If Mexico’s been on your radar lately, but you’re not sure where to go to experience some of that authentic culture––you know, not the usual American-dominated resort zones in Cancun or PV––you’ve come to the right place:
The southern neighbor is quite literally packed with historic cities that date back centuries, some of which predate the 13 Colonies, and that’s plenty to see and do in those that don’t involve lounging by a pool all day with your fellow gringos.
More specifically, there are 5 colonial gems known to have played a key role in the History of Mexico and that makes for memorable cultural expeditions.
The best part? They’re a short 3-4 hour flight away, as they all host nonstop flights from the United States:
Santiago de Querétaro
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago de Querétaro is a colorful colonial-era gem packed full of 16th to 18th-century edifices, vibrant street markets, and timeless churches, largely unchanged since the Spanish era.
From the monumental Church of Saint Francis of Assisi to the pink-sandstone St. Rose of Viterbo and the ornately-decorated Theater of the Republic, where Mexico’s once-Emperor Maximilian I was sentenced as the country struggled for its independence.
Not only is Querétaro beautiful, but it is within easy reach of Americans: nonstop flights are offered from 6 airports, and Texas nabs half of them, namely Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, and then there’s Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit.
Mérida
If another do-nothing vacation in Cancún doesn’t exactly make you jump with excitement, you can always swap it for an (arguably) more fascinating Mérida, the cultural center of the Yucatán Peninsula, as well as one of the oldest cities in the Americas.
Founded as early as 1542, it has a host of historical landmarks to its name, including San Ildefonso Cathedral, built from disassembled Mayan stones, the 18th-century Neoclassical Municipal Palace, and a colonial Casa de Montejo, the former residence of the city’s founders.
Flying to Mérida instead of the Caribbean coast, Americans can choose from airports in Miami, Orlando, Houston, and Dallas: not as many options as Cancún, for sure, but these are some major international hubs featured here.
Puebla
A picture-perfect mid-size city in central Mexico, Puebla is known for its friendly locals, rich gastronomy––mole poblano‘s in the menu, you guys!––and breadth of architecture, combining Southern European and native Mexican elements.
The historic center is home to the Renaissance-inspired Puebla Cathedral, and nearby, a Baroque Biblioteca Palafoxiana will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Harry Potter set––oh, don’t miss out on El Parián, Puebla’s go-to spot for buying handicraft souvenirs.
Puebla isn’t the best-connected Mexican city as it pertains to U.S. flights, though there are daily flights from Houston, Texas, operated by United Airlines; as for the average price?
Roundtrip fares stand at a very reasonable $497.
Oaxaca
Sitting among Mexico’s best-preserved colonial-era gems, Oaxaca is a living museum that continues to limit development within its timeless Downtown, a collection of 16th-century buildings arranged around a cathedral-dominated plaza.
It was one of the first cities settled by the Spanish when they first ventured into Mexico, and as a result, its architectural ensemble is one of the oldest on our side of the pond, including the Santo Domingo Church and Convent, a Baroque treasure built by the Dominican order.
Flights to Oaxaca are available from 3 major U.S. cities: as customary, Texas takes the lead, with nonstop connections from Houston and Dallas (United and American Airlines, respectively), and Los Angeles is third, with 4x weekly flights operated by Volaris.
San Luis Potosí
If you’re looking for a more offbeat alternative to the usual tourism hotspots and a gorgeous city that continues to exude Old World charm despite the rapidly evolving civilization we live in, you should head to San Luis Potosí this year:
Known for an enviable collection of 16th to 18th-century structures, with the Templo of San Francisco and the three-nave, stone-built Metropolitan Cathedral to name a couple, it is the living memory of Franciscan missionaries who made landfall in Mexico as early as 1592.
The best part is, SLP is primarily a domestic destination––there are very few gringos around!––and as a result, prices are much lower here than elsewhere in Mexico; you can fly nonstop to San Luis from… you guessed it, Houston and Dallas.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
