10 Colonial Cities in Mexico You Should Visit on Your Next Trip
Many people visit Mexico just to explore its colonial cities. It is interesting how you can experience each of Mexico’s eras through each place’s architecture, food, and general identity. Just roaming around them can easily take you to many moments in time.
One of the most fascinating periods in Mexico’s colonial-era—which lasted 300 years, from 1521 to 1821—just after the pre-Hispanic age. The Spanish Crown ordered a group of explorers, later known as conquistadores or conquerors to turn the Aztec Empire and other civilizations’ territory into Spanish colonies.
Led by Hernán Cortés, the Spanish came to Mexico with their own traditions, customs, religion, and ideas, and instead of imposing them over the ones found here, they mixed. This fusion is what gives this country its richness and identity. You can say that from that moment on, Mexico became what it is today.
The best and most notorious way of navigating through the colonial period of Mexico is by visiting these iconic places full of history, tradition, hospitable people, and delicious dishes. Witness history for yourself and come down to these 10 colonial cities of Mexico!
Prehispanic Mexico
Although human life evidence dates back 21,000 years in the Valley of Mexico, tribes matured into civilizations only 4,000 years ago.
There were many prehispanic civilizations in Mexico: the Aztecs in Mexico City, Mayans in the South East, Zapotecas in today Oaxaca, Olmecs in the South-Central region, the Toltecs in the North, and many more. They were proficient in many different disciplines, arts, and sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, architecture, engineering, and pottery. The ancient civilizations’ era lasted 2500 years.
Aztecs and Mayans were the most prominent ones. They designed the most precise calendars man had made until then and were able to predict meteorological phenomena. They discovered the number zero and worked with 9 digit ciphers.
They did not only do notable work in sciences and fine arts but also in commerce, philosophy, and theology. They believed in complex metaphors and wrote sacred books.
Also, modern scientists and architects still cannot explain how they could make such sophisticated buildings, palaces, and temples, which were constructed on astronomical principles. The mathematical accuracy of some can really blow your mind away.
Just to give an example, there is Chichen-Itzá. It was built in a place where you could see a spectacular light and shadow effect during the spring equinox. As the sun rises every March 21, shadow triangles begin to show—each every 15 minutes—on the side of a staircase ending with a stone serpent head, symbolizing the Kukulkan deity. The light and shadows give the effect of a serpent descending from the skies to the Earth.
Mexico Colonial Period
Mexican colonial history starts when the Spanish came to Tenochtitlan, modern-day central Mexico. They were shocked to find a land full of natural resources, gold, silver, and jade, with sophisticated physical and societal constructions and hierarchy systems.
Some authors believe that their coming was actually a step back in many ways for the natives. The Spanish brought diseases and had questionable hygiene habits. But also brought weapons, armors, and horses and so a simple battle that could have resulted in an Aztec army defeating the few Spanish that arrived in 3 ships, turned into an Aztec massacre. The combination of their weaponry and incurable diseases that caused epidemics led Tenochtitlan into the perfect storm.
One of the methods of colonization was to impose the Spanish religion over the natives’ so they started building churches, Mexico’s cathedral was the most emblematic one. They built it on top of Templo Mayor (main temple), their most sacred temple. And so it began the process of colonization and evangelization.
The Spanish exploited the native people as well as natural resources for three centuries as Mexico—or New Spain—became an important source of minerals like gold and silver. They created a local economy under a viceroyalty that rested on them and on the production of the haciendas (estates).
It is very hard to conceive these two identities and backgrounds as one today but that is why Mexico is so special. I curated this list of the best colonial cities in Mexico so you know the most important ones. The fun part is that there is at least one archeological site in every single one that can make you see the two parts of the same coin.
