From Mexico City or Querétaro, you can take a bus to Ixmiquilpan.

Upon arriving in Ixmiquilpan, you can hire a taxi or take a colectivo (shared van) to reach Tolantongo. The journey to Tolantongo Caves from Ixmiquilpan takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours by road.

The route is well-traveled by both locals and tourists.

Once you arrive in Tolantongo, you’ll need to purchase an entrance ticket to access the canyon and caves. The ticket typically includes access to the thermal pools and other facilities.

• Check the latest travel advisories and local regulations, as conditions and requirements may change.
• Arrive during daylight hours, as the road to Tolantongo can be challenging to navigate at night.
• Bring essentials such as swimwear, sunscreen, insect repellent, and cash for entrance fees.

The original name for the area was “Huascazaloya” (nahuatl) and has 3 possible meanings:

1. The first and most probable means “place of happiness and abundance”
2. The second derives from a phrase that means “place of water”
3. The third comes from a phrase that means “place where they make precious cotton shawls (mantas)”

The appendage “de Ocampo” was adopted in honor of Melchor Ocampo, who lived briefly here in the mid 19th century.

First records of the area extend only as far as the early colonial period. The area came under the encomienda of the Diego de Paz family, who were centered in Atotonilco el Grande starting in 1558. Small villages such as San Sebastian and San Bartolomé are mentioned in early records but not the municipal seat of Huasca. In the late 16th century, the area was acknowledged as an “Indian Republic,” meaning that the natives here had a certain amount of autonomy from the Spanish. By the 17th century, the encomienda was broken up and the lands around the Indian republic became haciendas.

The town of Huasca became established between the 1760s and 1780s as Pedro Romero de Terreros, the first Count of Regla, developed mining here. The mines he established along with earlier ones in Pachuca and Real del Monte made him the richest man in the world at the time. Romero established four major mining haciendas here, with the largest being San Miguel Regla and Santa Maria Regla. At their height, these haciendas employed thousands of workers, first to build them then to operate them. This would end after this count’s death in 1781 due to poor management. By 1810, the production of the mines here, in Pachuca and in Real del Monte fell almost 80%. Lands were rented out and the raising of cattle grew in importance. However, since the renters had no vested interest in maintaining the properties, overgrazing and other ecological damage would ruin this aspect of the economy as well. By the mid 19th century, many of the granaries and other buildings lay in ruins. This prompted mass migration out of the area.

Since that time, agriculture has continued to be the mainstay economically. The large haciendas of the area were broken up, with much of the land becoming ejidos, or lands held in common by rural communities. By the latter part of the 20th century, the main buildings of Santa Maria Regla and San Miguel Regla were converted into luxury hotels and resorts. The San Antonio Hacienda is almost completely underwater due to one of the many dams that have been constructed here in the 20th century to store water and to provide electricity.

No major indigenous communities remain with only 64 people speaking an indigenous language as of the 2005 census.

In addition to agriculture, ecotourism has become a major aspect of the economy. Huasca de Ocampo was the first in Hidalgo state to become part of the federal Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) tourism program, mostly because most of the town’s old buildings remain and the pace of life has changed very little here since the first half of the 20th century.

However, the area’s popularity tourist destination has led to property disputes between residents and those wishing to purchase or otherwise gain control of land here, especially around the old Santa María Regla hacienda. Government authorities have pressured about twenty families to sell, and there is pressure from banks which hold outstanding loans on other properties. Some have been threatened with eviction but court orders have prevented this so far. Many of the families have lived on these lands for over 200 years. Attempts to take the land had been tried since the 1970s, but have intensified recently.

The town of Huasca de Ocampo is set just inside the northeast edge of the Sierra de Pachuca where the meet the west end of the valley of Tulancingo. The town is surrounded by low forested peaks. Upon exiting the town towards the east, the landscape opens out into the valley. The center of town is narrow filled with houses and other buildings made with white sandstone and topped with pitched roofs covered in red laminate (metal or plastic) or red clay tile. The walls are thick and large chunks of stone can be seen held together with mortar. This is common in the older mining areas of Hidalgo where rain is frequent. Some of the structures are decorated with smooth river stones and many of the storefronts and other buildings on the main roads have accents done in rough hewn wood with the bark still attached. The streets of the town are paved with stone and there are few to no streetlights at night.

In the center of the town is the main parish church. Many think the church is dedicated to the Archangel Michael, mostly due to the relief carving above the main portal, but in reality it is dedicated to John the Baptist. This church was founded in the first half of the 16th century by Augustinians from the monastery in Atotonilco el Grande. The relief over the main portal was donated by Pedro de Terreros who was a devotee of the archangel. The side altars inside are made of wood and are assumed to be from the 18th century. One is Baroque in style but is missing columns. It contains a large painting of the Archangel Michael depicted with two Franciscan saints helping souls trapped in Purgatory. The other side altars are more traditionally Baroque in style.

The town is noted for its pottery, made with the local red clay. Most of the pieces are everyday wares such as jars, plates and cups. These are mostly sold at the weekly market or tianguis. The best known artisans in the town are Jesús Chavez Centeno and Luis Escorz who have their shops in the portals north of the main church. Other crafts include hats, caps, molcajetes made with volcanic stone, furniture, wrought iron, objects made from obsidian and rompope. The Casa de Cultura is to the south of the main church which also sells local crafts.

Market day for the town is Monday, when vendors set up stands all along the main street through town, mostly to sell locally needed products. At the market and in the restaurants traditional dishes such as baked trout, cecina, barbacoa, pastes, quesadillas with huitlacoche, pulque bread and fruit wines are available. Specialty dishes such as chinicuiles, escamoles chichas de maguey and dishes made with local wild mushrooms are available in season.

Near the town there is a possible pre-Hispanic site, with evidence of a former pyramid. The town has over fifteen inns and hotels.

The festival of John the Baptist takes place on 24 June of each year. The event is celebrated with masses, charreadas, horse racing, cockfights, sporting events, fireworks, folk dancing and more. Another important annual event is the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. On these occasions, it is possible to see traditional dress such as pants and shirts made of manta (natural cotton cloth) which have been embroidered in bright colors.

Although the town of Huasca de Ocampo is governmental authority for the entire municipality, only a small percentage of the municipality’s population of 15,201 (2005) lives in the town proper. The rest live in the 80+ other communities, which together form a territory of 305.80km2. The municipality borders the municipalities of Tulancingo, Omitlán de Juárez, Acatlán and Atotonilco. To the north, it borders the state of Veracruz.

The municipality extends from the Sierra de Pachuca mountains, where the town is, to over part of a wide, flat valley with lower altitude and warmer temperatures. This area is filled with small towns and villages, as well as fields and orchards. The higher elevations around these flat lands are forested with holm oak which give them an ashy-green look. The altitude of the municipality varies from between 1,800 and 2,800 masl. The municipality is part of the Reserva de la Biosfera de la Vega de Meztitlán (Vega de Meztitlán Biosphere Reserve). About 70% of the municipality lies on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt although there are no active volcanoes here.

About 3,300 hectares is forest, almost all of which is in the Sierra de Pachuca Mountains which surround the town. Major elevations include Cerro Grande, Las Navajas, La Piedra de Jacal, El Horcón and La Peña del Aguila. There are numerous small canyons and ravines, jagged mountainsides which extend far below the peaks. One peak which gives an extended view of the municipality and beyond is called Los Pelados.

