The sweeping landscape of Mexico’s central highlands (also known as the Mexican Altiplano) is home to some of the country’s most picturesque and agreeable colonial towns and cities which offer an abundance of character and culture—and the benefits of mountain living.

The benefits of mountain living in Mexico

Living at elevation —typically, Mexico’s inland colonial towns and cities are situated at elevations of at least 4,000 feet above sea level— offers several benefits:

Ideal climates

Many places situated at elevation in Mexico offer the benefit of year-round temperate, low-humidity, climates created by a combination of the locations’ latitude and an average elevation around 6,000 feet above sea level which make it a pleasure to live and be outdoors, and an ideal location to enjoy active outdoor activities.

Enjoy plenty of daylight all-year

Year-round and especially during the winter, you benefit from at least ten hours of daylight every day of the year, with no shortage of daylight hours in the winter, and you also enjoy extended light into the evenings during the late spring and summer months.  You can learn about climates through the seasons in Mexico here on Mexperience.

Fresh highland air and breathtaking views

Enjoy crisp, fresh, mountain air which complements the magnificent views from local vantage points, and elevations that can aid your good health and general well-being without being too high so as to become uncomfortable.

Access to good local infrastructure and amenities

Many of Mexico’s popular colonial highland towns and cities offer provincial living with plenty of local fresh food and produce markets, (much of it grown locally), independent shops and boutique traders, with accessibility to popular big-brand stores, outlets, and supermarkets as well as specialized stores offering foods and homewares foreign residents often seek out when living here. Most colonial cities also have adequate-to-excellent healthcare facilities locally; in smaller towns, more extensive facilities are available in larger nearby cities.

Well-connected to transport links

You’ll discover that the highland towns are well connected by modern roads, most are serviced by frequent intercity bus services, and some also have airports nearby. High-speed internet access is available in your home, as well as wireless data over advanced mobile networks which form part of Mexico’s extensive communications infrastructure.

Integrate into genuine local communities

Many of the colonial towns and cities offer you the opportunity to participate and integrate in local communities.  Here you can discover authentic neighborhoods and real local community spirit, and if you choose to, you can integrate with local lifestyles and community groups, and forge long-term friendships.

Considerations for mountain living in Mexico

Mountain living isn’t for everyone.  Some people yearn to be near the ocean with year-round warmth, whereas highland towns tend to be cooler—and may even get cold at times during the winter months.  A very small number of people find that they can’t adjust to living at higher elevations, while others find the mountain towns too remote, rural, or provincial for their lifestyle preferences or intentions.

If you’re unsure, visit for an extended stay

An ideal way to determine if mountain life in Mexico will suit you is to invest in a trial period —perhaps six months to a year— and see how you respond to the experience.  When you take the time to explore, you’ll discover thriving communities where, when you’re prepared to integrate, local people will come to know and greet you by name, you’ll cultivate appreciable relationships, you’ll give and receive value as you trade at the local markets through transactions which feel human and personal… and over time, you become the community you seek.

When you look with care you’ll also find the very best of Mexico in these places—people, culture, climate, food, amenities, and real local communities. For some, Mexico’s highland towns and cities become exceptionally special places to live.

Choosing between urban and (semi) rural settings

Other than Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, Mexico’s highland towns and cities are situated in provincial (rural or semi-rural) settings and we recommend your consider whether living in the Mexican countryside would suit you, as well as giving careful thought to your lifestyle needs as a whole as you short-list potential places to live instead of looking at certain aspects in isolation.

As with other places you may consider moving to in Mexico, you’ll need to plan and prepare for your new lifestyle, you might need to acclimatize to the higher elevation, and you’ll need to be prepared to forge your own story here. Hundreds of thousands of foreign residents enjoy a good life in Mexico; with some considered choices and forward planning, you could as well.

Explore highland towns and cities in Mexico

Here are some of the more popular colonial towns and cities foreign residents have settled in, as well as some which are less well-known and gaining attention in recent times.

Mexico’s colonial heartland

Querétaro, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende for traditional colonial highland cities; Aguascalientes for a more contemporary living lifestyle; and Zacatecas if you’re seeking a mountain city off-the-beaten-track and on the edge of a mountain frontier.

South-central highlands

Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán, and Puebla.  These traditional provincial highland places are situated conveniently close to Mexico City and yet are far enough removed from the congestion of the capital to enjoy a genuine provincial atmosphere and feel.  For a more rustic option off-the-beaten track in this area, consider Taxco.

