Mexico’s Stereotype Tourist Photos

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos
Mexico’s Stereotype Tourist Photos

Mexico’s Stereotype Tourist Photos | Most of them are really nice. And #8 will leave you in awe … Still, when planning a vacation in Mexico, be careful! On April 30, the British Government issued a travel warning for its citizens when entering Mexico. Canada did exactly the same back in January. A recent wave of violence also affects Mexico’s most important tourism corridors. Something unthinkable when Elvis visited Acapulco in the 1960ies: today you see Mexican soldiers patrolling the beaches.

What does that mean for tourists? When hunting for Mexico’s most photographed tourist attractions, be alert to the existence of street crime as well as more serious violent organized robbery, assault and vehicle hijacking. In case you make it back home alive, it will be legit to use the term ‘Adventure Holidays’ when describing your beach stay in Mexico to your grand parents.

In our list of Mexico’s stereotype tourist photos you will find some gems. But it usually takes some extra effort to reach those truly awesome places in Mexico such as Cascadas de Agua Azul, Marieta Islands’ “Hidden Beach“, Hierve el Agua in Oaxaca, or Cenote Dzitnup in Yucatán. They are more remote. Mainstream tourists don’t go there. They rather stick around here:

Zocalo, Mexico City Historic Center

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Plaza de la Constitucion
Mexico City: Zocalo – Plaza de la Constitucion

We have to start with a pretty boring one: Unfortunately Mexico City’s Zocalo Square in the historic city center is Mexico’s most photographed tourist spot. This location cannot compete with any average city square in Europe, but since so many tourists flock there every day, it kind of wins by default. Kind of sad. The historic center of Mexico City is the central neighborhood in the capital. Put your focus on Zócalo – the main plaza – and explore in all directions for a number of blocks. Its farthest extent is towards the west – to the Alameda Central. The Zocalo is the largest plaza in Latin America. It can hold up to nearly 100,000 people.

El Castillo Pyramid, Chichen Itza

Mexico: Chichen Itza Pyramid
Mexico: Chichen Itza Pyramid

Chichen Itza once was the largest of the Maya cities in the Yucatan Peninsula and one of Mexico’s most visited tourist destinations. The most famous landmark of Chichen Itza is the temple-pyramid of El Castillo (24 meters tall). The design of the temple has special astronomical significance. Each face of the pyramid has a stairway with 91 steps, which together with the shared step at the top, add up to 365, the number of days in a year. El Castillo Pyramid is probably the best preserved among Mexico’s 51 ancient pyramids.

Teotihuacan

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Teotihuacan Pyramids
Mexico’s Stereotype Tourist Photos: Teotihuacan Pyramids

In the 2nd century BC a new civilization arose in the valley of Mexico. This civilization built the flourishing metropolis of Teotihuacán and it’s huge pyramids. The Pyramid of the Sun was built around 100 AD and is the largest pyramid in Teotihuacán and all of Mexico. The construction of the smaller Pyramid of the Moon started a century later and was finished in 450 AD. Seven centuries after the demise of the Teotihuacán empire the pyramids were honored and utilized by the Aztecs and became a place of pilgrimage. Mesoamerica’s greatest city is 50km northeast of Mexico City and can be reached by bus or taxi.

Cancun Beach

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Cancun Beach
Mexico’s Stereotype Tourist Photos: Cancun Beach

The vacation destination of Cancun is well-known for its gorgeous beaches and turquoise waters. This strip along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico is full of many different resorts, restaurants and shops that are great places to stay and play. The region is reminiscent of the Vegas strip, with all of the resorts being close together in a line, with miles of sand around them. There are a dozen nearby beaches to check out as well, with turtles, whale watching, snorkeling and much more to do here.

Puerto Vallarta Beach

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Puerto Vallarta
Mexico beaches: Puerto Vallarta

This Pacific oceanside resort town is nestled along a string of beaches that can please almost any visitor. Protected coves make great snorkeling destinations while there are also opportunities for whale watching and deep-sea fishing. This is one of the most popular resort towns in Mexico, and one look at the coastline makes it abundantly clear why this is true. The town is an interesting mix of large resort areas, and a central Zona Romantica, where the old town, quaint shops, and smaller hotels lie. Much of the older architecture and old-town charm is found here, flanked on the edges by larger, newer resort regions and “Gringo Gulch”, a residential area with large, foreign-owned homes.

Copper Canyon

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Copper Canyon
Mexico, Copper Canyon

This is Mexico’s ‘Grand Canyon’: Chihuahua, one of Mexico’s most northerly states, is home to one of the country’s most visited natural attractions, the stunning Copper Canyon (Barranca del Cobre). In a region known as the Sierra Madre Occidental and consisting of a spectacular group of deep canyons, Copper Canyon is in fact larger and deeper than its better known cousin, the Grand Canyon.

Taking its name from the distinctive copper green coloring along its steep canyon walls, these amazing natural structures were formed by six rivers that converge in the Rio Fuerte before draining into the Gulf of California. Thanks to the area’s increased popularity as a travel destination, there are numerous options available to those wanting to explore this area of outstanding natural beauty, from scenic rail trips aboard the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico to more adventurous excursions by bike or even on horseback.

Fortified City of Tulum

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Fortified City of Tulum
Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos: Fortified City of Tulum

Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city serving as a major port. The ruins are situated on 12-meter tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo. The beaches nearby are gorgeous.

Bahia Balandra

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Bahia Balandra
Mexicos stereotype tourist photos: Bahia Balandra

Last not least a real gem! Bahia Balandra is the perfect family beach in the Baja region of La Paz. Perhaps best known for the rock formation called Diamond rock, Balandra Beach is a mix of sand and beautiful wind and water-worn rock formations. It is sheltered in almost every direction for safe swimming, and the location is shallow enough that the chilly Pacific water warms early here. Because amenities are not beachside, it is often not as busy as other local beaches.

You find our complete list of stereotype tourist photos here:

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos Book a hotel in Mexico
Book a hotel in Mexico.

Mexicos Stereotype Tourist Photos. By Chili & Chirp | Visit our Travel Alphabet.