The municipality is divided between the basins of the Panuco and Moctezuma Rivers. The area is filled with small rivers, streams and arroyos, which almost always run north-south. The largest of the rivers are the Huascazaloya, Iztla, Hueypan and San Jeronimo. These rivers and streams feed 87 natural and dammed bodies of water, which vary in size from a few meters wide a couple of kilometers. The best known dam in the areas is the San Antonio Regla dam. Water from this dam is used primarily for agricultural irrigation. The major fresh water spring is called Ojo de Agua, which is surrounded by large willow and other trees.

The rivers and streams of the area have cut deep narrow ravines and canyons into much of the municipality. The largest of these is the San Sebastian Canyon, which is part of the Metztitlán Canyon system.

The climate is temperate to mildly cold with an average annual temperature of 15C. Winter gets cold enough to need a warm jacket, especially at night.

There various vegetation here. Most tree species such as pine and holm oak are found in the higher elevations. The flat areas are mostly grass and farmland with scattered trees such as willows and laurels. Wildlife is limited to small mammals such as badgers, squirrels, foxes and moles. Other species include birds such as eagles and reptiles such as chameleons.

Historically, the most important economic activities here have been mining and agriculture. Mining no longer has the importance it once did, but agriculture remains important, employing over 37% of the municipality’s population. There are over 3,000 units of production that occupy over 17,000 hectares of land. Over 9,000 of this are dedicated to crops, with about 4,000 as pasture. By far the most important crop is corn, producing over 14,000 tons. Next in importance are animal feed, beans, wheat and alfalfa. Fruit orchards can also be found. Domesticated livestock includes fowl, sheep, goats, pigs turkeys, cows, horses and bees. The most common are sheep, cows and goats.

As of 1993, there were only nine industrial enterprises in the municipality, employing fifteen people. Products include processed foods, drinks and animal feed. Manufacturing, construction and mining employ 28.1% of the population.

Commerce consists of tourism and those devoted to goods and services for the local population. This employs about 35% of the population. This is the portion of the economy which has been promoted by state and local authorities.

The municipality is promoted by the Hidalgo state tourism authority as part of the Corredor de la Montaña, or Mountain Corridor. On the federal level, the town is promoted as a Pueblo Mágico or Magical Town, due to its preserved architecture and natural surroundings. These promotions have included reforestation and other reclamation projects to make the areas more attractive to tourists. Most of the area’s visitors are from Mexico City, which is only 1 hour and 40 minutes away by car. Ecotourism and the local haciendas are the major draws, with activities related to the bodies of water, mountains and canyon areas. These include fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding and more. The area’s haciendas were mostly built by Pedro Romero de Terreros and they, along with other sites, have been used as sets for movies and television shows. Tours to most of the municipality’s attractions run from the town of Huasca, especially on weekends.

Santa María Regla Hacienda

Terreros built four mining haciendas in this area, at a cost of two million pesos, an incredible sum at the time. About half of that money went towards the construction of Santa Maria Regla alone. Located four km from the town of Huasca, Construction began in 1762 as a silver operation. The name is from its dedication to the Virgin Mary as she was venerated in the town of Chipiona in the province of Cádiz, Spain, where Romero was from. Rocks extracted from mines were brought to the main facility to be crushed and treated with mercury to purify the silver. This process required large quantities of water which the local streams provided. Local forests provided the wood needed to melt the silver into bars. The hacienda extends over twelve hectares of land at the bottom of the canyon (very close to the Prismas Basálticas), and at its height, employed up to 2,000 workers.

This haciendas was Romero’s residence in the area, where he died in 1781. Alexander von Humboldt visited Santa María Regla in 1803, making sketches of it, including the Prismas Basálticas which were part of the property at the time. His sketches and writings were published in Europe, and he is considered to be the first tourism promoter for the area. The original drawings are in the British Museum in London.

The main portal bears an image of the Archangel Michael with the inscription of “Quis ut Deus” (Who like God). A number of the original buildings have been preserved such as the main house, the smelting ovens, tunnels, aqueducts, storage facilities, the main patios with its arches and chapel. The chapel has a sober Baroque facade and the design is attributed to Antonio Rivas Mercado.

The hacienda was converted into a hotel in 1945, with the main residence as a luxury hotel. Much of the hacienda property is now underwater due to the damming of nearby stream. The facility offers picnic spaces, protected wildlife areas, restaurant, horseback riding, guided tours and ATV rentals. There are exhibits of old mining and smelting equipment, and the chapel can be rented for weddings and other occasions. It also has facilities for raising trout, which are available at the restaurant. The hacienda was used in the production of movies such as The Old Gringo, The Mask of Zorro and the Mexican film “Ave María” with Demián Bichir.

San Miguel Regla Hacienda

The other well-known hacienda of the area is San Miguel Regla, which is located just outside the town of Huasca, in a community also called San Miguel Regla. This hacienda was constructed by Romero in the 18th century and is also dedicated to mining. The hacienda conserves many of its structures such as the five-meter stone perimeter wall, arches of the main patios, the main house, the smelting ovens (now flooded), holding tanks for ore and the gardens. Much of the former property of San Miguel Regla is now ejido land, but the complex has been converted into a hotel and ecotourism park. The main house is a luxury hotel, with small villas constructed over the property connected by footpaths. The gardens of the area are maintained as they were in the 18th century, with a modern heated swimming pool added. Other offerings include a clay tennis court, bar, game room, videorental and a meeting hall that accommodates 160 people. The lake by this hacienda has walking paths, fountains and a Greek-style theatre.

Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla

The Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla (Prismas basálticos de Santa María Regla in Spanish) are tall columns of basalt rock that line a ravine through which water runs from the San Antonio Dam. This ravine area was part of the Santa María Regla Hacienda and was first promoted by Alexander von Humboldt in 1803.

The walls of the canyon, called the Barranca de Alcholoya, are lined by polygonal columns between thirty and fifty meters high with five or six sides. The basalt columns were created by the slow cooling of volcanic lava. The visible columns are backed by even more polygonal basalt columns. There are two waterfalls. The higher one has its water supplemented by diversions from nearby dams. The lower one is called the Cascada de la Rosa. The canyon has been prepared by the addition of stairs, walkways and hanging bridges for easy access.

Two other important haciendas in the area are San Antonio Regla and San Juan Hueyapan. San Antonio Regla was built by Pedro Romero de Terrero as a mining facility. In the early 20th century, it was one of the more active facilities in the state. Today, however, the entire area is submerged due to the damming of the Huazcazaloya and Iztla Rivers by the San Antonio Dam, which provides electricity to Pachuca. All that can be seen is a large smokestack or chimney poking up out of the waters. This belonged to the refinery. The San Juan Hueyapan Hacienda was one of the first to be founded in Mexico and was dedicated to farming and livestock. It was constructed by a nephew of Hernán Cortés in 1535. It conserves its taverns, stables, and chapel.

El Zembo is located seven km from the center of Huasca in a small valley surrounded by high peaks and forests of holm oak and fir. It has a trout farm and various small rustic restaurants that prepare the fish in various ways. Visitors can buy a trout to have prepared or fish one from the property’s lake.