Colonial Cities in Mexico
1. Oaxaca, Oaxaca
- Complete city name: Oaxaca de Juárez
- Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca (Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca)
- Region: Southeast
Oaxaca is famous for being “the most Mexican state of Mexico” as it is one of the most representative states of Mexican culture. It simply has everything to offer: incomparable gastronomy, some of Mexico’s most important archeological sites, ecotourism, colonial architecture, beaches that belong to paradise, smiling people, safety for tourists, and colorful festivals.
Of all the colonial cities of this list, here are some of the most notable architecture vestiges:
- Santo Domingo de Guzmán Temple
- Textile Museum of Oaxaca
- Metropolitan Cathedral of Oaxaca
- Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca, Santo Domingo
- Basilica of Our Lady of Soledad
- Cuilapam de Guerrero Ex-Convent
- Andador Turístico
If you are planning to come anytime soon I highly recommend you do it in July—the month of the Guelaguetza festival—or in October—during the Velas Oaxaqueñas celebrations, you will not regret it!
2. Mérida, Yucatán
- Complete city name: Mérida
- City nickname: La Ciudad Blanca (The White City)
- Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán (Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán)
- Region: Southeast
People know the safest city of Mexico, Mérida, as “The White City.” Mainly because they used white limestone to build the whole city and its cleanness and the white of the traditional dresses of Yucatán.
It has a very special cuisine since it is the unique fusion of Spanish, Mayan, and Lebanese food. Culture oozes from every pore of Mérida as you see people dancing the traditional danzón, ladies making tortillas in local restaurants and markets—where you can try panuchos or cochinita pibil—men and women dressing in guayaberas and huipiles, and young kids speaking Spanish sprinkled with Mayan words and phrases.
Colonial cities like Mérida are worth the trip, here are some places to visit while you are there:
- Montejo House
- Municipal Palace
- Autonomous University of Yucatan
- Cathedral of Merida
- Mejorada Temple
- Santa Lucía Church
- Jesus Temple of the Third Order
- San Cristobal Church
You can also take a quick half-day tour to Izamal, “The Yellow City” to see the archeology, convents, and haciendas in its surroundings. The haciendas played a major role in the economy of Yucatán so there are many abandoned ones throughout the state. You can go inside some of them to appreciate their murals and construction.
3. Guanajuato, Guanajuato
- Complete city name: Guanajuato
- Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato (Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato)
- Region: West
The state of Guanajuato is one of the key places of the Freedom Trail and has some of the best colonial cities of Mexico. But in the city of Guanajuato you do not only see it through the architecture and cuisine—please try the guacamayas, enchiladas mineras, and caldos de oso—but also in the very much alive traditions people keep, treasure, and pass from generation to generation.
The callejoneadas is a perfect example of this. They are nocturnal rituals where students dress up in colonial suits, play instruments, sing, and dance while roaming the streets of Guanajuato City. It is a complete show, you can’t miss it!
Places to visit:
- Guanajuato mummies
- San Gabriel de Barrera Museum and Ex-Hacienda
- Alhóndiga de Granaditas Museum
- La Unión Garden
- Collegiate Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato
- San Cayetano Temple
- Gene Byron Museum
- Olga Costa House Museum
- Count Rul House
- Underground streets and tunnels
- Legends House
4. San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
- Complete city name: San Miguel de Allende
- Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato (Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato)
- Region: West
San Miguel de Allende is one of the most representative colonial cities of Mexico and a retirement paradise for foreigners. This place is filled with Mexican culture, from the dishes to the traditions, from the architecture to the legends.
Everything about this denominated Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) is truly magical. The San Miguel Arcangel Parish looks like a fairy tale castle and the churrigueresque facade of the San Francisco Temple seems an impossible result of hand carving.
Besides these two, you can visit:
- The Aurora factory
- The Artisan Market
- Museum House of Allende
- Mayorazgo de la Canal Museum
- Mexican Plants Conservatory
- Purísima Concepción Temple
If you are into Mexican muralism you can also visit the School of Fine Arts located at the Santa Rosa Ex-Convent to see the famous and unfinished mural of David Alfaro Siqueiros.
