8-Nights Essential Central Mexico - Classic from $1,259

It is the smallest of the cities and perhaps the most relaxed, but it offers
such a variety of restaurants, shops, and galleries that urbanites find themselves
quite at home.

Most of the buildings in the central part of the town date from the colonial
era or the 19th century; the law requires newer buildings to conform to existing
architecture, and the town has gone to some lengths to retain its cobblestone
streets.

San Miguel has a large community of Americans: some retired, some attending
art or language school, and some who have come here to live simply and follow
their creative muses -- painting, writing, and sculpting. The center of this
community is the public library in the former convent of Santa Ana. It is a
good place to find information on San Miguel or just to sit on the patio and
read.

A notable aspect of San Migueleña society is the number of festivals it celebrates.
In a country that needs only the barest of excuses to hold a fiesta, it is known
far and wide for them. Most of these celebrations are of a religious character
and are meant to combine social activity with religious expression. People practice
Catholicism with great fervor here -- going on religious pilgrimages, attending
all-night vigils, ringing church bells at the oddest times throughout the night
(something that some visitors admittedly might not find so amusing).

From the Alameda, a leafy center of activity since Aztec times, to the Zona Rosa, a chic shopping neighborhood, Mexico City offers endless options to urban adventurers.

Founded by the Aztecs as Tenochtitlán in 1325, Mexico City is both the oldest and the highest (7,349 ft) metropolis on the North American continent. And with nearly 24 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the world. It is Mexico's cultural, political, and financial core -- braving the 21st century but clinging to its deeply entrenched Aztec heritage.

You only need to stand in the center of the Plaza of Three Cultures to visually comprehend the undisputed significance of this city. Here, the remains of an Aztec pyramid, a colonial church, and a towering modern office building face one another, a testament to the city's prominence in ancient and contemporary history. Located at the heart of the Americas, Mexico City has been a center of life and commerce for more than 2,000 years. The Teotihuacán, Toltec, Aztec, and European conquistadors all contributed to the city's fascinating evolution, art, and heritage. Although residents refer to their city as simply México (meh-hee-koh), its multitude of ancient ruins, colonial masterpieces, and modern architecture has prompted others to call it "The City of Palaces."

The central downtown area resembles a European city, dominated by ornate buildings and broad boulevards, and interspersed with public art, parks, and gardens. This sprawling city is thoroughly modern and, in places, unsightly and chaotic, but it never strays far from its historical roots. In the center are the partially excavated ruins of the main Aztec temple; pyramids rise just beyond the city.

If you're going to Mexico to lose yourself, you'll have no problem doing so
on the streets of Guanajuato (gwah-nah-whah-toh). They seem designed for just
that purpose as they curl this way and that, becoming alleys or stairways, and
intersecting each other at different angles. At times it can seem like the Twilight
Zone; I've heard of people hurriedly passing by a curious-looking shop intending
to return later, and then never being able to locate it again. To make matters
worse, the streets are filled with things that can draw your attention away
from the business of getting from one place to another. The town is so photogenic;
everywhere you look is postcard material. Most buildings, like the streets,
are irregular in shape, creating a jumble of walls, balconies, and rooftops
meeting at anything but a right angle. The churches are the exception, having
regular floor plans, but even they show asymmetry -- despite the best efforts
of their builders, none has two matching towers, which only adds to their considerable
charm.

Founded in 1559, Guanajuato soon became a fabulously rich town, with world-famous
mines (such as La Valenciana, Mineral de Cata, and Mineral de Rayas) that earned
their owners titles of nobility. Along with Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato
was one of Mexico's most important mining cities. From the 16th through the
18th centuries, the mines in these towns produced a third of all the silver
in the world, and Guanajuato bloomed with elaborate churches and mansions. Floods
plagued the city until the citizenry finally diverted the river, leaving a bed
for what has become a subterranean highway with cantilevered houses jutting
out high above the road. To improve traffic flow, the city has opened an impressive
network of tunnels (it is, after all, a mining town).

Still, on the surface Guanajuato seems like an old Spanish city dumped into
a Mexican highland valley. It's one of Mexico's hidden gems, explored by relatively
few foreign tourists, but popular with Mexicans. Picturesque and laden with
atmosphere, Guanajuato should be high on your list of places to visit.