Mexico State by State

I thought it would be fun to review all the Mexican states we have visited. There are 32 of them (plus the Federal District that we won’t make it to on this journey) and we made it to (or through) most of them. There are themes. The north is desert, there are mountains in the middle, Pacific coast feels similar… etc. Despite this, there is a lot of individual character too. This makes sense – Mexico is incredibly varied. Even the states that are ostensibly ‘coastal’ often have an arm that plunges into the highlands so that even smaller states can be quite diverse in the own right. So this is just, fun, inconclusive, and extremely objective.

In chronological order, here’s my one sentence summary of the Mexican states passed through on our travels (asterisk* for drive-thrus only):

• Baja California: Long stretches of cactus fields and bone-dry mountains dazzle as you shuttle to places south.
• Baja California Sur: The Cape magically draws in tourists for the most overpriced, overhyped destinations in Mexico, yet there’s lots more to discover if you’re willing.
• Sinaloa: Visit Mazatlán, one of the hardest cities in Mexico to get a proper feel on.
• Nayarit: Really wants to be Jalisco, so bad it’s trying to steal its time zone.
• Jalisco: Best of Mexico in a bite-size state.
• Colima: Come for the volcano views, stay for the ponche.
• Michoacán: Such a diverse state, but you maybe shouldn’t be here.
• Guerrero: Zihua is the real deal – get here while you can.
• México: Pine forests, thin mountain air, oh and there’s one of the biggest cities in the world.
• Tlaxcala*: Welcome to Tlaxcala; thank you for visiting Tlaxcala.
• Veracruz: Drop down through lush cloud forest to Mexico’s original port city.
• Tabasco: Sweaty, marshy lowland and the heart of gas exploration.
• Campeche: A vote for best city center, maybe: pirates, heritage, good food, walkable, and hot.
• Yucatán: It’s safe, easy to traverse, rich with sites and good food – skip Cancun and come here.
• Chiapas: Waterfalls, canyons, indigenous culture and the worst topes in the country.
• Oaxaca: The cool alternative for beaches or rich cultural city life – the hype is real.
• Puebla: Culture shock 4+ months in – fancy freeways, garbage cans, chain stores, civic pride.
• Hidalgo*: High, arid and kinda empty and watch out for rude/dangerous trucks on the toll road.
• Querétaro: Industry, agriculture, and culture at the heart of the arid plateaus north of CDMX
• Guanajuato: A one of a kind little city, at the heart of a funny little state.
• Aguascalientes: Commerce! Development! The little state you’ve never heard of is on the rise!
• Zacatecas*: Begin the transition to high desert via desolate highway towns.
• San Luis Potosi: Arid plains feel unending, punctuated by high ranges and a possibility of bears?
• Coahuila: Drop down from the mountains for the long, empty, dusty grind to the Rio Bravo/Grande.

Listed all out like this our trip feels like quite an accomplishment. So much seen in a relatively short time and yet so much of Mexico that we still didn’t see, or see deeply enough. More than that, it’s opened our (already wide) eyes to the big, wide, wonderful world.

Where to next?