The Sierra Gorda queretana has a lot to offer. They told us about a distant mission, a fortress that few visit and where spectacular photos can be taken.
To get there, you pass through places with special charm that can be traveled by mountain bike or quad bike to make them even more interesting. If you are not the sportsman type, you can get there by car and still have a couple of unique days. Excited to discover this fantastic region, we left Mexico City for Querétaro. In San Juan del Río we turn off in the direction of the Sierra Gorda. On the way we stopped to visit the peculiar town of Vizarrón, where we were surprised by its architecture, the most common construction materials are marble and quarry, since in the area there are mines of these materials.
Ahead of this town, we turn off in the direction of San Joaquín. In this section, the road begins to zigzag up the mountains. Shortly before arriving, we stopped to visit the Grutas de los Herrera (discovered in June 1968) at kilometer 30 of the Vizarrón-San Joaquín highway, just five minutes from the municipal seat. We got into a fabulous underground world created by nature through millennia, which has given whimsical limestone formations, some resemble animals, objects and characters, examples of which are the rooms of the lion, the crocodile, the jungle passage , the Roman Empire and others.
Saint Joaquin
We continued on our way until we reached San Joaquín, also known as the capital of the huapango in Mexico. By the way, it dresses up year after year to receive thousands of visitors and hundreds of participants, in the most important huapango contest in the country. It is located at the top of the mountain range, at 2,460 m high. We were lucky, since they were fair days and parties in San Joaquín. So we take the opportunity to take pictures of the town with the colors of its craft fair and delight our palate with the typical food of the region.
Here you can practice camping, it has large areas of land surrounded by pine and cedars, palapas, grills, public bathrooms, electricity, drinking water and surveillance. The surroundings have endless cultural and natural attractions that are worth visiting, such as the Ranas archaeological zone, one of the most important ceremonial centers in the mountain area, located just 3 kilometers from the municipal seat. It is stated that its first settlers came from the Huasteca and the Gulf coast. Another place that is worth it is Aventura Park, located 8 km from the municipal seat. In this modern camp you can practice various extreme activities such as caving, rock climbing, rappelling, zip lines, mountain biking, hiking, archery, gotcha, camping, among others, and it has the services of safari cabins and dining room .
The forest on an ATV
The next day we continued our walk through the Sierra Gorda aboard ATVs that the Ministry of Tourism helped us rent. We followed a stony path that took us to the forest, to later descend bordering incredible gorges, where our eyes flew across the impressive landscape. With the sunset light that illuminated the hills in ocher, gold and orange tones, we entered a majestic canyon, where the enormous walls extended hundreds of meters above our heads. Finally we reached the bottom and almost at night we continued driving along a stream bed until we reached the Cabañas el Jabalí Eco-tourism Development, on the banks of the Extoraz River. Its accommodation and food service is first class, thanks to its administrator and excellent host René Rivas, who has also taken care of creating a wonderful orchard of fruit trees around the cabins.
Finally, Bucareli
The next day we prepare our mountain bikes and pedal to the town of Bucareli, where we visit its old Mission and Ex-Convent. The town, formerly known as Paraje del Plátano, was founded as a result of the arrival of the friar Juan Guadalupe de Soriano, who built the Mission of the Immaculate Conception, in 1775, with the support of the viceroy of New Spain, Don Antonio de Bucareli and Ursúa, thereby yielding his surname to the people. In order to build this mission, the friar brought together the Jonaces and Chichimecas Indians, as well as fugitives from Tolimán and Vizarrón, to work on the construction between Ranas and Platano, at the foot of Cerro de la Media Luna. The Mission was a personal task of Father Soriano, since the Province of San Diego never took responsibility for it, and was supported by alms collected by the friar himself.
The former convent of Bucareli was built on September 22, 1896 by the Franciscans of the province of Michoacán. It is an unfinished work that from the road looks like a castle in the middle of the mountains. The first thing that caught our attention were the three semi-collapsed bells that hang from the façade, which adds a touch of desolation to the landscape. Inside there are two courtyards decorated with arches and a fountain in the center, as well as cells, a chapel and a sacristy. In a museum library some mining tools and more than 400 volumes of treatises on theology and writings in Latin are exhibited. In addition, two buildings are part of the former convent: the dressing room and the interior chapel of the convent, which were built by Fray Mariano Aguilera in 1868. This temple was never completed, because it was abandoned during the Revolution. This was the perfect setting to take some photos and end our trip. This lost fortress in the mountains also reminded us that any company is possible, no matter how big and distant it may seem.
The Sierra Gorda queretana
It is one of the most rugged and rugged regions of the Sierra Madre Oriental, declared a Biosphere Reserve on May 19, 1997. This protected natural area is located in the north of the state and includes the municipalities of Jalpan de Serra, Arroyo Seco, Landa de Matamoros, Pinal de Amoles and Peñamiller and is characterized by its impressive canyons, mountains, waterfalls and deep chasms. It occupies an area of 383,567 hectares.
Source: Unknown Mexico No. 370 / December 2007.
Photographer specialized in adventure sports. He has worked for MD for over 10 years!
