Tequisquiapan

Parroquia Santa María de la Asunción, Tequisquiapan

On a day when I was transiting from Guanajuato to Queretaro, I decided to take a detour and visit Tequisquiapan. Tequis, as the locals call it, is a Pueblo Magico. These towns are promoted by Mexico’s Secretariat of Tourism for having special historic or cultural significance. I usually try to stop at them when I am nearby.

I was already at the bus station, so to get to Tequisquiapan, I walked from Terminal A of the bus station to Terminal B, which is where many of the second class local buses depart from. Flecha Azul runs a bus to Tequis every 30 minutes for $47. It took about 1 hour 15 mins to arrive. The station is on the edge of town but it is a short walk to the center if town, it took me perhaps 15 minutes at most.

I had read that a lot of wealthy families from Mexico City like to come to Tequis for the weekend. There are hot springs in the area, and some nice hotels. There was also supposed to be some good shopping and dining options.

The square is dominated by the Parroquia Santa María de la Asunción, which is currently painted pink and is quite striking:

Parroquia Santa María de la Asunción, Tequisquiapan

The square is bordered by several porticoed buildings that include restaurants and shops.

Parroquia Santa María de la Asunción, Tequisquiapan

The surrounding streets tend to be very clean and well-kept. I was here on a Thursday, when it was very quiet. There were few other tourists around, though I expect the place would pick up quite a bit on the weekend. This is Mexico’s “Wine and Cheese” country, and certainly a place lots would like to visit. The town had many interesting buildings along the cobblestone streets and was quite photogenic.

Tequisquiapan Street View

I did walk to the nearby artisan’s market, but it wasn’t what I had hoped for. Instead of interesting local work, it seemed to mostly be a collection of Chinese-made home furnishings, plus the sort of generic Mexico souvenirs one can find most anywhere. I did see some booths selling baskets that locals were making, and I ended up buying one of those, as it seemed to be something a little more unique.

After a couple of hours of looking around and taking photographs, I decided to move on. While I enjoyed my short time in Tequis (particularly photographing the church), it didn’t capture my heart the way some of the other Pueblos Magicos have. It seemed like a nice enough place, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way again to visit. Here are a few more photos from Tequisquiapan.