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All Mexico

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Mexico

572 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Mexico

Updated October 23, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
Mexico City
Hill of the Bells.
Santiago De Querétaro
A Puebla tunnel.
Puebla
Tombs in the cemetery
Guadalajara
Ornamental skulls display in the Museum
Aguascalientes
Pozontle paired with another market stand's garnachas.
Oaxaca
All Cities
  1. Aguascalientes
  2. Angahuan
  3. Atotonilco
  4. Bacalar
  5. Bernal
  6. Campeche
  7. Cancún
  8. Chichen Itza
  9. Chihuahua
  10. Ciudad Juárez
  11. Cuatrociénegas
  12. Cuernavaca
  13. Cuilapam De Guerrero
  14. Dolores Hidalgo
  15. Durango
  16. Ensenada
  17. Guadalajara
  18. Guanajuato
  19. Isla Mujeres
  20. Ixmiquilpan
  21. Izamal
  22. León
  23. Malinalco
  24. Mazatlán
  25. Mérida
  26. Metepec
  27. Mexico City
  28. Monterrey
  29. Morelia
  30. Nativitas
  31. Naucalpan
  32. Oaxaca
  33. Pachuca De Soto
  34. Palenque
  35. Papantla
  36. Pátzcuaro
  37. Playa Del Carmen
  38. Puebla
  39. Puerto Escondido
  40. Puerto Vallarta
  41. San Agustín Etla
  42. San Andrés Cholula
  43. San Cristóbal De Las Casas
  44. San Francisco Mazapa
  45. San Juan Teotihuacan De Arista
  46. San Luis Potosí
  47. San Miguel De Allende
  48. San Pablo Villa De Mitla
  49. San Rafael
  50. Santiago
  51. Santiago De Querétaro
  52. Taxco
  53. Tepoztlán
  54. Tequisquiapan
  55. Tijuana
  56. Tlalnepantla
  57. Toluca
  58. Tuxtla Gutiérrez
  59. Valladolid
  60. Valle De Bravo
  61. Villahermosa
  62. Xicotepec De Juárez
  63. Xilitla
  64. Zacatecas
Attractions
Food & Drink
Trips
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Mexico

Looking up from the entrance to the Hidden Beach.

Islas Marietas, Mexico

Hidden Beach

A lovers' beach, tucked below the surface of the island, provides a safe haven for romance.
La Isla de las Muñecas

Mexico City, Mexico

La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

An island filled with hundreds of hanging, decomposing, decapitated dolls.
Cafebrería El Péndulo Second Floor.

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.

Mexico City, Mexico

La Casa Azul

Frida Kahlo's childhood home, now a museum of her life and works.
Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

Naucalpan, Mexico

El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

Mexico City, Mexico

Mercado de Sonora

Superstitious? Discover the witchy side of Mexico through its largest esoteric market.
The shelves are the structure.

Mexico City, Mexico

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

A jaw-dropping "megalibrary" that turns book-browsing into a geometric adventure.

Dzitnup, Mexico

Cenote Xkeken

These azure waters were thought to lead to the Mayan Underworld.
See All 572 Things To Do in Mexico

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo Second Floor.

Mexico City, Mexico

Cafebrería El Péndulo

Part bookstore, part café, and part forest.
The front of Minichelista.

Mexico City, Mexico

Minichelista Restaurant

A quirky and charming restaurant founded by artists.

Mexico City, Mexico

The Sweets Section at Mercado de la Merced

Mexico City's largest market contains a Willy Wonka-esque wonderland.

Mexico City, Mexico

Café La Habana

This old-school café is famous for serving coffee, chilaquiles, and the Cuban Revolution.
See all 35 Places to Eat in Mexico
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Trips

NEW - Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

Mayan legends, ancient craters, lost cities, and stunning constellations.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Mexico City's Centro Histórico

Anchored by the Zócalo plaza and the architectural splendor of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City's historic center rightfully draws scores of visitors from around the world. If you look, smell, and taste carefully, you’ll also find a universe of culinary offerings that tells stories of immigration, adaptation, and imagination. With the help of Culinary Backstreets, we assembled a primer on eating and drinking your way through the district.

