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Best craft destinations in North America

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Chichicastenango
Ancient Market with Vibrant Mayan Culture
6.9
Friar Francisco Ximénez copied the Popol Vuh, a Maya creation book, in this town in the early 1700s. Markets fill the square around Santo Tomás church every Thursday and Sunday. Vendors sell carved wooden masks used in village dances and embroidered blouses in bright colours. Come early on market days to beat the crowds.
Highlights:
  • 🕯️ Discover the ancient sacred Pascual Abaj Mayan shrine nearby
  • ⛪ Visit Santo Tomas Church blending Mayan and Catholic traditions
  • 🛍️ Explore the vibrant Mercado Santo Tomás with colorful textiles
San Cristóbal de las Casas
Colonial Charm Meets Indigenous Culture
6.7
Cool mountain air carries woodsmoke past stalls piled with bright woven cloth. Tzotzil and Tzeltal Maya women from nearby villages weave and embroider the cloth. The market beside Santo Domingo church sells blouses, shawls and dolls in many patterns. The Amber Museum shows Chiapas amber, a golden fossil resin, in jewellery and carvings.
Highlights:
  • 🧶 Walk through cobblestone streets lined with artisan shops
  • ⛪ Admire the baroque architecture of Santo Domingo Church
  • 🛍️ Explore the colorful markets at Santo Domingo Square
Yucatán
Gateway to the Mayan world
8.5
November to March is dry and cooler with highs in the 80s Fahrenheit. Maya women across the peninsula sew bright flowers in a cross stitch called xocbichuy. Ticul workshops shape clay pots and figures by hand. Izamal, a town painted yellow, has shops selling hammocks and embroidered blouses.
Highlights:
  • 🏛️ Visit the ancient ruins at Uxmal Archaeological Zone
  • 💧 Swim in the beautiful, crystal-clear Cenote Ik Kil
  • 🏯 Explore the iconic El Castillo pyramid at Chichén Itzá
Mexico City
Vibrant Culture, History and Street Food
8.3
At about 7,350 feet this city is higher than Denver. La Ciudadela market sells ceramics, weavings, silver and painted wooden toys from across Mexico. The Museo de Arte Popular fills a former fire station with folk art from every region. Each October giant alebrije sculptures, painted fantasy animals, parade through the centre.
Highlights:
  • 🎨 Visit Frida Kahlo’s Blue House in Coyoacán
  • 🏛️ Wander through the historic center and Zócalo Square
  • 🏯 Explore the ancient ruins of Teotihuacán’s pyramids
Antigua Guatemala
Colonial Charm and Volcanic Views
7.5
The Mercado de Artesanías sells woven cloth, carved wooden masks and jade jewellery. Jade workshops in town show how the Maya carved the stone they valued more than gold. Weavers from nearby Maya villages sell cloth made on looms tied to the waist. This colonial city was the capital until earthquakes in 1773.
Highlights:
  • ⛪ Visit the ruins of the historic Antigua Cathedral
  • 🥾 Hike Cerro de la Cruz for panoramic city views
  • 🌉 Snap a photo under the iconic Santa Catalina Arch
Mérida
Colonial charm and Yucatán culture
7.1
Men here often wear guayaberas, light shirts with pleats and four pockets, to work and weddings. Shops near the main plaza also sell hats woven from palm fibre in nearby towns. Hammocks from Tixkokob, a nearby town, are woven from fine cotton thread. Maya women embroider bright flowers on white dresses called huipiles.
Highlights:
  • 🖼️ Visit the interactive Gran Museo del Mundo Maya
  • ⛪ Explore the impressive Mérida Cathedral in Plaza Grande
  • 🌳 Stroll along historic Paseo de Montejo boulevard
San Miguel de Allende
Colonial Charm with Artistic Soul
7.1
This hill town lies in the central highlands at about 6,200 feet. Fábrica La Aurora is a former textile mill with art studios, design shops and galleries. Stalls at the artisan market sell punched tin mirrors, blown glass and painted ceramics. The pink spires of the Parroquia church rise above the main square.
Highlights:
  • 🖼️ Explore vibrant art galleries at Fabrica La Aurora
  • 🌳 Stroll through the colorful Jardín Allende plaza
  • ⛪ Admire the iconic Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
Havana
Vibrant Streets, Timeless Rhythms
7.3
December to April brings dry breezy days for walking the old town and its market stalls. Almacenes San José, a former port warehouse market, sells paintings, wood carvings and handmade jewellery. Fábrica de Arte Cubano is a former cooking oil factory that now shows art and design. It opens Thursday to Sunday at night.
Highlights:
  • 🗼 Visit the historic José Martí Memorial tower
  • 🌅 Watch sunset along the famous Malecón promenade
  • 🏘️ Stroll through colorful streets of Old Havana
Guadalajara
Mariachi, murals and modern flair
7.3
The heat of glass furnaces and the smell of wet clay fill workshops in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá. Tlaquepaque has a pedestrian centre with galleries and shops in old mansions. Tonalá holds a street market on Thursdays and Sundays with pottery, glass and papier-mâché. Huichol artists press tiny glass beads onto wax coated figures.
Highlights:
  • 🎭 Stroll through vibrant Plaza de Armas with street performances
  • 🖼️ Explore the stunning murals at Instituto Cultural Cabañas
  • ⛪ Visit the magnificent Guadalajara Cathedral in the historic center
Guanajuato
Colorful alleys and silver history
6.9
This colourful city climbs the sides of a narrow valley in the Sierra de Guanajuato. Workshops make majolica, tin glazed pottery painted with bright flowers and birds. Several family workshops offer short tours of the clay and glaze steps. UNESCO listed the old town in 1988 and many alleys are too narrow for cars.
Highlights:
  • 🚇 Explore the tunnels and underground streets of historic Guanajuato
  • 🌆 Admire the view from the Pipila Monument overlooking the city
  • 💋 Wander through the colorful alleys and balconies of Callejón del Beso
Puebla
Mexico's Underrated Cultural Gem
6.9
Spanish potters brought tin glazed Talavera pottery here in the 1500s. UNESCO lists the Talavera craft of Puebla and Tlaxcala as heritage. Workshops in the old centre show painters filling tiles and plates with blue and yellow patterns. Tiles cover many church domes and house fronts across the city.
Highlights:
  • 🏛️ Visit the iconic Puebla Cathedral, a UNESCO site
  • 🏙️ Walk through Puebla’s lively Zócalo and vibrant streets
  • ⛪ Explore the stunning Capilla del Rosario with gilded interiors
Oaxaca
Colonial Charm and Rich Traditions
7.5
Teotitlán del Valle, a Zapotec village near this city, weaves wool rugs dyed with cochineal insects. Family workshops show how crushed cochineal bugs make a deep red dye. San Bartolo Coyotepec makes black clay pots polished with quartz stones. Painted wooden animals called alebrijes come from Arrazola and San Martín Tilcajete.
Highlights:
  • 🌿 Relax in the colorful Oaxaca Botanical Garden
  • ⛪ Marvel at the Baroque Templo de Santo Domingo
  • 🏛️ Explore the ancient Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán
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