Bargains abound off Mexico's beaten path

You remember "old Mexico": the Mexico of wide-open landscapes, warm welcomes and low prices that called to travelers short on money but long on cultural curiosity? Today, phalanxes of glittering beach resorts and minicam-toting hordes swarming ancient cities have made it hard to remember that most of Mexico is still the domain of graceful cities and humble villages where the pace of life was established centuries ago. It takes a little more time to reach these overlooked places, and more still to synch to local rhythms, but the reward is untrammeled colonial cities, drowsy fishing villages and inland hamlets where tourists are welcome, but they don't set the agenda — or the prices.

Some of Mexico's finest colonial cities fall into this category, including Campeche, Cuernavaca, Morélia, Querétaro and Valladolid. Likewise some of the towns we've recommended as alternatives to the tourist havens, especially Puerto Morelos south of Cancún and San Francisco (a.k.a. San Pancho) near Puerto Vallarta.

Here are a half-dozen other unsung destinations that will remind you what traveling in Mexico is all about. Let us know if you have favorites of your own.

La Paz: The Unassuming Capital

In the swingin' '60s, when Bing Crosby and Desi Arnaz bought homes here, the capital of Baja California Sur looked like the logical successor to Acapulco. Then Los Cabos was born, and La Paz remained a relaxed city of Mexicans going about their business in a functional, Mission-style downtown and cooling off in the sea breezes on the long, palm-lined malecón when the day's heat loosens its grip. But here's the thing: La Paz has the reliable sunshine, fine beaches and sea teeming with marlin that Cabo does, without the Cabo Wabo crowd or the high-rise all-inclusives. Yet, as a favorite vacation spot for middle-class Mexicans, it offers plenty of tourist comforts at reasonable prices. The best of both worlds without the disadvantages of either.

• Sleep easy: Posada Luna Sol, for classic (in some cases bordering on kitschy) Mexican style and a palapa terrace overlooking La Paz Bay. Doubles from $65.

Durango: The Old West Town

If you've seen "The Wild Bunch," you've seen Durango. Or "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid," "The Mask of Zorro" or more than 100 other Westerns. John Huston, Sam Peckinpah and other filmmaking icons brought the U.S. frontier to life in the unspoiled deserts and river valleys outside this colonial city, bringing such stars as John Wayne, Burt Lancaster and Paul Newman. Durango, home of Pancho Villa and Dolores Del Río, is the true treasure of the Sierra Madre (one Western that wasn't filmed there). Though it's a city of nearly 500,000, Durango is an easy-going cowboy town at heart where you can kick back in one of two main plazas and leisurely browse the surrounding sights, or take it up a notch by exploring nearby villages and film locations.

• Sleep easy: Hotel Posada San Jorge is pure Old Mexico, with a grand staircase, tiled walkways, stone arches and large, colonial-style rooms. Its restaurant is a local favorite. Doubles from 660 pesos (about $44).

Uruapan: Mexico's Breadbasket