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Paquimé
The ruins of Paquimé, in a broad valley with panoramas to distant mountains, contain the mazelike adobe remnants of northern Mexico’s most important trading settlement. Paquimé was the center of the Mogollón or Casas Grandes culture, which extended north into New Mexico and Arizona
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Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar
Northeast of Puerto Peñasco are the lunar landscapes of the Gran Desierto de Altar, one of the driest places on earth. This remote, spectacular 7145-sq-km reserve is a Unesco World Heritage site and contains ancient eroded volcanoes, 10 giant craters, 400-plus ash cones and petrifi
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Isla Mujeres Turtle Farm
Although theyre endangered, sea turtles are still killed throughout Latin America for their eggs and meat. In the 1980s, efforts by a local fisherman led to the founding of this tortugranja (turtle farm), 5km south of town, which safeguards breeding grounds and protects eggs.If you
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Plaza Tolsá
Several blocks west of the Zócalo is this handsome square, named after Manuel Tolsá, the illustrious late-18th-century sculptor and architect who completed the Catedral Metropolitana. He also created the bronze equestrian statue of the Spanish king Carlos IV (who reigned from 1788
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Jardín Borda
Beside the 1784 Parroquia de Guadalupe , this extravagant property, inspired by Versailles, features gardens formally laid out in a series of terraces with paths, steps and fountains. Duck into the house to get an idea of how Mexico’s 19th-century aristocracy lived. In typical colo
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Oxkintok
Archaeologists have been excited about the ruins of Oxkintok for several years. Inscriptions found at the site contain some of the oldest known dates in the Yucatán, and indicate the city was inhabited from the Preclassic to the Postclassic period (300 BC to AD 1500), reaching its
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El Aguacero
Forget the gym – the 724 well-built steps to this cascade will suffice as your daily workout. Plunging into the sheer Río La Venta canyon, El Aguacero is a gorgeous series of frothy stair-steps that tumble and spray. In dryer months (usually December through May), you can stroll al
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Palacio de Cortés
Cortés’ imposing medieval-style fortress stands opposite the southeast end of the Plaza de Armas. This two-story stone palace was built on the base of the city pyramid that Cortés destroyed after taking Cuauhnáhuac. The base is still visible from various points on the ground floor.
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Ruinas de Mayapán
Though far less impressive than many Maya sites, Mayapán is historically significant – it was one of the last major dynasties in the region and established itself as the center of Maya civilization from 1200 to 1440. The site’s main attractions are clustered in a compact core, and
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Teotihuacán
This fabulous archaeological zone lies in a mountain-ringed offshoot of the Valle de México. Site of the huge Pirámides del Sol y de la Luna (Pyramids of the Sun and Moon), Teotihuacán was Mexicos biggest ancient city and the capital of what was probably the countrys largest pre-Hi
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Hacienda Mundaca
A 19th-century slave trader and reputed pirate, Fermín Antonio Mundaca de Marechaja, fell in love with a local woman known as La Trigueña (The Brunette). To win her, Mundaca built a two-story mansion complete with gardens and graceful archways. But while Mundaca was building the ho
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Chinkultic Ruins
Chinkultic was a minor Maya power during the late Classic period and, like Tenam Puente, may have survived into post-Classic times. Of 200 mounds scattered over a wide area of dramatically situated ruins, only a few have been cleared, but the site is worth a visit. Note that the si
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Cuadrángulo de las Monjas
The 74-room, sprawling Nuns’ Quadrangle is directly west of the Casa del Adivino. Archaeologists guess variously that it was a military academy, royal school or palace complex. The long-nosed face of Chaac appears everywhere on the facades of the four separate temples that form the
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Catedral de San Ildefonso
On the site of a former Maya temple is Mérida’s hulking, severe cathedral, begun in 1561 and completed in 1598. Some of the stone from the Maya temple was used in its construction. The massive crucifix behind the altar is Cristo de la Unidad (Christ of Unity), a symbol of reconcili
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Plaza Hidalgo & Jardín Centenario
The focus of Coyoacán life, and the scene of most of the weekend fun, is its central plaza – actually two adjacent plazas: the Jardín Centenario , with the village’s iconic coyotes frolicking in its central fountain; and the larger, cobblestoned Plaza Hidalgo , with a statue of the
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Kohunlich archaeological site
The Kohunlich archaeological site sits on a carpeted green. The most accessible of the corridors ruins has nearly 200 mounds still covered in vegetation. The surrounding jungle was a thick tangle of half-felled trees at last pass. The ruins, dating from both the late pre-Classic (A
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Aztec Temples
An invigorating 358-step hike up the mountainside above Malinalco takes you to one of the country’s few reasonably well-preserved temples, from where there are stunning views of the valley and beyond. The site is fascinating and includes El Paraíso de los Guerreros (a mural that on
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Xochitécatl
Because of its outline and the materials used, archaeologists believe the circular Pirámide de la Espiral was built between 1000 and 800 BC. Its form and hilltop location suggest it may have been used as an astronomical observation post, or as a temple to Ehécatl, the wind god. Fro
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Chicanná
Aptly named ‘House of the Snake’s Jaws,’ this Maya site is best known for one remarkably well-preserved doorway with a hideous fanged visage. Located 11km west of Xpujil and 400m south of Hwy 186, Chicanná is a mixture of Chenes and Río Bec architectural styles buried in the jungle
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Museo Robert Brady
Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to be independently wealthy and spend their life traveling around the world collecting art for their lavish Mexican mansion? If that option isn’t open to you, visit this museum – easily Cuernavaca’s best – and live vicariously. The one-time home of
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