North America >> Mexico >> Bajio

The Bajio is a mountainous region in central Mexico. A rich silver-mining area in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bajio saw an explosion of fabulous wealth for the time, and the cities there grew to be large and spectacular. By the 19th century, though, the silver lodes were emptied, and the cities became depopulated. They retain their amazing architecture and traditions, however, making them a joy to visit.

States

Cities

  • Aguascalientes -- but the thermal waters aren't very hot
  • Guanajuato -- imagine a beautiful valley filled with a Spanish colonial city in a three-dimensional maze of passageways, and a rim road along the clifftops. The city is considered World Heritage by Unesco. It's also home to the International Festival Cervantino, every October arts from around the world unite cultures for about 2 weeks.
  • Leon The city has become known by its leather works. International Airport is just outside the city and makes transportation easy to cities around like Guanajuato, San Miguel, Dolores, etc.
  • Querétaro
  • Real de Catorce -- an old mining ghost town and the area where the Huichol indians make their traditional pilgrimage for visions and the gathering of peyote.
  • San Luis Potosi
  • Zacatecas -- a high-elevation city of immense charm
  • San Miguel de Allende -- expensive but charming
  • Dolores Hidalgo -- ceramics center

Other destinations

  • La Huasteca Potosina

Culture and History

San luis Potosi and Zacatecas are known for having some of the best bullfights (as well as the best bulls and matadores) of any Mexican city. The bullfighting season is generally centered around the summer months. Tickets should be purchased in advance as the fights typically sell out.

Talk

Travel to Bajio - Visa Requirements

Tours and Getting around Bajio

Bajio tourist attractions and sightseeing

  • Franciscan missions in the Sierra Gordo of Querétaro. World heritage site.
  • Colonial city centers, including that in Zacatecas, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • San Marcos Fair (es: Feria Nacional de San Marcos), in Aguascalientes. The unofficial national fair of Mexico. Held for three or four week beginning around the end of April.

Itineraries

Bajio city tours

Bajio Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Bajio nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Stay safe

Get out

Destinations in Bajio:

This page was last edited by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Mark Stevens and Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo, DorganBot, Cacahuate, Episteme, Nils and Akubra and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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