In the mountains west of Mexico City

The highland lakeside towns of Chapala, and Ajijic are home to the largest community of foreign residents in Mexico; the city of Morelia offers old-world colonial elegance, and the ancient highland town of Pátzcuaro offers an attractive blend of colonial indigenous cultures amidst an intimate colonial setting. If you’re seeking an urban lifestyle at elevation, Guadalajara offers vibrancy, culture, and all the benefits of a large metropolitan city, and is close to Ajijic, Chapala, and Jocotepec—small towns settled along the northern shoreline of Lake Chapala and home to tens of thousands of foreign residents, most from the US and Canada.

Further south, to Oaxaca and Chiapas

Oaxaca City remains one of the most authentic and cultured colonial cities in Mexico; and further south, in the breath-taking state of Chiapas, you’ll find the highland mountain town of San Cristobal de las Casas—somewhat off-the-beaten-track and close to the traditional indigenous mountain communities of San Juan Chamula and Zinacatán.

Discover more places to live in Mexico

Discover interesting and charming locations to live, work or retire in Mexico, and articles with helpful insights about choosing a place to settle here.

Resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

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Zacatecas is one of a group of old Silver Mining cities, which includes San Miguel de Allende, Queretaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosi and Alamos. You can discover all these places with Mexperience.

These cities all lie north-west of Mexico City. Each has its own unique character, features and atmosphere – but together they make up some of Mexico’s most authentic inland travel experiences. These cities are friendly places; the areas are not overwhelmed with tourists as some of the coastal areas can be.

It’s in the country’s colonial cities that the real Mexico begins to emerge. You’ll see real people living real lives; experience magnificent scenery; stay at wonderful colonial hotels that offer terrific value for money; savor local foods and flavors as colorful and diverse as the cultures that created them.

The road network in this region is well developed, and traveling through it is fast and efficient in most places. These cities are safe: crime is low and it’s a great region to consider if you want to treat your family to a real cultural experience in Mexico.

Zacatecas, like Guanajuato, built its wealth in the hey-days of the region’s mining boom. Geographically, it’s on the edge of the quintet of central mining cities, and if you take the cable car to the top of the mountain (see Key Attractions), you’ll be able to look out across the desert and see just how much of a frontier-city Zacatecas was at the height of its industrial prosperity.

The architecture here is immensely attractive—the pink limestone used in its buildings gave the city the nickname Ciudad Rosada (the Pink City). Take time to look at the intricately-designed stone and iron works which has been invested into the colonial buildings. Many of the major buildings here took years to complete, because their sponsors and creators were determined to craft and leave something special behind them—and they succeeded in doing so.

Like some of the other colonial gems in Mexico, Zacatecas is not well known among the mass of tourist and traveling communities that visit the country. You won’t find much English spoken here, although local people, restaurants, and hotels will be obliging, helpful, and friendly with any needs you may have.

There are lots of attractions worth seeing in Zacatecas; some historical, some cultural, and some scenic. What you’ll experience in Zacatecas is a genuine city with warm and friendly people amidst a community that is proud of its history and heritage.

Choosing to explore Zacatecas you’ll enjoy a real Mexican experience; there is no tourist make-up here: what you’ll witness is a wonderful colonial city, exhibiting its old-world charms and elegance alongside modern-day Mexican culture.

This is a great place to spend a day—or a long weekend. Stay for the evenings as the temperature cools, the city lights up, and the atmosphere changes. Whether you’re traveling independently or with a family, you’ll find Zacatecas is well worth the few extra miles of road it takes to arrive here.

Key Attractions

Colonial Center

The Plaza de Armas (main square) is also host to the city’s cathedral, with its magnificent stone facade. You’ll also find the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace) building here, as well as the Residencia de Gobernadores (Governor’s Residence) and Palacio de la Mala Noche (Palace of the Bad Night), also known as the Palacio de Justicia (Palace of Justice).

The Mercado Gonzalez Ortega, previously the main marketplace in Zacatecas, has now been renovated into a modern up-market shopping center. You can also eat here at one of the several restaurants integrated within the building.

There’s an old Silver mine, called Mina El Eden, which is located inside the Cerro del Grillo, a major attraction of the city and an important historical landmark. There were originally seven levels in this mine; level four is open to visitors, and a train ride will take you deep into the hill which hosted it. The train stops inside, and you are guided down walkways deep into the mines, where you’ll begin to see the conditions that mind workers of the day endured to get gold, silver, iron, copper and zinc out of these rocks.

Cerro de La Bufa is the imposing mountain on the northeast side of the city. It’s up here that you’ll see magnificent views across the city, and further north, the vast expanse of arid desert that streams out from this ‘frontier capital’. To get to the top, you can drive there, but it’s best to take the Cable Car (Teleferico) which will transport you across a magnificent view of the city to the top of the mountain in just a few minutes. The Teleferico station is near the mine, so both are within easy access of each other.

