Fascinating Queretaro: Witness to a Tumultuous History, Gentle Host to Modern Pilgrims...
Written: Dec 15 '03
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Pros: Laid-back colonial city with a sense of history!
Cons: Nope
The Bottom Line: You can still find deals on silver jewelry in Queretaro, but the REAL jewel is the city itself. Here's why...
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Queretaro |
Perhaps the ultimate "trail" route for travelers to Mexico is the road through Mexico's colonial heart and soul -- sometimes called the Colonial Silver Trail. Some of the cities in this region were once rich mining towns, some were centers of christian evangelicism, but all of them represent what most people regard as "the real Mexico", even though reality doesn't always stand still quite like the mood of the quaint historic towns of this region. Like Queretaro, all the towns of this region share a similar mood and character, and they all represent vast treasure chests for any visitor adventurous enough to open the lid and peek inside.
I spent the last week of November re-acquanting myself with this part of the country, visiting some of the most interesting and historical towns in the region, and one of my first stops on the trek was Queretaro.
Everyone calls the city "Queretaro", even though it is officially named Santiago de Queretaro (as emblazoned on the city's vast fleet of yellow taxis). The city is also a college town, a job center, and capital of the state of Queretaro. It's also a wonderful place for tourists to explore and experience.
First Impressions Count...
Queretaro is an easy city to like. It bustles a bit moreso than places that are strictly tourist, but it's colonial heart and soul is never far off. It does offer some startling contrasts though.
My first impression was of a thoroughly modern small city. That's what I thought as the bus rolled into town, coming into the large, modern central bus terminal. The view was reinforced from the back seat during the taxi ride into town, as we drove past the huge (and also very new looking) soccer stadium, and onto the very modern divided highway that rings the city.
The view changes once you do get into the colonial center. There, the streets narrow, the buildings show signs of time, and weather, and wear, and years. Church steeples dominate the horizon, and the clanging and donging of bells permeates the air. The place feels wise beyond its years, and it feels welcoming and relaxed.
It doesn't take long to form an opinion. I like Queretaro. I like the way it feels. I like its pace. I like its sense of character.
It's also a good place for travelers to Central Mexico to highlight on their maps. With it's good transportation links, huge variety of restaurants and hotels, and its wealth of colonial churches and historic sites to see, it's a very easy place to spend a few days of profitable loafing and bumming...let's talk sites first though, shall we. In my opinion, the coolest things to see first in Queretaro are the churches.
Houses of the Holy...
Colonial Spanish churches are wonderful things, each one a unique treasure chest of spiritual architecture and artistry, displaying the craftsmanship of the old world with a decided new world twist. With their ornate facades, high reaching bell towers stretching heavenwards, and intricately decorated domes, churches represent colonial New Spain with an impact and earnest of few other structures.
In all of the central colonial cities of Mexico, magnificent churches and cathedrals lie at every step of the journey. Queretaro is no exception. These are my thoughts on some of the most interesting colonial churches in the city of Queretaro...
Convento de la Santa Cruz -- Beautiful architectural masterpiece in its own right, but also a place with a fascinating history. This is the church with the infamous thorn bushes, grown from a Franciscan's old walking stick. It's also a church with some grisly history, since it's where Emperor Maximilian sought refuge after fleeing Mexico City, and it's where he spent the last couple nights of his life as a prisoner of the Liberal Mexican Army (before being hanged on a hill a few blocks away). Excellent personal tour of the old convent -- highly recommended.
Templo y Convento de la Santa Clara -- The exterior is an architectural wonder, but inside is where the real magic lies! Ornate opulence everywhere, with gilded carved walls, columns, and archways.
Templo de la Purisima Concepcion (Church of the Immaculate Conception) -- The church dates to 1760, and the highlight of the place is its absolutely stunning front facade, filled with nooks displaying statues of saints and other important biblical figures. At its peak is the church's famous depiction of the Archangel Michael (his sword red with blood) slaying the demon.
Templo y Convento de San Agustin -- For a church built in 1731, the architecture displays a somewhat surprisingly restrained hand that almost seems to me to be observing the kind of "less is more" philosophy of more modern arts. The place does still show off some fabulous carvings and sculptures, but it also has far more smooth, gentle surfaces than other churches in the city. I love its intricately patterned blue and white dome. The convent, long disused, now houses the Queretaro Museum of Art (Museo de Arte del Queretaro).
