From pre-Columbian archaeological sites to colonial cities to herbal wonders, Mexico ranks seventh for the number of sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With no less than 27 cultural sites, six herbarium sites, and two sites combined, there is a wonder all around us. The corner in Mexico.
You may already be familiar with some of those places, such as the pre-Hispanic city of Chichen Itza in Yucatan, the historic center of Mexico City, or the expat paradise of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato. The find takes it off the beaten path, with fewer tourists but with the same ancient value.
Whether you’re looking for herbaceous monuments, cultural destinations, or a combination of herbal and cultural significance, here are five lesser-known UNESCO sites in Mexico to suit any enthusiast’s interests.
Tlacotalpan, a river port city 72 km south of the city of Veracruz, “is an exceptionally well-preserved Spanish colonial river port,” according to UNESCO.
Preserving its original chessboard-shaped urban plan, this small 16th-century colonial town on the banks of the Papaloapan River is the best position to revel in Caribbean vernacular traditions. Many of the classic houses adjacent to the river, with their bright colors and lush decorations, have retained their original shape, scale, ornaments, colors, and even furnishings. The city’s public and personal gardens are also home to centuries-old trees.
Tlacotalpan is known for being the birthplace of the Mexican singer and composer Agustín Lara, of famous Mexican songs such as “María Bonita” or “TSólo Una Vez”.
A stop in this jewel of the city deserves to be the Municipal Palace, the main park, the Church of San Cristóbal and the Agustín Lara Museum. Visitors can also take a boat on part of the Papaloapan River for bird watching and enjoy a stopover in the nearby historic town of Alvarado. Companies like Viator will offer English-language tours in both cities.
How do you get there? The Veracruz Bus Station in the city of Veracruz offers daily departures to Tlacotalpan on the ADO and TRV lines approximately every forty-five minutes.
At the back of a canyon on the Baja California peninsula are the oldest cave paintings in the Americas. They date from around 100 B. C. to around 1300 A. D. (Between 7,000 and 12,000 years ago), its remoteness and the dry climate of the region allowed the paintings to remain in excellent condition for thousands of years. UNESCO said it was “one of the most remarkable collections of cave paintings in the world. “
This gigantic work of art, depicting human and animal figures, as well as marine and terrestrial fauna, is attributed to the Cochimí people, who lived relatively far from continental influences. The paintings, which number in the hundreds, have red, black, white, and yellow colors. .
Little is known about the Cochimí, who temporarily disappeared after contact with Jesuit missionaries from Europe in the 16th century.
Baja Cave Art Excursions offers guided tours of the caves in English.
How do you get there? Due to the difficulty of reaching the caves from the nearest villages (San Ignacio and El Vizcaíno), the Mexican Ministry of Culture recommends booking an expedition with a specialized tour company. Hiking or riding a donkey to the caves can take up to five hours from Santa Teresa Canyon. , the only campsite allowed in the area.
At the junction of the states of Morelos, Puebla and Tlaxcala, on the slopes of Mexico’s most active volcano, there are 15 monasteries in a state of conservation. They were built by the first missionaries in America: the Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians.
Monasteries are located in other magical towns and archaeological spaces (including prominent sites such as Tepoztlán and Cholula). These buildings bear witness to an original architectural taste created with the aim of evangelization and as a position of cultural exchange between Europe and indigenous communities. These monasteries stand out mainly for their avant-garde architectural features: they feature open spaces and giant atriums that did not exist in similar European churches.
The influence of this taste can be seen in Mexico and beyond its borders in other colonial constructions.
According to UNESCO, the original elements of the monasteries are perfectly preserved, making them “an authentic 16th-century monastery. “
How to get there? Since the monasteries are scattered elsewhere in 3 states, the Ministry of Culture has created a map and guide of the route of the monasteries.
Located in the north of the state of Sonora, the El Pinacate and Great Altar Desert Biosphere Reserve is one of the 4 deserts in North America along with the Chihuahuan Desert, the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin Desert.
The Pinacate Desert Natural Protected Area is a virgin desert that encompasses two landscapes in 714,566 hectares. To the east, it is home to a volcanic domain of about 200,000 hectares, with vast flows of black and red lava and desert cobblestones. UNESCO says the most visually: A striking feature is the organization of 10 huge steam jet craters that are at most perfectly circular.
To the west is the Great Altar Desert, the most gigantic sand dune square in North America, reaching up to two hundred meters high. These dunes are the only Erg dunes (areas with a giant accumulation of sand) in North America.
Pinacate Tours organises other camping reports in the other areas of the desert.
How do you get there? The largest is located at kilometer 52 of Highway 8 Puerto Peñasco-Sonoyta, 3 hours and 30 minutes from the town of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States.
The Franciscan Missions were built between 1750 and 1760 from the evangelization of the Spanish colonial era in Querétaro. These missions facilitated the painting of Christian missionaries in California, Arizona, and Texas.
UNESCO points out that the richly decorated facades of the churches are a clear example of the fusion of cultures between missionaries and natives. “They are a testament to the cultural coexistence between two societies and the plant environment,” he says.
The Franciscan Missions have been remarkably preserved in the mountainous areas of the Sierra Gorda. Among them are the Mission of Santiago de Jalpan, Nuestra Señora de la Luz de Tancoyol, San Miguel Concá, Santa María del Agua de Landa and San Francisco de Asís del Valle de Tilaco.
Some church interiors feature indigenous motifs, adding photographs of jaguars, eagles, and other indigenous peoples.
Promotur Querétaro offers other tours to explore the five missions. This experience can be combined with a tour of the historic center of the city of Querétaro, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How do you get there? Missions are scattered around the state and all are available seamlessly across the road. You can turn to this consultant to explore them at your own pace.
Gabriela Solís is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. He was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and for Mexico News Daily. You can follow his lifestyle blog Dunes and Palm Trees.
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