A Treasure In Mexico's Colonial Heartland (Queretaro (Mexico))

Member Name: zoe_page_1

Product:	Queretaro (Mexico)
Date:	03/02/09 (236 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enough to see to spend a day or two, nice and cheap, great weather

Disadvantages: Not over-run with attractions

Querétaro City (alternative name Santiago de Querétaro) is a UNESCO World Heritage listed city and the capital of Querétaro State. It is located about 2.5 hours drive from Mexico City, and luxury busses depart from the Terminal del Norte about every 30 minutes. This costs under 200 pesos (£10) and is well worth it, for the ETN busses are truly spectacular (think leg room even the tallest person could not complain about, free snacks and drinks and on board movies piped through headphones so you don't get distrubed if you don't want to watch). There are cheaper and slower services available, but since those busses favour open windows over nice air con, and fit in at least 1/3 more seats in the same space, they're not an option I would go for.

My guide book calls Querétaro a "Colonial Treasure" whereas I would go with a more simple description of "Proper Mexico". Living as I do in the really rather westernised Federal District, it's easy to forget sometimes what country I'm in, but a quick trip to somewhere like this soon reminds me. Think scorching weather, even in January. Think leafy plazas with colonial architecture. Think cobbled streets and pavement cafes.

I arrived in Querétaro late in the morning and jumped on a bus to the centre. These depart from the bus terminal but are not signed, so many tourists choose a cheap taxi instead. However, 5 pesos for a bus (it's a flat rate within the city limits) saved me about 30 pesos which would soon prove to last me quite a while in the city. If you get the bus, ask them to drop you at the Alameda. You'll know when you're approaching this as it is a massive, green park to the south of the centre, and just a few minutes wander from the main attractions.

My first stop was the tourist information office, to the north east side of Plaza de la Independencia, where I got a map and little else since they didn't have any of the usual attraction leaflets. Confusingly this place is also called Plaza de Armas, but now I've told you this there's no need for confusion, as they are exactly the same place. Then I sat in said Plaza with the two names to get my bearings. As I did, a little girl ran up to me and patted a heart shaped sticker onto my chest. Children "work" all over Mexico, selling chicle (gum) or busking or, as with this little girl, handing out stickers in return for a few pesos. While I'll always swat them away in the city, before they get close enough to attack, I was caught off guard here, and decided she warranted a couple of coins. As the weekend progresses, I wasn't hounded by any of her contemporaries, though I did spot a few out and about, keen to prey on the tourists and their nice western wallets. Having done my bit for charity for the weekend / month / year, I set off to explore what the city had to offer.

My first stop was the Museo de Arte, a few blocks away. There are 3 reasons to go here, in my mind. First and foremost, is when you're dying for the toilet, since they have lovely, spacious ones tucked away in the right hand corner of the first floor. I got in free since I have a teacher ID, but even not having to get my money's worth, I decided it was only polite to stay and have a quick look round. Reason number 2 to go is definitely the architecture, because it is breathtaking. The museum is housed in a former convent, and the main cloister is gorgeous. They know this too - if you want to take your camera in they charge 30 pesos (£1.50), whether it's regular or video. The final reason to visit this place is the art, because quite frankly it's not that impressive. It is a mixture of Mexican and European, classical and contemporary, but nothing really caught my eye, and the two I do remember, mainly because they were so odd, were Mr Wire Man holding a Watermelon, and a blurry black and white photo of a human skull.

I wandered on to look at the cathedral and the churches of Santa Rosa and Santa Clara, all very pretty, but not that demanding too much in the way of time. Then I hit the Museo de la Casa de la Zacatecana, a highly interesting mini museum slightly to the east of the centre. Legend has it that during the 17th century, the wealthy lady of the house, annoyed by her husband's constant absences, and the town's folk's subsequent gossip, had him killed. Then she herself killed the hit man, and buried them both in the garden. I know this because the visit starts with a short video including a Miss Marple style re-enactment. The film is available in English but you have to ask. The tour then continues with 12 rooms preserved as they were at the time, and while they of course have some very fancy things, they also have some dubious ones. One room just has all its walls covered in crucifixes, another is filled with clocks (who all tell a slightly different time, so one's always chiming) and a final one boasts what looks suspiciously like the furniture they used to have in the cafes at Wyvale. As I made my way around the upstairs, a lady who worked in the museum approached me and offered to play the second video. I declined, explaining that I didn't speak Spanish too well. She nodded in understanding, and proceeded to give me a very long winded explanation of the room instead. Hmmm, somehow I think I might have fared better with the nice clear Spanish of the video narrator instead of the gappy toothed old lady Spanish I got... One final thing to note - there is a sign to a "Mirador" (look out point) next to one of the rooms. While you might think it points to the window, a quick look out at the view of the toilets might have you confused. In reality, the mirador can be accessed through a spiral staircase in the corner of the room next door. This takes you up to the roof which, though glassed in, still offers nice views and was the only thing I found to climb in the city.

