Cuernavaca is  filled with country club-style hotels and homes with swimming pools, giving it  the distinction of having the most pools per capita of any city in the world  exceeding a million inhabitants. It also boasts many fine restaurants. When  not dining out, swimming or resting, visitors tend to gather at the plaza, where they may sip a beer at a sidewalk cafe or lounge on a bench and watch other people watch them.

Plaza de Armas & Jardin  Juárez - The Plaza de Armas, Cuernavaca's  zócalo, is flanked on the east by the Palacio de Cortés, on the west by the Palacio de Gobierno and on the Northeast and south by a number of restaurants. Roving vendors sell balloons, ice cream and corn on the cob under the  trees.

Palacio de Cortés - Cortés' imposing medieval-style fortress stands at the south -eastern end of the Plaza de Armas. Construction of  this two-story stone palace was accomplished between 1522 and 1532, and was done on the base of the pyramid that Cortés destroyed, still visible from various points on the ground floor. Today the palace houses the Museo de Cuauhnáhuac with two floors of exhibits highlighting the history and  cultures of Mexico.

Jardín Borda - These gardens were  built in 1783 for Manuel de la Borda, as an addition to the stately residence  built by his father, José de la Borda, the Taxco silver magnate. From 1866, the  house was the summer residence of Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota, who entertained their courtiers in the gardens. You can tour the house and the  gardens to get an idea of how Mexico's aristocracy lived.

Recinto de la Catedral - Cuernavaca's  cathedral stands in a large high-walled compound (recinto). Like the Palacio de  Cortés, the cathedral was built on a grand scale and in a fortress-like style,  as a defense against the natives and to impress and intimidate them. Franciscans started work under Cortés in 1526, using indigenous labor and stones from  the rubble of Cuauhnáhuac; it was one of the earliest Christian missions in Mexico.

Museo Robert Brady - Robert Brady  (1928-86), an American artist and collector, lived in Cuernavaca for 24 years.  His home, the Casa de la Torre, was originally part of the monastery within the Recinto de la Cathedral. Brady had it extensively renovated and decorated with paintings, carvings, textiles, antiques and decorative and folk arts he'd  acquired in his travels around the world. The main attraction is the sheer size  and diversity of the collection, and the way it is arranged with delightful  combinations and contrast of styles, periods and places.

Salto de San Antón - The salto is a  36m waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation. A walkway is built into the cliff  face so you can go right behind the falls, where there are a few picnic tables.

Casa Maximiliano - In Cuernavaca's suburbs, this 1866 house was once the rural retreat for the Emperor Maximilian,  where he would meet his indigenous lover. Now the house includes the Museo de Medicina Tradicional, a museum of traditional herbal medicine. Around the museum, the Járdin Etnobotánico has a collection of 455 herbs and  medicinal plants from around the world.

Pirámide de Teopanzolco - This small  archaelogical site is on Río Balsas. There are actually two pyramids, one inside  the other. You can climb upon the outer base and see the older pyramid within,  with a double staircase leading up to the remains of a pair of temples. Several other smaller platform structures surround the double pyramid.

Cuernavaca also  boasts a lovely park, Chapultepec. It has a playground with a miniature  railway, zoo and restaurants. Needless to say, it is extremely popular with families on weekends.