Seated in a valley at 540 metres above sea level, Monterrey is surrounded by the craggy, abrupt peaks of the Sierra Madre Oriental. This modern, independent-thinking city is the third-largest in Mexico. As a leader of industry, it enjoys the nation’s highest per capita income and has one of the highest literacy rates.

Monterrey has been rebuilt several times owing to fires and floods; its interior was remodelled in the 19th century in the neoclassic style. The Museo de Historia Mexicana provides a fascinating visual history of the nation, with artefacts, religious icons and clothing, scale models, installations, and illustrative maps. Exhibits of popular art and culture fill the first-floor galleries. El Museo del Vidrio has, as its name conveys, exhibits of glass, from the lowly beer bottle to the classiest art glass in a variety of formats.

Southwest of the city the Centro Cultural Alfa houses a planetarium, an Omnimax theatre, and a science museum. This modern cultural complex also has a gift shop, a restaurant, and a large mural.