Things to Do in Mexico

This offshore island is a popular excursion stop for cruise ship passengers docking in Mazatlan, but most of the visitors are locals on weekends and it’s not very crowded on non-cruise weekdays. The main reason to visit is to lie on the beach, swim, and eat grilled seafood at a thatched-roof restaurant, but you can also explore the island by horseback or on walking trails. The beach here is a good spot for seashell collecting.

There are two ways to get to Isla de Piedra as it’s known locally. The independent route is to take a pulmonia to the cruise ship port and take the public launch, running every 15 to 30 minutes. Another option is to sign up for a tour that includes some time at Stone Island. Most of them also visit mangrove swamps in a jungle area to spot birds.

High in the rugged mountains of northern Guerrero State, the elegant city of Taxco de Alarcon was once an isolated Spanish stronghold. Today it is known for its mines producing rich, gleaming silver, and the generations of artisans who create some of Mexico's most beautiful jewelry.

Though every possible style is represented in the craftshops that inhabit old adobes lining the steep, cobbled streets, it is the smooth, heavy cast pieces of both modern and traditional design that are considered true Taxco style. Before you shop, stop into the city's two siver museums to see truly fine pieces: the Museo de la Plateria, which also covers the Mexico's history in silver, and the Museo Guillermo Spratling, with pottery and other exhibits.

All that glitters is not silver, however, and the city boasts several other worthy attractions. Culture lovers will love the richly detailed baroque facade and soaring interior of 18th century Catedral de Santa Prisca, while active travelers will enjoy hiking to waterfalls and mountaintops around town.

The state of Oaxaca is famous for the rugs and blankets of Teotitlán del Valle, a small town 24 km southeast of the capital. Weaving is chiefly a cottage industry in Teotitlán del Valle; you can buy rugs and blankets from street vendors, from hole-in-the-wall shops, or even from private homes.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the artists in action. Although the modern weavers of Teotitlán del Valle work on a style of treadle loom introduced to the area in the 1500s by Dominican friars, Zapotec weaving traditions date back to at least 500 BC. If you visit the Zapotec ruins of nearby Mitla and Monte Albán , you’ll spot consistencies between the geometric wall frescos and the rug patterns of Teotitlán del Valle. Traditional motifs include fleches (arrows), a zig-zag pattern called relampago (lightening) and a floral shape known as the sol Zapoteca (Zapotec sun). Traditionally, these designs are woven from handspun wool colored with natural dyes made from cactus fruits, walnut husks, pecan bark, indigo, and the larvae of cochineal, an insect that lives in the nopal cactus.

If you want to continue your weaving education, check out the interesting little community museum across from Teotitlán del Valle’s mercado de artesanias (craft market).

At the turn of the 19th century in Merida, the henequen plant—a type of agave—was such an important producer of textiles that locals would call it “green gold.” All of that changed when the textile industry evolved toward synthetic fibers, but on a visit to Sotuta de Peon Hacienda, on Merida’s southern outskirts, you can journey back to the golden era was henequen was king. Tour an historic, grandiose plantation home that was built with henequen dollars, before visiting the mill to watch as plants are processed into fibers. The equipment used has been pieced together from farms across the Yucatan, and is a way to preserve the traditional methods of henequen production and harvest. Learn how the fiber is woven to make rope, or spun into high quality yarn, before bouncing around on a mule-driven truck like plantation workers of old. Having worked up a sweat on the hacienda, cool off with a dip in the hidden cenotes, allowing the cool, alkaline-rich waters to rejuvenate your senses. You can also enjoy a traditional meal that’s prepared at the hacienda restaurant, and truly cap off an enchanting day of Yucatan history and culture.

The Soumaya Museum (Museo Soumaya) is more than just another art museum in Mexico—it is home to the incredibly impressive $700 million private collection of one of the world’s wealthiest men. Like a roster of history’s most influential artists, names such as Da Vinci, van Gogh and Matisse inhabit the halls, along with works from Monet, El Greco, Picasso, Dalí and Tintoretto. Lovers of Rodin will take delight in the collection of the artist's sculptures, which is the largest set found outside of France. On par with the world’s most prominent museums, Soumaya is unlike anything else of its kind in Latin America—the towering building itself is a shimmering work of art.

Stretching 150 feet (45 meters) above street level, the building sparkles with 16,000 honeycombed, aluminum hexagons, which reflect sunlight and appear to float. While Plaza Carso in the Polanco neighborhood is the museum’s main location, an older, second location at Plaza Loreto dates back to 1994. Between the two, the volume of art is staggering, offering Avant-Garde classics among its hundreds of sculptures. Thanks to its stunning design, the museum is often included in Mexico City's architecture tours.