By Monique Sanmiguel
Photos: Unsplash, Conade, Fronton México & Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza
Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008 for its outstanding colonial, baroque and neo-gothic architecture, cobblestone streets and viceregal style. One of its main attractions is the neo-Gothic style Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, decorated with pink quarry stone in 1880 by master builder Ceferino Gutiérrez, who was inspired by the style of German and Belgian style churches.
The Navarrese bullfighter Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza chose San Miguel de Allende to enjoy great moments surrounded by horses and thus created a country development located only fifteen minutes away from the city. Valle Hermoso was designed by Artigas Arquitectos, landscape architect Michael McKay and Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza who was able to achieve a strong harmony between the love of equestrian life and the lifestyle that a country estate can provide for families.
Guanajuato City was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 for its enigmatic three thousand two hundred alleys and its remarkable baroque, colonial and eclectic architecture. The University is one of the city’s icons, recognisable by its Renaissance façade of white and blue walls, leading to the monumental staircase that leads directly to the Monumento al Pípila.
Teatro Juárez was built by the engineer Jose María Noriega between 1873 and 1903, with a particular mixture of oriental decoration and western architecture. On the outside there are eight bronze sculptures representing Greek muses, while the performance hall has a peculiar neo-Mudejar style that can be appreciated in the monumental Moorish arch and in the soffit that covers the surface of the hall with geometric decorations of Arabic design.
Querétaro
The region is renowned for its wine-growing area, among which we can highlight the Tierra de Alonso vineyard, a family project consisting of three hectares made up of the following varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Garnacha and Verdejo. The estate has white, rosé and red wines and is currently creating a sparkling wine, as well as an area reserved for over-ripening, from which they make a drink known as sweet coupage.
San Joaquín is a magical town known as the Catedral del Huapango. During the month of April of every year, the “Concurso Nacional de Baile de Huapango” takes place, where national and international participants and spectators gather to enjoy this son huasteco, which has been recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage and is a fusion of flamenco, tangos and Spanish bulerías with melodies of Nahuatl origin.
Michoacán
Morelia is the capital and one of the most populated cities of the state. Since 1991 it’s considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site and some of its traditions are listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Old Valladolid, known by the Spaniards from 1545 to 1828, is noted for its colonial architecture and the presence of pink quarry stone in the historic city centre. The baroque 18th century Catedral was built by the Italian architect Vicencio Barroso Escayola, has two 67-metre-high towers that stand out in the architectural landscape of the city and every Saturday is illuminated in a spectacle of light, fireworks and Mexican music at 9 o’clock at night.
The museo del dulce is located on the main avenue of the city, Francisco I. Madero, and offers a variety of more than 300 sweets from Michoacán. In 1938, the candy shop was acquired by Don Luis Torres to commercialise the fruit pastries made by his family and at the end of the 20th century they decided to create the Museo del Dulce, where the staff dressed in representative attire of the time gives a tour to the visitors so that they can discover the materials and instruments used to make the ate.
Paracho is a Chichimeca word that means offering. This place is recognised as the “Guitar Capital of the World,” although other instruments such as lutes, violins, double basses, trichords or requintos made with wood from different parts of the world are also made here. This traditional Michoacán place also receives year after year, during July, more than 120 teams of national and international balloonists to cover the sky with cantolla balloons, which have been made with Chinese paper by artisan hands for almost a hundred years.
In Caringaro you’ll find an ecotourist hotel called Karinga. There you can do various activities such as beekeeping, strawberry picking, hiking, horseback riding, as well as find a great variety of animals and plants. For accommodation you can book some of the cabins or glampings and enjoy a comfortable stay surrounded by nature. Nearby are Quiroga, Tzintzuntzan and Santa Clara del Cobre, well known for their famous carnitas, clay and copper work.
Estado de México
San Martín de las Pirámides is located 2.5 km from the archaeological zone of Teotihuacán and since 1973, it celebrates between July and August of every year, the “International Tuna Fair,” where you can find a wide gastronomic offer such as the tuna liquor, the white or red tuna craft beer, xoconostles bathed in chocolate or in syrup.
