• Mexico Guide

  • Introduction to Mexico
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Getting around
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Public holidays

• Explore Mexico

  • Baja California and the Pacific Northwest
  • The north
  • The Bajío
  • Northern Jalisco and Michoacán
  • Mexico City
  • Acapulco and the Pacific beaches
  • Veracruz
  • Oaxaca
  • Chiapas and Tabasco
  • The Yucatán

• Cities

  • Acapulco
    
  • Cancún
    
  • Guadalajara
    
  • Mexico City
    
  • Monterrey
    
  • Oaxaca
    

Mexico Guide

The north

Monterrey

• Accommodation
• Eating
• Nightlife

The third-largest city in Mexico, capital of Nuevo León and the nation's industrial stronghold, MONTERREY is a contradictory place. While the vast network of factories, the traffic, urban sprawl, pollution and ostentatious wealth that characterize the modern city are relatively recent developments, the older parts retain an air of colonial elegance. The city's setting, too, is one of great natural beauty – ringed by jagged mountain peaks (which sadly serve also to keep in the noxious industrial fumes), the Cerro de la Silla, or "Saddle Mountain", dominates the landscape. But what makes Monterrey really outstanding is the abundance of modern architecture and the bold statuary sprouting everywhere, expressions of Mexico at its most confident.