6km south of Cuautla, what’s left of the adobe cottage where Zapata was born (on August 8, 1879) is now the Museo de la Lucha para la…
Cuernavaca
A small Gothic church that shows its age and is all the more beautiful for it.
