Mexico State

Mexico State (Spanish: Estado de México), often referred to locally as Edomex (a contraction of the full Spanish name), is one of the federal entities of the country of the same name in Central Mexico, surrounding the Federal District and Mexico City on three sides.

Cities

19°20′28″N 99°27′22″W

Map of Mexico State

19.2925-99.6569441 Toluca — capital of the state, known for its botanical gardens and many museums
20.116667-99.8333332 Aculco — has been designated a "Magic Town" for its traditional architecture full of alleys and houses with wide patios and corridors, buildings supported by columns and cobbled streets
19.116667-98.7666673 Amecameca — small town near the volcanoes Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl
19.566667-99.044 Ecatepec — largest suburb of Mexico City
18.8415-99.67835 Ixtapan de la Sal — a small city known for its thermal baths, a designated "Magic Town" }}
18.95-99.496 Malinalco - ancient pre-colombian settlement with many archaeological sites nearby, known for it's black Christ figure and for shamans and dark magic
19.251111-99.6047227 Metepec — a touristy town known for its pottery
19.8026-100.130628 El Oro de Hidalgo - picturesque historic gold mining town, it is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos
18.9611-99.59049 Tenancingo - small town southeast of Mexico City, site of Desierto del Carmen, a national park and 18th century Carmelite convent
19.717688-99.21173110 Tepotzotlán - charming small city on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, designated as one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos
19.891667-99.14166711 Tequixquiac — an important site for Catholic religious tourism and UFO fans
19.52-98.8812 Texcoco — preserves vestiges of the colonial style, highlighting religious buildings of the 17th century, and remains of structures from pre-Columbian times
18.808249-99.67015313 Tonatico — small colonial town with caverns and natural attractions
19.195-100.12914 Valle de Bravo — town on the shores of Lake Avondaro, close to butterfly sanctuaries and thermal spas

Other destinations

19.6925-98.8438891 Teotihuacan — impressive pre-Columbian archaeological site with massive pyramids
19.2362-98.66342 Iztacchuatl-Popocateptl National Park — twin volcanoes east of Mexico City on the border with Puebla state
19.108119-99.755073 Nevado de Toluca National Park — snow-capped volcano near the state capital
19.73916-98.986544 Mammoth Central — the world's largest concentration of mammoth fossils was discovered when the new Felipe Angeles International Airport was constructed at the site of the Santa Lucia Air Force Base between 2019 and 2022. A large paleontological museum, Museo Paleontológico de Santa Lucía Quinamétzin, was built at the airport to display many fossilized skeletons and exhibits about pre-historic conditions of the local area.
19.729-99.4625 Villa del Carbón — an outdoorsman's playground with numerous rivers and streams feeding into 4 large man-made lakes. Aside from trout fishing, there's plenty of water sports like swimming, sailing, and kayaking. Landlubbers will find miles of hiking trails, camping, rapelling, and opportunities for nature watching.
19.530823-99.52356 Centro Ceremonial Otomí — a ceremonial place of the Otomí people. This modern temple was built in 1981 and was used in the James Bond movie License to Kill, as the villain Sánchez' headquarters. You can walk through the park or enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. There is a restaurant and a market. Access is easy by bus from Cd Mexico (e.g. Cuatro Caminos, 90 min) to Temoaya and from there a local bus (20 min).

Itineraries

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is a historic route through Central Mexico, Bajio, and Northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico. The route is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

This state is the most populous state (almost 17 million people in 2020) in the country and the most densely populated (720/km²). There are an abundance of activities around the state, but most are concentrated around the Mexico City metropolitan area and Toluca, the state capital.

The demonym used to refer to people and things from the state is mexiquense, distinct from mexicano ("Mexican"), which describes the people or things from the country as a whole.

Get in

Mexico State surrounds Mexico City on three sides, so travelers usually get into the state from outside the country or from more distant parts of the country through Mexico City. Domestic travelers from other Mexican cities and states can fly into Santa Lucia or Toluca.

