Mexican mountain villages off the beaten path.
Less-touristed mountain villages in Mexico, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Catemaco
A town on the shores of Lake Catemaco in southern Veracruz, known across Mexico for a pre-colonial tradition of sorcery and witchcraft — practiced largely by…
Zacapoaxtla
A lively central plaza in Mexico's Sierra Norte de Puebla region anchors this upland town, where two ornate colonial-era churches face a monument column agai…
Tonaya
Agave distilling has given Tonaya its regional and national reputation, with around a dozen producers operating in this little Jalisco town in the Sierra de…
Alamos
Designated a Pueblo Mágico for its colonial architecture — and the first town in Sonora to receive that title — Álamos is a small city in the foothills of th…
Guadalupe
Founded on 4 January 1716 and formally named in 1756 as the Pueblo de la Nueva Tlaxcala de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Horcasitas, this large city in Nuev…
Real de Catorce
Once a booming silver-mining settlement high in the Sierra de Catorce of northern San Luis Potosí, Real de Catorce has reinvented itself as a destination aft…
Pluma Hidalgo
Pocket-sized Oaxacan village set high in densely forested mountain country, where ridge after ridge of green hills stretch toward the coast, rewarding visito…
Coatepec Harinas
At the foot of the Nevado de Toluca volcano, Coatepec Harinas is a small town in the south of the State of Mexico with a temperate climate suited to growing…
San Dionisio Ocotepec
This small Oaxacan town in the Valles Centrales, where a stone colonial church with red domes anchors the central plaza, set against a backdrop of mountain r…
Zongolica
A small mountain town in the highlands of Veracruz, Mexico, Zongolica sits in the central Sierra region southwest of Orizaba, with a modest café and restaura…
Temamatla
This tiny municipality in the State of Mexico is known for its gourmet coffee, which has earned international recognition and the Neza-Bordo prize.
San Antonio Cuajimoloyas
High in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca, this tiny Zapotec village is one of the self-governing pueblos mancomunados communities and has built its local economy a…
Amatepec
Silver was discovered here in 1531, drawing Spanish miners to this mountain town in Mexico State and establishing what became known as the "Provincia de la P…
Chichicapa
This small indigenous village in Mexico's Sierra Negra highlands, where densely forested hills, patchwork farmland, and winding rural tracks create an expans…
Tenango del Aire
This tiny Mexican town in the State of Mexico's upland country, where a red-brick clock tower anchors a palm-lined central plaza, with forested mountain terr…
Puerto Angel
Modest fishing village on a sheltered bay in Oaxaca's Pacific coast, Puerto Ángel has a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, with the…
Emiliano Zapata
The highest-elevation municipal seat in Mexico, this small Tlaxcala village sits well above the surrounding highland terrain, with mountains close by and wat…
Tepanco
This small village in the southeastern part of Mexico's Puebla state sits at the water's edge, close to mountain terrain, and holds several historic churches…
Jala
A compact Mexican town in Nayarit's dry mountain valley, with a church-anchored centre visible against dramatic bare ridgelines and agricultural fields stret…
Zacatecas
Founded as a Spanish silver-mining camp in 1546, Zacatecas grew so wealthy that it was considered the second most important city in New Spain — and its colon…
Tula de Allende
Tula de Allende, in the state of Hidalgo in central-eastern Mexico, is best known for its Tula archaeological site, noted for its Atlantean figures.
Cuauhtapanaloyan
A tiny upland village in Mexico's Cuetzalan del Progreso region, sitting close to the water amid highland terrain, within reach of a UNESCO World Heritage ar…
Nectepec
A little upland village in Mexico's Cuetzalan del Progreso region, Nectepec sits beside water in hilly country, placing visitors within reach of a UNESCO Wor…