Monterrey and Chihuahua, Mexico

Surrounded by vast, empty deserts of twisted cacti and chains of dusty mountains, the industrial cities of Monterrey and Chihuahua might seem odd choices for a vacation. Hammered mercilessly by the summer sun, the two urban giants are usually bypassed by foreign travelers desperate to see the exotic jungles, beaches and Mayan ruins of the south. This is a shame: cut though the traffic and grimy outskirts of both cities, and you’ll discover rich colonial centers, incredibly innovative museums and some of the most significant historical monuments in Mexico. Monterrey, especially, is an affluent city, a world away from the factories and grinding poverty of the border towns – it has an efficient metro system, fabulous restaurants and a range of comfortable hotels. Both cities are a few hours drive from the U.S. border, and though you’ll need some Spanish, English is widely understood (many locals have worked “up north”). And you’ll be safe: 2009 was a bad year for Mexico, but drug violence rarely affects these cities, and in any case, tourists are never targeted. Take the usual precautions and you’ll be fine.

Monterrey

The third-largest city in the country and capital of Nuevo León, Monterrey is a dynamic, hard-partying showcase for contemporary Mexico. The city’s setting, too, is spectacular – ringed by rugged mountain peaks, the Cerro de la Silla, or “Saddle Mountain”, dominates the landscape.

Start exploring at the Gran Plaza, the vast public space at the heart of the city. The gardens here are a tranquil place to relax and sip coffee – you’ll also see plenty of squawking red-crowned Amazon parrots in the trees, the thriving descendents of escaped pet birds. The main highlight at the southern end of the plaza is the sensational Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Museum of Contemporary Art). The building itself is half the attraction, a typically stimulating Monterrey space where none of the floors and walls seems to intersect at the same angle. The central atrium features a Zen-like pool into which a pipe periodically shoots water: as the pool fills, you find yourself mesmerized by the ripples that flow across the marble-floor. There is no permanent collection, but the standards maintained by the temporary art exhibits here are phenomenally high.

At the northern end of the Gran Plaza, the Museo del Palacio de Gobierno is a futuristic museum and especially good for non-Spanish speakers: English information cards are on hand throughout. The state government building was completed in 1908 in an exuberant Neoclassical style, and the museum uses this to hypnotic effect to chart the history of Nuevo León state. Rooms are dimly lit and suffused with ambient music, with historic artifacts enhanced with video, images, computer screens and small, easily digested stories.

Ruta Santa Lucia

Just to the east of the Gran Plaza lies the city’s newest and most impressive cluster of attractions. First up, the Museo de Historia Mexicana, Dr. Coss 445 Sur (Tues–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-8pm; M$40, free on Tues & Sun; www.3museos.com), is another bold architectural statement with displays on Mexican national history. A covered walkway leads from here to the Museum del Noreste (Tues–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am–8pm; M$40, free Tues & Sun); entry is free with your Museo de Historia ticket. As you’d expect by now, this is not your average history museum – though it covers the history of northeast Mexico chronologically, from pre-Colonial times through to the present, it uses a similar multimedia approach and the whole thing is deeply thought-provoking. The “northeast” here includes the U.S. state of Texas, and virtually every exhibit is approached through the prism of cross-border relations.

Once you’ve exhausted every angle of Mexican history, head below the museum plaza to the Paseo Santa Lucia, a landscaped canal-side path replete with waterfalls, gardens and snack stalls that leads 2.5km east to the Parque Fundidora – boats regularly ply between the two sites (daily 10am–10pm; M$40). The park (www.parquefundidora.org) blends grassy spaces with industrial chimneys and former steel processing plants. The highlight is the Museo del Acero Horno-3 (Tues–Thurs & Sun 10am–6pm, Fri & Sat 11am–7pm; M$90; (81) 8126-1100; www.horno3.org), an absorbing museum created out of the guts of a ruined steel mill. Inside galleries trace the history of the steel industry in Monterrey, as well as the steel manufacturing process itself – don’t miss the Show del Torne, which reproduces the fiery spectacle of steel-making itself.

Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma

If you’re thirsty after all this, head out to the massive premises of Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma (Cuauhtémoc Brewery), where they make the tasty Bohemia, Indio and Tecate beers. Free guided tours of the brewery run hourly throughout the day from the office next to the Jardín Cerveza (beer garden; daily 10am–6pm), at Alfonso Reyes 2202 Nte, 1km north of the bus station. You can claim one free glass of beer (usually Carta Blanca) here, or buy the better draft beers on offer.

Barrio Antiguo

End your day at the Barrio Antiguo, the oldest and most enticing part of downtown, just east of the Gran Plaza, a district of colonial streets, galleries, laid-back cafés, bars and restaurants. You have to try the local specialty at least once: cabrito asado (whole roasted baby goat), best experienced at the venerable El Rey del Cabrito restaurant.

Chihuahua

Chihuahua has been the scene of some significant episodes in Mexico’s history, not least the execution of Independence hero Miguel Hidalgo in 1811. Today the colonial centre is sprinkled with grand nineteenth-century mansions, built during the city’s silver-producing heyday. This is also vaquero (cowboy) country and one of the best places in Mexico to buy cowboy hats and boots.

Start at the lively Plaza de Armas in the center, dominated by the Baroque, twin-towered Catedral Metropolitana. From the plaza you can stroll north along pedestrianized Libertad, lined with chain stores and cheap snacks stalls, to the Museo Casa Chihuahua (Wed–Mon 10am–6pm; M$40, free Sun), the former Palacio Federal and now a thoroughly entertaining museum. Built in 1910, the current structure replaced an eighteenth-century Jesuit college – Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende, the inspiration and early leaders of the Mexican War of Independence, were imprisoned here in 1811 before being executed across the road. Inside, you can visit the Calabozo de Hidalgo, “Hidalgo’s dungeon,” where the rebels were held. This now forms part of the Museo del Sitio, a series of multimedia exhibits charting the history of the building from the early Spanish missions to its rebirth as a museum. Upstairs, the Museo Patrinomio is a creative series of galleries introducing the state of Chihuahua, divided thematically between deserts, plains and mountains; look out for the display on movie star Anthony Quinn, who was born in the city in 1915. Across the road is the stately Palacio de Gobierno, its main courtyard an enthralling space lined with bold murals of Mexico’s colonial past painted by Aarón Piña Mora in the 1960s. Hidalgo and Allende were executed here, and the site of the deed is marked with a small shrine (“the nation’s altar”) on the ground floor.

Museo Casa de Villa and Quinta Gameros

Chihuahua’s premier sight, the Museo Casa de Villa, is 2km east of the centre at Calle 10 no. 3010. This enormous mansion was built by Mexican folk hero Pancho Villa in the early twentieth-century for his “official” widow Doña Luz Corral; it has now been taken over by the Mexican army. The collection inside is an intriguing mix of weapons, war plans and personal mementoes, including the bullet-splattered Dodge in which Villa was assassinated in 1923.

Nearby, the extraordinarily ornate Quinta Gameros, at the junction of Calle 4 and Paseo Bolivar, is a belle epoque gem built for successful mine owner Don Manuel Gameros in 1910 as an exact replica of a posh Parisian home. The interior is sumptuously decorated, with magnificent Art Nouveau stained glass and ornate woodwork – the local university hosts art exhibitions and cultural events here.

Whichever city you visit, you’re in for a pleasant surprise – friendly locals, good food and a rich history make Monterrey and Chihuahua that “other” Mexico you rarely hear about on the news. Until business and tourism picks up again, hotels will remain cheap – it’s a great time to go.

Country Code for Mexico is (52)