EAT

La Clave Azul
Segunda de Cantaritos 31
Guanajuato Centro, Guanajuato
phone: 473-732 1561
email: laclaveazul99@hotmail.com

This tavern, tucked into a narrow walkway in the central highland city of Guanajuato, is the kind of place foodies keep to themselves. Some even argue that it serves the best roast suckling pig (lechón) in all of Mexico. Full of antiques and relics, La Clave Azul has no set menu, but rather continues to bring botanas—small dishes, here prepared in a new Mexican style—as long as you keep ordering drinks. It’s not quite as refined a restaurant as you’ll find all over Mexico City, but then again, it’s also not as pretentious or overpriced.

SLEEP

La Purificadora
Callejón de la 10 Norte 802
Paseo San Francisco, Barrio el Alto
Puebla
www.lapurificadora.com

Melding stonework with glass, La Purificadora melds classic Mexican architecture with modern elements unlike any boutique hotel in the country. With spaces so wide open they dwarf the guests, the hotel’s unusual angles and dimensions—an oversized outdoor stairway; an underwater view of the swimming pool—ensure that you’ll never stop being surprised while you’re here. What’s even more surprising, however, is the affordability of staying in this masterwork of architecture and design.

SHOP

Tonalá, Jalisco
Guadalajara

People fly from all over the world to Guadalajara to shop in the suburban city of Tlaquepaque, with its some 300 handicrafts shops, but why not head to where the crafts in those shops come from? Tonalá is a village of craftsman—an estimated 6,000—who produce pieces in silver, blown glass, wrought iron, ceramics, fine pottery, and papier-mâché. Market days are Thursday and Sunday, but if you happen to come here on an off day, just wander into a workshop. The artists are always happy to take a break from their work to show you their wares.


Here are two particularly tasteful ironworks shops:

Forja Española
Av. Tonalá 3009
Tonalá, Jalisco
www.forjaespanola.com

Forja Herradura
Clavel # 63
Col Centro C.P.
Tonalá, Jalisco
www.forjaherradura.com

Photo Credit: Getty Images

SEE

Museo Rafael Coronel
Abasolo and Matamoros streets
Zacatecas
phone: 922 81 16

This museum, named after the Zacatecan-born artist (and son-in-law of Diego Rivera), occupies a former convent and displays only one type of art: masks. Used in everything from dances to traditional Mexican rituals, these masks run the gamut from silly to horrifying—and will make you realize how bland our Halloween masks are.


Celestún
Yucatán State

You know how guides will praise a “sleepy fishing village” and when you get there, it’s nothing of the sort? Well, here’s one such place that still, amazingly, fits that description. Located on the Yucatán Peninsula—but on the Gulf side, rather than the Atlantic—Celestún is known mainly for its proximity to the Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún, a wildlife reserve teeming with flamingos. But the real reason to come here is to chill-the-%#&!-out. The town has avoided the rampant development of the Riviera Maya—thus far, anyway—as there are only a few hotels and restaurants here that even have websites. But then again, that’s a few more than existed here five years ago. Clock’s ticking.