Maya sites tracking and cloud forest hikes in company of howler monkey, the best of snorkeling and canyoneering, full-stuffed enchiladas and rounds of tequila shots, charming historic centers and not-so-charming party spots - that's Mexico, a multi-billion-dollar tourism industry ready to cater for all tastes and budgets. To see where exactly all of these are to be had just scan our list of Top 25 Mexican attractions and rest assured that you get the purest essence of what Mexico has to give.
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Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Photo by Evilfreak86
The roots of the metropolitan Mexico City lie in Centro Historico, the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. This original core of the city is an area clearly different from the rest of the gigantic city. With loads of the colonial feel and awesome examples of European architecture dating back t...
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Location: Mexico
Photo by Mardetanha
Easily competing with other Caribbean destinations, the Riviera Maya is packed with top class attractions and a scenic location to make your holiday one of a kind. Its 81 miles of sun bleached coastline stretch between Cancún and Tulum offering solitary beaches, cenotes, caverns, turquoise-color...
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Location: San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico
Photo by d3b...*
Just 40 kilometers northeast from Mexico City, in a mountain-hugged offshoot of the Valle de México, there's a mystical place where, as Aztecs believed, the gods gathered to plan the creation of man and sacrifice rituals were made to make the sun move. Centuries after the civilization's fall, Te...
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Photo by navart
Ever tried high diving? Maybe this time is a perfect time to get inspired. The La Quebrada Cliff Divers are one of the biggest Acapulco draws and have become a must-see for holidaymakers. They are not crazy daredevils from the neighborhood just showing off in front of the agape public. In fact, t...
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Photo by Bill Hails
Scenically perched on a cliff overlooking the turquoise expanse of the Caribbean and framed with stretches of golden sands, the archeological site of Tulum guarantees a relaxing holiday experience spiced up with the Maya mysterious feel. Tulum, whose name translates as ‘wall', is among the best...
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Location: Mexico
Photo by Sam Meztli
For some exceptional natural experiences visit the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, located about 100 kilometers northwest from Mexico City, where trees are covered with bright orange fluttering wings and the branches bend under butterfly collective weight. The over 56,000 hectares biosphere...
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Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Photo by The Jamoker
Encompassing the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, the jewel municipality of Los Cabos is a remote location of unspoiled beauty. You'll be stunned with the craggy rock arches and dramatic seascape of turquoise waters filled with manta rays, turtles and hundreds of tropical fish. Wav...
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Location: Guanajuato, Mexico
Photo by Carlos de las Piedras
The beautiful colonial city of Guanajuato is famed not only for its ornamental baroque temples and impressive mansions but also for its unique urban physiognomy of somewhat capricious streets and tinted houses. If you're color-sensitive or a connoisseur of shades and hues, you will find Guanajuat...
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Location: Palenque/Temp, Mexico
Photo by Ulises00
Right in the heart of mountain-hugged lush jungle forests and rumbling waterfalls of the National Park of Palenque, there sits one of the grandest classical Maya site's, Palenque. Remarkable for having been constructed without the help of tools or the wheel, the sanctuary stuns with elegance, cra...
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Isla Partida
Location: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Photo by Traveljournalist
Virtually floating on the ocean's surface, Isla Partida and its sister island, Espíritu Santo, are two UNESCO protected areas in the Gulf of California. Located just twenty miles from the metropolis of La Paz, the island seduces tourists and residents with its steep rocky cliffs plummeting into...
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Matacanes
Location: Nuevo León, Mexico
Photo by Yohari G.
There are endless blessings this place is endowed with that have given it its reputation. Without a doubt, Matacanes is the most amazing canyon set deep in the beautiful mountains of Sierra de Santiago. Just imagine rugged limestone mountains riven through with caverns and travertine encrusted pa...
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Photo by Andrew Gould
A gem of colonial architecture, the gorgeous city of Oaxaca, is a place to soak up loads of vibrant Mexican atmosphere over a glass of lime-peel lemonade or the smoky Oaxacan liquor, Mezcal. Life is defined by peace and tranquility here only to be broken into a feast of color and whirls during th...
