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Nuevo León is a state in Northern Mexico.

Cities

Palacio de Gobierno (Nuevo Leon State House), now used as a state museum.
  • Monterrey - Mexico's third-biggest city and capital of Nuevo Leon.
  • Montemorelos - Small city in the heart of Nuevo León's orange-growing belt.
  • Linares - City between two rivers, with some interesting colonial buildings. Good place to buy carne seca(dried meat) and glorias.
  • Abasolo - One of the smallest municipalities of Nuevo Leon, the " Templo de la Advocación de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe" is their biggest attraction.
  • Agualeguas - Founded in the XVII century, the main plaza is one of the best places to hang around.

Other destinations

  • Cumbres de Monterrey National Park - Mexico's largest national park. Rugged canyons and gorges in the Sierra Madre Orientals.
  • Barranca de Potrillos - Is home to one of the unique archaeological sites in Northeast Mexico. These are numerous stone carvings, isolated from any populated area, being deep within the semidesertic area.
  • Matacanes - If you are fanatic of extreme sports, this a place to be. Is famous for its abundant rivers, waterfalls and underground caves. Is advised to get proper equipment.

Understand

Nuevo León is bound by Coahuila to the west, Tamaulipas to the east and north, and San Luis Potosí to the south. It also shares a short 15 kilometer border with the US state of Texas.

Talk

Spanish is the official language. English is widely taught as a second language. People will speak it in various levels, but within the Metropolitan area of Monterrey is were most likely fluent speakers will be found.

Get in

Car, bus, plane, and 18-wheeler are the most common ways to get to Nuevo Leon.

  • By plane: fly into Monterrey (MTY)
  • By car: Nuevo Leon has one checkpoint on the U.S./Mexico border, it is the Colombia Bridge just west of Laredo. Highway 85 south of Nuevo Laredo enters the state of Nuevo Leon about 20 miles south of the border.
  • By bus: Most people in the region use buses heavily. Monterrey is the major hub.

Get around

People usually get around by bus, that goes to almost every place in the whole state, you can also use the subway, the taxi, or if you prefer to, you can walk to your destination

See

  • Grutas de Garcia - Lying just 30 minutes out of Monterrey is a delightful underground world. The caverns are reached by riding a cable car to the cave entrance where guides lead visitors on a mile-long trek through the cave system. From Monterrey, take Mexico route 40 toward Saltillo.
  • Huasteca Canyon, 20 miles west of Monterrey.
  • Horsetail Falls (sp:Cascada Cola de Caballo) - Three mossy waterfalls.

Do

There is a lot of stuff to do in NL, like:

  • Museums: In the whole state there are more than 30 museums, some of them are:

MARCO (Museum of contemporary art): The museum its located to a side of the government hall, it has always a different exhibition of contemporary latinoamerican images.

Planetario Alfa (Planetary Alfa) : Its one of the best museums of technology, art and science, it counts with interactives exhibitions, a big observatory and an IMAX screen, where they have documentals every week.

Museo de Historia Mexicana (Museum of Mexican History): The museum counts the history of the state and the country since the prehistory, it has 1 permanent exposition in the 2 floor and in the 1 floor there it is a different exposition.

Eat

Some Nuevoleonense specialties include:

  • Arracheras - Flank steak served with tortillas and carmelized onions , similar to what is called fajitas north of the border.
  • Cabrito - Young goat prepared a number of different ways-- wood roasted (a la lena), cooked in beer (en cerveza), or in ancho chili sauce (en chile ancho).
  • Chicharrones de Móntemorelos - Pork cracklings prepared in the unique style of the city of Montemorelos.
  • Lengua de res en pipián - Beef tongue cooked in a sauce made of pumpkin seeds.
  • Leche quemada - A carmelized milk candy for which the region is famous. Look for glorias de Linares, a pecan flavored version from Linares.
  • Machacado con huevos - Dried, shredded beef with eggs.
  • Sopa de col y queso - Cheese cabbage soup.

Drink

  • Local-made beer from Cuauhtemoc Brewery, makers of Sol, Dos Equis, and Bohemia.
  • Sierra Madre Brewing Co. offers a variety of locally brewed beers, certain varieties are available only on certain seasons.

Stay safe

The state police and the federales often set up checkpoints on highways. They are looking for drug traffickers, but they will occasionally ask to see your tourist permits or vehicle import permits. They are usually efficient and quick, and chances are good that if you look like tourists, you'll simply be waved on.

Go next

This region travel guide to Nuevo León is an outline and may need more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. If there are Cities and Other destinations listed, they may not all be at usable status or there may not be a valid regional structure and a "Get in" section describing all of the typical ways to get here. Please plunge forward and help it grow!