Pueblos mágicos are rich in history, culture, and natural wonders. These magic towns highlight the best Mexico has to offer. In this blog post I rank the best pueblos mágicos I have visited during my travels to Mexico.
Table of Contents
What are Pueblos Mágicos?
The pueblos mágicos is a program of Mexico’s tourism department (Secretaría de Turismo). The aim of this program is to highlight towns and populations which represent the best of Mexico to national and foreign visitors.
A pueblo mágico is a place with symbols and legends, towns with history that in many cases have been the scene of momentous events for our country, are places that show national identity in each of its corners, with a magic that emanates from its attractions; visiting them is an opportunity to discover the charm of Mexico.
Mexico’s Secretaría de Turismo
There are 121 pueblos mágicos spread throughout the republic of Mexico, as a matter of fact. I have visited some of these towns during my travels and I have not been disappointed. Below I give you my ranking of the best pueblos mágicos in Mexico.
Each and every magical town in Mexico has something unique to offer: deep history, archaeological zones, delicious foods, natural wonders, and great people.
It’s not easy to pick the best towns in Mexico, but somebody had to do it.
| Rank | Pueblo Mágico | State | Road Trip |
| 1 | Pátzcuaro | Michoacán | Michoacán State |
| 2 | Taxco | Guerrero | Day trip from Mexico City |
| 3 | San Cristobal de las Casas | Chiapas | Chiapas State |
| 4 | Tequila | Jalisco | Guadalajara |
| 5 | Lagos de Moreno | Jalisco | On the way from Guanajuato |
| 6 | Bernal | Querétaro | Art, Wine and Cheese Route |
| 7 | Tepotzotlán | State of Mexico | Day trip from Mexico City |
| 8 | Valle de Bravo | State of Mexico | Day trip from Mexico City |
| 9 | Creel | Chihuahua | Ride El Chepe Train into the Copper Canyon |
| 10 | Mineral de Pozos | Guanajuato | Guanajuato State |
| 11 | Batopilas | Chihuahua | Ride El Chepe Train into the Copper Canyon |
| 12 | Chiapa de Corzo | Chiapas | Chiapas State |
Is your favorite Mexican pueblo not on this list? Make sure to check out my list of most magical places in Mexico not actually considered pueblos mágicos!
12. Chiapa de Corzo
Located in the valley of the Río Grijalva, this pueblo mágico is one of the most beautiful towns in Chiapas. Part of the beauty of the town are its structures with Gothic, Renaissance, and neoclassical influences.
La Fiesta Grande de Chiapa de Corzo (the grand celebration of Chiapa de Corzo) in January is a traditional and popular religious celebration in which the whole town participates. During the celebration, the Parachicos dance through the streets with their wooden masks and colored dresses, carrying saints from place to place. I have not made it to the party yet, but it is on my bucket list!
Aside from the beauty of the town, Chiapa de Corzo also serves as an entrance to the natural wonder of the Cañón del Sumidero. You absolutely must take a boat to explore this amazing natural site!
11. Batopilas
Located along the Batopilas river at the bottom of the Batopilas canyon in the state of Chihuahua, this town was once a key silver mining center. The breath-taking natural beauty of the nearby canyon and everything that surrounds it comes second to the town’s indisputable greatest treasure: the Rarámuri people.
10. Mineral de Pozos
Located in the semi-desert landscape of the state of Guanajuato, this ghost town has been abandoned twice throughout its history. Mineral de Pozos was an important mining town during the days of Porfirio Diaz. Today you can explore its mining history by putting on a helmet and exploring the mining centers in the area.
9. Creel
One of the best cultural and natural secrets of northern Mexico. This town is located at the entrance to Las Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon). Getting there riding El Chepe train was a wonderful experience I will never forget. Meeting the Rarámuri people was simply amazing.
8. Valle de Bravo
This is a beautiful town with mountainous landscapes located on the shore of Lake Avándaro. The town’s center has a plaza and a church worthy of a magazine cover. On the boardwalk at the edge of Lake Avándaro you will find a number of restaurants and artists selling their work.
Just outside town you can’t miss the Velo de la Novia (Bride’s Veil) waterfall in the middle of the forest.
Valle de Bravo’s closeness to Mexico City makes this a popular weekend getaway for the more affluent capitalinos.
