Want to get into the Christmas spirit? Visit the festive holiday themed villages of Mexico. Here are some destinations in different regions of the country that are all but sure to have you humming Christmas carols.
Creel, Chihuahua
Start with a destination that seems foreign. Here, the houses and streets are covered with snow, creating an unparalleled landscape complemented by pine and oak trees. Just as in Santa Claus stories, this magical Christmas town is located in northern Mexico, specifically in Chihuahua.
Activities are mainly focused on adventure tourism such as hiking to biking but you can also take the Chepe train through the Sierra Madre Occidental to experience breathtaking landscapes. Of course, snow will likely fall as early as November, so we recommend you bring appropriate clothing.
Arteaga, Coahuila
If you want to ski without leaving Mexico, this town in Coahuila is the ideal destination and becomes one of the Christmas towns to visit every winter due to its scenery. Just imagine apple and pine forests covered with snow. These are the postcard-worthy scenes every December and January.
As if that were not enough, Arteaga has a place to ski in Bosques de Monterreal. Other attractions are the Alameda Venustiano Carranza, which every year is decorated with Christmas motifs, the San Isidro Parish Church, and the El Salto Waterfall, a perfect escape to be in contact with nature.
Atlixco, Puebla
The illuminated village of Atlixco is a classic destination that, year after year, becomes another must-see Christmas town. As its name suggests, it owes its fame to the fact that at this time of the year, there is a light show in the streets of the municipality of Puebla.
This began on November 24 and will continue until January 8. Also in Atlixco is the Brilla festival that will last until January 1. You can see acrobatic shows, floats, and various Christmas light installations. This festival is located in the Xtremo Parque, and admission ranges from 150 to 800 Mexican pesos.
(photo: INAH)Tlalpujahua, Michoacan
When it comes to Christmas towns, Tlalpujahua in Michoacan is sublime. The reason? It's artisan tradition of creating Christmas spheres. The workshops are open all year round, but during the Sphere Festival, the Christmas spirit permeates the air.
In addition to blown glass spheres of different styles, sizes, and prices, there are traditional food stands. A must is to visit the Casa de Santa Claus, one of the largest factories where 500 artisans make unique creations.
Chignahuapan, Puebla
Chignahuapan is a town of colorful houses and handicrafts, where the wind circulates, moving back and forth the most vibrant shades and then leaving everything just like that, pigmented and luminous. It was once Totonaca territory. It was also Tetehuitic, in the time of Hernán Cortés, where the Chichimecas worshipped Mixcóatl, the god of rain.
It has been and still is the place where water flows in the form of lagoons, rivers, waterfalls and hot springs.
The center must always revolve around its colorful kiosk. Built in 1871, of wood, with the delicate framework that only Mudejar art can achieve, the booth attends every day to the coming and going of the Plaza de la Constitución. Underneath it, there is a fountain that is sometimes forgotten. Nearby there is a pair of busts paying sincere homage to Rafael Méndez and Ildefonso Illescas.
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