UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mexico

Travel to these remarkable Mexican World Heritage sites

Located in the state of Jalisco, the tequila producing region encloses a landscape of blue agave fields and four urban settlements, including the town of Tequila, within which are several large distilleries where the agave is fermented and distilled. Agave culture is seen as part of Mexican national identity. The town of Tequila can easily be visited on a day trip from Guadalajara.

The ancient Maya site of Calakmul, in the state of Campeche, is located deep in the tropical forest. The imposing structures of this ancient city and its overall layout, characteristic of Maya cities, are remarkably well preserved and give a vivid picture of life in an ancient Maya capital. The commemorative stelae at Calakmul are outstanding examples of Maya art, and throw light on the political and spiritual development of the city. Read more about Calakmul, the Maya civilization, and other Maya archaeological sites.

Located in the state of Morelos, the archaeological site of Xochicalco dates to 650–900 A.D., the period following the dissolution of the great urban centers associated with Mesoamerica's Classic period, Teotihuacan, Monte Alban and Palenque. This site is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial centre from this period.

The archaeological site of Paquimé (also known as Casas Grandes) is located in northern Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua. This site provides exceptional evidence of the development of adobe architecture in North America. Paquimé played a key role in trade and cultural contacts between the Pueblo culture of the south-western United States and northern Mexico, and the civilizations of Mesoamerica. Read more about Paquimé.

The campus of Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) in Mexico City is an example of 20th-century modernism integrating urbanism, architecture, engineering, landscape design and fine arts with references to local traditions, especially to Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past. The campus is the result of the collective work of over sixty architects, engineers and artists who worked together to create the spaces and facilities, which were built between 1949 and 1952.

Fourteen monasteries, which are located on the slopes of the Popocatepetl volcano southeast of Mexico City in the states of Morelos and Puebla, are in an excellent state of conservation and are good examples of the architectural style adopted by the first missionaries (Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians) who converted the indigenous populations to Christianity in the early 16th century.

Inhabited between 800 and 1200 A.D., the Pre-Hispanic city of El Tajin is located in the state of Veracruz. After the fall of Teotihuacan, it became the most important centre in north-east Mesoamerica. Its cultural influence extended all along the Gulf and penetrated into the Maya region and the high plateaux of central Mexico. Its architecture, which is unique in Mesoamerica, is characterized by elaborate carved reliefs on the columns and friezes.

Five Franciscan missions which date from the mid-18th century, during the last phase of evangelisation of the interior of Mexico, bear witness to the cultural encounter of the European missions with the nomadic populations of central Mexico. The churches' richly decorated façades represent an example of the joint creative efforts of the missionaries and the native people.

Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, Mexico City has has five Aztec temples, the largest cathedral on the continent, and some fine 19th and 20th-century public buildings such as the Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Xochimilco is home to chinampas, known as “floating gardens,” the Aztecs' ingenious form of wetland agriculture.

Morelia, in Michoacan, was founded in the 16th century. The city conserves its original grid layout, and has over 200 historic buildings, built with the region's characteristic pink stone, that reflect Morelia's eclectic architectural history.