The Parque de las Truchas or Trout Park (also called Bosque de las Truchas) was begun about ten years ago when 72 ejidos decided to construct a trout farm on their communal lands. Only twenty one remain with the project. The park offers fishing, canoeing, grills and horseback riding to visitors along with the sale of fish. The hatchery deposits anywhere from 40,000 to 60,000 eggs in a tank, of which about 80% hatch. These eggs are imported from the United States because the waters here are slightly too cold for rainbow trout to spawn. Each week, eggs are deposited in Lago de la Cruz, the only lake in the park with a name, but fishing is permitted in almost all of the lakes and ponds. It is located about seven km from the town of Huasca.

The Peña del Aire is an enormous basalt rock that juts off the side of a canyon just north of the Santa María Regla Hacienda. Located 800 meters above the canyon floor, upon first glance, it appears suspended in the air, giving it its name. In this canyon flows a river arriving from Tulancingo and leading to the San Sebastian Canyon. Near this landmark are areas dedicated to rappelling, mountain climbing and hiking.

Just outside the town of Huasca is the Museo de los Duendes (a duende is a troll or goblin-like creature). Outside of the building is a sign which says “Aunque usted no lo crea” (Believe it or not). The building is small and made rough hewn wood from local trees. Run by María de los Angeles, the museum is dedicated to stories of goblins and similar creatures around the world. Angeles states that, according to legend, a group of friends were camping in this area in 1994 when they came upon a group of goblins which told them that their kind were angry over mankind’s destruction of nature and cruelty to each other. They also stated that despite stories to the contrary, goblins were not evil creatures. This is reason behind the museum. The Museo de los Duendes A large part of its collection of goblin figures include those made from hair from horses’ manes and tails.

The Aguacatitla Canyon is several km from San Miguel Regla and is one of the branches of the San Sebastian Canyon. This area has been developed for rappelling, hiking, and rock climbing. El Huariche is an ecotourism development on ejido land located in the community of Oje de Agua, near Santa María Regla. It has begins and camping areas, and is surrounded by pine forest. There are two organizations that offer hot air balloon tours over the area: Club Aerostático Nacional and Club de Aeronautas de México.

You can dial 078 from any phone, where you can find free information about tourist attractions, airports, travel agencies, car rental companies, embassies and consulates, fairs and exhibitions, hotels, hospitals, financial services, migratory and other issues.

Or dial the toll-free (in Mexico) number 01-800-006-8839.

You can also request information to the email correspondencia@sectur.gob.mx

MORE EMERGENCY NUMBERS:

General Information: 040 (not free)

SNational Emergency Service: 911

Radio Patrols: 066
Police (Emergency): 060
Civil Protection: +52(55)5683-2222
Anonymous Complaint: 089

Setravi (Transport Mobility): +52(55)5209-9913
Road Emergency: 074

Cruz Roja: 065 o +52(55)5557-5757
Firefighters: 068 o +52(55)5768-3700

Pachuca experiences a semi-arid climate with distinct wet and dry seasons.

• The coldest month is January, with an average high of 20°C and an average low of 3°C.
• Winter nights are cold and the temperature can drop below 0 °C.
• The warmest month is May, with an average high of 24°C and a low of 9°C.
• Due to its high altitude, nighttime temperatures remain cool throughout the year.
• The average annual precipitation is 412 mm, mostly concentrated in the months of May through September.
• In terms of extremes, the record high was 40°C and the record low was −9°C.

Dry Season (November to March)

During these months, Pachuca experiences cool and dry weather. Daytime temperatures range from 15°C to 22°C, making it pleasant for outdoor activities. Nights can get chilly, so it’s advisable to bring a light jacket or sweater.

Wet Season (April to October)

Pachuca’s wet season is characterized by warm and humid conditions.

Temperatures typically range from 20°C to 26°C. This period sees occasional rainfall, which can sometimes be heavy. It’s essential to carry an umbrella or raincoat if you plan to visit during these months.

The best time to visit Pachuca

The best time to visit Pachuca depends on your preferences and the activities you plan to enjoy.

Spring (March to May): The spring season in Pachuca offers mild temperatures and the beauty of blossoming flowers. It’s an ideal time for exploring the city’s historical sites and hiking in the nearby mountains.

Fall (September to November): This season is characterized by pleasant weather, making it great for outdoor excursions. The foliage begins to change colors, providing picturesque views of the surrounding landscape.

There is no consensus about the origin of the name Pachuca. It has been traced to the words:

• Pachoa (strait, opening)
• Pachoacan (place of government, place of silver and gold)
• Patlachuican (place of factories; place of tears)

The official name of Pachuca is Pachuca de Soto in honor of congressman Manuel Fernando Soto, who is given credit for the creation of Hidalgo state.

The city’s nickname is “La Bella Airosa” (“Beautiful Airy City”) comes from the strong winds that blow into the valley through the canyons to the north of the city.

In the indigenous Otomi language, Pachuca is known as Nju̱nthe.

The area had been long inhabited, but except for some green obsidian the mining that Pachuca is famous for began in the mid-16th century, during Spanish colonial rule.

Pachuca remained a major mining center until the mid-20th century, with the city’s fortunes going up and down with the health of the mining sector. In the mid-20th century, a major downturn in mining pushed Pachuca to change the basis of its economy to industry, resulting in the revamping of the Universidad Autónoma de Hidalgo.

Today mining forms only a fraction of the municipality’s economy.

One cultural aspect that makes Pachuca stand out is the influence that Cornish miners who immigrated here in the 19th century have had. Many of their descendants remain in Pachuca and nearby Real del Monte, as well as two heritages that define the city, football and a dish called “pastes.”

***

Evidence of early human habitation in this area is found in Cerro de las Navajas and Zacualtipán, in the Sierra de Pachuca. Here primitive mines to extract green obsidian, arrowheads, scraping tools, and mammoth remains can be traced back as far as 12,000 BCE.

An ancient pre-Hispanic obsidian tool-making center has also been found in the small town of San Bartolo near the city. Around 2,000 BCE nomadic groups here began to be replaced by sedentary peoples who formed farming villages in an area then known as Itzcuincuitlapilco, of which the municipality of Pachuca is a part. Later artifacts from between 200 CE and 850 CE show Teotihuacan influence with platforms and figurines found in San Bartolo and in Tlapacoya.

Development of this area as a city, however, would lag behind other places in the region such as Tulancingo, Tula, and Atotonilco El Grande, but the archeological sites here were on the trade routes among these larger cities.

After the Teotihuacan era, the area was dominated by the Chichimecas with their capital in Xaltocan, who called the area around Pachuca Njunthé.

Later, the Chichimecas would found the dominion of Cuauhtitlán pushing the native Otomis to the Mezquital Valley. These conquests coalesced into a zone called Cuautlalpan, of which Pachuca was a part.

Fortifications in the area of Pachuca City and other areas were built between 1174 and 1181. This dominion would eventually be overrun by the Aztec Triple Alliance between 1427 and 1430, with the rule in Pachuca then coming from the city of Tenochtitlan.

According to tradition, it was after this conquest that mineral exploitation began here and in neighboring Real del Monte, at a site known as Jacal or San Nicolás. The Aztec governing center was where Plaza Juárez in Pachuca City is now.

The Spanish arrived here in 1528, killing the local Aztec governor, Ixcóatl.

Credit for the Spanish conquest of the Pachuca area has been given to Francisco Téllez, an artilleryman who came to Mexico with Hernán Cortés in 1519. He and Gonzalo Rodriguez were the first Spaniards here, constructing two feudal estates, and calling the area Real de Minas de Pachuca.