5. Puebla, Puebla
- Complete city name: Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza
- City nickname: Puebla de los Ángeles (Puebla of Angels)
- Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla (Free and Sovereign State of Puebla)
- Region: Center
Puebla quickly became one of the most important colonial cities as it has a privileged location between Veracruz and Mexico City. It is a spectacle of edifices, churches, and monuments. The Palafox Library that houses more than 43,000 books and the magnificent facade of the main temples make Puebla a very memorable and impressive experience.
Architecture, handcrafts, and pottery in Puebla have a distinctive signature: talavera. Talavera is a kind of clay that comes from a Spanish-Mexican influence. While it can have many colors, Puebla’s Talavera is traditionally white and blue.
According to oral tradition, people invented Puebla’s traditional dish, the chiles en nogada, in honor of the first Emperor of Mexico Agustín de Iturbide. Its ingredients are both from Tenochtitlan and Spain, symbolizing the mestizaje or the race mixture characteristic of people that were born in New Spain. Also the colors green, white and red were the ones on the Trigarante Army flag and today’s Mexican Flag.
Like many colonial cities on this list, UNESCO cataloged the City of Puebla as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Places to visit:
- Cathedral of Puebla
- Palafox Library
- Cholula Archeological Site
- Amparo Museum
- Baroque International Museum
- Railway National Museum
- Remedios Virgin Sanctuary
- Santo Domingo Temple and Rosario Chapel
- Regional Revolution Museum
- San Francisco Acatepec
6. Querétaro, Querétaro
Complete cityname: Santiago de Querétaro
Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro (Free and Sovereign State of Queretaro)
Region: West
Colonial cities like the ones in Guanajuato and Queretaro are notable because the most important conspiracies against colonization happened there. The famous Queretaro Conspiracy occurred in what today is the Government Palace at the house of Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, a national independence hero. In it, you can appreciate huge murals immortalizing each of Mexico’s history stages.
Queretaro’s cuisine is something you have to try on your next trip to Mexico. It incorporates Spanish cooking traditions and local, indigenous ingredients. They are very important during religious holidays. Have the tasty chili, hoja santa, pepper, red tomato, garlic, clove, and chives “dead tamales”, wrapped up in banana leaves.
Places to go:
- Government Palace
- Queretaro Cathedral
- Queretaro Regional Museum
- Art Museum
- House Museum La Zacatecana
- Aqueduct
- Santa Rosa of Viterbo Temple
- Calendar Museum
- Hill of the Bells
7. Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Complete city name: Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de Zacatecas (City of Our Lady of Zacatecas)
Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas (Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas)
Region: West
Colonial cities like this are worth visiting. Delicious food, kind people, astonishing architecture and many legends tours make you feel as if it was 1800. The legends culture has been a very attractive tourist magnet in Zacatecas and for a good reason. Hop on a bus, visit architecture gems and get to know the original owners… almost literally. Tour guides are dressed up like them and tell you the story behind their sinister endings “first hand.”
A second notable characteristic of Zacatecas is that much like Guanajuato it is a mining city so do not forget to get a souvenir that sparkles!
Places to visit:
- Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas
- Bufa Hill
- Abstract Art Museum
- Rafael Coronel Museum
- Francisco Goitia Museum
- El Edén Mine
- Our Lady of Fatima Parish
- Eco-Tours
- Santo Domingo Parish
- Miguel Azua Town Square
- Aqueduct
8. Veracruz, Veracruz
- Complete city name: Heroica Veracruz
- Complete state name: Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave
- Region: Southeast
If you were to follow the colonization trail, you would have to start in Veracruz. This is the place where Hernán Cortés landed for the first time. He baptized it as Villa Rica de la Verdadera Cruz (Rich Villa of the True Cross). And since it was the place where the Spanish imported, exported, and landed, Veracruz became highly exposed to its influence, you can clearly see it in their traditional costume.
