Hernán Cortés' conquest of the Aztec empire in 1521 certainly set off a culture clash. The conquistadors remade Mexico in Spain's image, superimposing European architecture, ideas, religion and social customs on the indigenous culture. The three centuries that followed were wracked by destruction and tragedy, but they also brought the unique cultural fusion that resulted in beautiful colonial cities filled with domed and porticoed stone and tile buildings, cobblestone streets and verdant plazas.
Although the anointed colonial heartland lies in the highlands of central Mexico, colonial cities endure throughout the country. Each city on our Top 10 list has its own unique character and heritage, but all offer awe-inspiring architecture, tempestuous history and lively traditions.
Mérida:
The White City disproves the common wisdom that the Maya are a lost civilization: Even today, Mérida's Maya keep their culture alive with a daily lineup of traditional Yucatecan dances, open-air serenades, mock Mayan weddings and other events. This hospitable city of ornate, European-designed buildings, many lining a grand boulevard modeled after the Champs-Elysees, is an ideal base for exploring nearby Mayan ruins.
Hotel pick: Misión de Fray Diego, with ample 17th century atmosphere and one of the city's most beautiful courtyards.
Morelia:
The capital of Michoacán state was the pre-Colombian center of the only peoples who were never conquered by the Aztecs, and it displays its Indian roots proudly alongside majestic colonial buildings of unique pink quarry stone. Another draw: Artisans from surrounding villages fill Morelia's parks, markets and shops with an incomparable array of furniture, pottery, musical instruments, copper, jewelry, woolen garments, textiles and carvings.
Campeche:
Pirates and buccaneers flocked to this flourishing port to plunder the fabled riches shipped to Spain during colonial times, prompting the construction of a protective wall in the 17th century. Some of the wall, two original gates and seven baluartes, or bastions (several occupied by intriguing museums), still stand. Behind this perimeter lies one of Mexico's most perfectly preserved enclaves of pastel-colored houses and narrow stone streets.
Oaxaca:
A longtime tourist favorite, Oaxaca is best known for its diverse indigenous populations, nearby craft villages and the ruins of Monte Albán. Libraries, business offices, schools, shops and hotels occupy former private and royal homes, churches and convents built by the Spanish around a plaza now lined with cafes. The annual Guelaguetza Festival in July draws thousands to ceremonial music and dances from the seven regions of Oaxaca state.
Puebla:
Founded in 1531 with a charter from Spain's Queen Isabella, Puebla provided safe haven for Spaniards traveling between Veracruz and Mexico City. Today it is known for its Talavera pottery, chiles en nogada (Mexico's national dish) and quite possibly the country's most exuberant Cinco de Mayo celebration. Warning: The abundance of churches with Moorish domes and the Baroque designs of carved wood, stucco curlicues and kaleidoscopic tile in the historical center may trigger sensory overload.
Guanajuato:
Of the old silver cities that grew from mining camps in a valley northwest of Mexico City, Guanajuato is the prettiest. The narrow, music-filled streets that wind around and up and down the landscape's rumpled contours reveal museums in unlikely corners, tiny plazas, old fountains and pastel houses with wrought-iron balconies bursting with flowers. Don Quixote is revered here, as is War of Independence hero Pipila, whose 30-foot statue rises from one of the many hills.
Cuernavaca:
The "land of eternal spring," just south of Mexico City, was a gift to Cortés from Spain's King Charles V. True to character, Cortés' first order of business was to build himself a castle over the ruins of an Aztec pyramid. The city is full of royal residences, museums and churches built in the 1700s and is known for its popular Spanish language schools.
Hotel pick: The Hacienda de Cortés, built in 1530 by the famous conqueror himself for a sugar mill operation.
Querétaro:
Designated the "third city of New Spain" in 1531, this former mission headquarters and mining city is less known for its colonial history than its role in ending Spanish rule. Never mind such historic events as Maximilian's execution or the signing of the Treaty of Hidalgo and the Mexican Constitution — this is where the fathers of independence plotted in secret to overthrow the Spanish. Pedestrian walkways and boulevards closed to motor traffic make exploring historic buildings and plazas here especially pleasant.
Zacatecas:
The city that produced one-third of all Mexico's silver during the height of the mining era is filled with 16th century Moorish-style, pink limestone buildings (some built over many years) adorned by coats of arms, carvings and small balconies. Some of the narrow, twisting streets are so steep that they turn into steps. The cathedral, built from 1718 to 1732, is a Baroque masterpiece.
