17

On the Road 4

Mexico Highlights 7

Destination Mexico 21Getting Started 22Itineraries 27History 35The Culture 53The Arts 63Food & Drink 76Environment 89Mexico City 95History 96Orientation 98Information 102Dangers & Annoyances 113Sights 113Activities 134Courses 134Mexico City for Children 134Quirky Mexico City 135Tours 135Festivals & Events 136Sleeping 136Eating 142Drinking 149Entertainment 152Shopping 158Getting There & Away 160Getting Around 164

Around Mexico City 170NORTH OF MEXICO CITY 171Tepotzotlán 171Tula 174

Teotihuacán 177Pachuca 181Around Pachuca 183EAST OF MEXICO CITY 184Puebla 184Cholula 193Popocatépetl & Iztaccíhuatl 196Tlaxcala 198Cacaxtla & Xochitécatl 202La Malinche 203Huamantla 203Cantona 204Cuetzalan 204Yohualichán 206Tehuacán 206Reserva de la Biosfera de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán 207SOUTH OF MEXICO CITY 207Tepoztlán 207Cuautla 210Cuernavaca 212Xochicalco 220Taxco 221Parque Nacional Grutas de Cacahuamilpa 227WEST OF MEXICO CITY 227Toluca 227Nevado de Toluca 230Valle de Bravo 231Malinalco 232Ixtapan de la Sal 233

Baja California 234NORTHERN BAJA 235Tijuana 237Around Tijuana 242Ensenada 243La Bufadora 248Parque Nacional Constitución de 1857 248Parque Nacional Sierra San Pedro Mártir 249Mexicali 249San Felipe 251Around San Felipe 251Misión San Borja 251SOUTHERN BAJA 251Guerrero Negro 251San Ignacio 253Around San Ignacio 253Santa Rosalía 254

Contents

18 C O N T E N T S

Mulegé 255Around Mulegé 256Loreto 257Around Loreto 259La Paz 260Around La Paz 265La Ventana 265Los Barriles 265Cabo Pulmo 265Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de la Laguna 266San José del Cabo 266Los Cabos Corridor 269Cabo San Lucas 269Todos Santos 272

Northwest Mexico 275SONORA 278Nogales 278Puerto Peñasco 280Hermosillo 282Bahía de Kino 285Guaymas 287San Carlos 289Álamos 290La Aduana 294NORTHERN SINALOA 294Los Mochis 294Topolobampo 296COPPER CANYON 297Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacífico 298El Fuerte 300Cerocahui 302Urique 303Areponápuchi (Posada Barrancas) 304Divisadero 305Creel 305Around Creel 309Batopilas 310

Central North Mexico 312Ciudad Juárez 315Nuevo Casas Grandes & Casas Grandes 317Around Nuevo Casas Grandes 320Madera 320Around Madera 321Chihuahua 322Cuauhtémoc 327Hidalgo del Parral 329

Torreón 331Around Torreón 333Durango 333Around Durango 337

Northeast Mexico 338COAHUILA 340Ciudad Acuña 341Piedras Negras 341Monclova 341Cuatro Ciénegas 342Saltillo 343Parras 347NUEVO LEÓN 349Monterrey 349Around Monterrey 358TAMAULIPAS 361Nuevo Laredo 361Reynosa 363Matamoros 364Northern Gulf Coast 367Ciudad Victoria 368Reserva de la BiosferaEl Cielo 370

Central Pacific Coast 373Culiacán 375Mazatlán 375Around Mazatlán 387Teacapán 388Santiago Ixcuintla 388Mexcaltitán 388San Blas 389Tepic 393Around Tepic 395Chacala 396Rincón De Guayabitos 397Around Rincón De Guayabitos 397Sayulita 397Puerto Vallarta 399Costalegre Beaches 414Bahía de Navidad 414Manzanillo 419Cuyutlán 423Boca de Pascuales 424Michoacán Coast 425Lázaro Cárdenas 427Troncones 428Ixtapa 429Zihuatanejo 432

South of Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo 439Pie De La Cuesta 440Acapulco 442Barra Vieja 455Costa Chica 455

Western Central Highlands 457GUADALAJARA 459History 459Orientation 460Information 462Sights 463Courses 469Tours 470Festivals & Events 470Sleeping 470Eating 472Drinking 474Entertainment 475Shopping 477Getting There & Away 478Getting Around 479AROUND GUADALAJARA 480San Juan de los Lagos 480Lago de Chapala 481Zona de Montaña 485INLAND COLIMA STATE 487Colima 487Around Colima 491INLAND MICHOACÁN 492Morelia 493Reserva Mariposa Monarca 501Angangueo 502Zitácuaro 503Pátzcuaro 503Around Pátzcuaro 509Uruapan 512Around Uruapan 516Volcán Paricutín 517Angahuan 517

