Monterrey

Monterrey, Mexico's industrial capital and third-largest city, sits in a dramatic valley ringed by the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in the state of Nuevo León. It is Mexico's most prosperous and industrial city, headquarters to FEMSA, CEMEX and Grupo Bimbo, and a city with a strong norteño culture, excellent museums and a mountainous natural environment that provides outstanding outdoor recreation. The Barrio Antiguo, the city's colonial neighbourhood, has been reinvented as an entertainment district of bars and restaurants. The Macroplaza, the largest plaza in Latin America (open since 1988, 40 hectares), is flanked by the Palacio de Gobierno, the cathedral and the contemporary Faro del Comercio (a 70-metre orange concrete beam that projects a green laser across the sky at night). The MARCO (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo) is outstanding — one of Latin America's finest contemporary art institutions. The Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey encircles the city; the Huasteca Canyon (10km west) has spectacular rock walls and rock climbing. The Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Falls) waterfall and the Santa Catarina River canyon are popular day trips. Cabrito (roasted goat) is the regional speciality, eaten at family restaurants along with flour tortillas. Monterrey has a genuinely distinct food culture from southern Mexico. Day trips to the colonial cities of Saltillo and Linares are pleasant.