Twelve Mexican State Capitals from Mexicali to Tuxtla Gutierrez

Mexicali is the capital of Baja California and abuts the United States border and the city of Calexico, California. It was founded in 1903 and recorded 854,186 people in 2020, and it serves as the economic and cultural hub of the border region known as the Californias.

Hermosillo, formerly called Pitic, is the capital and largest city of Sonora and its main economic centre. The 2020 census counted 936,263 residents, the 18th largest city in Mexico, with growth driven by industry and especially the automotive sector.

Saltillo is the capital and largest city of Coahuila, founded in 1577. It had 879,958 residents in 2020, and its metropolitan area of 1,031,779 people ranks as the 14th most populous in Mexico.

Zacatecas began as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century on silver deposits Native Americans already knew, and it grew into one of the most important mining cities of New Spain. Francisco Villa captured it in the Battle of Zacatecas, and its Baroque colonial core is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

San Luis Potosi, founded in 1592, is the capital and most populous city of its state and lies at an elevation of 1,864 meters. Joined with neighboring Soledad de Graciano Sanchez it forms the eleventh largest metropolitan area in Mexico, with about 1,221,526 people.

Guanajuato fills a narrow valley in the Bajio, so its streets wind, many alleys are closed to cars and several thoroughfares run partly or wholly underground. Its historic centre of colonial mansions and churches in pink and green sandstone was listed by UNESCO in 1988 together with the adjacent mines.

Queretaro lies 213 kilometers northwest of Mexico City and 200 kilometers south of San Luis Potosi. It was founded in 1531, has 794,789 residents in the city proper, and UNESCO declared its historic centre a World Heritage Site in 1996.

Spanish settlers under Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza founded Morelia in 1541 as Valladolid, in the Guayangareo Valley at about 1,920 meters. It was renamed after Jose Maria Morelos, who was born there, and UNESCO listed its preserved historic buildings and street layout in 1991.

Toluca, officially Toluca de Lerdo, is the capital of the State of Mexico and lies 63 kilometers southwest of Mexico City. The city had 223,876 residents in 2020, but its rapid growth from the capital next door makes Greater Toluca the fifth most populous metropolitan area in Mexico, at 2,347,692.

Xalapa, also spelled Jalapa, is the capital of Veracruz yet sits near the geographic centre of the state rather than on the coast. The 2020 census recorded 443,063 city residents, and it is the second largest city in Veracruz after the port of Veracruz.

Oaxaca de Juarez is the capital and largest city of Oaxaca, in the Centro District of the Central Valleys. It stands in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortin, reaching to the banks of the Atoyac River, and was founded in 1532.

Tuxtla Gutierrez is the capital and largest city of Chiapas, at an elevation of 522 meters and with 578,830 residents in 2020. It has been among the fastest growing cities in Mexico for forty years, and works mainly as a government and services hub and a gateway for travellers heading elsewhere in Chiapas.