Museums and Art in Zacatecas

There are various museums to visit in Zacatecas.

Museo Rafael Coronel hosts what is probably the largest display of traditional masks in Mexico (over 2,000 of them).

Museo Francisco Goita gives you the opportunity to view the works of six major artists of the 20th century who were from Zacatecas, including works of Francisco Goita himself.

Museo de Pedro Colonel is regarded as one of Mexico’s best art museums outside of Mexico City. Pedro Colonel, an affluent artist in Zacatecas, left his entire works and collection of art from around the world to his native city. Besides his own work, art from places as far away as Africa and New Guinea may be enjoyed here.

Getting There & Around

By Air – You can fly to Zacatecas from the US and and other points in Mexico including Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Tijuana. The airport is about 18 miles outside the city on the north side; ground transportation into the city is available; buy your tickets from the airport’s terminal building. You can choose between a private taxi (most expensive) and a shared suburban van which carries about 10 passengers and their luggage comfortably. For detailed information about flights and flying, see the Mexperience guide to Air Travel in Mexico.

By Bus – You can travel to Zacatecas on a luxury bus from Mexico City – as well as Queretaro, Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, and other places in the region too. For detailed information about bus transportation read the Mexperience guide to Bus Travel in Mexico.

By Car – Driving to Zacatecas is very fast and efficient with high-speed and safe toll roads connecting to the city. From the south, you’ll need Highway 45D, and from the Northeast you’ll need Highway 54. See additional information about Driving in Mexico and Mexico’s Toll Roads on Mexperience.

Car Rental – To explore Mexico’s colonial towns and cities, consider renting a car for your visit. Having your own car will give you more flexibility than using public transport options and, in some cases, offer you access to places which are otherwise difficult to visit without the use of a car. Read our guide to Car Rental in Mexico to learn what you need to know about car rental in Mexico.

Taxis – Taxis in most of Mexico’s colonial towns and cities are not metered, so agree your price before you get in. Taxi travel is very affordable in Mexico, in comparison to the USA, Canada and Europe, and so provides a viable means of public transportation in Mexico. Your hotel can arrange taxis for you; some post their rates on a board in the lobby; taxi hotel rates are usually higher than cabs you hail off the street. If you speak Spanish, you will have a distinct advantage and be able to negotiate a price with the driver. For detailed information, read the Mexperience guide to Taxi Travel in Mexico.

Zacatecas Essentials

Telephone: Connect to the guide about Communications in Mexico on Mexperience for detailed information about keeping in touch and the latest table of national dialing codes.

Exchanging Currency: Banks with ATM machines are found throughout the downtown area of Zacatecas, especially around the main plaza. During business hours, they and the local Casas de Cambio will buy travelers checks and cash from you as well. For detailed information about exchanging and managing your money, read the Mexperience guide to Money in Mexico.

Travel Insurance: We recommend that you are adequately covered with travel medical insurance and/or travel assistance insurance when you are visiting Mexico. Read the Mexperience guide to Travel Insurance in Mexico for full details and links to specialist insurance suppliers.

Internet Access: Internet cafes can be easily found in towns and cities across Mexico and WiFi is increasingly commonplace—from cafes, shops, hotels, and some cities even offer free WiFi in defined public spaces.

Easter Week and September: If your travel plans involve staying in Zacatecas during the festival dates (see Local Events Calendar, above), then be sure to book early. Hotel rooms become scarce or unobtainable during these times, and many travelers who make an 11th-hour decision to attend the celebrations, often find themselves having to stay at hotels in towns and cities away from Zacatecas, which means they have to drive in and out each day.

What to Buy in Zacatecas

There are several good places in Zacatecas where you can buy a selection of authentic Mexican arts and crafts. Silver jewelry and silver craft-ware is also a major feature of a shopping experience in Zacatecas. Some silverware is crafted locally and you’ll find silver items here are good value for money.

Local Climate

Zacatecas enjoys year-round, generally warm and dry weather during the daytime. The climate is ideal for taking part in a variety of outdoor sports and activities and for taking in the local culture, architecture and scenery. The rain season runs from May thru October: summer storms tend to be fierce and brief in the late afternoon. Remember that you are out in the desert here: the combination of its remoteness and altitude means that mornings and evenings can be cold, especially in the winter months, so pack warm clothing layers in addition to lighter clothes for warmer daytime temperatures.

Weather & Climates in Mexico

Learn more about the weather and climates through the seasons and regions by connecting to the Mexperience guide about Weather and Climates in Mexico