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Location: Barranca del Cobre, Mexico
Photo by Sam Meztli
If you think the Grand Canyon in the neighboring United States is the most stunning phenomenon in its kind, come to the Mexican state of Chihuahua and prove yourself wrong. Consisting of 6 distinct canyons formed over hundreds of years by six rivers, Barranca del Cobre will leave you agape at its...
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14
Calakmul
Photo by Pete Fordham
Quite a bit out of the way but worth every single kilometer traversed, Calakmul is an adventure of a lifetime. Meticulously woven into the thick jungle, the tip of the tallest temple barely cutting through the treeline, it is one of the most outstanding Mayan sites in Mexico, whose condition of p...
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Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Photo by Xuan Rosemaninovich
With 23 permanent exhibit halls and an area of almost 8 hectares, every inch filled with magnificent archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the pre-Columbian heritage of Mexico, National Museu of Anthropology is by far one of the finest museums of this kind in the world. Like a gate t...
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16
Popocatépetl
Location: Mexico
Photo by laradanielle
At 5,426 m, Popocatepetl may be inferior to Pico de Orizaba in terms of height, but it is the Smoking Mountain that inspires more fear and respect. Dominating the skyline of Sierra Nevada is the brooding cone of this violently active volcano with more than 20 major eruptions on record since the...
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Photo by Esparta
With the third largest centro historico in the Americas, Merida makes a particularly rewarding experience while on Yucatan, either as a fleeting stopover on your way to a Quintana Roo's resorts or as a destination in its own right. Walk the narrow streets and observe how the post-colonial, neglec...
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Location: Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Photo by Wonderlane
Those who view travel as equal parts art and fun will find Mazatlan the perfect place to be. While the blaring Zona Dorada is a typical Mexican beach resort, a few steps away lies a renaissance pearl in the making. A curious blend of beauty and decay with colonial splendor shaded by years of neg...
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Photo by bobbyh_80
A brilliant piece of colonial Europe in Latin America, the historic center of Zacatecas is chockful with atmospheric squares, crooked streets, rose-tinted facades, tranquil gardens, and a wealth of niche museums. The city was founded in mid-16th century on the steep slopes of a narrow valley shor...
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Photo by eduardo.robles
Throw comforts to the wind and head to the south for a day of eco-adventure. Natural charms within the state of Chiapas have largely contributed to Mexico's collection of astonishing vistas. Among them is the newly opened eco-park with its namesake, El Cascade del Chiflon, pounding with berserk...
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Location: San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Photo by Jflo23
Traditional account tells of 14 Spanish soldiers, officers of the Crown, killed here in an ambush by indigenous, barbaric warriors. Thus the name. Royal Fourteen. But it was not the memory of the slaughtered that led to the foundation of the town. It was rather the discovery of abundant silver o...
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Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Photo by Leonardo, easthastings
December 12, 1531. An indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, witnesses an apparition of the Virgin Mary, whose image is permanently imprinted on his cloak, at least according to the traditional account. From then on millions of pilgrims have arrived at the two churches erected in the same locality to as...
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Photo by RJL20
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Mexico, don't leave without being able to distinguish between tequila and mescal. This knowledge can be best acquired in the state of Jalisco, whose blue agave landscape around the town of Santiago de Tequila bears the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Si...
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Photo by Fisherga
Named in honor of José María Morelos y Pavón, a local hero and a key figure in Mexico's independence from Spain, Morelia is by far the country's best kept colonial secret. So faithfully has its historic quarter been preserved that UNESCO took it under its wing, and no wonder indeed. Just get...
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Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
Photo by Spinnal
You've heard it in Desperado. You thought it was cheesy. You'll hate to admit that you felt like dancing and clapping vigorously when a group of men clad in silver studded outfits plucked their strings in downtown Guadalajara. Although Plaza de los Mariachis is no longer the center of spontaneous...
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Stumble
If Mexico is so wonderful then why is everyone climbing over themselves to escape? Seems like taking a family outing to the garbage dump.
You can try wearing a silly homosexual hat, which the local indian types call maize.
You could try getting a job.