SURROUNDING AREAS, TOURING AND NOTABLE PLACES

Route to the Northwest Border ? Departing from Tampico, take Highway 180 northwest to reach Altamira, one of the state?s most important industrial ports. There you can visit nearly desolate beaches that invite you to relax and take quiet walks along the shore. Continuing along the same highway, head to Ciudad Victoria, the state capital of Tamaulipas, where you can check out the city?s main buildings and important monuments such as the Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Refugio, a neoclassic edifice built between 1878 and 1920. The cathedral?s most notable feature is a triangular pediment with a monogram of the Virgin. In some of these buildings you can see exceptional murals painted by local artists, such as those you?ll find in the Teatro Juarez and the Palacio de Gobierno. From Ciudad Victoria, take Highway 101 to the La Loma turnoff, then head 184 km (114 mi) northeast to San Fernando de Presas, where you?ll find the Hacienda Las Palmas. This is one of the most important hunting ranches in northern Mexico; it specializes in the breeding and rearing of quail and pheasants. From there, continue along the same highway for 138 km (85 mi) to reach Matamoros. In this city, which borders Brownsville, Texas, you can visit the neoclassic Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Refugio and the famous Casa Cross, a French-influenced colonial construction built in 1885. There you also can drop by the Casamata Museum, which houses an interesting collection of Huastec archaeological pieces, important historical documents and 19^th-century military objects. From Matamoros, take Highway 2 to Reynosa, where you can visit the modern Cathedral and the Antiguo Bautisterio (Old Baptistery), which was built on top of a 19^th-century church. There you also can visit the History Museum, which exhibits art from the 19^th-century viceregal era. Continue along Highway 2 to arrive at Nuevo Laredo, which lies 256 km (159 mi) northwest. This is one of Mexico?s most important border cities due to its thriving industrial activity. During your visit, you?ll see various monuments and neocolonial edifices, such as the Palacio Municipal, the old customs building and the neoclassic clock tower.