Téllez was also given credit for laying out the colonial city of Pachuca on the European model but this story has been proven false, with no alternative version. Mining resources were not discovered here until 1552, and there are several versions of this story.

The most probable comes from a work called “Descripción Anónima de la Minas de Pachuca” (Anonymous Description of the Mines of Pachuca) written between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.

This work claims that the first mineral deposits were found by Alonso Rodríguez de Salgado on his ranch on the outskirts of Pachuca in two large hills called Magdalena and Cristóbal. This discovery would quickly change the area’s economy from agriculture to one dependent almost completely on mining.

As early as 1560 the population of the city had tripled to 2,200, with most people employed in mining in some way. Because of this rapid growth and the ruggedness of the terrain, it was impossible to lay out an orderly set of streets.

The first main plaza was placed next to the Asunción Parish, which is now the Garden of the Constitution. Next to the “Cajas Reales” (Royal Safe) was constructed to guard the fifth that belonged to the king.

In 1554, on the Purísima Concepción Hacienda, now the site of a tennis club, Bartolomé de Medina found the largest mineral deposits here as well as developed new ways of extracting minerals from ore using the patio process. This caused Pachuca to grow even more with the discovery of new deposits and accelerated extraction processes.

Mining operations spread to nearby areas such as Atotonilco, Actopan, and Tizayuca. The population of the town continued to grow, leading Pachuca to be declared a city in 1813.

Mining output had waned by the 18th century due to flooding but was revived in 1741 by the first Count of Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros, and his business partner Jose Alejandro Bustamante, who invested in new drainage works.

He also discovered new veins of ore, mostly in nearby Real del Monte. By 1746, Pachuca had a population of 900 Spanish, mestizo, and mulatto households, plus 120 Indian ones.

During the Mexican War of Independence, the city was taken by Miguel Serrano and Vicente Beristain de Souza in 1812, which caused the mines here to be abandoned by owners loyal to Spain. The war left the Pachuca area in a state of chaos, both politically and economically. The third Count of Regla brought the first Cornish miners and technology around 1824.

The Cornish took over mines abandoned by the Spanish, bringing 1,500 tones of more modern equipment from Cornwall. Cornish companies eventually dominated mining here until 1848, when the Mexican-American War forced them to sell out to a Mexican company by the name of Mackintosh, Escondón, Beistegui, and John Rule. Mining operations resumed in 1850, especially in the Rosario mine.

Pachuca was declared the capital of Hidalgo by Benito Juárez in 1869.

Mining operations were disrupted again by the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. The city was first taken by forces loyal to Francisco I. Madero in 1911. Roberto Martinez y Martinez, a general under Pancho Villa, entered the city in 1915. Both incursions were due to the economic importance of the mines here.

During this time American investors came to Pachuca, again updating the mining technology used here. From 1906 to 1947 the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining Company was the primary producer here, with output reaching its peak in the 1930s. However, by 1947, mining here had become too costly, because of political instability, labor disputes, and low prices for silver on the world market. The company sold its interests to the Mexican government in 1965.

The decline in mining here in the mid-20th century had disastrous effects on the city.

Many of the abandoned houses and other buildings were in danger of collapse. Under the ownership of the Mexican government, mining came to a near standstill. During this time Pachuca’s economy began to shift from mining to industry.

The old Instituto Científico Literario Autónomo de Hidalgo was converted to the Universidad Autónoma del Estado in 1961, which would become one of the impetuses to the growth of the city in the following years, turning out as it did a better educated and more technical workforce in areas such as law, engineering, business, and medicine. In the late 1950s and through the 1960s, some growth was seen in the way of suburban developments for workers in newly built factories.

Population growth returned in the 1970s and continued through the 1990s because of the growth of non-mining industries as well as the development of a large student population for the state university as well as other educational institutions.

Another impetus was the movement of many government offices to Pachuca with new government facilities such as the State Government Palace and the State Supreme Court built in the 1970s.

Much of the city’s growth during this time was due to new housing projects, but infrastructure projects such as the new Municipal Market, the remodeling of the Plaza Benito Juárez, and the main bus station also took place.

The city occupies a small valley and is almost completely surrounded by large hills, which are also covered in housing. The city center has maintained most of its colonial-era structures, with narrow winding streets.

Away from this center is the more modern Pachuca, with warehouses, factories, supermarkets, and a large football stadium called “El Huracán” (The Hurricane).

Pachuca is the center of one of the most important mining areas in Mexico, and for this reason, most of the city’s attractions are based on the mining industry. Many of these are located near Hidalgo Street, which is one of the oldest in Pachuca and runs alongside the arcade of the main plaza (Plaza de la Constitución) to Hidalgo Park. The oldest markets and houses are also located on this street, many of which are well-preserved.

Reloj Monumental

The Reloj Monumental—Monumental Clock is the icon of the city. Donated by Cornishman, Francis Rule, it was built to commemorate the Centennial of Mexico’s Independence and was inaugurated on 15 September 1910 (Noche de Grito).

The base of the Reloj was made originally for a kiosk but it was decided to put the clock here instead. A group from the city had the idea for the clock, and they, along with Mexican ambassador Jesús Zenil arranged to have the same company that built Big Ben, construct the inner workings.

The outer monument portion is Mexican-made and was supervised by engineers Francisco Hernández and Luis Carreón.

It is a tower with four parts in Neoclassic style, constructed of white “cantera” stone with a height of 40 meters. In the middle, there are four sculpted faces of women done in marble by Carrara, which symbolize Reform, Liberty, Independence, and Constitution.

Church and ex-monastery of San Francisco

The Church and Ex Monastery of San Francisco were begun in 1596, and the church was completed c. 1660.

The façade is in the colonial Spanish Baroque style. The interior conserves aspects of its 16th-century origins, including the groin vault. The church contains oil paintings by regionally well-known artists of the 18th century.

The sacristy has beautiful ritual sinks in sculpted stone, one of which is decorated with Talavera tile from Puebla. It also has paintings depicting the genealogy and life of Francis of Assisi.

The adjoining cloister was completed in 1604. It has not been a monastery for many years and had a number of subsequent uses. It had greatly deteriorated until recently restored to house the Centro Cultural Hidalgo.

Behind the church is the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Luz. Built between the 17th and 18th centuries, it contains the only Churrigueresque altar in the city. This altar also contains the remains of the Count of Regla, Pedro Romero de Terreros.

The Museum of Photography and Photographic Library of INAH, and the Regional Museum, occupy much of the complex now.

The photography museum contains antique photography equipment as well as works by known photographers such as Guillermo Kahlo and Tina Modotti. To the east of the monastery complex is the Bartolomé de Medina Park.

The City Theater and the School of Arts face the park.

Asunción Church

The Asunción Church is the oldest in the city, constructed in 1553, and remodeled several times, with major reconstruction in 1719. The Asunción Chapel has an entrance with two levels.

The lower one contains the door and has a round arch, flanked by two pilasters and a Baroque architrave. The upper level has a choir window, with a niche above and topped by a pediment. The bell tower also has two levels, both with round arches.

Mercantil Bank—Bancomer Building

The Bancomer Building is located at the front of the main plaza. It was designed in the Neoclassical style, and built in 1902. It was first occupied by the Mercantil Bank, then by the Hidalgo Bank, and then was converted into the Niágara Hotel.

