Mexico’s Magical Towns Are a New Option for Travelers
Besides traditional destinations such as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta or even Mexico City, international tourists have new options for places to visit in Mexico thanks to the country’s incredible cultural, historical, architectural, and gastronomic offerings.
The Pueblo Magico (Magical Town) designation is awarded to those communities that, over time, have maintained their original architecture, traditions, history, and culture, as well as those of great relevance to the country’s history.
These destinations are places with great symbolism and legends; they are towns whose historical importance has been fundamental for the development of history and enhance the national identity in each spot. These places have special magic connecting visitors with Mexico’s roots and traditions. With exceptional beauty, these destinations will captivate national and international visitors.
Currently, there are 132 Pueblos Magicos throughout Mexico, whose attractions generate great admiration among both domestic and foreign visitors from all around the world.
Thus, foreign visitors should visit Palenque in Chiapas, Real de Catorce in San Luis Potosí, Taxco in Guerrero and Loreto, in Baja California Sur, among many others.
These destinations will enchant visitors with the beauty of their natural landscapes and the incredible precision of their constructions, most of them in the Baroque style. This is the perfect combination of their Prehispanic past. Tourists will learn about ancient civilizations, whose essence remains to this day.
Also, they will get to know the work of artisans, whose mastery is passed from generation to generation, and delight themselves with the fusion of flavors, which are the result of ancient techniques and European influence.
The Figures
Currently, all Magical Towns began a transformation process to become top-quality tourist centers, which in 2019 meant a total of 258 million national tourists, 101.7 million of which stayed in a hotel with a lodging consumption of $10.7 million, representing 82 percent of the total tourist consumption.
“Our 132 Magical Towns are a key piece in the development of road tourism and the growth of domestic tourism, so we must promote their natural and cultural heritage, as well as their tourism products, in all latitudes of the world,” said Mexico’s secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco Marqués.
On the other hand, the brand new Magic Routes of Color program will allow visitors to be guided through different Pueblos Magicos, with the support of their communities and organizations with extensive experience in the field of urban rehabilitation.
Miguel Torruco Marqués, led the start of the Magical Routes of Color program in the town of Múzquiz, Coahuila, with the aim of renewing the urban image of such a destination, through the painting of facades and artistic murals in homes and public spaces.
The program will be extended to the other six Magical Towns in Coahuila, such as Cuatro Ciénegas, Parras de la Fuente, Viesca, Arteaga, Candela and Guerrero.
The Magical Routes of Color program was launched in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Tetela de Ocampo, Puebla. In 2021, the Magical Towns of Huasca de Ocampo, in Hidalgo; Orizaba, Veracruz; and Tlaxco, Tlaxcala, were added.
This year Ixtapan de la Sal, in the State of Mexico, has joined, as well as San Andrés Cholula, Puebla; Bacalar, Quintana Roo; and the nine Magical Towns of Michoacán: Angangueo, Cuitzeo, Jiquilpan, Paracho, Pátzcuaro, Santa Clara del Cobre, Tacámbaro, Tlalpujahua and Tzintzuntzan.