Templo de San Francisco -- Dating to 1550, this is one of the city's oldest colonial churches, though I find its architecture less magnificent than some of its neighbors. The former convent now houses the state's regional museum, which is an interesting look at the region's past.
Templo y Convento de la Santa Rosa de Viterbo -- Wonderful baroque style church, built in 1752, this church has some wonderful artwork, including a series of paintings and some wonderful murals at the four corners surrounding the center dome. This is a stunning church that creates a sense of stable serenity. Architecturally, it's also a marvel because of its inverted arches, which at the time were derided as an impractical device. The disused convent is now a graphic arts institute.
If the churches in downtown Queretaro just whet your appetite for more, you might want to rent a car and go exploring the string of old missions that stretch along the mountainous backroads towards Jalpan. Collectively, these missions are called the Sierra Gorda missions (I'm not sure why the mountains around Queretaro are thought to be "fat", but such is their moniker). The five main missions of this area are Jalpan, Landa, Tilaco, Tancoyo, and Conca. I really wish I'd had more time in Queretaro to explore these places...perhaps next trip.
Where History Comes Alive...
Queretaro is one of those cities that might be small town in feel, but that packs quite a wallop in terms of historical significance. Needless to say, knowing at least a smidgen about the country's past can be the key to unlocking an entire new level of depth in exploring the city's many plazas, alleys, and cobblestone streets. In Queretaro, it's tough not to bump into historic sites that mark important events of bygone centuries.
Founded in 1531, the city is among the older European settlements in the Americas. If you take the time to visit the city's regional museum, you'll discover that it's roots actually go even deeper than that, with significant archaelogical sites nearby whose history stretches back at least several more centuries. When the Spanish conquistadors first arrived at Queretaro, it was the site of an Otomi settlement that had been there for at least a century.
A lot of folks from California, Texas, and the southwestern United States know about how the Franciscans spent a lot of time over the span of a couple centuries spreading Christ's word to the heathens of the new world, building a huge network of missions along the way -- places that were part church, part fort, part farm, but always symbols of the Church, and of Spain -- in that order. Many of the old missions still stand, and dozens are still in use as active congregations. This isn't news to a lot of folks, what is surprising is that the Franciscans did all of their travel by foot (they eschewed modern conveyances like horses and carriages).
What's this have to do with Queretaro? Well, Queretaro was one of the home bases for the Franciscans. They built a big church in Queretaro in the 16th century, along with a big convent that could house hundreds of faithful followers. Some of those California missions were actually founded courtesy of padres and monks based in Queretaro at the Templo San Francisco.
You can tour the convent at the Church of Santa Cruz and see where Friar Margil de Jesus planted thorn bushes, grown from his walking staff. You can also step ahead a century to see the room where Emperor Maximilian Hapsburg hid out from the Mexican army for a couple months, and where he was ultimately imprisoned for his last couple days of life before being dragged to a nearby hill (called Cerro de Campanas) and executed by firing squad. You can even touch some of his things, like the bed on which he slept his last night... This is still a working congregation though, and some 30 friars still live in the convent.
I don't recall the U.S. ever having much to do with any kind of European royal blood, but Mexico sure has seen more than it's fair share of blue blood interference, some of it positive, some not so. Maximilian might have had only a superficial impact on the face of Queretaro, but that dude, the Count Antonio de Urrutia sure left a mark! He is the guy who had the brainstorm of building a huge aqueduct to bring water up into the city, paving the way for significant growth. The aquaduct is still there -- stretching a good mile or so down the center of a wide boulevard called Calz. de los Arcos, where it dominates the landscape with its series of massive, 75-foot high arches. The arches end at the Church of Santa Cruz. In my opinion, the arches are an incredible engineering marvel, and there's nothing quite so awe-inspiring as standing at the top of the hill, and looking down as the aqueduct marches along as far as the eye can see.
Jumping ahead to the era of Hidalgo and the quest for independence from Spain, Queretaro again steps into the historical limelight when the wife of the city's mayor discovers that Father Hidalgo and General Allende's plot for independence has been discovered by the Spanish. Dona Josefa Ortiz de Dominquez manages to slip away from her would-be captors, and flee to San Miguel, where she warned Hidalgo and Allende, who regrouped in Hidalgo's hometown, Dolores Hidalgo, where the revolution began. This event has the same kind of significance to a Mexican that Paul Revere's ride has to an American -- and you can visit the Casa de la Corregidora and see where it all started...