7. Tepotzotlán
Only a 40 minute drive from Mexico City, Tepotzotlán is a gem that is shielded from the commotion of the capital city.
The Museo Nacional del Virreinato (National Museum of the Viceroyalty of New Spain) is considered one of the most impressive in the country due to its collection of over 4,000 old books.
The Temple of San Francisco Javier houses exhibits about the Jesuits that established three schools for indigenous people in Tepotztlán and made it one of the most important educational centers in New Spain.
6. Bernal
San Sebastián Bernal has the third highest monolith in the world—the peña de Bernal—after the Rock of Gibraltar and the Pan de Azúcar in Brazil. This enormous boulder is actually one of the most touristic sites near the capital of Querétaro. This is an excellent stop in the Art, Wine, and Cheese Route in Querétaro.
5. Lagos de Moreno
The architecture of Lagos de Moreno is so refined that it competes with many cities in the country. In fact the city center and bridge have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Lagos is located in the region of Los Altos de Jalisco (Jaliscan Highlands), a cultural region known for a high quality of life, historic Mexican architecture, and Mexican traditions such as tequila production and charrería.
4. Tequila
This town is much more than the distilled drink that shares its name. Tequila has a friendly culture, history, and unique landscapes only seen in this part of the world.
The cultivation of agave by the haciendas and distilleries of the region has become part of the national identity. There are distilleries from the 18th century and newer ones. In fact the agave landscape and ancient industrial facilities of tequila that occupy this region have been declared a World Heritage by the UNESCO. You have to take the short drive to Tequila if you’re visiting Guadalajara, Jalisco.
You have to visit the tequila factories for a tasting!
3. San Cristobal de las Casas
If you had to pick a town to make a postcard emblematic of a pueblo mágico, you couldn’t go wrong with San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas. At the end of any street there is almost always a mountain and the numerous colonial buildings are still very well preserved. Furthermore, the markets and squares are filled with colorful textiles, flowers, and other products.
Spread out around San Cristobal de las Casas you will find Tzotzil and Tzeltal communities, working the mud, cultivating flowers, and making intricate textiles. The constant presence of these indigenous Mayan people makes this town a rich cultural space.
You cannot miss walking from the Templo de Santo Domingo to the Templo del Carmen and entering its cultural spaces.
2. Taxco
Taxco is known for its silver although silver is no longer mined here. However, it’s worth noting that some of its amazing baroque structures were built during the peak of the mining era.
I truly enjoyed walking through its cobble-stone streets and carefully kept buildings. You can sit around any outdoor shop and simply contemplate this pueblo mágico. If you visit during Christmas, you will find colorful piñatas hanging in the streets.
And now for my top pueblo mágico….
1. Pátzcuaro
My top entry in the list of Best Pueblos Mágicos belongs to the town of Pátzcuaro. It seems like the streets in this pueblo mágico were built to walk and take pictures.
The combination of cobbled streets, white-walled houses with tile roofs, ancient temples and esplanades make this one of the most beautiful towns in Michoacán and the country.
When visiting Pátzcuaro you cannot miss a boat ride through the Lago de Pátzcuaro to the Island of Janitzio.
Let me know what you think of my list of the best pueblos mágicos. I’m sure you have your favorites too! Leave your comments below and tell me what you think.
If you are ready to start planning a trip to Mexico to visit some (or all!) of these towns, be sure to check out my list of travel itineraries.
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Hi, I’m Iván García—I love to travel and photography. I’m big on road trips, just about anywhere in the world. I share information for people to reach truly great places. My goal is to inspire you to visit these places for yourself.
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I agree with some of your choices but you have overlooked Xico and Coatepec of Veracruz! Xico Veracruz during the Festival of Mary Magdalene in July and Coatepec during the orchid show in April are pretty darn hard to beat.
Marianne, they will go on the bucket list. I’m a huge fan of Tlacotalpan. It would’ve definitely gone on my list, but unfortunately it is not classified as a Pueblo Magico (yet?). Thank you for visiting and for your suggestions!
Hi Ivan, great list! I’m a 10-year resident of Patzcuaro. One correction, the picture in Patzcuaro of the Templo… while there is a Templo Santuario, that photo is actually of Templo Sagrario. About 580 years old give or take. I used to live a few houses down from it on Calle Lerin. Thanks for making us #1 on your list!
