Dynamic and modern, the capital of Chihuahua offers numerous options to enjoy this weekend. You'll love it!
City born in 1709 with the name of Villa of San Francisco de Cuéllar, in honor of the order of the first religious who came to these lands, and named after the Spanish Antonio Deza y Ulloa, governor who chose this place to found the city, due to the proximity of the rivers Chuvíscar and Sacramento, Chihuahua it is a fantastic city. We invite you to meet her in a weekend:
FRIDAY
We arrived at the airport in the city where our friends were waiting for us, and then went to the HOTEL PALACIO DEL SOL, which is located in the center of the city, a few blocks from the Cathedral.
Although weary from the trip, we did not want to stay at the hotel and preferred to take a drive through the city. The first thing we wanted to see was the CHIHUAHUA DOOR, an emblematic sculpture of the city and in which the sculptor Sebastian represented the pre-Hispanic staircase and the colonial arch.
SATURDAY
After a good breakfast we set out for a walking tour. The first point we visited was the METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL, which for many is the best example of Baroque art in northern Mexico. Its construction with quarry began in 1725, the year in which the first stone was laid. Its beautiful 40-meter high towers made in the Tuscan style stand out on its main portal. Inside, in a cross-shaped niche, the venerated image of the Christ of Mapimí, which was in the first temple that was in the city. In the old sacristy of the Rosario Chapel, on one side of the cathedral, is the SACRED ART MUSEUM, a beautiful room that houses a rich sample of colonial painting and objects of religious use from various temples in the city.
As you walk through your MAIN SQUARE, the first thing one sees is the statue of Antonio de Deza and Ulloa, founder of the city. In the center there is a kiosk with bronze statues, and on the sides of the plaza, under other smaller kiosks, are the shoe polishers or “boleros”, with another vendor of popsicles and balloons.
Just by crossing the sidewalk from the Plaza de Armas we will be in front of the CITY HALL, whose construction began in 1720 to house the Town Hall of San Felipe el Real de Chihuahua. In 1865 part of the building was sold to cover the expenses of President Juárez; these spaces were returned in 1988 to the Chihuahuas.
After seeing this public building that could well be a museum, we began to walk on Libertad Street, where there are shops and stores of all kinds, but the most peculiar thing about it is that people of different races gather there. social strata of the people who inhabit these lands, such as Tarahumara, Mennonites and Chihuahuas mestizos of Spaniards.
We arrived at GOVERNMENT PALACE, without a doubt the best building made in Chihuahua in the 19th century. On one side of the patio a cubicle called ALTAR TO THE COUNTRY to commemorate the exact place where Don Miguel Hidalgo was shot on July 30, 1811. On the ground floor are the murals made by Aarón Piña Mora that summarize the history of the state, ranging from the 16th century to the Revolution.
Across the street we meet him FEDERAL PALACE, of neoclassical style and that houses the Post and Telegraph offices. In the basement is the HIDALGO CALABOZO, where on one of its walls the priest Miguel Hidalgo wrote some verses with charcoal to express his gratitude to one of his jailers: “Ortega, your fine upbringing / your kind nature and style / will always make you appreciable / even with pilgrims ./ He has divine protection / the mercy you have exercised / with a poor helpless / who will die tomorrow / and cannot repay / any favor received. Letters that show the human quality of this prisoner who was to be shot the next day.
By this time, hunger was already raging, so we went to enjoy the typical cuisine, eating some burritos accompanied by a soda. I, the truth, I am in love with them, they are very good.
Then we went, with galloping energy, to the QUINTA GAMEROS UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTER. This spectacular neoclassical house with Renaissance details was ordered to be built by Manuel Gameros, who never inhabited it due to the Revolution. The furniture is in the art nouveau style and all together makes the villa really beautiful and ostentatious.
We arrived in good weather to visit the MUSEUM OF REPUBLICAN LOYALTY. In this house Benito Juárez established his home and the headquarters of the federal government. It exhibits historical objects and documents, as well as a replica of the carriage that Juarez used on his pilgrimage to the north of the country.
The surprise of having dinner an exquisite Chihuahuan-size hamburger, big! And very tasty, still awaited us. We also met sotol, a 100% agave distilled drink from the Chihuahuan desert.
After recovering energy, we enjoyed the serene evening sitting on one of the benches in the cathedral square, sipping some sodas and talking about how wonderful our first day was. After a while we said goodbye and went to rest happily to be ready for our second day in Chihuahua.
SUNDAY
We meet up with our friends, who are not bad at guiding, to have breakfast in one of the many restaurants on Libertad Street.
We head to HISTORICAL MUSEUM OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION, located in the house where Francisco Villa lived. Its collection is made up of weapons, photographs, objects and documents related to the revolutionary movement.
We visited the EL PALOMAR CENTRAL PARK, an area of green areas from where you can see the city in all its splendor, next to some gigantic bronze sculptures of three doves, the work of the Chihuahuan artist Fermín Gutiérrez. Right there is the STATUE OF ANTHONY QUINN, an internationally famous actor from the city of Chihuahua, as well as the WREATH, also by the artist Sebastián.
We met the new and modern AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF CHIHUAHUA, which offers a panoramic view of the immense and beautiful sculpture of the SUN GATE, made by, who else ?: Sebastián, an artist from Chihuahua.
Since we were so far north of the city, we went to visit another urban sculpture by, of course, Sebastián: the TREE OF LIFE, monumental work 30 meters high.
We made a stopover to eat some delicious tacos of excellent meat, leaving the northern livestock in a good place as always.
We continue with our tour of the city visiting other sculptures such as the MONUMENT TO THE NORTH DIVISION, by Ignacio Asúnsolo; that of FELIPE ANGELES, by Carlos Espino, and the DIANA HUNTERby Ricardo Ponzaneli, inspired by the one found in Mexico City.
We finished our Sunday tour sitting on one of the benches in the beautiful and charming cathedral square, enjoying the afternoon and the rich Sunday flavor that this city, full of warm and hospitable people, gives.
The desire to return to this city are many in order to continue knowing all the attractions that we had to visit this weekend. And enjoy all the wonderful things that this city of Chihuahua offers us, where everything is big!
Do you know Chihuahua? Tell us about your experience… Comment on this note!