As if all this history wasn't enough, the city again rides to the front of the history pages during the infamous Revolucion of the early 20th century. After Pancho Villa had ridden off the all the loyalist troops in the north, and Emiliano Zapata mounted his insurrections in the south, the country started coming together again in -- you guessed it -- Queretaro, which is where the country's Constitution was written.
When the U.S. Army invaded Mexico back in the late 1840s during the Mexican-American war, Queretaro became the focal point of the war's conclusion when the U.S. government shoved the unjust and unpalatable Treaty of Hidalgo down the collective throats of the Mexican government. You guessed it -- the treaty was inked in Queretaro.
Yep, there's historical significance lurking in every callejon of this classically beautiful old colonial city. A place that's sometimes short on style, but amazingly long on substance.
To get a feel for the city as a whole, I recommend stopping by the city's tourism office, located just off Plaza de Armas, and picking up one of their excellent fold-out maps. This is also the starting point for city tours, which use either double-decker buses or trolleys, and some tours are conducted in English (if there are enough people requesting it).
The sites I think best give you a sense of history and place are:
* Church of Santa Cruz, (corner of Independencia and Manuel Acuna), tours available Tuesday-Friday 9am - 2pm and Saturday 9am to 4:30pm.
* Casa de la Zacatecana (corner of Independencia and Rio de la Loza), restored, furnished in period pieces, see how the colonial upper class lived -- don't forget to go up into the tower!)
* Museo Regional de Historia (Av. Corregidora at Plaza de la Constitucion) -- good sized museum with displays depicting historical events stretching back into the pre-columbian era. Operated by INAH (which is good).
Other Activities and Sites...
There are a lot of other things to see and do in and around Queretaro. I haven't even mentioned any of the several smaller art museums in the city, nor the parks (which are quite nice). Sports fans may be interested in catching a soccer game at the enormous Estadio Corregidora (located near the bus station), or maybe catching a bull fight if you're lucky enough to be in town on a day when the Plaza de Toros is bustling with afficianados (the Plaza de Toros is located near the big interchange where you catch the road to Celaya). There's even some archaelogical sites in the state, if you're inclined to head out of town for a day...
Yep. Lots of things to see, lots of things to do. Queretaro should definitely be on anybody's itinerary. At least anybody visiting the colonial heart of central Mexico.
Eats and Drinks...
A guy can eat and drink extremely well in Queretaro. Everywhere I went, there were wonderful little restaurants tucked behind small doorways, or waiting for me on the sidewalks of the next plaza. There were restaurants in some of the andadores, and there were a cluster of 6 or 7 good restaurants each in two of the city's plazas: Plaza de Armas and Plaza de la Constitucion. Here are a few high points of epicurean consumption, Queretaro style...
1810 - Upscale sidewalk cafe on Plaza de Armas with some wonderfully expressive and innovative dishes. One of the best soups I've ever tasted was 1810's Sopa Regional, which was a lentil soup in a rich, hearty bacon-flavored broth, topped with crystallized dried fruits -- the contrast of flavors and textures was a treat not to be missed! I also enjoyed the Chicken Tamara, which was a boneless breast topped with a light, but gloriously complex sauce, redolent with citrus and mango flavors.
Angelos - Also on Plaza de Armas is a series of more casual, less expensive eateries which I think make for a great light lunch option. Their cuisine is more typical Mexican (enchiladas, tacos, etc.) than it is innovative, but its also served at prices that are 1/3 cheaper than its tonier neighbors, and the sidewalk ambience is just as good.
Bisquetera is a pleasantly casual bakery coffee shop, located on Pino Suarez, that I think makes for one of the best morning pick me ups in the city. A light pastry and a hefty cup full of rich, dark black coffee, and I'm just about as full of sunshine as the new morning...
Palomas - nice sidewalk cafe at Plaza de la Constitucion, I thoroughly enjoyed a breakfast of huevos queretanos, which were served in a lightly piquant deep red chili sauce that reminded me a bit of a softer, gentler kind of mole. Fresh squeezed orange juice and a rich, dark roast flavored coffee round out a great start to a new day.
Parrilla Leonesa - Ordinary, cafeteria-style look might ordinarily turn me off, but I was impressed with the generosity of the servings, the quality of the food, and the overall bang for the buck. My order of two Tacos al Pastor turned out to have enough spicy, thinly shaved roast meat for six tacos. The Frijoles Charros were very different from what I expect in the north -- they didn't have as much depth of flavor in the beans themselves, but they were topped with a thick layer of chicharrones, known to some of us as "fried pork rinds"! It's an unusual twist that tastes better than it sounds (be still my rising cholesterol level).