Today it has returned to being a bank. It has a notable façade of brown cantera stone, lightly sculpted, with a keystone in the form of parchment, cornice, Ionic columns, and geometric designs in the upper parts.

It is topped by a pediment which contains the figure of a lion.

Cajas Reales

The Cajas Reales was where miners paid a 20% share of their extractions to the Spanish Crown. It not only collected taxes, it was the only place that sold the mercury needed to extract silver from ore as a monopoly of the state.

It was constructed in the 17th century by viceroy Sebastián de Toledo Márquez Mancera. It is a two-story building with a central patio.

The façade contains two towers that flank the main entrance and the north side to serve as guard stations for the building. It has housed the offices of the Compañía Real del Monte y Pachuca since 1850.

Emperor Maximillian I stayed here when he visited the city in 1865.

Methodist Church

The Methodist Church building was built in the early 20th century and is distinguished by its locally rare Romanesque Revival style. It is considered an important building of the Cornish period in the state.

It remains a Protestant church and contains the Julián Villagrán School.

Casa Colorado

The Casa Colorado, part of the hacienda of the Conde de Regla, was built in the 18th century.

It has an austere façade of a reddish color, which gives the house its name. The building formerly had an interior courtyard with a Gothic-style cloister arcade but was demolished when enclosed.

In 1886 Governor Francisco Cravioto acquired this building to house state judicial offices. The building served the judiciary through the mid-20th century. Many of the streets connecting from here to nearby Hidalgo Street are named after former notable lawyers and judges.

Archivo Historico y Museo de Minería

The Archivo Historico y Museo de Minería—Historic Archive and Museum of Mining is located on Mina Street in a manor that dates from the 19th century, called the Cajas de San Rafael. The mansion is constructed of cantera stone and occupies a space of 950m2.

It contains documents that trace the history of mining here from 1556 to 1967, and the more than a billion ounces of silver and the five million ounces of gold that have been extracted from the state of Hidalgo during that time.

The museum has three exhibition halls, a covered courtyard, and a garden that contains mining machinery. such as a steam shovel, a winch, and a truck used for the transport of ore.

The exhibition halls contain displays relating to how minerals are found in nature and the tools and processes used to extract them. It also houses a large collection of documents, a library, and a photography laboratory.

The documentation contained here was rescued starting in 1987. In 1993 the current site was renovated to house the collection. The collection also includes miners’ personal effects, as well as artworks relating to mining.

Museo de Mineralogía

The Museo de Mineralogía—Museum of Mineralogy belongs to the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. The mineralogy museum is housed in the old Hospital de San Juan de Dios.

It was built and operated by monks until 1869 when the state converted the building into the Instituto Literario y Esuela de Artes y Oficios. The museum exhibits a large collection of mineral specimens from the region.

Municipal Palace— Rule House

The Municipal Palace or Conde Rule House is located on Leandro Valle and Morelos streets. It is a two-story building constructed at the end of the 19th century. The main entrance is flanked by two pilasters and topped with a pediment decorated with reliefs made of shells.

It belonged to a rich Cornish miner by the name of Francis Rule and later became the Municipal Palace.

Other attractions

Formerly there was an English/Cornish neighborhood in the central part of Pachuca. The British Consulate is all that remains there, located in an “English style” residence built at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Mercado de Barreteros is on the Central Plaza and is considered one of the most valuable architectural elements in the city. The lower level is dedicated to services such as cafés, and the upper floor is dedicated to arts and crafts shops. The Monument of Christ the King is located on the Santa Apolonia Mountain and is one of the largest in Mexico.

The Archivo del Estado de Hidalgo—Museum of the State of Hidalgo located in the Civic Centre of the State Congress. Its collection focuses on the history of the state of Hidalgo, through archival photographs and documents. Its collection also includes national history items.

The Museo El Rehilete is an interactive museum for children with exhibits on archeology, botany, other sciences, and the arts.

The Sede del Salón de la Fama del Fútbol—Hall of Fame of Football is in the shape of a football and is located in Parque David Ben Gurion of the Zona Plateada district. The Universidad de Fútbol—Football University is the only training facility of its kind in the Americas and one of only a few in the world.

History

Beginning in 1824, Cornish miners and English investors came to Pachuca and the neighboring town of Real del Monte to invest and work in the mines here. Some founded the Compañía Real de Monte y Pachuca.

Mexico’s remaining Cornish community represents a largely forgotten immigrant story. In the early 19th century, miners in Cornwall were enduring economic hardships.

Ships carrying 125 passengers and some 1,500 tons of equipment sailed out of Falmouth, Cornwall, landing in Veracruz three months later. The treacherous 500-km trek inland killed about half of the miners and their family members, many succumbing to malaria and yellow fever.

Those who made it settled in Pachuca and Real del Monte.

The immigrants brought technology, notably the famous high-pressure steam pumping engines designed by Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick, which turned many of the area’s water-logged mines into huge silver producers.

The majority of the immigrants to this region came from the Cornish mining areas of Camborne, Redruth, and Gwennap. Cornish/English workers and their technology revitalized the silver industry here and miners’ remittances sent back home helped to build the Wesleyan Chapel in Redruth in the 1820s.

Architecture

Today the Pachuca – Real del Monte District retains much from its period of association with Cornwall and is home to one of Mexico’s most enduring cross-cultural pollinations.

The miners’ influence is obvious in architecture. Up in the hills around Pachuca, many houses feature distinctly British characteristics: thicker walls, square windows, and pitched roofs. Some of Pachuca’s landmarks have English/Cornish influences.

The Spanish Baroque style Reloj Monumental (Monumental Clock) chimes to the tune of Big Ben and was financed by Francis Rule. The city’s main Methodist church was built by Cornish miners.

The English mining company’s main office as well as the residence of Francis Rule of Camborne, the last Cornish manager of the Real del Monte mine, still bears his initials.

The archives of the company are part of the “Historic Archive and Museum of Mining in Pachuca” (Museo de Minería) collections, and contain detailed records of Cornish employees, especially between 1824 and 1849.

Influences

The Cornish immigrants married into Mexican families, and even today Cornish surnames are not uncommon in this area with hundreds of Cornish descendants present. One example is Umberto Skewes, who speaks little English but whose grandfather came to Mexico from Cornwall.

Skewes is the custodian of the English Cemetery, which contains approximately 600 graves, predominantly of Cornish miners and their families. The Cornish-Mexican Cultural Society works to build educational links between Mexico and the United Kingdom.

The group has marketed Pachuca and Real del Monte as “Mexico’s Little Cornwall” through the Mexican embassy in London.

Cornish and English miners introduced to Mexico such things as tennis, golf, rugby, cricket, and chess. However, the two introductions which have had the greatest influence on Pachuca’s identity are football and pastes.

The Mexican Spanish word “paste” comes from the Cornish word pasties, which is basically a semi-circular turnover made with a pastry crust with sweet or savory fillings.

Cornish miners brought the recipe with them as they made a good way to bring their midday meal with them to the mines.

One feature of both pasties and pastes is that they have a thick braided edge. Originally, this was done to provide the miners with a way to hold the turnover without getting the filled portion dirty, as there was no way to wash their hands before eating.

The shape and pastry portion of the turnover has remained the same but today, the fillings are decidedly Mexican: mole verde, beans, mole rojo, chicken “tinga,” pineapple, rice pudding, and one seasonal specialty is a lamb paste with poblano chili peppers.

