Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Iglesia del Honguito

Discover Iglesia del Honguito in Chignahuapan, Mexico: Visit this small Mexican church to pray to a mushroom that is supposedly marked with the image of Christ.

Dulcería de Celaya

These centuries-old walls hold the gastronomical heritage of Mexico’s traditional sweets. Founded in 1874 by brothers Alfredo and Luis Guízar de Arias, this traditional confectionary store is one of the oldest in Mexico City. Around 150 recipes from …

Huautla de Jiménez

Discover Huautla de Jiménez in Huautla de Jiménez, Mexico: Southern Mexico under the influence of mushrooms, ceremony and celebrity.

El Foro Antiguo Palacio Jai Alai

Discover El Foro Antiguo Palacio Jai Alai in Tijuana, Mexico: Tijuana's legendary jai alai or "basque ball" palace is now a massive music venue.

Playa Hermosa

Discover Playa Hermosa in San Blas, Mexico: A wild Hollywood resort thwarted by mosquitoes.

Parque EcoAlberto

Discover Parque EcoAlberto in Cajon, Mexico: A park in Mexico offers all the experiences of an illegal border crossing except for one: the border.

La Equis (The X)

Discover La Equis (The X) in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: A giant "X" symbolizes the blood spilled from the brutal Juárez drug wars.

El Faro de Mazatlán

Discover El Faro de Mazatlán in Mazatlán, Mexico: From Nunavut to Tierra del Fuego, you won't find any lighthouse higher than this one.

C5

Discover C5 in Mexico City, Mexico: Mexico City's residents are being watched by this state surveillance headquarters, designed by architects with a flair for intimidation.

Tubohotel

Discover Tubohotel in Tepoztlán, Mexico: Concrete construction materials turned into a fashionable capsule hotel in rural Mexico.

San Lorenzo Aké

Discover San Lorenzo Aké in Aké, Mexico: A hacienda that features all things uniquely Yucatán.

The Parthenon of El Negro

Discover The Parthenon of El Negro in Zihuatanejo, Mexico: A notoriously corrupt Chief of Police's deteriorating Greek-themed playhouse.

Mayan 2012 Prophecy Carvings

Discover Mayan 2012 Prophecy Carvings in Villahermosa, Mexico: This singular broken monument, now housed in a museum, was the cause of a worldwide "Mayan Doomsday" phenomenon.

Mapimí Silent Zone

Discover Mapimí Silent Zone in Ceballos, Mexico: A US military accident created the legends behind this Mexican version of the Bermuda Triangle.

Hotel Quinta Real

Discover Hotel Quinta Real in Zacatecas, Mexico: Hotel designed around a 16th century Mexican bullring.

Cabeza de Juárez

Discover Cabeza de Juárez in Mexico City, Mexico: This giant expressionist head crowns a museum devoted to a beloved Mexican leader.

Pomuch Cemetery

Discover Pomuch Cemetery in Pomuch, Mexico: Once a year in Pomuch, the dead are taken out for a cleaning.

Temple of Santa Muerte

Discover Temple of Santa Muerte in Santa Ana Chapitiro, Mexico: This church devoted to Mexico's "dead saint" is a festive celebration of a formerly hidden religious figure.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 260 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 474 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 499 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 633 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 135 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 167 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 252 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 148 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 96 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 166

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