Admire Mexico's stunning biodiversity in a park that offers one of the widest samples of its rich fauna. The Benito Juarez Zoological Park is one of Mexico's premier zoos, housing more than 400 animal species and 3,800 specimens, outnumbering all other facilities in the country. The park is home to the largest collection of birds of any zoo in Latin America; it offers two fascinating on-site museums – the Serengeti and Bird museums – and 23 primate species. Situated in 24.5 hectares of leafy vegetation bordered by a lake, the Benito Juarez Zoological Park offers the chance to get that bit closer to nature.

Since 2003, the growing interest in Mexican cinema around the world has given rise to one of the most prestigious film festivals in Mexico: the Morelia Film Fest (FICM) in Michoacan. The festival's objective is to bring together film makers, the public and the international film community. This festival has become a platform for the work of new talents in Mexican cinema, as well as offering yet another expression of cultural for the Mexican and international public, and an unmatched display of the riches Michoacan has to offer.

Patzcuaro has a long history of artisan craftsmanship, and an even more colorful history to match. Come and admire the town's renowned handcrafts in a suitably elegant setting. Patzcuaro rests 3 miles south of the shore of the tranquil Lake Patzcuaro, and 36 miles south-west of Morelia, just at the midpoint between Morelia and Uruapan. Patzcuaro is a town full of elegant colonial architecture, vibrant markets and indigenous traditions. The first Bishop of Michoacan, Vasco de Quiroga, not only evangelized and defended the indigenous peoples of Patzcuaro; he also built schools and hospitals there.

Vasco de Quiroga, the first Bishop of Michoacan, not only instilled religious habits in the local indigenous population; he also taught them some of the finest artisan crafts in the whole of Mexico. The town of Quiroga, 40 km south-east of Morelia, is renowned throughout Mexico for its stunning lacquered wood carpentry. The town makes an excellent venue for shopping, learning and admiring, as artisans from throughout the state congregate here to sell their work. The town of Patzcuaro rests 5 km south of the shores of the tranquil Lake Patzcuaro.

On a terrace overlooking the eastern shore of Lake Patzcuaro, you'll find the remains of the alluring ancient capital of the Purepecha kingdom. Today, the site of this ancient capital consists of five yacatas, or temples, that date back to the 13th century, each erected on a terrace of carefully laid stone blocks. Below the temple you'll come across the 16th-century Convento de San Francisco. Note the twisted olive trees in the courtyard, planted by Bishop Vasco de Quiroga himself in the mid-1500s. The village of Tzintzuntzan boasts several handcraft traditions and is another delightful stop-over en route to Paztcuaro.

Morelia is known as one of the best places to fall in love in Mexico. In this, one small alley has actually made history. Between the streets Luis Mota and Avenida Madero, you'll find “El Callejon del Romance” (Romance Alley), a place so full of history that 19 of the buildings lining it are on the list of Morelia’s historical monuments, making it one of the city’s must-visit attractions. This alley is the perfect setting for love and romance: its overflowing window boxes, lit by the antique yellowing light of street lamps, guide couples on their quest for a quiet, corner on which to declare their love.

The annual Monarch butterfly migration is one of nature’s great spectacles and a top attraction for visitors to Mexico’s central highlands. Each year, as many as 60 million to one billion Monarch butterflies make journey from eastern Canada to the forests of western central Mexico, a journey that spans more than 2,500 miles. The Monarch butterflies spend their winter hibernation clustered in small areas of the Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve), a national protected area and nature preserve that covers more than 200-square-miles.

One of the most important cities during the viceroyalty, Guanajuato was a crucial location during the Mexican War of Independence. It has some of the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in America; it is an outstanding example of an architectural complex that incorporates the industrial and economic aspects of a mining town. Walk along its beautiful streets full of legends that tell about the city’s history. Visit its most representative mines which still retain objects used by the workers who made of the city a leader among Mexico’s mining towns.

Ever since the year 2009, Mexico holds The Night of Stars, a unique event for admiring Mexican skies together with hundreds of astronomy enthusiasts, tourists and fans in general. This event is held across Mexico in 43 locations throughout the whole country, with the aim of promoting science and bringing families together around a healthy recreational activity. Since its first edition in 2009, The Night of Stars brought together 26 archaeological sites and public spaces across 22 states, where topics such as the astronomic legacy, calendars, architectural alignments and the vision of the cosmos of the Mesoamerican peoples.