5 intriguing Mexican towns you will love

We visited plenty of spectacular places while travelling in Mexico; explored Aztec, Toltec and Maya ruins, hiked in lush jungles, saw wonderful waterfalls,  swam in the turquoise sea on Yucatán and in wild waves of the Pacific Ocean.

And of course we enjoyed the rich local cultures in picturesque historical  Mexican towns too.

Mexican towns boast incredibly beautiful architecture, most of which dates from the period of the Spanish colonisation.

The following 5 Mexican towns are truly outstanding and definitely worth a visit.

5 intriguing Mexican towns you will love

Guanajuato

Charming Guanajuato, a Mexican town listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is one of the most beautiful Mexican towns, and that’s why one the most visited towns in Mexico.

Guanajuato is situated in a narrow valley in central Mexico,  in the state of Guanajuato in the centre of Mexico.

The state of Guanajuato has always been rich in silver, copper, tin, mead, mercury and opals, which has made it one of the richest states of Mexico.

The town of Guanajuato was founded by the Spanish at the beginning of the 16^th century and soon became one of the world’s major silver towns.

The architecture of Guanajuato is impressive; there are some of the world ‘s most magnificent neoclassical and baroque buildings. 

Guanajuato is a birthplace of Diego Rivera, a Mexican sculptor and a husband of Frida, the famous Mexican painter. You can visit a house where he lived, that has been converted into a museum.

A lot of important festivals are held in the town; one of them is the International Cervantes Festival that is the most important festival not only in Mexico but in all Latin America.

We visited Guanajuato twice and loved that old colourful Mexican town full of history.

San Cristobal de las Casas

San Cristobal de las Casas lies in a gorgeous valley surrounded by forests in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico.

The stunning town with its cobblestones streets and red-tile roofs is intriguing especially for its fascinating indigenous life;  about one million Mayas live in and around the town keeping their pre-Hispanic traditions alive. You will see women and also children around selling handmade accessories. Once you show an interest you will be surrounded by all of them immediately!

You will find beautiful colonial buildings in the bustling town; the most iconic one is the Santo Domingo church. The church was built in 1546 and it’s considered as the most important Baroque church in Latin America.

In front of the church, indigenous women sell lovely handmade blankets, shawls, bags and other goods.

For the best view of the town and the sunset, head to the amazing Iglesia de Guadalupe.

Once you visit San Christobal de las Casas, you will agree with us that this town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful Mexican towns.

San Juan de Chamula

This small town is also located in Chiapas, ten kilometres from the well-known San Cristobal de las Casas in the south east of Mexico.

What is so special about this village?

There is a charming church without benches (have you ever seen a church without chairs?) on the main square where people pray on their knees and hold special rituals based on pre-Hispanic beliefs, including sacrificing of chickens.

The small temple was decorated with a lot of colourful candles, which added to the mystical atmosphere of the place.

We spent long time in the church and were watching people praying and performing their rituals. The worshippers didn’t pay much attention to our presence, which was good because we didn’t feel strange in their sacred territory.

Not only locals pray in this church, but a lot of pilgrims come to this mystical church every year too.

If you are travelling to Chiapas, it’d be a shame not to visit this beautiful church and the indigenous community living in Chamula.

Real de Catorse

The mystical town of Real, situated in the desert of northern Mexico, nowadays attracts many travellers as it attracted seekers of silver and fortune 130 years ago.

The old stone town is located 2750 meters above the sea level in Catorse mountains. The only access to the town is through a tunnel that was built in 1901 and measures 2.3 km.

At the end of the 18^th century, vast silver mines were discovered in Real and led to a silver fever. A lot of people came to Real and were working in terrible conditions. Later the mines became famous not only around Mexico, so many  foreigners, mainly the Spanish, arrived to Real to set up their companies there.  The town became the second richest one in Mexico with the population of more than 40 000.

The works in mines stopped in 1910 and many people left Real.

In the seventies, the desert around Real became well known for peyote, the hallucinogenic cactus. Since then not only Mexicans but also foreigners have come to look for this unique cactus.

Today, the population of Real is only about 1400 people from all over Mexico. A lot of local and foreign travellers come to see this mysterious town, too.

Locals say that ghosts of workers who died in the mines still live in the town and around it.  The tunnel is one of the places where we wouldn’t go in the night. A local superstition say that ghosts meet in this tunnel every night.

First we were discovering the town on foot, later hired horses and were exploring the amazing mountainous countryside around Real. Our guide led us to a sacred place on top of one mountain, and told us a lot about the history of Real.

Mexican Huichol Indians consider the Catorse mountains to be the birthplace of creation. Every year they make a pilgrimage to this sacred place; they walk thirty days through the desert to experience a ritual rebirth.

If you plan to visit Real, don’t forget to bring warm clothes with you. It gets very cold in the night and it snows in the winter.

Tepoztlan

Tepoztlan is nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by dramatic Tepozteco mountains, 80 km from busy Mexico City.

Exceptionally beautiful nature, the touch of ancient times, special energy, the pleasant climate and delicious Mexican cuisine make Tepoztlan extraordinary. No wonder not only Mexicans from all over Mexico live here but also a lot of foreigners fell in love with Tepoztlán and stayed.

Shops in cobbled streets offer colourful clothes, jewellery made of crystals, sombreros, chakra healing, precious stones and tarot reading.

We loved the mystical churches and felt the special energy immediately after entering them.

We found many temazcals, traditional sweat baths in the town.  The Aztecs, Mayas, Toltecs and Zapotecs used them to purify the body and mind after battles or a ball game. Nowadays, temazcals are back to cleanse a body and spirit after our everyday battles. 🙂

On Wednesdays and Sundays, one of the main streets is full of artisans’ stalls selling original clothing, beautiful jewellery, wooden furniture, musical instruments and paintings.

If you want to stretch your legs, don’t miss walking up to the majestic Tepozteco pyramid. It takes about an hour and once you get to the top, you will be rewarded with a fabulous view of Tepoztlán and its surroundings.

It’s said that Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god worshipped in ancient Mexico, was born nearby. It’s also said that you can find the third dimension in Tepoztlán but we didn’t find anybody who could point us in the right direction.

We had a lovely lunch in a small restaurant in the late afternoon, our favourite enchiladas, corn tortillas filled with cheese in chilli tomato sauce.

It was so hard to choose among all the delicious Mexican dishes, there was always a wide choice of mushroom or lentil soups, tortillas filled with mushrooms or cheese (quesadillas) and a pepper filled with cheese (chille relleno) and much more.

If you are looking for beautiful nature, tranquillity, spirituality and history, you shouldn’t miss Tepoztlán. There are many interesting guest houses and hotels to choose from in the town.

Are you travelling to Mexico to visit the Maya ruins too?

Discover the most spectacular Maya ruins in our post 6 Fascinating Maya Ruins in Mexico You Must Visit.

Have you been to Mexico? What is your favourite Mexican town?

Did you like this post? Would you like to stay up to date with our new adventures?

‘Like’ our Facebook Page – and we will keep you informed!