Modern Monterrey Sculpts a Colorful Future : Mexico’s third-largest city delights visitors, on business and otherwise, with exuberance and style.

The massive Tower of Commerce, an abstract sculpture that soars above Monterrey’s Gran Plaza, dominates the city’s skyline by its height alone. But in the delightfully Mexican passion for color, it has been painted bright orange, and there is no missing it for miles around. Boldly exuberant, the tower exemplifies the imaginative new structures that have made Monterrey the country’s most architecturally interesting city.

“Why Monterrey?” my friends asked as I was planning my trip, as aware as I am that the mountain-ringed city just south of the Texas border almost never makes it to anyone’s list of must-see Mexican destinations--even though it is Mexico’s third-largest city.

“Why not?” I answered, once more succumbing to the perverse curiosity that often sends me poking into odd corners that other travelers overlook. I’m frequently pleasantly surprised, and Monterrey didn’t disappoint.

Just a short hop from Dallas or Houston, Monterrey attracts primarily business travelers. But tourists in search of a warm-weather getaway also are beginning to find their way to this city, which for travelers interested in Mexican culture is a convenient alternative to the country’s very Americanized beach resorts. The city also offers excellent hotels, restaurants and shopping areas, and at moderate prices. We flew down in mid-February, and the days were desert-dry, shirtsleeve-mild and sunny, and the nights comfortably cool.

Founded in the late 16th Century, Monterrey retains lovely vestiges of its Spanish Colonial heritage. But essentially it is a modern Mexican city--a city of the future, or so it seems in the almost defiantly odd angles and strange shapes of its avant-garde public and commercial buildings. In years past, it was romantic Old Mexico that captivated me, but Monterrey is an introduction to a new Mexico that has its own appeal. The city’s business community has a reputation throughout Mexico for energy and creativity--and a certain brisk efficiency is readily evident.

As Mexico’s most important industrial city, Monterrey enjoys the wealth to indulge its fancy for exotic architecture. But there is also a competitive edge in the city’s march to modernize--a way of calling attention to itself as the challenger in a bid to upset Mexico City for the leadership of the country. The national capital is beset by many woes; Monterrey, in contrast, seems to have a firm grasp on its destiny.

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The heart of the city is its Gran Plaza, a 20th-Century expanse of greenery that links many of Monterrey’s most important structures, old and new. My wife and I spent much of one day exploring it from one end to the other, and on weekends it is thronged with Mexican tourists doing likewise. At the south end of the eight-block-long rectangle is the modernistic City Hall, a giant box hefted into the air on thick stilts. At the other end is its counterpoint, the turn-of-the-century Governors Palace (the state capitol), a stately red-stone charmer with a distinctly Spanish Colonial patio. In between is enough statuary--classical and abstract alike--to fill a museum.

To the south, a tall, black metal shaft supports a bright red-orange globe titled “Homage to the Sun.” Near the center, the bronze figure of Neptune drives a chariot through a spray of water in the very classical “Fountain of Life.” And at the northern end is the Esplanade of Heroes, heroic-looking statues of such Mexican leaders as Benito Juarez. More whimsical are the nearby images of two boys romping in the water in the plaza’s Sunken Garden. I am a fan of public statuary for what it tells me about the place I’m visiting. For me, any example of whimsy is a good sign that the local folks don’t take themselves too seriously.

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The most intriguing structure on the plaza, however, is the new Monterrey Museum of Contemporary Art, a huge two-story, salmon-colored building of sharp angles and soaring deep-purple columns. The color scheme certainly catches the eye, but in a way that excites your interest, as does the giant sculpture of a very plump dove, another whimsical piece, standing proudly at the entrance stairway.

Sharing the same corner of the plaza with the museum is an artwork of another sort, Monterrey’s stately 18th-Century cathedral, an ornate Spanish Colonial structure with a soaring bell tower. No two buildings could be as different as the museum and the cathedral. To walk the few paces between them is to step from Mexico’s future into its distant past and back again.

To a tourist, most of Monterrey’s manufactures are probably of little interest. But the city is home to three of Mexico’s most famous beers--Tecate, Bohemia and Carta Blanca--and a tour of the brewery where all three are made is a good introduction to the human face of Monterrey. In a city with a population of nearly 3 million, there is much more than pretty buildings. At the Cuauhtemoc Brewery, they prove it by offering a free bottle of beer in the garden plaza anytime a tourist drops by.