Sleeps...
Queretaro is a fairly important city, not just from a tourism perspective, but also as a business and industrial hub in its own right. It is far more economically significant than some of the more tourist-oriented towns in the region, and as a result, has a vastly larger number of hotels. The Frommers guide to Mexico says that Queretaro has less range in hotel choices than San Miguel de Allende. This is wrong! While San Miguel most certainly does have some wonderful, cozy, romantic, luxurious bed and breakfast style colonial inns, Queretaro actually has almost as many choices just within that same pampered class. But where the two places differ is when you compare the entire spectrum of choices: Queretaro has substantially more to it than just the boutique class...
In addition to a lot of wonderfully unique boutique hotels, Queretaro has a huge number of smaller, less expensive hotels (something that San Miguel generally does not), and Queretaro also has a good range of corporate hotels and budget chain and independent hotels (again, something that San Miguel de Allende lacks, for better or worse).
All things considered, I'd guesstimate that Queretaro has something like 3 times the total number of lodging options that San Miguel has. Unfortunately though, most are not listed in any guidebooks or U.S.-based online hotel reservation system, but fortunately for you, old Tio Gringo has the straight scoop. Just to give you an idea of what's out there, here are a few places that I think would be pretty good options for American travelers, along with contact info, if I've got it.
Upscale, Historical, Boutique Hotels and Inns:
* La Casa de la Marquesa, grand mansion built in 1756 for the Marquis, Madero 41, phone 442-212-0092, www.hoteldelamarquesa.com
* Dona Urraqa - pampered luxury; room rates are high, but include massages, facials, pedicures, etc.: 5 de Mayo Ote. 117, phone 442-238-5400, www.donaurraca.com.mx
* Meson de la Merced - quaint, upscale, historic, great location on Plaza Independencia; 16 de Septiembre Ote. 95, phone 442-214-1498, www.hotelmesondelamerced.com.mx
* Hacienda Jurica - modern luxuries and service in a historic hacienda setting, run by Brisas, Carr. Mexico-SLP km 229, phone: 442-218-0022
* Meson del Alfarero, Hidalgo 71, phone: 442-214-0552, www.mesondelalferero.com
* Rancho la Pitaya Spa, Carr. Libre Queretaro-Celaya km 16, phone: 442-224-2965, www.rancholapitaya.com
* Quinta Santiago, Calle Andres Balvanera 4, phone: 442-224-1985, www.hotelquintasantiago.com
Larger Corporate Hotels:
* Radisson Plaza Camelinas - comfortable and upscale colonial style in a corporate-run property, nice courtyard, 5 de Febrero 201, 442-216-5494
* Holiday Inn Centro Historico - Av. 5 de Febrero 110, 442-192-0202, www.holiday-inn.com/queretaromx
Mid-Range Hotels:
* Hotel Flamingo Inn - modern, motor court style motel. Av. Constituyentes Pte. 138, phone 442-215-9696, www.hotelflamingoinn.com.mx
* Hotel Mirage - 150 rooms on Av. Pasteur Sur 277, phone 442-212-8010, email: mirage@ciateq.mx
* Hotel Impala - Colon #1, phone 442-212-2570, www.hotelimpala.com
* City Express (brand spanking new, on the highway just east of downtown, "510 pesos" says the sign)
* Florencia Hotel, 75 rooms + 10 suites, Zaragoza 101, phone 442-192-2000
* Hotel Mirabel, 171 rooms, Av. Constituyentes Ote. 2, phone 442-214-3929
* Hotel Hidalgo - lower end historic property, downtown, nice courtyard, Madero 11, phone 442-212-8102, www.hotelhidalgo.com.mx
Getting To Queretaro...
Planes, trains, and automobiles: lots of ways to get to Queretaro (not to mention buses)...
Driving:
Roads to Queretaro are excellent, both from the south (Mexico City) and from the north (U.S. border, Monterrey, San Luis Potosi, etc.). Drive time to Queretaro is about 2 hours from Mexico City, and about 9 hours from the U.S. border. If you drive into Mexico City, or rent a car from the capital, remember the "Hoy No Circula" law and figure out ahead of time which days your car is banned from the roads. (See my article about for more info on car permits, laws, etc.)
