Northern Central Highlands

From cobbled lanes and shaded plazas to vast deserts and cloud forest, Mexico's northern central highlands is a region as varied as its history, cuisine and cultures. It was here that enormous mineral wealth created rich colonial cities before revolutionary activity left ghost towns in its wake. Known as the Cuna de la Independencia (Cradle of Independence), the territory is renowned for its part in the country's fight for autonomy, spurred on by the famous Grito de Dolores, which called the Mexican people to arms against the Spanish.

Unmissable highlights of the region include arty and achingly gorgeous San Miguel de Allende, the waterfalls and the turquoise-colored water of the Huasteca Potosina and the grand colonial silver cities of Guanajuato and Zacatecas. Elsewhere you'll find pre-Hispanic sites, art museums, nightlife, crowded festivals and artesanías shopping to rival anywhere else in the country. Get ready to join the (exceptionally loud) party.

Explore Northern Central Highlands

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Northern Central Highlands.

  • Gardens

    Las Pozas

    Take a wealthy English eccentric, an idyllic tract of Mexican jungle and an extremely hyperactive imagination, and you’d still struggle to come up with…

  • Waterfall

    Cascada de Tamul

    Like something from a tropical postcard, Tamul is easily the Huasteca Potosina’s most spectacular waterfall. Milky-blue water plunges 105m into the…

  • Ruins

    Cañada de la Virgen

    Cañada de la Virgen is an intriguing pre-Hispanic pyramid complex and former ritual and ceremonial location, dating from around AD 300 and in use until…

  • Museum

    Museo Nacional de la Muerte

    The excellent Museo Nacional de la Muerte exhibits all things relating to Mexico's favorite subject – death – from the skeleton La Catrina to historic…

  • Cave

    Sótano de las Huahuas

    This huge jungle-fringed sinkhole is home to tens of thousands of swifts as well as many green parrots, and at dawn and dusk they surge in or out of the…

  • Museum

    Museo Federico Silva

    This excellent museum devoted to the work of Mexican artist Federico Silva (b 1923) should not be missed. The 17th-century building was once a hospital…

  • Museum

    Museo Nacional de la Máscara

    This superb museum displays a fascinating collection of ceremonial masks from across Mexico and around the world, and does a good job at explaining the…

  • Museum

    Museo y Casa de Diego Rivera

    Diego Rivera's birthplace is now an excellent museum honoring the famous artist, who was persona non grata here for years. Rivera and his twin brother…

  • Museum

    MUCAL

    While a museum of calendars might not sound riveting, this extraordinary museum is unexpectedly interesting. It takes a wide angle view of calendars and…

  • Theater

    Teatro Juárez

    Don’t leave Guanajuato without visiting the magnificent Teatro Juárez. It was built between 1873 and 1903 and inaugurated by the dictator Porfirio Díaz,…

  • Museum

    Museo Rafael Coronel

    The excellent Museo Rafael Coronel is not to be missed. Imaginatively housed in the ruins of the lovely 16th-century Ex-Convento de San Francisco, it…

  • Church

    Templo La Valenciana

    On a hill overlooking Guanajuato, 5km north of the center, is the magnificent Templo La Valenciana. Its facade is spectacular and its interior dazzles…

  • Waterfall

    Cascadas de Minas Viejas

    The stunning cascades of Minas Viejas are well worth the 78km trip northwest from Ciudad Valles, if only to see the gorgeous turquoise waters here. The…

  • Museum

    Museo Pedro Coronel

    The Museo Pedro Coronel is housed in a 17th-century former Jesuit college and is one of provincial Mexico's best art museums. Pedro Coronel (1923−85) was…

  • Museum

    Museo Leonora Carrington

    British-born but Mexican at heart, Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) was one of the last surrealist artists and a key player in the Mexican women's…

  • Nature Reserve

    Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda

    The Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra Gorda, in the rugged Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range, covers a huge swath of the northeastern third of Querétaro…

  • Ruins

    La Quemada

    The remote and scenic ruins of La Quemada stand on a hill 45km south of Zacatecas. The exact history and purpose of the site are extremely vague and many…

  • Landmark

    Cerro de la Bufa

    The most appealing of the many explanations for the name of the hill that dominates Zacatecas is that bufa is an old Basque word for wineskin, which is…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Northern Central Highlands.

  • Activities