Morelia is an example of urban planning which combines the ideas of the Spanish Renaissance with the Mesoamerican experience. More than 200 historic buildings, all in the region's characteristic pink stone, reflect the town's architectural history, revealing a masterly and eclectic blend of the medieval spirit with Renaissance, Baroque and neoclassical elements.

Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, Guanajuato became the world's leading silver-extraction centre in the 18th century.

The holy city of Teotihuacan (the place where the gods were created) it is characterized by the size of its monuments –in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centres in Mesoamerica, it extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region, and even beyond.

Puebla, which was founded ex nihilo in 1531 has preserved its great religious structures such as the 16th–17th-century cathedral and fine buildings like the old archbishop's palace, as well as a host of houses with walls covered in tiles (azulejos). The new aesthetic resulting from the fusion of European and American styles were adopted locally and are peculiar to the Baroque district of Puebla.

The terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were carved out of the mountain and are the symbols of a sacred topography. The city of Oaxaca is a good example of Spanish colonial town planning. The solidity and volume of the city's buildings show that they were adapted to the earthquake-prone region in which these architectural gems were constructed.

The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were built in the style of the Mexican Baroque. The Sanctuary of Atotonilco's architecture and interior decoration testify to the influence of Saint Ignacio de Loyola’s doctrine.

The 34,658 ha site, between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River, is part of an expansive landscape of blue agave, shaped by the culture of the plant used since the 16th century to produce tequila spirit and for at least 2,000 years to make fermented drinks and cloth.

A prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, Palenque was at its height between AD 500 and 700, when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. The elegance and craftsmanship of the buildings, as well as the lightness of the sculpted reliefs with their Mayan mythological themes, attest to the creative genius of this civilization.

The five Franciscan missions of Sierra Gorda were built during the last phase of the conversion to Christianity of the interior of Mexico in the mid-18th century and became an important reference for the continuation of the evangelization of California, Arizona and Texas. The church façades are an example of the joint creative efforts of the missionaries and the Indios.

Xochicalco is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial centre from the troubled period of 650–900 that followed the break-up of the great Mesoamerican states such as Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Palenque and Tikal.