Mexico 101: Beautiful Cities

In my first article ‘Mexico 101‘ I talked about some of the most loved traditional Mexican dishes, but that’s definitely not the only beautiful thing about this country. Another amazing part about Mexico is its cities. All of them have their own unique and particular characteristics, with gastronomy, architecture, and landscapes of their own.

I’m going to talk about three cities in particular: Morelia, Guanajuato, and Guadalajara.

Which Mexican cities have you heard of? Make sure to let me know in the comments below which one of these three is your favorite! So, let’s start.

Morelia

This city is located in the state of Michoacán in central México. Human settlements in the Guayangareo Valley in which Morelia is located have been dated back as far as the 7th century.

The weather is more on the warm side most of the year; during winter, the lowest temperatures range from 5.2 °C to 6 °C. and during the warm months, within the day the temperature ranges from 27 °C to 25 °C.

Morelia is the most populated city in the state of Michoacán, with over 677, 219 inhabitants. It is the third most important city in the Bajío Region, just behind Guanajuato (which we’ll see later) and Querétaro City.

One of the most special and attractive attributes of this city is the stone with which it was built, the “Cantera Rosa“.

Cantera Rosa is a volcanic rock, formed by a mix between volcanic ash and dust. It is mined exclusively in México and Central America: rich in color, texture, durability, and softness, allowing a very detailed carving and cutting. It can be found in several natural colors and tones. This authentic characteristic gives it a peculiar aesthetic and strong presence.

The center of the city was completely built with this stone.

Guanajuato

The city of Guanajuato is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. It is also located in Central México, close to Michoacán. One of the most interesting things about this city is its narrow streets. Even though it is hard for some cars to go through, stairs have been built and give the city a very beautiful and unique style to it.

The city’s historic center and the adjacent mines were proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

There’s one place that every new tourist must visit at least once,  while visiting Guanajuato, and that is El Callejón del Beso (The Kiss’ Alley). There is a very popular and well-known legend about it, that tells about two forbidden lovers who were not able to be together due to their parents being against it. They were neighbors, their house’s balconies were really close to each other; close enough for them to be able to meet and share a kiss without anyone noticing.

And so it is said that every couple who wants to have a loving and long-lasting relationship must share a kiss with their significant other just like in the legend, in the same exact spot; each one gets inside the respective house of the people in the tale and they meet at the end to kiss in the balcony.

Guadalajara

According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629, while the Guadalajara metropolitan area has a population of 5,268,642; making it the third-largest metropolitan area in the country.

This city is filled with culture and very important events take place here, for example, it is home to numerous mainstays of Mexican culture, including Mariachi and Tequila. The city hosts numerous notable events, including the Guadalajara International Film Festival, the most important film festival in Latin America, and the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the largest book fair in America.

Another important aspect of this city is its parks, it has so many of them. The Metropolitan Area of the city is the greenest but the oldest neighborhoods are not so much.

Guadalajara has the third-largest economy and industrial infrastructure in Mexico; because of the power it has on its technology and information sectors Guadalajara has been nicknamed the city the “Silicon Valley of Mexico”.

So what do you think? Which one is your favorite? There are a lot more, just as interesting and beautiful as these, maybe I’ll share them in a second part of beautiful cities. Let me know in the comments which one would you like to visit and if the one that you want is on this list or not.

Sources

Morelia

Guanajuato

Guadalajara