View Itinerary
Plenty of sweet treats are on offer at Pastelería Ideal

Explore Mexico

Museums 101
Architecture 74
Art 69
Archaeology 66
Ruins 55
Murals 46
Aztec 46
Sacred Spaces 45
History 45
History & Culture 42
Churches 42
Colonialism 30
Places To Stay 11
Unique Restaurants & Bars 9

Mexico Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. linkogecko
    183
  2. Mario Yair TS
    115
  3. Monsieur Mictlan
    66
  4. edwardwoolley
    11
  5. serflac
    10

Places Edited

  1. linkogecko
    278
  2. Monsieur Mictlan
    166
  3. Mario Yair TS
    61
  4. Xavixavir
    41
  5. Rachel
    23

Places Visited

  1. linkogecko
    345
  2. Mario Yair TS
    312
  3. Monsieur Mictlan
    184
  4. Gerardo Kloss
    140
  5. andreapk17
    139

Recent Mexico Activity

  • mattxshaver

    wants to go to Plazuela de la Paz (Little Plaza of Peace)

  • mbw901

    wants to go to Museo Subacuático de Arte

  • JohnW70

    wants to go to La Muelita (The Little Molar)

  • ejordanphillips

    wants to go to La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)

  • ejordanphillips

    wants to go to Cafebrería El Péndulo

Stories About Mexico

In Mexico, today's teyollohcuani is a terrifying, shape-shifting, vampire-like witch, but the figure has deep precolonial roots and a complex evolution.

Mexico's Vampire Witch Has a Twisted Origin Story

The terrifying teyollohcuani is a shape-shifter of ancient indigenous lore, dark colonial history, and pop culture.
by Roxanne Hoorn
October 23, 2024

For the Ancient Maya, Cracked Mirrors Were a Portal to the World Beyond

Nobles of the powerful Mesoamerican civilization conjured gods and ancestors in rituals centered around the objects.
by James L. Fitzsimmons
May 20, 2024

Six Wondrous Reasons to Explore Oaxaca Right Now

Advice from an expert on what to see, drink, and eat in one of Mexico’s most exciting states.
Sponsored by Cayman Jack
Macchu Piccu, Peru

Enter For Your Chance to Win a Summer Adventure (Submissions Closed)

We’re teaming up with Cayman Jack for an epic trip giveaway.
Sponsored by Cayman Jack

Podcast: Toy Story

Check out a crazed collection of vintage playthings in Mexico City's vibrant museum scene.
by The Podcast Team
February 13, 2024
When fermented tuba gets distilled, just one fifth of the volume becomes vino de cocos.

Is This Mexico's Oldest Spirit?

In the state of Colima, one man is reviving vino de cocos, a distillate that disappeared in the 1700s.
by N.C. Stevens
January 16, 2024
Honeypot ants feed on sweet nectar and death.

All Winter, These Ants Make the Ultimate Sweet Sacrifice to Their Colony

Their syrupy death is medicinal for humans, too.
by Shoshi Parks
December 5, 2023

A 500-Year-Old Record of the Aztec Empire Comes to Life

The Digital Florentine Codex’s three languages and thousands of hand-painted illustrations provide a window into culture, war, and daily life.
by Roxanne Hoorn
November 8, 2023

Lists Featuring Mexico

Beside the auto shop's signage.

11 Marvelous Mexican Restaurants Hiding in Plain Sight

Sometimes, the best tacos are served inside an auto shop.

11

Including El Vilsito , Zaragoza Mexican Deli and Grocery, and La Morada

Red Seabeach
The otherworldly landscape of Padar Island.
Black Sand Beach

10 Unique Beaches From Around the World

From bright red grass to stranded shipwrecks, these beaches are anything but ordinary.

10

Including Driftwood Beach, Red Beach , and Padar Island

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