Queretaro Feels Undiscovered (Let’s Keep It That Way)

By Solange Castro

Maybe it’s the Mesoamerican spiritual vibes, the incredible art and architecture, or the sense that life is about joy, and not the next Amazon purchase, but Mexico seems to restore me.

I write about my love for Mexico because it’s true but also because I have met far too many people who think that travel in Mexico means putting oneself at risk of being kidnapped in a sepia-toned desert surrounded by chickens and cartel lords.

Indeed, one needs to be wise in any country and I do advise travelers not to venture out of tourist areas. Despite the “peligroso” stereotype of Mexico, many cities in Mexico have dramatically changed due to the retirement of foreigners in the last decade.

You can find Starbucks, and Bagel and Boba stores in San Miguel de Allende. (One of my Uber drivers told me it’s 50% foreigners.) Tulum and Playa del Carmen have faced a similar fate, from what I hear. Querétaro, however, is not one of those places.

Unlike much of the well-trodden tourist destinations, Queretaro caters primarily to Mexican tourists. In my week spent there, I met one American, a retired elderly man who lived in my hotel. All my tours and interactions were in Spanish, and I had no other option.

When I booked the trip I was not planning on a Spanish immersion experience, but that is what happened. My general sense was that the people of Querétaro are not interested in being oversolicitous to tourists and may be a little reserved. The smaller pueblos felt even more so. And I have to say, I don’t blame them.

Colonial History

Located just north of central Mexico, Querétaro was colonized in the 1500s by the Spanish after centuries of being populated by indigenous tribes including the Otomi, Toltecs, Chichimecas, Purépechas, and Mexicas, and later the Aztec Empire. Querétaro saw some of the biggest moments in Mexican history. Querétaro is where Benito Juarez captured Emperor Maximiliano which led to Mexico’s independence from Europe.

The Catholic church did serious business as well, as I have never seen so many churches in such a small radius. Many monasteries have been converted to hotels, or museums and feature large stone courtyards, colonial windows, balconies, and arches.

While they are stunning visually, it’s hard not to assume that much of the incredible labor came from the indigenous people. The interior of the Temple of Santa Rosa de Viterbo is covered in gold. I doubt it is real gold today, but still….the people who built them did not get paid in gold.

Leyendas (Legends)

I took a Guru walk tour with Alexandre, an actor who works with the local troupe Leyendas y Mitos de Querétaro, and who shared with me the legends and myths of the city. One of the most popular ones is the aqueduct, designed in 1723 by nobleman Juan Antonio de Urrutia y Arana, Marquis of Villa del Villar del Aquila. Yes, that is his official name. The Spanish were not shy about letting you to know their pedigree.

However, she told the Marquis that if he built an aqueduct, she would marry him. And so he created a marvel of engineering that still stands today. However, the nun still rejected him because who can compete with Jesus?

Another popular “leyenda” features La Casa de La Zacatena, a colonial house and now museum.

As the story goes, an adulterous woman murdered her husband after he discovered her with her lover. Then for reasons unexplained, she also murdered her husband.

Then, as one can imagine, she too was murdered for her crimes. No one knows who killed her but the legends’ obvious moral twist was meant to keep wives in check.

However, the museum tries not to spread that legend anymore due it’s misogynist overtones, as the educator, Andrea, told me. Mexico does not need any more stories about “bad women” and while I do love a salacious story, I appreciate the feminist revision.

On my third day in Querétaro I took an all Spanish tour (there was no English option available) that went to two

“Pueblos Magicos,” a series of small towns deemed “magical” by the Mexican tourist boards. We visited Tequisquipian, Querétaro (still working on the pronunciation) and La Peña de Bernal, a town under the shadow the second largest monolith in the world, and which has a reputation of having a healing effect on people.

Many people make pilgrimages to the near top, but due to heavy rains the trail was closed.

La Pirámide del Cerrito (The Pyramid of El Cerrito)

The following day I went to La Pirámide del Cerrito (The Pyramid of El Cerrito) or La Pirámide del Pueblito (if you are a local). For centuries, people thought that El Cerrito was just another hill with a colonial house built on top. Indeed, the name “El Cerrito” means “Little Hill.”

At some point in the last century an archeologist realized that a pyramid existed under the house. Covered in shrubbery, the location of the hill served as a great lookout for military personnel. Did they know they were building a house on top of a pyramid from 700 A.D.? According to Hector, the tour guide, nobody knows. But they did remove some of the top of the pyramid, so, probably, yeah. Whoops.

There still needs about 13 feet of excavation to be done below where we stood. Like Teotihuacan, Mexico has not prioritized the excavation and research of these incredible historic and sacred structures that could have answers to so much about life in Mesoamerica. The pyramid, which is bigger than Chichen Itza was added on by different Mesoamerican tribes starting with the Chupicaro to the Toltec Empire and the Aztecs.

The archeological site is an astronomical, acoustic and spiritual wonder. From the location, you can hear a mass said in a church in the valley below. Not only that but as you climb the pyramid the sound becomes cleaner. If you visit this pyramid, try to request Hector as a guide and tell him hello. I found his storytelling riveting, even if I got only 80% of it.

Beautiful Hotels

I stayed in three different hotels during my time in Querétaro and each one was a beautiful converted building with high beamed ceilings. My first hotel, the Hotel Markess, features a 50 foot (roughly) ceiling and colonial windows that look out to the busy street across from La Casa de La Marquesa.

I opened my windows to imagine a city in the 1600’s where a married woman might longingly watch the world outside of her domestic prison and the idea of a solo female traveler could not be imagined. I’m not a fancy person, but my room in Hotel Markess was architecturally the most beautiful room I have ever stayed in.

However, not retrofitted for acoustics, the 80’s cover band down street kept me up until 1:00 am. I never want to hear an electric guitar again.

My second Queretaro hotel, where I stayed for five nights, La Casa Aspetya, has a beautiful terrace on top where I ate breakfast and took a picture of the super blue moon.

Lastly, after visiting San Miguel de Allende, I returned to stay at El Serafina, who brought me a breakfast at 6:00 AM.

Too Affordable

In LA, land of stores like Erewhon, $35 will buy me maybe a salad and a lemonade. Whereas I could eat well at $25 a day and many of my hotels came with desayuno (breakfast).

Queretaro felt unbelievably inexpensive. I tried to tip generously because, well, I can. It is hard to write about travel without commenting on the value of the dollar, which is very strong around the world. I never lose site of how lucky I am to travel anywhere.

Shopping

Queretaro is known for mining and is a great place to buy crystals or jewelry. I bought stuff I didn’t need because frankly I want to give Mexico my money. But I also bought an opal ring. The man who sold it said it is good for protection and financial success. I don’t know if I believe it but I love having a piece of Mexico on my finger.

Solange Castro is a writer, standup comic, and playwright. Her first standup comedy album “A Journey of Self Discovery,” is available on Spotify.  Solange also teaches her own Zoom Comedy Class. You can visit her website at solangecastro.com or follow her on Instagram at @solange_here.