Pastes are a local delicacy strongly identified with both Pachuca and Real del Monte.

The Feria de Pachuca is known colloquially by several names such as the Feria Tradicional/Internacional de San Francisco, the Feria de Hidalgo, and the Feria de Caballo. It is the most important annual event in the state of Hidalgo, taking place every October in facilities located in the south of Pachuca.

The festival began as a liturgical event sponsored by monks at the Monastery of San Francisco in the 16th century, which eventually drew dignitaries from surrounding communities.

The festival sponsors a number of events such as bullfights, cockfights, charreadas, horse shows, rodeos, crafts and folk dance shows, livestock exhibitions, and features regional cuisine. It also hosts concerts by well-known Mexican musical artists.

Other notable events in the city include the Ramón Noble Guitar Festival and the Feria Hidaltur. The first presents concerts by guitarists of various genres from countries such as Brazil, Spain, the U.S., Israel, England, and Mexico.

There are classes and workshops by renowned artists as well as a national-level competition for classical guitar. The Feria Hidaltur is held in March and April with the purpose of promoting the arts and crafts of Hidalgo state.

The festival also has equestrian events, hot-air balloons, and other attractions.

Gold and silver were discovered after the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1520s. The Colonial Spanish began mining in the 16th century in the Pachuca area, but the mines were suffering from flooding by 1725.

In 1741, Pedro Romero de Terreros and Jose Alejandro Bustamante started a drainage program using an adit.

The native Mexican Amerindians were often enslaved to work the mines, despite the Royal mandate for Colonial Jesuit Reductions and later Franciscan Indian Reductions. In addition, Africans were imported to replace Indian slaves.

The Real del Monte 1766 Strike is considered by many to be the first real labor strike in North American history.

The town’s steep streets, stairways and small squares are lined with low buildings, some dating back to the Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain period (1500s – 1810). The older houses with high sloping roofs and chimneys in town show the 19th century Cornish and English influence.

English cemetery

The English cemetery is on a hill located near the Cerro del Jew, in the English district of Mineral del Monte.

In 1834 it originated with the name of Pantheon English. In 1851 it would restore, in 1862 placed the iron gate and in 1863, the rest where even lodge ceremonies or religion they are made.

The British Cemetery is a unique example of architecture that integrates charm and mystique in its interiors. It is one of the sites of greatest interest to visitors, including people from England, Switzerland, the United States, the country, and Hidalgo.

This cemetery was built in 1851 on land donated by Thomas Straffon, who was one of the first British who arrived with wife and children and was an official of the mining companies operating in that time several mining Hidalgo state funds.

It has 755 tombs, the oldest of Dr. Robert Tindall (1834). All graves are aligned and oriented towards England and there is one a tomb that does not. The single askew grave belongs to a Yorkshire born mining engineer. Not Richard Bell, a world-famous clown decided to start his own circus.

Mine Acosta

Acosta mine began operations in 1727 and maintains its productive activity until 1985. Today it has become an important museum where you can learn about its history and relevant aspects of mining work.

On the site are vestiges and architectural installations, testimony of its historical stages: the colony, immigration and British investment in the region by starting the steam era and the advent of electricity with US investors.

You will visit inside the mine where you will meet a vein of silver, after a historical overview of the work of mining.

Cultural Center Real del Monte

It was inaugurated on March 30, 2011, with the aim of providing education and promotion of the arts and culture in the town of Real del Monte, in what once was known as Casa de Cultura in the same municipality.

The new infrastructure allows expand the educational opportunities of this new center as it has in the area of fine arts with potteries, engraving, photography and painting; music, piano, drums, electric guitar, violin and acoustic guitar; in dance, ballet, ballroom dancing and danzón; in literature, creative writing and theater, performing arts workshop.

Santa Veracruz Church

In 1584 the brotherhood of Santa Veracruz was founded and a chapel that was demolished in the late seventeenth century was built.

Between 1718 and 1736 the building that remains today it was performed. The facade has a small tower south, its simple baroque façade has a pair of columns on both sides of the arch of the door.

The interior retains two beautiful golden altarpieces, made in the second half of the eighteenth century. One, although deteriorated and incomplete, is anástilo, the last stage of the Baroque, and the other two bodies, holds estípites columns and sculptures of Santa Ana and San Joaquin. It is located south of the main square.

Housing construction is masonry barrel vault with lunettes, with a dome with lantern on the cruise and the wooden floor.

Inside are two gilded wooden altarpieces Churrigueresque, on the high altar the image of San Francisco de Asis is located.

19th-century Cornish miners

The Cornish role in the development of Mexican silver mining is significant. The Cornish brought “new” mining technology of the industrial revolution in the 1820s, reviving Mexican silver mining. Especially important was English equipment to drain mine tunnels flooded by groundwater since the Spanish period. The majority of immigrant miners came from the Cornish Central Mining District of Camborne-Redruth-Gwennap in Cornwall. The Cornish firm that ran the Real del Monte-Pachuca mines between 1824 and 1848, employed 350 Cornish miners and, when the mines were in full operation, the municipality was once the richest in the state.

One of the leading personalities in 19th-century Mexico mining was Francis Rule, from Camborne in Cornwall. Known as El Rey de la Plata (Silver King), Rule left a mark on the Pachucan cityscape, with civic generosity to his adopted homeland. His opinion could be a barometer for the rise and fall of mining shares. He became very wealthy from his numerous mining interests in the district. One was the Santa Gertrudis Mine, which by 1898 was one of the most productive in the State of Hidalgo under Cornish management.

Four extant Cornish mine engine houses, and the English Cemetery (Panteon Inglés) containing the graves of hundreds of Cornishmen in Pachuca, bear witness to the Cornish contributions to Mexican silver mining for over a century. The cemetery is undergoing restoration following storm damage in 2016.

***

It was the Cornish who first introduced soccer/football to Mexico (Pachuca). The first game of what would go on to be Mexico’s national past time (futbol), was first played in Mexico by Cornish miners at Pachuca in 1900, a fact that is celebrated each year. The first soccer club in the country, the Pachuca Athletic Club, was also founded in that year. The first team consisted of Charles Dawe, John Dawe, James Bennetts, John Bennetts, William Blamey, Richard Sobey, William Bragg, William Thomas, Percy Bunt, Lionel Bunt, Albert Pengelly and William Pengelly, a decidedly ‘Cornish’ team. The Pachuca club encouraged the formation of teams in Mexico City and Orizaba, the first championship was played in 1902 and ‘El Pachuca’ won the 1904-05 tournament. Also rugby union, cricket, tennis, polo, chess among other sports, were introduced here.

Methodism was introduced to Roman Catholic Mexico by the Cornish upon their arrival, and most of the descendants of the Cornish in Real del Monte and Pachuca are of Methodist faith. They brought Methodist Christianity to other major Mexican cities as they relocated. Mexican remittances helped to build the Wesleyan Chapel in Redruth, Cornwall, in the 1820s.

Little Cornwall

The twin silver mining settlements of Pachuca and Real del Monte (Mineral del Monte) in the State of Hidalgo have been marketed as ‘Mexico’s Little Cornwall’ by the Mexican Embassy in London since 2007.

This represents the first attempt by the Spanish-speaking part of the Cornish diaspora to establish formal links with Cornwall.

