Page 145 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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CITIES

ABOVE Mexico City’s enormous Zócalo and the imposing
Catedral Metropolitana
ABOVE Colourful houses in Zacatecas, Mexico
FORGET MEXICO
Zacatecas Zacatecas plays host to innumerable festivals and CITY?
THE BUILD-UP Still a major tourist draw,
events each year. The most vibrant of these is a
vs Mexico City cultural celebration held during Semana Santa Mexico City is a sprawling metropolis and
the country’s cultural, economic, political,
(Holy Week) that is unrivalled across Mexico. The
city also boasts a national folklore festival, an and social heart. It’s been said that Mexico
City has more to offer the visitor in one
The colonial city of Zacatecas beats surging impressive charrería (traditional display of place than the rest of the country combined,
horsemanship), a national fair that doubles as a and its historic center is one of the most
Mexico City in just about every way
drinking contest at night, hot-air balloon festivals, famous destinations in the world.
street theater extravaganzas, reenactments of
NEED TO KNOW ancient battles, and centuries-old religious THE LETDOWN Four words: pollution, touts,
processions that are long-extinct elsewhere. Better crime, and traffic. Mexico City has them all on
LOCATION Zacatecas still, most of these events are free to the public. an ever-increasing scale, and they take a huge
lies in the middle of Mexico, toll on the city’s enjoyment potential. And
392 miles (631 km) northwest 6 4 " The city’s central location makes it an ideal base
of Mexico City for trips to nearby attractions. The Cerro de la Bufa, once you’re outside the renowned city center
POPULATION Around 140,000 – which isn’t all that well preserved to begin
.POUFSSFZ (VMG PG which is located just outside the center behind the
VISITORS PER .FYJDP with – there’s very little of interest to see.
;"$"5&$"4 cathedral, is a beautiful hilltop with its own cable
YEAR Around 1 million
.&9*$0 car – one of the only two cable cars in Mexico –
DAYTIME GOING ANYWAY? If you’re still keen on going,
TEMPERATURES .FYJDP $JUZ and an enormous monument to the revolutionary explore the city on foot and in daylight hours
Jan: 50°F (10°C); Apr: 57°F (14°C); 1 BDJmD "DBQVMDP general, Francisco “Pancho” Villa. The countryside
Jul: 63°F (17°C); Oct: 63°F (17°C) 0 D FBO only. Start early, take in the grand Zócalo
nearby is home to archaeological sites, indigenous (central square) before it’s impassable, and don’t
Huichol communities famed for their imaginative waste your time or money outside the center,
Ask most Mexicans what comes to mind when art, and quaint villages that have remained virtually where the sights are fewer and farther apart.
they think of Zacatecas, and you’ll hear the word unchanged over the centuries. Zacatecas is also
paraíso (paradise) more than any other. This jewel of close enough to both coasts that Mexico’s fabled
a city, which is almost 500 years old and blessed with beaches are only ever a day trip away.
the best climate, finest architecture, lowest crime PRACTICAL INFORMATION
rate, and highest quality of life in the country, is still MAIN CITY SIGHTS
a relatively well-kept secret. If you want gridlock, Cerro de la Bufa Climb or take the cable car to the Getting There and Around here. The hotel, which is built
unimaginable levels of pollution, and are willing to top of this hill for fabulous views of the city. At the Zacatecas is served by major into the ruins of a bullring, has a
and local airlines and also has monastery-like subterranean bar
part with the contents of your wallet (sometimes top you’ll find statues of revolutionary heroes, a
excellent highways from all and boasts five-star luxury.
unknowingly), stick with Mexico City. But if you want chapel, and a museum dedicated to the Revolution. major Mexican cities. The city When to Go
to get to know the real Mexico, head to Zacatecas. Don’t miss the Tomb of the Illustrious Zacatecanos, is best explored on foot. Zacatecas is gorgeous all year
The historic city was the first in Mexico to a marble mausoleum where the remains of several Where to Eat round, although its height above
undergo a rigorous preservation project, and it famous Zacatecanos are enshrined. The city boasts great restaurants, sea level – roughly 8,200 ft
shows. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, Cathedral of Zacatecas Even the most jaded with French, Italian and Mexican (2,500 m) – can mean chilly
cuisine predominating. Café evenings. From March to August
the downtown area is a faithfully restored Spanish traveler will be impressed by this soaring spiritual
Nevería Acrópolis (tel. +52 492 the temperatures are comfortable
colonial city like no other. Here you’ll find a richly monument, with its magnificent pink-stone facade. and the days long, sunny, and
922 1284), with its museum-
decorated 18th-century cathedral, which is the Mina El Eden A legacy of the silver mines on which quality art collection and high- free from humidity.
finest example of Mexican Churrigueresque Zacatecas grew rich, this mine is now a museum and, street views, is a perennial Budget per Day for Two
architecture in the world; many ex-convents that rather unexpectedly, a disco at night. A cable car favorite whether you’re after a US$175 a day inclusive of
have been converted into first-rate museums; and runs from here to the top of the Cerro de la Bufa. Mexican or international dish. everything, though many
a famous mint. These museums and the city’s Rafael Coronel Museum In a beautiful converted Where to Stay travelers make do on
There’s no question that the considerably smaller budgets.
countless monuments explore the role Zacatecas convent, this museum exhibits artworks from all
Quinta Real (www.quintareal. Website
played in both the War of Independence (1810–21) over the world, including pottery, masks, and the com/eng/idt/120/) is the leader www.turismozacatecas.gob.mx/
and the early-20th-century Mexican Revolution. largest collection of Miró works outside of Spain.

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