Must-see attractions in Western Central Highlands

  • The peak of the Nevado de Colima volcano.

    Volcán Nevado de Colima

    Western Central Highlands

    Volcán Nevado de Colima (4260m) is accessible on foot from the last week of October till the first week of June. Patches of pine forest cover Nevado’s…

  • Instituto Cultural Cabanas, Guadalajara, Mexico; Shutterstock ID 745346248; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
745346248

    Instituto Cultural de Cabañas

    Guadalajara

    Standing proudly at the eastern end of dramatic Plaza Tapatía is one of Guadalajara’s architectural landmarks, and a Unesco World Heritage site since 1997…

  • Guadalajara Cathedral.

    Catedral de Guadalajara

    Guadalajara

    Guadalajara’s cathedral is the city’s most conspicuous landmark with distinctive neo-Gothic towers built after an earthquake toppled the originals in…

  • Guachimontones Archaeological Site

    Guadalajara

    Just 40km west of Guadalajara is the fascinating and distinctive archaeological site known as Guachimontones – one of the only ancient ruins in the world…

  • Interior of Morelia Cathedral.

    Morelia Cathedral

    Morelia

    Morelia’s cathedral, considered by many to be the country's most beautiful, dominates the city center, where it flanks rather than faces the central plaza…

  • The Basílica de Zapopan.

    Basílica de Zapopan

    Guadalajara

    One of the city's most important churches, the Basílica de Zapopan, built in 1730, is home to Nuestra Señora de Zapopan, a petite statue of the Virgin…

  • Ex-Hacienda Nogueras

    Western Central Highlands

    Comala’s obligatory sight is this former home of Mexican artist Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo (1923–2000), which now contains a museum dedicated to the man’s…

  • Cascahuín

    Guadalajara Region

    If you have time for only one distillery tour while in Tequila country, make it this one. Here you'll see the entire process, from piña harvesting to…

  • Museo Regional de Historia de Colima

    Western Central Highlands

    This excellent museum in a colonial era casona (mansion) has an extensive collection of well-labeled artifacts spanning the region’s history, from ancient…

  • Tonalá Street Market

    Guadalajara

    On Thursday and Sunday, Tonalá bursts into a huge street market that sprouts on Avenida Tonaltecas and crawls through dozens of streets and alleys and…

  • Museo Pantaleón Panduro

    Guadalajara

    This superb collection of over 500 pieces of national folk art is housed in a converted religious mission and includes well-displayed miniature figurines,…

  • Centro Cultural Juan Beckman Gallardo

    Guadalajara Region

    Opened in 2018, this gorgeous colonial-style cultural center is home to a modern museum with well-curated exhibits on the history and culture of the…

  • Palacio de Gobierno

    Morelia

    This 18th-century palace, originally a seminary and now housing Michoacán state government offices, has a simple baroque facade. Inside, its soaring…

  • Centro Cultural Clavijero

    Morelia

    From 1660 to 1767, the Palacio Clavijero, with its magnificent minimalist main patio, imposing colonnades and pink stonework, was home to the Jesuit…

  • Pinacoteca Universitaria Alfonso Michel

    Western Central Highlands

    The modern entrance to this gallery leads into a 19th-century courtyard surrounded by seven halls filled with surrealist art. Included is a permanent…

  • Colima volcano.

    Volcán de Fuego

    Western Central Highlands

    Overlooking Comala and Colima, 23km and 30km to the north respectively, is smoking Volcán de Fuego (3820m), Mexico’s most active volcano. It has erupted…

  • Main building of Tres Mujeres, a tequila company dedicated to the artisan manufacture of tequila near Amatitan.