Veracruz is one of the best-located colonial cities of Mexico. Its strategic position allows it to serve as a highly influential port. It is famous today for its unique gastronomy, joyful music and delicious coffee—considered by many as the world’s best—. But also for the kindness and candor of its people. When someone tells you they are from Veracruz you can guess they are fun and have a light, warm vibe. Mexicans believe it is due to coastal life.
Experience the fusion of African, European, Caribbean and indigenous cultures and come down to beautiful Veracruz. While you are there try the famous colonial dishes arroz a la tumbada (tumbada rice) and pescado a la veracruzana (Veracruz style fish) and visit:
- Veracruz Cathedral
- Municipal Palace
- Las Atarazanas Cultural Center
- San Juan de Ulúa
- Baluarte de Santiago
Listen to these musicians playing a son huasteco in a local market.
9. Campeche, Campeche
Complete city name: San Francisco de Campeche
Complete state name: Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche (Free and Sovereign State of Campeche)
Region: Southeast
Campeche and Veracruz are two colonial cities that had to fight pirates off since they were the main seaports that exported gold and silver. The way Campeche faced it was with big forts you can visit today.
The picturesque city has the unique attribute of painting every house with a pastel color. The view from almost any point is quite pleasing and perfect for an Instagram picture.
The fact that it is less than an hour close to Mérida makes it perfect for a one-day tour. I highly recommend you eat at the pier while watching the sunset.
Places to visit:
- Architecture Museum Maya Baluarte
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral
- Cultural House
- Puerta de Tierra
- San Carlos Bulwark
- Soledad Bulwark
- Subaquatic Archeology Museum
- San José Fort
10. Mexico City
Complete city name: Ciudad de México antes Distrito Federal
Complete state name: Mexico City
Region: Center
Of all colonial cities, this is the most crucial of Latin America. Mexico City was the capital of the Aztec Empire, New Spain, and Mexico and it houses the most important government and cultural buildings of the country. All of the powers and secretariats reside in them, as well as museums, schools, auditoriums, and other facilities.
The first mandatory stop is Downtown. If you step on top of the zócalo or city square, you will see the National Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and a little bit of what is left of the Templo Mayor. In this place, the president gives the Cry of Independence every 16th of September.
Walk around the beautiful streets of Isabel la Católica, Regina, Juárez Avenue, Madero, Donceles, Tacuba, Moneda and Paseo de la Reforma. That is the only way you can soak up all of the charms of Mexican colonial architecture.
Another colonial neighborhood is Coyoacan. It became famous for being the birthplace of Frida Kahlo and for being one of the most picturesque of Mexico City.
The Roma and Condesa colonias or neighborhoods are two of the hippest, while San Ángel has a magical vibe with secret gardens and cobbled streets. Go to downtown Tlalpan to see the Hacienda of Tlalpan of the San Fernando convent. Hop on the little train-like vehicles and eat in one of the restaurants with a view of the plaza.
Places to visit:
- Anthropology National Museum
- San Ildefonso College
- House Museum Frida Kahlo
- Bellas Artes Palace
- Chapultepec Castle and Forest
- Soumaya Museum
- Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Trajineras in Xochimilco
- Angel of Independence
- Teotihuacan Pyramids
- Vasconcelos Library
- National Art Museum
- Revolution Monument
- Alameda Central
- The House of Tiles
- University Museum of Contemporary Art
- Anahuacalli Museum
- Postal Palace
- Desierto de los Leones
- Latino American Tower
More Mexican Colonial Cities
If you can’t get enough of colonial cities in Mexico, also consider visiting the beautiful Morelia during the Morelia’s International Film Festival, or the warm village of Taxco to buy silver souvenirs or Cuernavaca, “the eternal spring city” to see cathedrals and other colonial constructions first hand and to experience Mexico’s best weather.
Learn Spanish and Come to Mexico!
Now that you have all the tips and names of the best colonial cities in Mexico, enhance your traveling experience by learning Spanish. Trumping down the language barrier will make you feel more relaxed and help you travel easier.
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