Veracruz:
Though better known as Mexico's most important port city, this is where Cortés landed on Good Friday, 1519, and set off after Moctezuma. It boasts some of Spain's first architectural efforts and parks filled with African- and Caribbean-influenced music and dancing. One of the forts built in the 17th century to fend off pirates still stands near the city center. The zócalo, one of Mexico's liveliest, is command central for Carnaval festivities that rival Rio's.
Although the anointed colonial heartland lies in the highlands of central Mexico, colonial cities endure throughout the country. Each city on our Top 10 list has its own unique character and heritage, but all offer awe-inspiring architecture, tempestuous history and lively traditions.
Mérida:
The White City disproves the common wisdom that the Maya are a lost civilization: Even today, Mérida's Maya keep their culture alive with a daily lineup of traditional Yucatecan dances, open-air serenades, mock Mayan weddings and other events. This hospitable city of ornate, European-designed buildings, many lining a grand boulevard modeled after the Champs-Elysees, is an ideal base for exploring nearby Mayan ruins.
Hotel pick: Misión de Fray Diego, with ample 17th century atmosphere and one of the city's most beautiful courtyards.
Morelia:
The capital of Michoacán state was the pre-Colombian center of the only peoples who were never conquered by the Aztecs, and it displays its Indian roots proudly alongside majestic colonial buildings of unique pink quarry stone. Another draw: Artisans from surrounding villages fill Morelia's parks, markets and shops with an incomparable array of furniture, pottery, musical instruments, copper, jewelry, woolen garments, textiles and carvings.
Campeche:
Pirates and buccaneers flocked to this flourishing port to plunder the fabled riches shipped to Spain during colonial times, prompting the construction of a protective wall in the 17th century. Some of the wall, two original gates and seven baluartes, or bastions (several occupied by intriguing museums), still stand. Behind this perimeter lies one of Mexico's most perfectly preserved enclaves of pastel-colored houses and narrow stone streets.
Oaxaca:
A longtime tourist favorite, Oaxaca is best known for its diverse indigenous populations, nearby craft villages and the ruins of Monte Albán. Libraries, business offices, schools, shops and hotels occupy former private and royal homes, churches and convents built by the Spanish around a plaza now lined with cafes. The annual Guelaguetza Festival in July draws thousands to ceremonial music and dances from the seven regions of Oaxaca state.
Puebla:
Founded in 1531 with a charter from Spain's Queen Isabella, Puebla provided safe haven for Spaniards traveling between Veracruz and Mexico City. Today it is known for its Talavera pottery, chiles en nogada (Mexico's national dish) and quite possibly the country's most exuberant Cinco de Mayo celebration. Warning: The abundance of churches with Moorish domes and the Baroque designs of carved wood, stucco curlicues and kaleidoscopic tile in the historical center may trigger sensory overload.
Guanajuato:
Of the old silver cities that grew from mining camps in a valley northwest of Mexico City, Guanajuato is the prettiest. The narrow, music-filled streets that wind around and up and down the landscape's rumpled contours reveal museums in unlikely corners, tiny plazas, old fountains and pastel houses with wrought-iron balconies bursting with flowers. Don Quixote is revered here, as is War of Independence hero Pipila, whose 30-foot statue rises from one of the many hills.
Cuernavaca:
The "land of eternal spring," just south of Mexico City, was a gift to Cortés from Spain's King Charles V. True to character, Cortés' first order of business was to build himself a castle over the ruins of an Aztec pyramid. The city is full of royal residences, museums and churches built in the 1700s and is known for its popular Spanish language schools.
Hotel pick: The Hacienda de Cortés, built in 1530 by the famous conqueror himself for a sugar mill operation.
Querétaro:
Designated the "third city of New Spain" in 1531, this former mission headquarters and mining city is less known for its colonial history than its role in ending Spanish rule. Never mind such historic events as Maximilian's execution or the signing of the Treaty of Hidalgo and the Mexican Constitution — this is where the fathers of independence plotted in secret to overthrow the Spanish. Pedestrian walkways and boulevards closed to motor traffic make exploring historic buildings and plazas here especially pleasant.
Zacatecas:
The city that produced one-third of all Mexico's silver during the height of the mining era is filled with 16th century Moorish-style, pink limestone buildings (some built over many years) adorned by coats of arms, carvings and small balconies. Some of the narrow, twisting streets are so steep that they turn into steps. The cathedral, built from 1718 to 1732, is a Baroque masterpiece.
Veracruz:
Though better known as Mexico's most important port city, this is where Cortés landed on Good Friday, 1519, and set off after Moctezuma. It boasts some of Spain's first architectural efforts and parks filled with African- and Caribbean-influenced music and dancing. One of the forts built in the 17th century to fend off pirates still stands near the city center. The zócalo, one of Mexico's liveliest, is command central for Carnaval festivities that rival Rio's.
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