Malinalco is a magical town that has a monolithic archaeological zone worked directly on the mountain and is considered a jewel of pre-Hispanic architecture. In this place you can follow the mezcal route and visit factories to enjoy a drink to which mystical effects have been attributed since pre-Hispanic times, for it is said that it was a drink used by the Mexica priests to reach cosmogonic states of consciousness.
Ciudad de México
Is the most inhabited city of the Mexican Republic in a territory of only 1495 sq km where you can find a great diversity of sports, monuments, restaurants, hotels, cultural life and lifestyle.
Paseo de la Reforma is part of Porfirio Díaz’s French-style takeover, which embellished the avenue to the extent that it was compared to the Champs Elysées in Paris.
The frontón México is an Art Deco style building located next to the Monumento a la Revolución. It’s the largest Jai Alai court in the world and for many years it was an important part of the aristocratic life of Mexico, as people used to come dressed up to watch the Basque pelota tournaments. Inside the building is the Zesta Punta restaurant, where you can admire photographs of the most outstanding pelotaris, as well as enjoy the gastronomy of chef Guy Santoro, the creator of Mexi-terránea® fusion cuisine and who has been awarded the Grand Cordon D’Or de la Cuisine Française medal.
The Pista Olímpica de Remo y Canotaje was built in January 1967 with water provided by the wells of the Xochimilco lake to host the Mexico 68 Olympic Games and thus become the first artificial canoeing track in the world in July 1968.
Morelos
Cuernavaca is known worldwide as the city of eternal spring. There is the Jardín Borda, the summer residence of an important French miner, Joseph Gouaux de Laborde Sánchez, who made a great fortune in Taxco and Zacatecas and was known as José de la Borda, is located here. The building stands out for its French style, as well as a great variety of flowers and plants from all over the world. The garden is now a cultural space, but at the end of the 19th century it was also the summer residence of Emperor Maximilian and Empress Charlotte of Habsburg.
Teopanzolco means in the old temple, in 2017 a cultural centre was built and is located in front of the archaeological zone. The first settlers of Teopanzolco were the Tlahuicas, however, the Mexicas came to conquer this region and included it in their empire. Inside the Pirámides de Teopanzolco were hidden two ancient temples that were discovered in 1921 and 2018. The Centro Cultural Teopanzolco was designed by architect Isaac Broid + Productora and has received multiple awards such as the “American Architecture Prize 2017” in architectural design or the “Oscar Niemeyer Prize 2018” in Latin American architecture.
Tlayacapan is the origin of the Chinelo, a character reminiscent of the old Spanish landowners. A few days before Ash Wednesday, the Tlayacapan Carnival is celebrated to enjoy traditions, gastronomy and the typical dance “el Brinco del Chinelo,” where the dancers place their hands on their chests and jump to the rhythm of a music band that accompanies their parade through the streets.
Guerrero
Taxco is a highlight city for its colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and silver mines. Its name means “place where the ball is played,” and only 30 km away are the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, a great attraction for ecotourists, with two underground rivers and several rooms with stalactites and stalagmites. In this magical town you can appreciate the Churrigueresque style in the Parroquia de Santa Prisca, which was built in less than ten years by orders of José de la Borda. The mining entrepreneur was of great importance for the development of Taxco, and this can be seen in the Casa de la Cultura or Casa Borda and in the Zócalo or Plaza Borda named in his honour.
Acapulco is one of the most important tourist ports in Mexico, on its 20 km of beach you can find different types of sand and views of the Pacific where you can practice a wide variety of water sports such as surfing, sailing, skiing or windsurfing. This destination was the muse that inspired Enrique Corcuera to create Paddle Tennis in the late 60s by adapting a piece of land on his estate to play with wooden paddles and a ball. In 1974, Alfonso de Hohenlohe travelled to Corcuera’s house in Acapulco and during his stay he became interested in the practice of this sport, so when he returned to Spain, the businessman perfected and analysed some details of the regulations, as well as the playing field and built the first two courts at Marbella Club.
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