Mexico
in Central America
North America

National active POI Bordering countries
Country Quickfacts
Currency and Currency Code:
Peso - MXN
Spoken languages:
Spanish
Local electricity:
120 V - 60 Hz (plugs: A, B)
Mobile phone / cellular frequencies (MHz):
850 MHz, 1900 MHz, 3G, 4G
ISO 2-Letter code:
MX
Internet top level domain:
.mx
Country phone prefix:
+52
Local Time (capital):
Timezone:
UTC/GMT offset: hours

Map of Mexican Unesco Heritage Sites

Click any of the markers above to learn more about the corresponding heritage site and learn more about Mexico in North America. The list below is ordered by name. The oldest site is Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco. On the list since 1987. The youngest site is El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve. On the list since 2013.

Name Since
Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila
The 34,658 ha site, between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River, is part of an expansive landscape of blue agave, shaped by the culture of the plant used s...		 2006
Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche
Ancient Maya City and  Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche, is a renomination and extension of the existing 3,000 ha cultural World Heritage property, Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Cam...		 2002
Archaeological Monuments Zone of Xochicalco
Xochicalco is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial centre from the troubled period of 650–900 that followed the break-up of the great Mesoameric...		 1999
Archaeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes
Paquimé, Casas Grandes, which reached its apogee in the 14th and 15th centuries, played a key role in trade and cultural contacts between the Pueblo culture of the south-western United States and nor...		 1998
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was the Royal Inland Road, also known as the Silver Route. The inscribed property consists of 55 sites and five existing World Heritage sites lying along a 1400 km sectio...		 2010
Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
The ensemble of buildings, sports facilities and open spaces of the Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), was built from 1949 to 1952 by more than 60 ...		 2007
Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl
These 14 monasteries stand on the slopes of Popocatepetl, to the south-east of Mexico City. They are in an excellent state of conservation and are good examples of the architectural style adopted by t...		 1994
El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
The 714,566 hectare site comprises two distinct parts: the dormant volcanic Pinacate Shield of black and red lava flows and desert pavements to the east, and, in the west, the Gran Altar Desert with i...		 2013
El Tajin, Pre-Hispanic City
Located in the state of Veracruz, El Tajin was at its height from the early 9th to the early 13th century. It became the most important centre in north-east Mesoamerica after the fall of the Teotihuac...		 1992
Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro
The five Franciscan missions of Sierra Gorda were built during the last phase of the conversion to Christianity of the interior of Mexico in the mid-18th century and became an important reference for ...		 2003
Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco
Built in the 16th century by the Spanish on the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the old Aztec capital, Mexico City is now one of the world's largest and most densely populated cities. It has five Aztec temples...		 1987
Historic Centre of Morelia
Built in the 16th century, Morelia is an outstanding example of urban planning which combines the ideas of the Spanish Renaissance with the Mesoamerican experience. Well-adapted to the slopes of the h...		 1991
Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán
Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples – Olmecs, Zapotecs and Mixtecs – the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved ...		 1987
Historic Centre of Puebla
Puebla, which was founded ex nihilo in 1531, is situated about 100 km east of Mexico City, at the foot of the Popocatepetl volcano. It has preserved its great religious structures such as the 16th–1...		 1987
Historic Centre of Zacatecas
Founded in 1546 after the discovery of a rich silver lode, Zacatecas reached the height of its prosperity in the 16th and 17th centuries. Built on the steep slopes of a narrow valley, the town has bre...		 1993
Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
Campeche is a typical example of a harbour town from the Spanish colonial period in the New World. The historic centre has kept its outer walls and system of fortifications, designed to defend this Ca...		 1999
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
The old colonial town of Querétaro is unusual in having retained the geometric street plan of the Spanish conquerors side by side with the twisting alleys of the Indian quarters. The Otomi, the Taras...		 1996
Historic Monuments Zone of Tlacotalpan
Tlacotalpan, a Spanish colonial river port on the Gulf coast of Mexico, was founded in the mid-16th century. It has preserved its original urban fabric to a remarkable degree, with wide streets, colon...		 1998
Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines
Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, Guanajuato became the world's leading silver-extraction centre in the 18th century. This past can be seen in its 'subterranean streets' and the 'Boca ...		 1988
Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara
The Hospicio Cabañas was built at the beginning of the 19th century to provide care and shelter for the disadvantaged – orphans, old people, the handicapped and chronic invalids. This remarkable co...		 1997
Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California
The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico. The Sea of Cortez and its islands have been called a natural laboratory for...		 2005
Luis Barragán House and Studio
Built in 1948, the House and Studio of architect Luis Barragán in the suburbs of Mexico City represents an outstanding example of the architect’s creative work in the post-Second World War period. ...		 2004
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
The 56,259 ha biosphere lies within rugged forested mountains about 100 km northwest of Mexico City. Every autumn, millions, perhaps a billion, butterflies from wide areas of North America return to t...		 2008
Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque
A prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, Palenque was at its height between AD 500 and 700, when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. The elegance ...		 1987
Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatán peninsula. Throughout its nearly 1,000-year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. The Maya and Toltec visi...		 1988
Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
The holy city of Teotihuacan ('the place where the gods were created') is situated some 50 km north-east of Mexico City. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast s...		 1987
Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
The Mayan town of Uxmal, in Yucatán, was founded c. A.D. 700 and had some 25,000 inhabitants. The layout of the buildings, which date from between 700 and 1000, reveals a knowledge of astronomy. The ...		 1996
Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla in the Central Valley of Oaxaca
This property lies on the northern slopes of the Tlacolula valley in subtropical central Oaxaca and consists of two pre-Hispanic archaeological complexes and a series of pre-historic caves and rock sh...		 2010
Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were buil...		 2008
Rock Paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco
From c. 100 B.C. to A.D. 1300, the Sierra de San Francisco (in the El Vizcaino reserve, in Baja California) was home to a people who have now disappeared but who left one of the most outstanding colle...		 1993
Sian Ka'an
In the language of the Mayan peoples who once inhabited this region, Sian Ka'an means 'Origin of the Sky'. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical...		 1987
Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino
Located in the central part of the peninsula of Baja California, the sanctuary contains some exceptionally interesting ecosystems. The coastal lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio are important re...		 1993