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Tourist Attractions in Mexico.
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The rich culture and history of Mexico continue to be the main tourist
attractions of the country, from the museums to some of the most famous
archeological sites in the world. In almost every city and town, you will
find museums of every stripe covering everything from pre-Columbian
artifacts to modern mosaic art; as for ancient sites, your vacation time
spent here will never be long enough!
Museums
Mexico's museums are a must for any tourist's itinerary. Covering everything
from ancient history to modern beauty, the devotion to preservation of art
in Mexico is stunning.
Mexico City alone has more than 150 museums, some world class and some
smaller and more topic-specific. Whatever type of art or history you're
into, you'll find plenty to see. A great example is the Museo Nacional de
Antropologia, a 100,000-square-foot anthropological wonderland that has an
incredible collection of artifacts dating from pre-Columbian and even
prehistoric times.
The colonial cities of central Mexico, where the fight for Mexican
independence raged most fiercely, are dotted with museums that cover the
rich history of the area. Building and maintaining them is one way residents
show respect to the fallen heroes. Just as in the United States, many
museums in Mexico host touring exhibitions for tourist, displays, concerts
and other cultural activities. Be sure and check with the local tourist
office to find out what attractions and events are planned!
Archeology
If exploring ancient sites and archeological wonders is your idea of a great
vacation, you could spend years exploring what Mexico has to offer. Many of
the sites are world-renowned, but you can still find hidden treasures that
have seen very little traffic and are still largely unexplored.
If exploring ancient sites and archeological wonders is your idea of a great
vacation, you could spend years exploring what Mexico has to offer. Many of
the sites are world-renowned attractions, but you can still find hidden
treasures that have seen very little traffic and are still largely
unexplored.
Tulum (Yucatán Peninsula)
Despite the beautiful Mexican coastal areas, the Mayans were not known for
their beachfront building. Tulum is the exception of the rule, as well as
being the only walled city the ancient culture ever built. It is a
relatively small site, but makes up for that with incredible detail and
insight into daily Mayan life. One of the most-visited Mayan sites, Tulum is
a must for any archeological tourist trip. Arrive early to avoid the crowds!
Guides are available.
Palenque (Chiapas)
The mystery of Palenque starts with its name, which is the one given to it
by the Spanish conquistadors. The true Mayan name for the site has yet to be
discovered. The 10-square-mile site contains more than 500 structures,
though the fully excavated sites are in a fairly compact area. Unlike some
tourist attraction sites that require daily travel, Palenque has its own
town nearby with a variety of accommodations and excellent food. On the site
itself, there is a visitor's center, a museum, a restaurant, a library and
folk art shops should you decide your stunning photographs aren't quite
enough to commemorate your visit to this amazing jewel of the rain forest.
Yagul (Oaxaca)
Yagul is as old as Monte Alban, but its useful life outlasted that site. Its
beautiful hillside location is split into three parts, one of which contains
the largest ball court in Oaxaca. The similarities to Monte Alban extend to
the architecture, but Yagul is distinguished by its prized hieroglyphics,
facades and engravings which have lasted the centuries amazingly well. Yagul
is a photographer's paradise and the dream of many tourist, with vistas from
the hills around from within the site that will make your vacation pictures
look like postcard shots.
Nightlife
Nightlife in Mexico is world-famous, and justifiably so! If you're in a
resort or a major city, you will find a vibrant club, bar and restaurant
scene that starts late and runs until the wee hours. In smaller towns, life
is usually quieter, but even there you can find fiestas that will bring the
whole town together for a night of food, music and fun that will leave you
breathless.
Music drives the Latin soul, and nowhere does this come to life more
amazingly than in Mexico! Music and dance in all its forms flourish here,
and free concerts are in great abundance especially in the major cities.
Just as in the U.S., folk musicians can frequently be found entertaining
passers-by in parks, working for tips. You'll be astonished at the skill
level and variety!
What's your pleasure? Live theatre? Rock/pop? Big name attractions? All
these and more, including intimate coffeehouses, salsa and meringue clubs
and jazz clubs are very common. If you're a hardcore club rat, the beat of
the discos will keep you dancing until dawn.
You'll even find a rodeo or two, sometimes operating well into the night!
Typically, you'll start your night with dinner in a restaurant or cantina,
most of which have their own live music. From there, it's off to a nightclub
or disco, some of which don't open until 11 p.m. and wind down at dawn. In
some of the resort towns, you'll find rush hour-type traffic jams at closing
time! If you're not done yet, head for a beach bar to wind down by the
waves.
For the tourist living the resort life, you'll find even more enticing
entertainments. Booze cruises, sunset and dinner cruises, some even with
fireworks shows fill the early evenings. For a more intimate celebration,
book a catamaran, party boat or even your own pirate ship at some resorts!
Whether you want to dance the night away and shake your groove thing on a
tabletop or sip cognac in a piano bar, you'll never run out of options in
Mexico. Nightlife is a way of life here, not just a tourist attraction!
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