Northern Central Highlands 519ZACATECAS STATE 521Zacatecas 521Around Zacatecas 529Jerez 530La Quemada 531Sombrerete 531AGUASCALIENTES STATE 532Aguascalientes 532

C O N T E N T S 19

SAN LUIS POTOSÍ STATE 537San Luis Potosí 537Matehuala 543Real De Catorce 543GUANAJUATO STATE 548Guanajuato 548León 558Dolores Hidalgo 560San Miguel de Allende 563Around San Miguel de Allende 575QUERÉTARO STATE 576Querétaro 576Around Querétaro 582Tequisquiapan 583Northeast Querétaro State 584

Central Gulf Coast 586TAMPICO & THE HUASTECA 589Tampico & Playa Miramar 589Ciudad Valles & Around 594Aquismón & Around 596Xilitla 597NORTHERN VERACRUZ STATE 599Tuxpan 599Tamiahua 601Poza Rica 601Papantla 601El Tajín 603South of Papantla 605CENTRAL VERACRUZ STATE 607Central Coast 607Xalapa 608Around Xalapa 613Veracruz 615Córdoba 623Atoyac 625Fortín de las Flores 625Coscomatepec 626Orizaba 627Pico de Orizaba 629SOUTHEAST VERACRUZ STATE 629Tlacotalpan 629Santiago Tuxtla 631Tres Zapotes 631San Andrés Tuxtla 632Catemaco 634Around Catemaco 637Acayucan 638San Lorenzo 639

Oaxaca State 640OAXACA CITY 643History 643Orientation 643Information 644Dangers & Annoyances 646Sights 647Activities 651Courses 652Tours 653Festivals & Events 653Sleeping 654Eating 657Drinking 659Entertainment 660Shopping 661Getting There & Away 662Getting Around 663VALLES CENTRALES 664Monte Albán 665East of Oaxaca: Valle de Tlacolula 668South of Oaxaca: Valle de Zimatlán 671North of Oaxaca: Valle de Etla 673SIERRA NORTE 674Pueblos Mancomunados 674Ixtlán 676Capulálpam 676WESTERN OAXACA 676Santiago Apoala 677Yanhuitlán, Coixtlahuaca & San Pedro Teposcolula 677Tlaxiaco & Beyond 678OAXACA COAST 678Puerto Escondido 678West of Puerto Escondido 686Pochutla 688Puerto Ángel 689Zipolite 692San Agustinillo 694Mazunte 696Bahías de Huatulco 698Barra de la Cruz 705ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC 706Tehuantepec 706Juchitán 707

Tabasco & Chiapas 709TABASCO 712Villahermosa 712Yumká 718

Western Tabasco 718Southern Tabasco 720Eastern Tabasco 722CHIAPAS 723Tuxtla Gutiérrez 723Around Tuxtla Gutiérrez 728San Cristóbal de Las Casas 730Around San Cristóbal 742Ocosingo 746Toniná 748Agua Azul & Misol-Ha 749Palenque 750Bonampak, Yaxchilán & the Carretera Fronteriza 759Comitán 766Around Comitán 769Laguna Miramar 772Ciudad Cuauhtémoc 772Reserva de la Biosfera El Triunfo 773El Soconusco 773Tapachula 775Around Tapachula 779

Yucatán Peninsula 781QUINTANA ROO 784Cancún 784Isla Mujeres 792Parque Nacional Isla Contoy 796Isla Holbox 796Puerto Morelos 798Playa del Carmen 798Isla Cozumel 802Akumal 807Tulum 808Around Tulum 813Felipe Carrillo Puerto 816Mahahual 818Xcalak 818Laguna Bacalar 819Chetumal 820Corredor Arqueológico 823YUCATÁN STATE 824Mérida 824South of Mérida 834Ticul 840Celestún 842Dzibilchaltún 843Progreso 844Izamal 844Chichén Itzá 845Valladolid 849Ek’ Balam 852

20 C O N T E N T S

Tizimín 852Río Lagartos 853San Felipe 854CAMPECHE STATE 854Campeche 854Around Campeche 861Escárcega to Xpujil 862Xpujil 864South of Xpujil 865