The Camborne Town Council voted on 19 July 2007 to twin with Pachuca and on 16 August 2007 a public meeting confirmed the earlier decision of Redruth Town Council to twin with Real del Monte.

The formal twinning ceremony took place at Mineral del Monte in July 2008 during the visit of the Cornish Mexican Cultural Society.

Real del Monte is a home of the paste in Mexico, with 30 paste producers in the town.

A little larger than cocktail pasties common to the UK, the Mexican-made versions are widely varied including: meat and potato, black bean, shredded chicken, and sausage, all heavily laced with chillies plus a range of sweet pasties including: pineapple, apple, strawberry, and blackberry.

A number have developed into national chains with shops in towns and cities across Mexico.

The town of Real del Monte is the site of a museum of Cornish pasties, opened in 2011.

International Pasty Festival

In October 2009 the town of Real del Monte (twinned with Redruth, Cornwall) held the first International Pasty Festival (Festival Internacional del Paste).

Organised by the Municipality of Real del Monte, the paste producers and the Cornish Mexican Cultural Society Chapter Mexico, the Festival was a great success drawing an estimated 8,000 visitors to the town for the three-day event. A coach of visitors travelled from Cuernavaca, some four hours away, and another from Mexico City.

The Festival was opened by the President Municipal of Real del Monte, Ing. Omar Mariano Skewes. During the opening speeches it was stated that “Cornish people rebuilt our shattered mining industry giving us work and now again, when we have lost that industry, the Cornish have given us pastes and a new source of income”.

As is usual on festival days in this town, the programme commenced with a visit to the Cornish Cemetery and a guided tour by Bridget Galsworthy of the British Society, followed by wreath-laying at the Miner´s Monument.

The main street was transformed with a long line of tented stands where ‘pastes’ of all descriptions were produced and a large stage next to the Miners’ Memorial provided dance and other entertainments throughout the Festival.

At the end of the 19th-century, the engineer Andrés Aldasoro worked in the Las dos Estrellas mine. Two of his sons, Juan Pablo Aldasoro and Eduardo Aldasoro Suárez, were born in Mineral del Monte. As adults, they became pioneers in aviation, and both became members of the Early Birds of Aviation. Alfred C. Crowle was the Cornish born miner who emigrated to Mexico and in 1935 became manager to the national Mexican football team.

John Edgar Benjamin Vial was a Cornish-Mexican who fought in the British Imperial Forces during World War I. He died in the Battle of Somme. For his service he received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. There is a monument in his honor at the Panteon Inglés.

You can dial 078 from any phone, where you can find free information about tourist attractions, airports, travel agencies, car rental companies, embassies and consulates, fairs and exhibitions, hotels, hospitals, financial services, migratory and other issues.

Or dial the toll-free (in Mexico) number 01-800-006-8839.

You can also request information to the email correspondencia@sectur.gob.mx

MORE EMERGENCY NUMBERS:

General Information: 040 (not free)

National Emergency Service: 911

Radio Patrols: 066
Police (Emergency): 060
Civil Protection: +52(55)5683-2222
Anonymous Complaint: 089

Setravi (Transport Mobility): +52(55)5209-9913
Road Emergency: 074

Cruz Roja: 065 o +52(55)5557-5757
Firefighters: 068 o +52(55)5768-3700

The Tula site is important to the history of Mesoamerica, especially the central highlands of Mexico. Still, it is generally overshadowed by its predecessor Teotihuacan, and one of its successors, Tenochtitlan.

The name “Tula” is derived from the Nahuatl phrase Tollan Xicocotitlan, which means ‘near the cattails’. However, the Aztecs applied the term Tollan to mean ‘urban center’, and it was also used to indicate other sites such as Teotihuacan, Cholula, and Tenochtitlan.

The inhabitants of Tula were called Toltecs, but that term was later broadened to mean an urban person, artisan, or skilled worker. This was due to the high respect in which the indigenous peoples in the Valley of Mexico held the ancient civilization before the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

What remains of the ancient city, is located 75 km north of Mexico City. Geographically, it is in the Tula River Valley, at the south end of the Mesquite Valley in a region that indigenous records called Teotlapan (“Land of the Gods”).

This area lies at an altitude of 2000 to 2200 m above sea level and has a semi-arid climate. It has only three continuously flowing rivers and streams, the largest of which is the Tula River. During the rainy season, several streams flow.

The modern archeological site consists of the ceremonial center of Tula Grande, an area called Tula Chico, the Jorge R. Acosta site museum, and the Guadalupe Mastache Orientation Center.

The museum is at the entrance to the site and is named after one of the archeologists who worked on the site for years. The interior is organized into various sections and contains sculpted stone works as well as human remains.

The Orientation Center also contains several archeological pieces as well as posters and more explaining the site’s importance and relation to the rest of Mesoamerica.

The city is aligned at 17 degrees east of true north, similar to structures at Teotihuacan although the first village was aligned with true north between 700-900CE.

The ceremonial center of the city is located on a limestone outcropping, with steep banks on three sides, making it defensible.

War and sacrifice are prominent themes at the site with images representing warriors such as jaguars and coyotes as well as eagles eating human hearts. There are also images of serpents eating skeletal figures and skulls in various areas.

The main structures of the ceremonial center include two pyramids, including the atlas figures, two main Mesoamerican ballcourts, and several large buildings, one with a series of columns that faced a large plaza.

The main ceremonial area has several architectural innovations that indicate societal changes.

The large central plaza has space for 100,000 people. On three sides, there are long meeting halls with ceilings supported by columns all facing the plaza with over 1000 meters of benches, which have stone reliefs depicting warriors and others in procession.

The architecture indicates a change from rituals performed by only a few people in closed spaces to large ceremonies to be viewed by many. These ceremonies were dominated by warriors.

The major attraction of the site is Pyramid B also called the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl or the Morning Star. It is a five-tiered structure similar to the Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itza.

At the top of Pyramid B are four massive columns each carved in the likeness of Toltec warriors which once supported the roof of the temple on top of the pyramid. Each warrior figure is of basalt, 4 meters high, with an atlatl or spear thrower, incense, a butterfly-shaped chest plate, and a back plate in the shape of a solar disk.

A large vestibule fronts the pyramid and connects it to nearby buildings.

Today this vestibule and building (Building C) are a space filled with broken columns.

Building C is better known as the Burnt Palace named after evidence that it was burned. This pyramid is also surrounded by the Coatepantli or serpent wall, which was later the inspiration for a similar structure in Tenochtitlan.

The earliest well-defined settlements in the Tula area appear around 400 BCE. Tula was probably settled by people of various ethnic backgrounds which may have included the Nonoalcas and the Chichimecas from the south and north respectively.

The area probably was under the political control of Teotihuacan in the Epiclassic period, according to Teotihuacan designs found on Tula pottery. The area’s lime deposits were probably an important source of the plaster used in construction.

At this time Tula was a small urban settlement with modest public architecture concentrated at Tula Chico (Small Tula).

The constructions at Tula Chico are smaller than those in other Epiclassic sites and were probably a minor player in the political and economic activity of the time.

Tula Chico’s occupation is from 650 to 900. From 650 to 750, Tula Chico developed, and at its height spanned five to six km2, parts of which may be buried under Tula Grande. The population was somewhere between 19,000 to 27,000 at its height.

