8 Best Sights in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

San Miguel's botanical garden has an extensive variety of Mexican cacti and succulents collected from different parts of the country. The area is protected from encroachment by an ecological reserve of 445 acres and was visited by the Dalai Lama, who declared El Charco one of the five "zones of peace" in Mexico. A garden area will introduce you to some of the 120 varieties of agaves that grow here.

The reserve is huge and has special pathways for walking, running, and mountain biking. If you don't have MX$40 (or are with your dog, which is not allowed in the garden), the adjacent Parque Landeta has nice walking paths as well.

Twice a month, during full and new moon phases, it opens the

, ritual herbal steam baths (MX$250). If you're driving up Salida a Querétaro from El Centro, turn left at the traffic circle and follow the signs to the main entrance. A taxi will cost about MX$45.

If you have time to visit just one vineyard in the region's increasingly acclaimed wine country, consider heading to this respected operation in the Ezequiel Montes countryside, which offers a variety of tours and tasting experiences, including one that lets you horseback around the property's 125 acres of fields and plantings. Freixenet is especially known for its champagne-style sparkling wines, but the winery also produces some excellent still wines, including a dry white blend of Macabeo, Chardonnay, and Muscat, and an inky Malbec that pairs well with steak and pastas.

Querétaro has a number of smaller museums with idiosyncratic themes, and this one with an impressively extensive collection set among the many rooms, courtyards, and gardens of a historic house in the city center is one of the best. Exhibits touch on the history of calendars and calendar-making in different cultures around the world. You'll also find a vast array of framed calendars from the past century or so, including quite a few kitschy ones depicting pets, families, and suggestively posed women that were often distributed as advertising material. There's a nice view of the city skyline from the rooftop terrace, and a small café in the peaceful back garden serves coffee and light food.

This elegant 17th-century Franciscan monastery displays pre-Hispanic and indigenous artifacts from cultures of the region plus rooms dedicated to the colonial history of Querétaro and the general history of Mexico. There are early copies of the Mexican Constitution and the table on which the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed.

Also known as Plaza de la Independencia, this immaculate square is bordered by carefully restored colonial mansions and is especially lovely at night, when the central fountain is lit-up. Built in 1842, the fountain is dedicated to the Marqués de la Villa del Villar, who constructed Querétaro's elegant aqueduct. The old stone aqueduct, with its 74 towering arches, stands at the town's east end. Patio tables under the portico in front of Hotel Mesón de Santa Rosa are the perfect place for a respite from shopping and museum hopping.

A tranquil courtyard girded by towering, century-old ash and pine trees and 16th-century mansions (since converted into hotels and shops), the larger of the two downtown plazas commemorates the bishop who restored dignity to the Purépecha people. During the Spanish conquest, Nuño de Guzmán, a lieutenant in Hernán Cortés's army, committed atrocities against the local population in his efforts to conquer western Mexico. He was eventually arrested by the Spanish authorities, and in 1537 Vasco de Quiroga was appointed bishop of Michoacán. To regain the trust of the indigenous people, he established model villages in the area and promoted the development of artesanías (crafts) commerce among the Purépecha. Quiroga died in 1565, and his remains were consecrated in the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud.

One hundred million monarch butterflies migrate annually from the United States and Canada to winter in the easternmost part of Michoacán, near Mexico State's border. A visit to the Santuario de Mariposas el Rosario between late November (or better yet, early December) and early March is an awesome experience. The sanctuary's pine forest is so caked with orange-and-black butterflies it looks like it's on fire. Listen closely and you'll hear the rustle of millions of wings beating.

The hike to the groves is a steep climb, and the high altitude (10,400 feet) will require that you take it slowly.

This day trip takes about 10 hours, but it's absolutely worth the effort. We suggest you don't drive yourself, but catch a guided tour in Morelia: it's more informative, as you'll get info about the state of Michoacán and its fascinating history and culture, along with the 411 about the monarch butterflies, on the two-hour drive from Morelia to the sanctuary, and the sleepy ride back at the end of a beautiful day.

The only cable car in the world to cross an entire city, the Teleférico runs from Cerro del Grillo (Cricket Hill) above the Mina Edén to Cerro de la Bufa. Though it crosses at the narrowest point, it showcases the city's magnificent panorama and baroque church domes and spires. It's worth the cost to get the ride up to Cerro de la Bufa, which is quite a climb otherwise.