Directory 866Accommodations 866Activities 868Business Hours 870Children 871Climate Charts 872Courses 872Customs Regulations 872Dangers & Annoyances 872Discount Cards 874Embassies & Consulates 875Festivals & Events 876Gay & Lesbian Travelers 876Holidays 877Insurance 877Internet Access 877Legal Matters 877Maps 878Money 878Post 880Shopping 880

Telephone 880Time 882Toilets 882Tourist Information 882Travelers with Disabilities 883Visas 883Volunteering 884Women Travelers 885

Transportation 886GETTING THERE & AWAY 886Entering the Country 886Air 886Land 889GETTING AROUND 891Air 891Bicycle 892Boat 892Bus 892Car & Motorcycle 893Colectivo, Combi & Other Vehicles 898Hitchhiking 898Local Transportation 898

Health 900BEFORE YOU GO 900Insurance 900Recommended Vaccinations 900Medical Checklist 900

p642Oaxaca State

p99Mexico City

p172Around Mexico

p588Coast

Central Gulf

p710Chiapas

Tabasco &

p783PeninsulaYucatán

p458Highlands

CentralWestern

p374CoastPacificCentral

p520Highlands

CentralNorthern

p340Mexico

Northeast

p314MexicoNorth

Central

p277Mexico

Northwest

p236California

Baja

Regional Map Contents

Internet Resources 901Further Reading 901IN TRANSIT 901Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) 901Jet Lag & Motion Sickness 901IN MEXICO 902Availability & Cost of Health Care 902Infectious Diseases 902Traveler’s Diarrhea 905Environmental Hazards & Treatment 905Children & Pregnant Women 907

Language 909Glossary 917The Authors 921Behind the Scenes 925Index 934GreenDex 950Map Legend 952

Ferro

carril

Chi

huah

ua Pac ífico

P A C I F I C O C E A N

Sea ofCortez

R ío Bravod el N

orte

Río

Ba

vispe

Río

Ya

qui

Río

Fuer

te

Río

Ver

de

Río

Co l or a

do

Rio

Grand

e

BajaCalifornia

Sonora

Chihuahua

Coahuila

Nayarit

Zacatecas

Michoacán

SinaloaDurango

Colima

Jalisco

Guanajuato

Aguascalientes

San LuisPotosí

BajaCalifornia Sur

SantaRosalía

CiudadObregón

San Josédel Cabo

PuertoVallarta

AguaPrieta

Hidalgodel Parral

GómezPalacio

Real DeCatorce

CiudadAcuña

CiudadJuárez

AGUASCALIENTES

Mazatlán

GUADALAJARALeón

Tijuana

PHOENIXSan Diego

MORELIA

SALTILLO

TEPIC

DURANGO

CHIHUAHUA

CULIACÁN

HERMOSILLO

MEXICALI

CelayaIrapuato

Torreón

El Paso

Tucson

GUANAJUATO

COLIMA

ZACATECAS

LA PAZ

Zihuatanejo

Uruapan

Nogales

Monclova

Fresnillo

Manzanillo

Los Mochis

Navojoa

Guaymas

Ensenada

Creel

Loreto

Ixtapa

Pátzcuaro

Jiménez

Ojinaga

San Blas

Álamos

Cabo San Lucas

Presidio

DouglasNogales

LázaroCárdenas

Barra de Navidad

San Miguel deAllende

POTOSÍ

Topolobampo

PuertoPeñasco

SAN LUIS

DelRio

105ºW110ºW115ºW

LaQuemada

Paquimé

Reserva de la

Desierto de Altar

Bisofera ElPinacate y Gran

Sierra de la Giganta

Sierra San

Pedro Mártir

Si

er

ra

Ma

dr

eO

cc

id

e n t a l

10ºN

15ºN

20ºN

25ºN

30ºN

105ºW110ºW115ºW

PresaInfiernillo

Presa de laAmistad

Lago deChapala

Isla Ángelde la

Guarda

Isla delTiburón

Isla Cedros

IslasMarías

IslaEspíritu

Santo

Tropic of Cancer

es

ne

ro

no

So

tr

ei

se

D

es

ne

uh

au

hih

Cot

re

is

eD

Desierto deVizcaíno

CopperCanyon

U N I T E D S T A T E S

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX MEXMEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

LEGEND ELEVATION

3000m

2000m

1500m

200m

400m

1000m

0

Tertiary RoadUnsealed Road

Secondary RoadPrimary RoadFreewayTollway

300 km150 miles

00

25

10

8

57

3

1

49

15D

45D

40D

20D 54D15D

COPPER CANYON (p297)

ESPÍRITU SANTO (p261)

MAZATLÁN (p375)