Thank you for visiting the page, for sharing your knowledge and for letting us know! You’re right. Thanks for catching it. You are so lucky to have been able to live there. It is such a wonderful place. I wish the whole world could see it. Don’t hesitate to drop any other pointers. I will be returning soon one day, and want to make sure to continue exploring this wonderful place. ¡Saludos!
Taxco is home. Since 1962 visiting, and permanently since 2009. William Spratling family. Mi Pueblo Màgico.
Jon, I went back and forth between Taxco and Patzcuaro. Taxco was such a wonderful visit. You are very fortunate to live there. I hope to visit your town again very soon. It was such an amazing experience. I loved it! Saludos!
Great list and beautiful pictures ! Next time, try to check out Cuatzalan, our most favorite Pueblo Mágico: https://aztecexplorers.com/2020/01/20/exploring-cuetzalan-and-pueblos-magicos-long-weekend-trip-from-mexico-city/
Peter, thank you so much for the suggestion. Nice blog! Thank you for sharing it.
What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing the beauty of our country! Great choice of places. I cannot wait for the pictures of the future town you will visit!! Great shots!
Erika, thank you so much for visiting and your kind words. I’m very glad you enjoyed them. It was amazing to get to visit these places. It was great to relive those moments by writing this blog. Saludos!
I haven’t visited any of these yet, and look forward to adding them to my list!
Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions. I’d be more than happy to help any way I can. Saludos!
Alamos Sonora is one of the Pueblo Magicos close to the USA. Beautiful, historic, and well worth visiting!!!
Thanks for the suggestion, Janet! Great to know we have more Pueblos Magicos close to the US. Saludos!
Great choices! I have been to all of them except for Batopilas, Mineral de Pozos and Lagos de Moreno which are on our list of must visit places, we just haven’t made it there yet. The one I liked the least though would be Tequila, it is just way to touristy for us, we much prefer the small town of Etzatlán and a very small tequila operation that is only a bike ride away. Another one of our favourite Pueblos Mágicos is Mazamitla in Jalisco.
I had not heard of Etzatlán. Thank you for the pointer! Tequila is very touristy, you’re right. It does have a lot of people. It makes it a bit of a different type of Pueblo Magico to visit, for sure. Not the traditional calm/peaceful spot for sure. We’ve been meaning to visit Mazamitla for some time. That should be a doable visit, being close to Guadalajara.
Thanks for visiting our page! Saludos.
I don’t believe that Etzatlán is a Pueblo Magico but we love it. Lots to see and do in the area and it is very authentic. We were there for about 5 days in December of last year but we have stayed there for up to a week and it still wasn’t long enough. They have a fantastic bike trail that goes for miles and miles, it is close to the round pyramids, Guachimontones, the hard to find but beautiful Piedras Bolas, thermal waterparks and so much more. https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2019/12/tequila.html and there is more after that. 🙂
Talk about the road less traveled. This looks like a great place. Thank you for sharing it! How did you hear about it? It would be great if you can bike from that place to the pyramids.
You know? We need to write about great places that are not necessarily Pueblos Mágicos. There’s such great places that don’t necessarily get the title. Thank you for sharing!
We stayed there way back in 2011 and loved it and returned there whenever we get the chance. We heard about it because there is an RV park there and we had talked to people that had stayed there. The owner and her daughter are super friendly and very helpful.
You can bike to the pyramids from there but you would have to leave the trail and go on the road at one point as the trail leads away from the main route.
I will at Mascota and San Sebastián del Oeste in Jalisco between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. I lived in Mascota while serving in the Peace Corps. It is a very special and beautiful place.
Peace Corps? Big time kudos to you. So great that you also got to visit those places! They are not on my radar, but will now definitely consider since we like to travel to Guadalajara often. Thank you so much for sharing!
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What about San Miguel de Allende? I love it!
That’s a great question! San Miguel de Allende is amazing, but surprisingly it is not considered a “pueblo mágico.” Instead, for places like San Miguel de Allende, I wrote the following article. Let me know what you think!
https://travelwithivan.com/magical-places-in-mexico/
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