Botanical Gardens We’ll Never Stop Loving | 100 Plant Places

Published April 14th, 2022

“Botanical gardens have three objectives: the conservation of plant diversity, to promote environmental education, and to support scientific research,” explains Mario Arturo Hernández, director of the Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens.

In addition to the little more than 40 green spaces affiliated with this organization, there are a great variety of parks that allow us to embrace the biodiversity of our land to return to our roots. You just have to let yourself be carried away.

Botanical Gardens in Mexico
1. Cosmovitral

Presided over by the largest non-religious stained glass window in the world, the Cosmovitral Botanical Garden is a space where, just as night and day combine in Leopoldo Flores’ masterpiece, Mexican and foreign species coexist in harmony. Located inside an art noveau building, it is an obligatory stop in the capital of the State of Mexico. Its serenity provides a cool contrast to the endless activity of downtown Toluca.

Web: JBCosmovitral

2. Comitán Botanical Garden and Orchidarium

Located five kilometers from Comitán, in the state of Chiapas, this space is dedicated to the great biodiversity found in the surrounding regions, whose richness is recognized worldwide. It is divided into seven spheres of gardens, where you can find everything from medicinal herbs, ornamental plants, and cacti to endemic and endangered plants. It also has three orchid gardens, a bird-watching tower, and walkways.

FB: @comitanorquidiario

3. Acapulco Botanical Garden

Founded 20 years ago by Esther Pliego de Salinas, this garden nestled in the mountains, in an area near Las Brisas, not only offers greenery and freshness to visitors to this Pacific port, but also an enviable view of the Bay of Santa Lucia. On six hectares donated by Loyola del Pacífico University, it houses more than 6,000 specimens of plants and trees and more than 1,200 species. It offers all the knowledge about the flora of the subtropical rainforest (in which Acapulco is classified).

IG: @jardinbotanicoacapulco

4. El Charco del Ingenio

Since time immemorial, the ravines that make up this 67-hectare space, located in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, were inhabited by native peoples, captivated by the beauty and natural wealth of the region. With spaces that combine peace, art, and science, the paths of this ethnobotanical garden, with more than 450 species, are an invitation for contemplation and connection with the Guanajuato semi-desert in a simply idyllic space. Those who love Mexican succulents, such as cacti, azulaceae, or agaves, will find a true paradise.

IG: @elcharco_del_ingenio

5. Botanical Garden of the Institute of Biology of the UNAM

Founded in 1959, the Botanical Garden of the Máxima Casa de Estudios houses more than 1,600 species of plants, 300 of which are in danger of extinction, originating from different parts of the country. Among the fundamental objectives of this space are the exhibition, dissemination, and education, with a view to preserving Mexican biological diversity. In addition to the thematic and cultural tours, you can take a plant home and, thus, help in its conservation.

IG: @jbunam