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In the shadow of the city’s new high-rises, we found all of the traditional attractions of Mexico’s cities that make them such appealing destinations: the vast Colon Market, filled to overflowing with handmade pottery and other crafts from around the country; inexpensive cafes, where the tortillas and tacos are as spicy as they are good, and quiet patios in the old style, where tiled fountains splash, children play and elderly gentlemen nap. The Zona Rosa, a seven-block, shop-lined pedestrian mall just off the Gran Plaza, bustles day and night with the spirit of a fiesta.

For much of our stay, we simply strolled the streets on and near the Gran Plaza, taking in the show around us. In the Zona Rosa, dozens of strolling vendors, virtually invisible beneath cascades of multicolored balloons, gave the promenade the look of a circus parade from morning until night.

But maybe the liveliest place in town, at least by day, is the Colon Market, a sprawling maze of vendors’ stalls collected under one rickety roof near the Gran Plaza. Sun-weathered farm women stood behind heaping mounds of vegetables and fruit that looked a lot fresher than the produce I see at my local grocery.

A backdrop to all of Monterrey’s sights, old and new, are the mountains rising in sharp relief against the blue sky in every direction. From practically anywhere you stop on the Gran Plaza, there’s a fine view of rocky ridges ascending in ragged steps to sharp peaks.

The most distinctive is Cerro de la Silla, a saddle-shaped ridge that is a Monterrey landmark. Although Monterrey does have an air-pollution problem, it is not plagued with Mexico City’s choking smog, and Cerro de la Silla is plainly visible.

On our walks, we browsed in the excellent crafts shops and art galleries, toured the museums, relaxed in the small cafes and sampled the local delicacy--mesquite-grilled baby goat, which we could see roasting over hot coals in the front window of a downtown restaurant. I am not normally squeamish about food, but the dish set before me looked so much like the baby goat it once was, I could only nibble. What a softy. No matter how willing, one cannot fully absorb a different culture overnight.

To be frank, Mexico City and Guadalajara, the country’s two largest cities, offer considerably more in the way of historical and cultural attractions. But Monterrey does have enough to keep visitors interested for a long weekend.

The city’s most historic building is the charming little Bishop’s Palace, perched atop Bishop’s Hill, a five-minute taxi ride west of the Gran Plaza. Once the residence of the bishop of Nuevo Leon state, it was built in 1787 in Renaissance and Spanish Colonial style with very distinctive Moorish touches. A large dome dominates the structure, but its loveliest feature is the high baroque facade, a swirl of curlicues and other ornamentation surrounding the main entrance.

The old lingers in Monterrey, and it gives the city its charm. But the future is what Monterrey has its eyes on, and this adds an element of excitement. In the years ahead, I suspect, no one will be asking, “Why Monterrey?”

GUIDEBOOK

Modern Monterrey, Mexico

Getting there: Aeromexico flies direct from Los Angeles to Monterrey through Mexico City; connecting flights are available on American (through Dallas) and Continental (Houston), all for about $520. However, it can be cheaper to fly to Mexico City, then take another flight on to Monterrey. Round-trip fare to Mexico City on Aeromexico, Mexicana, Continental, Delta, America West and United is $298; from Mexico City, round-trip to Monterrey on Aeromexico and Mexicana is $178. Taxi fare from the Monterrey airport to city center is about $20 including tip.

When to go: Winters tend to be dry, sunny and mild, although temperatures can get chilly in December and January. Summers are very hot, and rain is more frequent.

Where to stay: In city center near the Gran Plaza, the best hotels are the Radisson Ancira Sier Plaza Hotel, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza and Hotel Ambassador. The 300-room Radisson Ancira Sier Plaza (800-333-3333) is a deluxe hotel that has been thoroughly renovated but retains an old-fashioned elegance; a double room is $125 a night. A good tourist-class hotel is the 395-room Hotel Rio (011-52-83-44-90-40), in the bustling Zona Rosa; room for two is $98 weekdays, $60 weekends.

Where to eat: The Radisson Ancira Sier Plaza, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza and Hotel Ambassador have excellent restaurants serving international dishes. The Luisiana, reputedly one of the best restaurants in town, also serves international cuisine. For more Mexican flavor, consider El Tio, Palenque and El Rey de Cabrito, which specialize in grilled meats. A full dinner for two with drinks and tip ranges $40-$70. Cafes in the Zona Rosa serve tacos, tortillas, refried beans and other traditional Mexican fare at modest prices.

For more information: For information in English about Monterrey or the state of Nuevo Leon, call Infotur Centro in Monterrey, (800) 235-2438. Or call the Mexican Government Tourism Office, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 224, Los Angeles 90067, (310) 203-8191.