Bus:
Generally, the most convenient and comfortable way to get to Queretaro is by bus. The Queretaro bus terminal is clean, modern, and very big -- able to accommodate as many as 100 simultaneous first-class bus arrivals or departures, and probably a similar number of second-class buses. It is an important bus station in the region for anyone making connections to other colonial cities in the central region, and it is served by frequent buses that run direct to Benito Juarez Mexico City International Airport (MEX).
Every major bus company in this region serves Queretaro, and it is also served by trans-border buses into the United States (yes, you can catch a bus between many southwest U.S. cities and Queretaro -- ask for info at the Americanos counter in the Queretaro bus station -- it's a long trip, but it is possible).
ETN has some of the most comfortable and luxurious buses in this region, and I recommend them highly -- they are "ejecutivo" class, and run as much as twice the price of other lines, but they're worth it. The Turistar buses operated by Estrella Blanca are of similar luxury.
Flecha Amarilla has the most buses between Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende, though HP has almost as many. Both run buses to San Miguel about every 40 minutes, and the schedules are intertwined, so there's generally a bus leaving Queretaro for San Miguel at least every 20 minutes all day long. (It's actually even more often than that since other lines -- including ETN -- also run buses on the route.) Flecha Amarilla charges 37 pesos to San Miguel on a good quality second-class bus. ETN charges 70 pesos on an executive-level bus. (See my article on for info on class levels etc.).
Primer Plus is a good option for first-class service to Mexico City -- especially direct to the airport, although ETN, Omnibus de Mexico, and other lines also run frequent service to the capital (arriving at the city's "north bus station", Terminal de Autobuses del Norte -- TAN).
Air:
None of the Mexico travel guides I've seen recommend flying to Queretaro. They all tell you to take the bus. I wonder why...
Queretaro does have an airport (at least one guidebook says it does not) -- the airport code is QRO. It's a fairly small airport, located to the east side of the city, and it is served only by smaller Mexican carriers, notably Aeromar and Aeroliterol (the commuter arm of ). Still, flying can be a viable option for some travelers. In principal, I agree that it would generally be pretty stupid to take a direct flight into Queretaro, given the vast number of excellent buses going there from everywhere, and the high direct fares for the few small flights that do go to Queretaro, but it will pay a prudent traveler to consider flying into Queretaro if you are already planning to fly from the U.S. and you are focusing your trip around any of the central colonial cities (especially San Miguel de Allende).
When I recently priced flights into this area, I found that the best round-trip fare I could snag was $198 from Houston to Mexico City (on ). The best round-trip fare I got from Houston to Queretaro was $223 (Aeromexico MD80 from IAH to MEX, connecting to an Aeromar ATR into QRO) -- not a bad deal at all. A connection between related partner airlines is no harder than catching the direct airport buses in Benito Juarez airport, and in this case, is actually a bit cheaper (compared to ETN luxury coaches) and can (depending on time between connections) be faster. It's at least worth a thought, so take the guidebook advice with a grain of salt...
Train:
I don't know much about getting to Queretaro by train. I know that there used to be daily passenger service to Mexico City and northwards to San Luis Potosi and Monterrey, but I'm not sure what the situation is today. If you're a fan of rail travel, you could still be in luck...
Final Reflections...
As you've probably guessed, I'm pretty gung-ho about the entire central colonial region of Mexico. It's a path that's been trod before, but it's also one that I think needs much more attention in this day, a time when few tourists to Mexico seem to get much beyond the glittering beach resorts. Mexico has some wonderful beaches, but its real treasures lie inland and a traveler who is at all curious about the rich historical traditions of the country really MUST visit the colonial silver cities -- of which Queretaro is one of the most fascinating and historically significant.
I love Queretaro. I love walking the narrow alleys -- known as andadores -- which just invite leisurely strolling. I love sitting peacefully in the back pew of an enormous, stunningly beautiful church, and admiring the intricate artwork and the serene feeling of God's presence. I love exploring colonial houses, and small, special interest museums. I love the sounds of sitting in a plaza, as I listen to water splashing in the fountains as children play nearby and roving guitar players strum soulful tunes. I love sitting in the many, many sidewalk cafes and sipping rich Mexican-grown coffees while enjoying food that's nothing at all like what American chain restaurants think its like.
Queretaro is a great place to visit. And I don't think I'd mind living there either...
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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