MORELIA (p493)

GUANAJUATO (p548)

Kayak with whale sharks aroundthis island of sea lions,

azure inlets and pink cliffs

A gorgeous colonial district onlya short walk from a 20km-long

crescent of sandy beach

bars and clubs nestled in Spanish relics

One of Mexico's least known but mostbeautiful colonial cities, with rooftop

A vibrant and picturesque city witha lively student scene, great cultural

activities and a fascinating past

Ride the train, a horse, a bike –or just use your feet – to explore

the awesome canyon country

ZACATECAS (p521)Ride a cable car, dance in

a mine and delight in one ofMexico's most dramatic silver cities

G u l f o f M e x i c o

Caribbean Sea

Mis

siss

i pp

iR

iver

R ío Usumacinta

Río BalsasVeracruz

Oaxaca

Chiapas

Yucatán

México

NuevoLeón

Tamaulipas

QuintanaRoo

Campeche

Tabasco

Guerrero

Puebla

Morelos

Hidalgo

Tlaxcala

Querétaro Distrito Federal(Mexico City)

San AntonioEaglePass

Piedras Negras

Ciudad delCarmen

GUATEMALACITY

Playa del Carmen

MEXICOCITY

San AndrésTuxtla

San Cristóbalde Las Casas

PuertoÁngel

CIUDADVICTORIA

TUXTLAGUTIÉRREZ

MONTERREY

Acapulco

Houston

Dallas

MÉRIDA

OAXACA

XALAPA

CUERNAVACA

TOLUCA

PACHUCA

QUERÉTARO

AUSTIN

Matamoros

Veracruz

Cancún

Tampico

Reynosa

New Orleans

Fort Worth

CAMPECHE

CHETUMAL

CHILPANCINGO

Tlaxcala

MONTGOMERY

Jackson

Juchitán

Coatzacoalcos

Minatitlán

CórdobaOrizaba

Tehuacán

Cuautla

Taxco

Tapachula

Quetzaltenango

Belize City

Poza RicaTuxpan

Mobile

BrownsvilleMcAllen

Laredo

Tehuantepec

Progreso

Valladolid

Tizimín

Bahías deHuatulco

PuertoEscondido

TEGUCIGALPA

NuevoLaredo

PUEBLA

BATONROUGE

TALLAHASSEE

CiudadValles

CorpusChristi

SAN SALVADOR

VILLAHERMOSA

BELMOPAN

ChichénItzá

MonteAlbán

El Tajín

90ºW

30ºN

15ºN

10ºN

95ºW100ºW 85ºW

ReservaMariposaMonarca

Sie

rr

aM

ad

re

Or i e n t a l

S i e r r a Ma d r ed e l S u r

Pico de Orizaba(5611m)

25ºN

20ºN

90ºW95ºW100ºW

PresaVicente

Guerrero

PresaMiguelAlemán

Presa LaAngostura

PresaFalcón

Isla Cozumel

PadreIsland

Tropic of Cancer

Istmo deTehuantepec

O F A M E R I C A

GUATEMALA

BELIZE

HONDURAS

EL SALVADORNICARAGUA

Tulum

Palenque

YaxchilánMitla

Teotihuacán

Uxmal

Calakmul

MEXMEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

10

85

6559

55

49

20

30

4535

37

35

10

20

MEX

MEX

85D

85

1

2

1

77

59

18057D

95D

40D

85D

200

180D

145D

OAXACA CITY (p643)

PLAYA DEL CARMEN (p798)

CALAKMUL (p863)

PALENQUE (p750)

PUERTO ESCONDIDO (p678)

MEXICO CITY (p95)

TEOTIHUACÁN (p177)

VERACRUZ (p615)

RESERVA MARIPOSAMONARCA (p501)

butterflies of awesome stamina

The winter retreat formillions of colorful migrating

adventures and masked wrestlersof riveting museums, culinary

Highland megalopolis, ancientAztec capital, kaleidoscopic canvas

Fascinatingly lovely colonialcity with great craftsand excellent food

Super-relaxed coastal town withsomething for all tastes: surfing,

beaches, fishing, wildlife, nightlife

Ancient Maya templesrise majestically from a

thick, steamy jungle

and an 800-year-old ruin or twoday trips to crystalline cenotes

The Riviera Maya's toniest stop offersspectacular diving and amazing

Explore a pair of mysteriousand majestic pyramids, remnants

of a mighty civilization

Pick up the partyvibe in Mexico'sfunkiest port city

Mount massive Mayapyramids to gaze over a sea

of toucan-inhabited rainforest