By air

Benito Juárez International Airport (usually known as Mexico City International and commonly abbreviated "AICM") (MEX^IATA) is the main airport for Mexico City. It serves all Mexican commercial airlines and a wide range of foreign carriers with routes to the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.
Felipe Angeles International Airport (usually known as Santa Lucia Airport and commonly abbreviated "AIFA") (NLU^IATA) is a new commercial airport facility opened in 2022, 48km north of Mexico City. It serves as the main cargo airport for Mexico City and is an emerging hub airport for many Mexican carriers, it also handles some international flights to destinations in Latin America.
Toluca International Airport (TLC^IATA) serves the state capital and has often served as a regional focus city for low-cost carriers. The airport is underutilized with infrastructure to handle far more traffic than it receives.

By bus

Mexico State is very easy to reach by bus with service to every larger population center by first-class bus and every small town by at least a second-class bus. See the articles for individual cities for details, or the country article for Mexico for names of larger bus companies.

Get around

Bus and car are the most flexible ways to get around in Mexico State, though traffic is heavy and slow near Mexico City and in Toluca and larger cities. Train service is increasingly useful, but the network is limited in range and not always well integrated.

By train

The Ferrocarril Suburbano is a commuter rail system that connects downtown Mexico City with northern Mexico State municipalities. Service is provided on the Buenavista-Teotihuacan line (Blue), and the Buenavista-Cuauhtitlan line (Red). A third line (Green) connects Nezahualcyotl to Chalco. Communities served include Tultitlán, San Rafael, and Tlanepantla. Buses connect rail stations to nearby neighborhoods. Plans are underway to build a rail line connecting Ferrocarril Suburbano Line 1 with the Santa Lucia Airport (NLU).

Fares range from M$6.50 to M$15.50 (Jan 2023), depending on distance. You must buy a rechargable fare card to ride the train and fare cards for the Metro or the Tren Ligero do not work with Ferrocarril Suburbano (you have to buy a separate card). A rechargable card costs M$30, M$17 of which is an initial credit for fares. When you run out of money on your card, use the machines at rail stations to add funds.

The Interurban Tren Mexico City–Toluca (universally known as El Insurgente) is an inter-urban rail project to connect the state capital with the nations capital. The 57-km rail line has been in the works since 2012. All of the stations within the State of Mexico opened in 2023. Construction on the rail segment in Mexico City is scheduled to complete in 2024. Shuttle buses to the Toluca Airport (TLC) will be available at the Tecnologico station. The line will provide connections to Mexico City's Metro system at the Observatorio station, which is also one of Mexico City's four major bus station with long-distance buses to cities to the southeast of Mexico City.

See

The flowered gondolas in the floating gardens of Xochimilco are in the south of Mexico City (not Mexico State) but are still worth a trip.
The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque hydraulic system, a UNESCO World Heritage site (partially located in Hidalgo).
The National Museum of the Viceroyalty is in Tepotzotlán, just outside Mexico City, it is one of the country's best historical museums about Colonial Mexico.

Do

Zacango Ecological Park - large zoo in the town of Calimaya, (near Toluca), rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras and more than 170 other species.
Bioparque Estrella - theme park about 1 hour northwest of Mexico City. Features a Jurassic Park ride, animal safaris, and an underground mine ride.

Eat

Everything about Central Mexican cuisine is true of food in Mexico State, though some dishes are more emblematic of the area than others.

Tlacoyos are similar to huaraches served in other states. It's essentially a thick, flat tortilla topped with stewed meats or vegetables. It can be folded in half and eaten like a big taco, but is more likely to be eaten like a slice of pizza. In Mexico State, tlacoyos are often made with blue corn meal, giving them a unique appearance.

Drink

Beer is the most popular drink in most of Mexico and in Mexico State, the most popular beers are from the Modelo brewery in Mexico City. A number of small craft breweries operate in many cities of the region. Pulque is also popular throughout Mexico State. Local craft breweries and pulquerias will be listed in the various destination (city) articles.

Stay safe

All of the usual advice to be vigilant applies in Mexico State, though the area is not one of the areas known for violent crime. It is generally safe to travel throughout the state with normal precautions and avoiding sketchy areas off the normal tourist routes.

Go next

Cuernavaca - the city of eternal spring
Hidalgo - many quaint colonial towns
Puebla - volcanoes and colonial cities
Guerrero - mountains, caves, silver, and the beaches of Acapulco
Michoacan - Purhepecha traditions and famous butterfly reserves

This region travel guide to Mexico State is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.