Buoyed by the exciting murder mystery, I returned to the sunny streets and continued my exploration. After a quick stop at the Santa Cruz Convent (shut for a siesta) I made it to the famous Aquaduct right on the edge of my map, but really only about 15 minutes walk away. Built in the 18th Century this has 74 arches up to 23m high, and runs for 8km making it one of the largest in the world. It's also a good spot for photos as the views from here are pretty. My main reason for wanting to go to Guanajuato was to see the multicoloured panorama, but I didn't realise Querétaro offered a similar view.

I stayed the night in the city and the following morning hiked to the west of town to visit the Cerro de la Campanas, where Emperor Maximilian was executed. The park is pretty, and worth the 1 peso (5p) entrance fee. You can visit the small chapel where the execution took place, and then climb the small hill to see a massive statue of Benito Juarez, former president and Maximilian's arch nemesis. It looked a bit like I always imagined the Arthur Dent statue would, but without the massive cup of tea.

If you keep climbing up you arrive at the Museo de Sitio, but beware, in order to get in you must first have bought a 15 peso ticket at the park entrance, way back down at the bottom of the hill. This museum has 5 rooms talking about the history of the city, but the most interesting thing is that all the exhibits are interactive. They range from buttons to press at the typical, mundane end of the scale, to scripts to act out complete with costumes and microphones. There is also a highly dubious jigsaw game where you get to do racial maths: which picture shows what the child of a Mexican and an African would look like? How about a Mexican and a Spaniard? The other thing to note about the museum is that all the displays are only in Spanish, so you won't get a lot out of it if you don't speak the language. They clearly don't get a lot of foreign visitors there - the family touring at the same time of me, and the museum guard were so impressed to have someone from England in the room that they shook my hand profusely.

Aside from the tourist attractions, there are other things to enjoy in the city. Having withdrawal symptoms following the demise of Woolworths? In Querétaro you can still shop there, though the local version has a rather strange obsession with £1 bras, and doesn't offer pick and mix. The centre also offers proper shops as well as touristy souvenir ones, though it's hardly a shopping mecca.

In between the sight-seeing and shopping I stopped to eat several times. First off, I went to La Michocana on Madero, but this is just one of dozens in the city centre. It is an ice cream franchise that emphasises wholesome, natural ingredients. Like Oreo cookies, for example. Later that night I ate again on Madero, at a place I'd spotted earlier. The prices here are cheap, despite the huge tourist demand, but the quality is only edible, not wonderful. My meal may only have cost 50 pesos, but the accompanying bread and crackers turned out to be nicer than the pasta dish I ordered. The next morning, I checked out of my hotel and headed for breakfast on Plaza de la Constitution, where you pay a little more, but have a nice view of the fountains to make up for it. Breakfast was about 60 pesos for waffles and ice cream, though I got a funny look when I ordered, despite it being there on their menu. There are various restaurants on the square, many offering breakfast buffets as well as a la carte dining. Most menus are international, with Mexican dishes jostling for room alongside pastas and pizzas and hamburgers. I sat outside (in January!) both for dinner and for breakfast and it was lovely to sit there and people watch as I ate.

If you want to stay the night, as most people do given the city's location from anywhere else of interest, there is a wide range of hotels. I fell in love with mine, La Mansion de Burro Azul, as soon as I saw its website, and a full review will follow, but needless to say I have a great night there.

Querétaro is an easy city to find your way around, and though it is a sprawling mess of suburbs in some ways, the historic centre is compact. The maps from the tourist office are invaluable if you wish to wander away from the main plazas, but they don't have a street index so if you're looking for a specific address, like that of your hotel, you might be looking a while.

I spent a little more than 24 hours in the city, and that was enough for me. I saw everything I wanted to, and still had a spare half hour to sit in the park and enjoy the sun. I combined my trip with a visit to San Miguel de Allende to take advantage of the long weekend we just had, and I think the two together would make a good weekend break that give you a flavour of the real Mexico.



More information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quer%C3%A9taro,_Quer %C3%A9taro
http://www.tourbymexico.com/quere/quere/quere.htm
http://www.mexperience.com/guide/colonial/Queréta ro .htm

Summary: Spend a weekend in "proper" Mexico