Historic Towns of Mexico

Historic Town of Puebla

One of the most charming of all of Mexico's colonial towns, Puebla is located 100km east of Mexico City at the foot of the Popocatepetl volcano. The first Spanish city not built on the ruins of an Amerindian settlement, Puebla was also the site of the victory of General Zaragoza over the French in 1862 with the city subsequently renamed Puebla de Zaragoza. Puebla's historic centre contains numerous impressive colonial buildings including the Cathedral Santo Domingo and the Archbishop's Palace. Many of its houses are covered in blue and white tiles known as azulejos. Puebla is also the birthplace of the famous Mexican dish mole poblano (chocolate and chilli sauce) and a great place to try it.

The town of Morelia (originally called Valladolid but changed to honour Jose Maria Morelia, a leading figure in the 19th century independence struggle) was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. Its colonial character has been well preserved with over 200 historical buildings, built in characteristic pink stone, which combine Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical elements with influences from Mesoamerican experience.

Tlacotalpan is a Spanish colonial river port founded in the 16th century on the Gulf of Mexico coast. It prospered economically in the 19th century as the conduit for products from Oaxaca and Puebla to be shipped to New Orleans, Havana and Europe. The architecture and layout of the town has been well preserved, characterised by wide streets and colonnaded colourful houses amidst many green spaces.

Historic Town of Guanajuato

Guanajuato was founded in the 16th century as a base from which to mine the rich silver deposits nearby. It became the world's largest silver extracting centre in the 18th century and the prosperity of the town was evidenced in the town's beautiful Baroque architecture. The town grew spontaneously with the development of the mines, so lacks the standard grid pattern of Spanish colonial towns. The town's historic centre is filled with beautiful plazas and winding alleys, home to grandiose mansions and impressive churches such as La Compañía and La Valenciana, some of the best examples of Baroque architecture in Latin America. The legacy of the mines is seen in the town's subterranean streets and the 'Boca del Inferno' mineshaft which descends 600 metres.

Historic Town of Querétaro

The historic town of Querétaro is unusual in Mexico for having retained the narrow, twisting alleyways of the Indian quarters with the geometric street plan of the Spanish and the European conquerors lived peacefully here with the Otomi, the Tarasco and the Chichimeca. The town is renowned for its many ornate Baroque buildings, both religious and secular, dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries. Querétaro has also born witness to some of the key events in Mexico's recent history. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo was signed here in 1848, ending the Mexican-American War and ceding almost half of Mexico's territory to the US. The Teatro de la Republica witnessed the trial of Emperor Maximilian in 1867 (later executed just outside the town) and the signing of the 1917 constitution by all the revolutionary groups.

Historic Town of San Miguel de Allende

The town of San Miguel was first established in the 16th century and reached its height in the 18th century with the construction of many outstanding religious and secular buildings in the Mexican Baroque style. The 18th century Jesuit sanctuary situated 14km outside of the town is also a masterpiece of Baroque architecture and contains excellent oil paintings by Rodriguez Juárez and mural paintings by Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. The town's location meant it was a melting pot where Spaniards, Creoles and Amerindians exchanged cultural influences. It was also the birthplace of General Ignacio Allende and renamed San Miguel de Allende in his honour.

Zacatecas was founded by the Spanish in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode and gained in prosperity over the following centuries. The town is located in a dramatic setting on the steep slopes of a narrow valley and is renowned for its historic buildings. The 18th century cathedral is a richly decorated Baroque structure with both European and indigenous decorative elements while the Jesuit Church of Santo Domingo has a more understated beauty and now hosts a Fine Arts Museum.

Historic Town of Oaxaca

The city of Oaxaca is an attractive, laid back colonial town that has excellent shopping opportunities for Mexican handicrafts and is a base for exploring the nearby Zapotec ruins at Monte Alban. The historic part of the city is centred around the Zocalo, or main plaza, a pedestrianised area with trees and colonnaded buildings containing many bars and restaurants, providing a lively atmosphere at night with street vendors, entertainers and musicians. There are a number of impressive churches in the town such as the cathedral, the church of La Soledad and the church of Santo Domingo.

Historic Town of Merida

Merida is the capital of the state of Yucatan and known as the 'White City'. Merida was founded in 1542 and built partly on the ruins of a Mayan settlement. It grew prosperous and developed as a very attractive colonial city filled with Spanish-Moorish architecture and still maintains that elegance today amongst its plazas, churches and mansions. The city's cathedral, the Cathedral of San Idelfonso, is the oldest in Latin America.

Campeche is a harbour town located on the Gulf of Mexico coast of the Yucatan peninsula. Founded by the Spanish in the 16th century, it was surrounded by outer walls and fortifications to protect the town from attack from English and Dutch buccaneers and pirates. Many of these fortifications survive today, in addition to almost 1,000 buildings of historic value in the old town. These include the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Toro Theatre and the municipal archives but its the brightly coloured buildings and clean streets of the town that are its most attractive features.