    Tres Mujeres

    Guadalajara Region

    Free Spanish- and English-language tours are available at the high-end 100% agave distillery Tres Mujeres, where some 40 different tequilas are produced,…

  • Museo Regional Michoacano

    Morelia

    Housed in a dozen rooms of a renovated late-18th-century baroque palace, this museum contains an impressive array of pre-Hispanic artifacts, including a…

  • Museo Regional de Guadalajara

    Guadalajara

    Guadalajara's most important museum tells the story of the city and the surrounding region, somewhat haphazardly, from prehistory to the revolution…

  • Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán

    Western Central Highlands

    A 1396-sq-km swath of the jungle-clad limestone mountains northwest of the city of Colima is protected by Unesco as critical habitat. It is certainly…

  • Plaza de la Liberación

    Guadalajara

    This huge plaza due east of the cathedral was a 1980s urban planner’s dream project – two whole blocks of colonial buildings to be knocked down and…

  • Palacio de Gobierno

    Guadalajara

    The golden-hued Palacio de Gobierno, which houses the Jalisco state government offices, was finished in 1774 and is well worth visiting to see two…

  • Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe

    Morelia

    A standard baroque structure on the outside dating from 1708 to 1716, this hushed sanctuary to Mexico's patron is a different story within. Get ready for…

  • Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo

    Morelia

    This building is now part of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, which produced such scholars as Morelos, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and…

  • Las Piedrotas

    Guadalajara Region

    Las Piedrotas are a large and impressive group of rock formations set in cow pastures in what's called the Valle de las Enigmas about 6km north of town…

  • Plaza Morelos

    Morelia

    This irregular, conspicuously vacant plaza southeast of the center surrounds the Estatua Ecuestre al Patriota Morelos, a majestic statue of Morelos on…

  • Museo Casa de Morelos

    Morelia

    This museum, arguably Morelia's best on the subject of José María Morelos y Pavón, resides in the former house of the independence hero, who bought the…

  • Casa Sauza

    Guadalajara Region

    The Casa Sauza estate invokes Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic fairy tale The Secret Garden. The colonial-style grounds are adorned with Italianate…

  • Museo Nacional de la Escultura Sebastián

    Western Central Highlands

    Housed in an eye-catching steel and glass structure, the 'National Sculpture Museum Sebastián' is a two room gallery showcasing over 70 works, most by one…

  • La Campana Archaeological Site

    Western Central Highlands

    The low, pyramid-like structures at this bell-shaped (thus campana) archaeological site date from as early as 1500 BC. They have been excavated since the…

  • Bosque Cuauhtémoc

    Morelia

    Morelia’s largest park, named after the last Aztec emperor (r 1520–21), is an attractive affair frequented by families for its shady trees, outdoor…

  • Antiguo Palacio de Justicia

    Morelia

    Facing the leafy expanse of Plaza de Armas, the Antiguo Palacio de Justicia is in fact two buildings rebuilt in 1884. Its intricate facade blends French…

  • Museo de las Artes

    Guadalajara

    Three blocks west of Parque Revolución is this museum of contemporary art housed in a French Renaissance building (1917) that once served as the…

  • Museo de Arte Huichol (Wixarika)

    Guadalajara

    This small but surprisingly informative museum has a worthwhile display of artifacts from the Huichol (or Wixarika) people, an indigenous group known for…

  • El Tépalo Waterfall

    Guadalajara Region

    El Tépalo waterfall can be reached on foot from Ajijic. From the center follow Guerra and Encarnación Rosas north, then turn right on Callejón al Tépalo;…

  • Plaza de los Mariachis

    Guadalajara

    Just south of Avenida Javier Mina and the Mercado San Juan de Dios, this is the very birthplace of mariachi music. By day it’s just a narrow walking…

  • Centro de Integración Tapalpa

    Guadalajara Region

    Don’t miss this school for special-needs kids dedicated to teaching self-confidence along with computer and art skills. Wonderful recycled art is made by…

  • Mundo Cuervo

    Guadalajara Region

    Just opposite Tequila's main plaza and immediately recognisable by the enormous statue of a crow (cuervo in Spanish), Mundo Cuervo, which is owned by the…

  • Museo Casa Natal de Morelos

    Morelia

    Independence leader José María Morelos y Pavón is king in Morelia – after all, the city is named after him. He was born at the site of this one-time casa…

  • Museo de Arte Colonial

    Morelia

    This ambitious museum contains five rooms chock-a-block with religious paintings and sculptures, including more than 100 depictions of the crucified…

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