From Mexico City by rail about 2 hours; by bus about 1 hour; by car 67km/42mi on the MEX 15.
Toluca, the capital of the Estado de México, is situated in the mountain valley of the same name to the west of Mexico City. It is the highest large city in Mexico and has become increasingly important in the last few years both as a communications and trading centre and as an industrial base. From the visitor's point of view the city has less to offer than the surrounding area.
History
The area around Toluca (Náhuatl: "Tollucán" = "place of the reeds") was probably under the dominance of Teotihuacán during the Classic period.
The Matlatzinca (Náhuatl: "the people with small nets"), a Nahua tribe with linguistic links with the Otomí, who took on pronounced Toltec characteristics, probably settled here in the middle of the 13th c. In the 14th c. they came under the rule of the princes who reigned in the valley of Anáhuac. At the beginning of the 15th c. they were still allied to the Aztecs but were finally subjugated by them and expelled into part of what is today the region of Michoacán. The Matlatzinca had to pay the price of several rebellions against their Aztec rulers with large numbers of human sacrifices. They gave the Spanish limited assistance in the conquest of Tenochtitlán. In 1521 the Spanish under Gonzalo de Umbria explored the valley of Toluca, in 1529 the Franciscans founded their first convent there and in 1667 Toluca de San Joséwas granted its town charter. In 1830 it became the capital of the Estado de México and at the end of the 19th c. the town received its secondary name of de Lerdo in memory of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.
Sights
The attractive main square (Zócalo, Plaza de los Mártires) is dominated by the cathedral, a Neo-Classical building dating from the 19th c. The government palace (Palacio de Gobierno) dating from 1872 adjoins it to the north. A long shopping street with 120 archways (portales) stretches the length of one block to the right of the main square. Not far away stands the 18th c. Baroque church of El Carmen; in its convent is the Museo de las Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Art).
This complex offers three museums for visitors. The Museum of Anthropology and History, the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Popular Arts as well as a library.
Address: Centro Cultural Mexiquense, Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico , Mexico
Hours:
10am-6pm; Closed: Mon
Tips: $10.00 for all museums, $5.00 for each individually.
Open National holidays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The giant market (Mercado Juárez), one of Mexico's most colourful markets, will be found on the road to Mexico City. The best day to visit it is Friday.
This museum features a collection of work from the 16th c. through to the 18th c.
Address: Museo de Bellas Artes, Santos Degollado Pte. 102, Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico , Mexico
Hours:
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Mexican Constitution Day (Día de la Constititución) (February 5), Mexico - Benito Juárez Birthday (March 21), Mexico - Battle of Pueblo Day (May 5), Mexico National Day (September 1), Mexican Independence Day (September 16), Mexican Revolution Day (November 20), Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Museums include the Museo de Arte Popular (exhibitions and sale of handicrafts); four more museums were opened in 1992 - Museo JoséMaria Velasco (19th/20th c. landscape artists), Musep Gutiérrez (19th c. portrait painters), Museo Nishizawa (Japano-Mexican artists), and the Water Colour Museum. There are also four museums in the Centro Cultural Mexiquense (10km/6mi to the south-east on the Hacienda de la Pila): Museo de la Charrería (riding), and museums of modern art, folk art and anthropology and history.
The scenic road to this extinct volcano runs past the Laguna del Sol and the Laguna de la Luna, and offers beautiful views across the mountains and valley..
About 80km/50mi to the west of Toluca is the pretty holiday town of Valle de Bravo (1800 m (5905 ft); population 35,000). It is situated by a reservoir (Presa de Valle de Bravo or Presa Miguel Alemán) in the middle of lush vegetation and mountainous scenery. The nearby rock formations of La Peña and waterfall of Salto de Ferrería can be visited.
This late 16th c. church houses a museum which depicts the life in an ancient monastery.
Address: Ex Convento de Zinacantepec (Museo Virreinal), Av. 16 de septiembre, Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico , Mexico
Hours:
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Mexican Constitution Day (Día de la Constititución) (February 5), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
About 8km/5mi south-east of Toluca is the little town of Metepec (2060 m (6761 ft); population 50,000; Monday market) with its 16th/ 17th c. Franciscan convent of San Juan Bautista and the pretty church, the Iglesia del Calvario, with its large atrium. The town is known for the green stoneware and multicoloured clay figures which are produced here.
7km/4.5mi south-west, near the old Hacienda Zacango, is a Zoological Garden.
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Nevado de Toluca
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Metepec - Zoológico de Zacango
