Estado do México

The state

Get to know Estado do México

The State of Mexico surrounds Mexico City on three sides and is the most populous state in the country. To avoid confusion with the country and the capital, the guide calls it the State of Mexico. It stretches from the capital's valley up to mountains above 4,000 meters, with pine forests and lakes.

The main attraction is Teotihuacan, about 50 km from the capital, near San Juan Teotihuacán: one of the largest cities of the ancient world, with the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Avenue of the Dead, a World Heritage Site. Sunrise balloon rides over the pyramids usually operate on clear-sky days.

The state capital, Toluca, is close to the Nevado de Toluca, an extinct volcano with two crater lakes, over 4,000 meters high. Valle de Bravo is a village on the edge of a reservoir, with sailing and paragliding; Malinalco has an Aztec temple carved into the mountain rock. In Tepotzotlán, the old Jesuit college houses the National Museum of the Viceroyalty, with a gilded baroque church.

In the west, part of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve lies in the State of Mexico, with sanctuaries such as Piedra Herrada, near Valle de Bravo. On the table, Toluca’s green chorizo and barbacoa.