All Mexico

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Mexico

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

Updated August 13, 2025

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Cities

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All Cities
  1. Acolman
  2. Aguascalientes
  3. Angahuan
  4. Atotonilco
  5. Bacalar
  6. Bernal
  7. Cabo San Lucas
  8. Campeche
  9. Cancún
  10. Chichen Itza
  11. Chihuahua
  12. Ciudad Juárez
  13. Cuatrociénegas
  14. Cuernavaca
  15. Cuilapam De Guerrero
  16. Dolores Hidalgo
  17. Durango
  18. Ensenada
  19. Guadalajara
  20. Guanajuato
  21. Isla Mujeres
  22. Ixmiquilpan
  23. Izamal
  24. León
  25. Malinalco
  26. Mazatlán
  27. Mérida
  28. Metepec
  29. Mexico City
  30. Monterrey
  31. Morelia
  32. Nativitas
  33. Naucalpan
  34. Oaxaca
  35. Pachuca De Soto
  36. Palenque
  37. Papantla
  38. Pátzcuaro
  39. Playa Del Carmen
  40. Puebla
  41. Puerto Escondido
  42. Puerto Vallarta
  43. San Agustín Etla
  44. San Andrés Cholula
  45. San Cristóbal De Las Casas
  46. San Francisco Mazapa
  47. San Juan Teotihuacan De Arista
  48. San Luis Potosí
  49. San Martín Tilcajete
  50. San Miguel De Allende
  51. San Pablo Villa De Mitla
  52. San Rafael
  53. Santiago
  54. Santiago De Querétaro
  55. Taxco
  56. Tepoztlán
  57. Tequisquiapan
  58. Tijuana
  59. Tlalnepantla
  60. Toluca
  61. Tuxtla Gutiérrez
  62. Valladolid
  63. Valle De Bravo
  64. Villahermosa
  65. Xicotepec De Juárez
  66. Xilitla
  67. Zacatecas

Unusual Attractions in Mexico

See All 611 Things To Do in Mexico

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Mexico

See all 45 Places to Eat in Mexico
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Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Oaxaca: Markets, Mezcal & Home-Cooked Meals

A Culinary and Cultural Journey Through Oaxaca.

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Gastro Obscura’s 10 Essential Places to Eat and Drink in Oaxaca

Oaxaca, the mountainous state in Mexico’s south, is celebrated as the country’s “cradle of diversity.” Home to 16 Indigenous ethnic groups from Mixtecs to Triques to Zapotecs, it also boasts the country’s greatest biodiversity, counting 522 edible herbs, over 30 native agave varieties distilled by some 600 mezcal-producing facilities, 35 landraces (unique cultivars) of corn, and some two-dozen native species of chiles and beans. Oaxaca de Juárez, the state’s colonial capital, is drawing record numbers of visitors these days for its cobblestoned streets and the arty graffiti. But the main draw is Oaxaca’s status as the culinary epicenter of Mexico for its dozens of mole varieties, an encyclopedia of corn masa-based antojitos—memelas, tetelas, totopos, tlayudas, tamales—and a baroque layering of colonial-Spanish and pre-Hispanic Indigenous foodways. Local chefs understand that to be culinary authority here one must be part botanist and part anthropologist—roles which they embrace with great relish. Among the welcome recent developments to the restaurant scene has been the great rise of female chefs, as well as a new interest in cooking from the state’s different regions in addition to the complex colonial flavors of the Valles Centrales surrounding the capital. Whether you’re after unusual moles from the rugged Mixteca region, breads made exclusively from Oaxacan wheat, or a country lunch featuring edible insects, our guide has you covered. From a cult street taco stand to a Michelin-starred chef resurrecting forgotten dishes, here are the culinary highs to hit.

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Explore Mexico

Museums 111
Architecture 78
Art 71
Archaeology 66
Ruins 55
Murals 51
Aztec 48
Churches 46

Mexico Leaderboard

Recent Mexico Activity

Stories About Mexico

There’s No Right Way to Say ‘Taco’

An exploration of the ways our tongues—and our pride—twist around foreign words, and what that says about how we want to be seen.
by Dan Nosowitz
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

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
Oaxaca is famous for its crafts, including alebrijes, colorful wood-carved animals.

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

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We’re teaming up with Cayman Jack for an epic trip giveaway.
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Podcast: Toy Story

Check out a crazed collection of vintage playthings in Mexico City's vibrant museum scene.
by The Podcast Team
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
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

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

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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