North of Mexico City
This jigsaw puzzle of rainbow-painted houses on a hillside makes up Mexico’s largest mural. The artwork took 14 months to paint, employing ex-gang members…
Must-see attractions in Around Mexico City
Cuernavaca
Adjoining the northwest corner of the Plaza de Armas is the Jardín Juárez, where the central gazebo (designed by tower specialist Gustave Eiffel) houses…
Puebla
This Jesuit church with a 1767 Churrigueresque facade is also called Espíritu Santo. Beneath the altar is a tomb said to be that of a 17th-century South…
Teotihuacán
Centuries ago, the Calzada de los Muertos must have seemed absolutely incomparable to its inhabitants, who were able to see its buildings at their best…
Teotihuacán
This priest’s residence, 500m northeast of the Pirámide del Sol, contains Teotihuacán’s most famous fresco, the worn Paradise of Tláloc. The rain god…
Puebla
This renovated colonial house is an outstanding example of the over-the-top 18th-century decorative style alfeñique, characterized by elaborate stucco…
South of Mexico City
About 33km southwest of Cuautla, Tlaltizapán is the site of the excellent Ex-Cuartel General de Zapata, the main barracks of the revolutionary forces…
West of Mexico City
This interactive collection of live and mounted insects and other creepy crawlies is a giggly delight. You can join a continual circuit tour where you can…
Puebla
Occupying the entire block facing the south side of the cathedral, the former bishop’s palace is a classic 17th-century brick-and-tile edifice that now…
Toluca
This musuem exhibits the work of modern Mexican-Japanese muralist and landscape artist Luis Nishizawa (1918–2014). Nishizawa was born in the state of…
Puebla
Situated above the Casa de la Cultura and founded in 1646, Biblioteca Palafoxiana was the first public library in the Americas. For this, Palafoxiana has…
Puebla
This fine Dominican church features a stunning Capilla del Rosario (Rosary Chapel), south of the main altar, which is the main reason to come here. Built…
Cholula
Ringed by platforms and unique diagonal stairways, this plaza was the main approach to Cholula's pyramid. Three large stone slabs on its east, north and…
Museo Nacional de la Fotografía
North of Mexico City
The excellent Museo Nacional de la Fotografía displays early imaging technology and stunning selections from the 1.5 million photos in the National…
East of Mexico City
A modern, well-organized onsite museum displaying 598 pre-Hispanic objects from the inhabitants of Cantona, with a large showcase of volcanic obsidian,…
East of Mexico City
Off the northwest corner of the zócalo is the orange-stucco and blue-tile Parroquia de San José, ringed with fountains. As elsewhere in the centro…
Puebla
This excellent railway museum with activities for kids is housed in Puebla’s former train station and the spacious grounds surrounding it. There are…
Museo de Arte Moderno del Estado de México
Toluca
The Museo de Arte Moderno traces the development of Mexican art from the late-19th-century Academia de San Carlos to the Nueva Plástica and includes…
Cholula
This excellent museum is housed in a fantastically restored colonial building on the zócalo. The small collection includes ceramics and jewelry from the…
Cuernavaca
This bright and inviting museum showcases handicrafts from Morelos, including life-size chinelos (costumed dancers with upturned chins from Morelos). Most…
Puebla
Puebla’s central plaza was originally a marketplace where bullfights, theater and hangings occurred, before assuming its current arboretum-like appearance…
Cascada Las Brisas & Cascada del Salto
East of Mexico City
About 5km southeast of town, there’s a pair of lovely waterfalls. The shallow natural swimming pools beneath the falls are cold but enticing – bring your…
Cuernavaca
The Palacio de Cortés houses this excellent museum, which has two floors of exhibits highlighting Mexican cultures and history. On the ground floor,…
Museo de Antropología e História
Toluca
This standout museum presents exhibits on the state’s history from prehistoric times to the 20th century, with a good collection of pre-Hispanic artifacts…
Toluca
This museum has a wonderfully varied collection of Mexico’s traditional arts and crafts, with some astounding ‘trees of life’ from Metepec, whimsical Day…
Casa de la Cultura de Cuetzalan
East of Mexico City
This small museum alongside the tourist office exhibits traditional daily dress of the region, arts and crafts, and some archaeological pieces from nearby…
Puebla
Opened in 1999 as Museo Poblano de Arte Virreinal, this top-notch museum is now named after the 16th-century Hospital de San Pedro in which it is housed…
Cholula
This small, well-maintained museum, across the road from the Pirámide Tepanapa ticket office and down some steps, provides the best introduction to the…
Cholula
This distinctively yellow baroque church has the tallest tower in Cholula and has become an often photographed icon of the city, at least at ground level…
East of Mexico City
This modern history museum looks at folklore through a multimedia lens and has well-presented exhibits on indigenous government, agriculture and…
Museo de los Murales Teotihuacanos
Teotihuacán
This impressive museum showcases murals from Teotihuacán, as well as reconstructions of murals you’ll see at the ruins. It's behind and to the left of the…
East of Mexico City
The handicrafts at this museum and store are collected from the Tlaxcala and Puebla region and focus on quality. Pieces include clay pottery and hand…
North of Mexico City
Tula’s fortress-like cathedral, just off the zócalo, was part of the 16th-century monastery of San José. Inside, its vault ribs are decorated in gold.
Cholula
About 2km from Cacaxtla, the much older ruins at Xochitécatl include a wide pyramid dedicated to a fertility god, and a circular pyramid. Because of its…
Cuernavaca
Cortés’ imposing medieval-style fortress stands opposite the southeast end of the Plaza de Armas. This two-story stone palace was built in 1535 on the…
Cuernavaca
This extravagant property, inspired by Versailles (though with mere park-like results), features gardens formally laid out in a series of terraces with…
Teotihuacán
Off the Plaza de la Luna’s southwest corner is the Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly, thought to be the home of a high priest. The remains of bears,…
Ex-Convento Domínico de la Natividad
Tepoztlán
This monastery, situated east of the zócalo, and the attached church were built by Dominican priests between 1560 and 1588. The plateresque church facade…
Palacio de Tetitla & Palacio de Atetelco
Teotihuacán
A group of palaces lies west, outside Teotihuacán's main area, several hundred meters northwest of Gate 1. Many of the murals, discovered in the 1940s,…
Taxco
This charming, rather ragtag religious-art museum is housed in a wonderful old house. It hosts a small but well-displayed collection of art, labeled in…