Tula Chico was abandoned between 850 and 900 CE, and Tula Grande began to develop. After the decline of Teotihuacan, there was a power vacuum with city-states dominating small regions.

Tula ceramics change during this period, as styles and techniques come under new influences. At the same time, settlement patterns of the area significantly changed with occupation mostly on hilltops and high hillsides.

Architecture and pottery show influence from the west and north, with some from the east, suggesting a multiethnic population.

The city rose to prominence after the fall of Teotihuacan and reached its height between 900 and 1150. Although Tula Grande (Big Tula) grew to be larger than anything contemporary with it, it never grew to the size of Teotihuacan.

The city at its height probably covered 14 sq km with a population of about 60,000 with another 20,000 to 25,000 in the surrounding 1000km2, dominated by the ceremonial center of Tula Grande.

Urban and rural house units indicated the importance of extended family groups but the scale of these seemed to have become smaller over time. Tula had defensive fortification at Las Ranas and Toluquilla against the Chichimecas.

Its political sphere is thought to include most of the present state of Hidalgo, into the Valley of Mexico, and possibly into the Toluca Valley and the Bajío. Much of this is done by comparison of ceramics but this can indicate political or economic influence.

At that time, Tula was a fertile region near obsidian mines and on an important trade route.

Its economic base was agriculture and the mining and crafting of obsidian. It appears the craft was practiced by about half of the occupants, along with the working of travertine and ceramics, taking over this function from Teotihuacan.

Tula probably did not rule an empire but may have ruled a regional state.

Long-range contacts are indicated by the appearance of ceramics from eastern Mesoamerica, grey-green plumbate from southern Guatemala, and polychrome ceramics from Costa Rica. Tula probably traded obsidian in return.

The socioeconomics of Tula society is thought to have consisted of a ruling elite class, a craftsmen class, a merchant class, and a large number of farm workers. Most of the farm workers were outside Tula proper with most of the other classes in the city.

Excavations in the area have found evidence of the cultivation of chili peppers, amaranth, squash, and maguey along with corn and beans. Several wild plants were harvested including mesquite beans and cactus fruit.

There is evidence of domesticated turkeys and dogs. Irrigated corn was the most important crop with anywhere from 3000 to 10000 hectares cultivated. It may not have been enough to feed the large population.

There is an unoccupied area varying from one to three km wide which was probably agricultural. It has been proposed that the area received more rainfall during the Classic period than now which may have allowed for more large-scale agricultural production without irrigation.

They probably had a form of a hieroglyphic writing system, but no evidence exists except for an occasional glyph on a structure.

Tula did not last as long as other Mesoamerican dominions.

Around 1000, there were problems created by the leeching of soil and the drying of the climate. This moved Chichimecas south from their drying homelands creating ethnic strife which eventually resulted in the city’s collapse.

Many of the living quarters appear to have been abandoned by 1150. It is not known when the ceremonial center fell but it was burned and the pyramids destroyed. There is evidence of the ceremonial center being burned in the 12th century.

Ethnohistoric sources mention other rulers and a king list was developed from them. The chronology dates the destruction of Tula around 1179 while under the rule of Ce Acatl Topilitzin. However, this story has been disputed.

After the end of Tula, the site was looted, but it continued to be occupied through the rest of the Mesoamerican period and on into the colonial period. According to Bernardino de Sahagún, craftspeople were still found in Tula at the time of the conquest including scribes, stonecutters, masons, feather workers, potters, and more.

The site was determined to be that of Tollan and the Toltecs after ethnographic studies and archeological work from the 1950s to the 1970s. However, Tula is not well understood, especially in its relation to its predecessor of Teotihuacan and little has been published.

No detailed archeological map of the city exists. Most studies have Tula remaining after the Epiclassic cities such as Teotihuacan collapsed, becoming the major power in the early post-classic, but some archeologists dispute this, putting its height earlier with the other cities.

Several misconceptions about the site include that it has no system of avenues, was relatively poor, had no walled residential complexes, and had only small mound clusters. It did have a grid system but it had several major reorientations.

Large residential complexes have been unearthed just outside the ceremonial center.

The elite also had access to many of the finest handcrafted items then available in Mesoamerica. The size and nature of the city’s political sphere are in dispute. There are no written records and the archeological evidence is scant.

There is evidence of Tula influence in other parts of Mesoamerica, mostly seen in pottery in Tula and other areas. One of the most debated questions is what, if any, relationship there might be between Tula and Chichén Itzá far to the south in the Yucatán Peninsula.

The idea comes from the fact that there are similarities in various art and architectural styles. Neither could certainly have conquered the other, but there is evidence that they may have been connected through trade networks.

By the time of the Spanish conquest, Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent deity was widely worshipped from what is now central Mexico down into Central America.

The god is linked to a legendary ruler of Tula, Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl, who was often simply referred to as Quetzalcoatl.

Mythological accounts surrounding the fall of Tula have this ruler succumbing to temptation by a dark deity named Tezcatlipoca, destroying the city.

The fallen ruler then wanders to the Gulf Coast and immolates himself becoming the morning star (Venus).

The city’s history remained important through the Aztec Empire and is reported in the codices written after the Spanish conquest. However, most of these stories are heavy in myth.

These tend to start with the Toltecs and the city of Tula, followed by the migration of the Mexica to the Valley of Mexico. The stories either portray Tula as a kind of paradise in which the inhabitants master the sciences and arts or a city filled with strife headed for a downfall.

In these, the last ruler, Quetzalcoatl, is a legendary being with archetypical qualities.

Much of Toltec history was lost when Izcoatl burned the history books after founding the Aztec Empire. The planning of Tula was adopted by some Aztec city-state rulers for their urban centers.

From Tula de Allende walking around 1,5 km (15 min)
From Tula de Allende by taxi (1-2 min)

From Mexico City to Tula de Allende by bus (2:30 hours)
From Mexico City to Tula de Allende by taxi (1 hour)

The municipality is located in the south of the Mezquital Valley in the southwest of the state of Hidalgo. With an extension of 305.8km2 it borders the municipalities of Tepetitlán, Tlahuelilpan, Tepeji del Río, Atotonilco de Tula, Atitalaquía and Tlaxcoapan, with the State of Mexico to the west.

The city of Tula has an altitude of 2,020 meters above sea level Most of the municipality is semi flat with only one significant elevation completely in the municipality known as Magoni. Elevations in the west form the border between it and the State of Mexico. These include Magueni and La Malinche. In the north there is a small mountain of volcanic origin called Xicuco.

Surface water is mostly found in the Tula River, the Rosas River and the Arroyo Grande, whose waters are stored in the Endho Dam. The Tula River begins with the discharge from the Valley of Mexico which pass north through the State of Mexico before reaching the area. The Rosas River also begins in the State of Mexico but with clean waters from a fresh water spring. It has carved some small canyons in the area.

The municipality’s climate varies from temperate to cold with an average annual temperature of 17.6C. It has an average annual rainfall of 699mm, with most rain falling from May to September.

The natural vegetation is mostly semi desert, with cactus, maguey plants the most defining followed by mesquite and the pirul tree (Schinus molle) along with seasonal grass. Native fauna includes rabbits, squirrels, chameleons, roadrunners, coyotes, various kinds of birds and snakes, skunks and opossums.

The name is derived from the Nahuatl phrase Tollan-Xicocotitlan, which means near where cattails grow. Tula is the Hispanicized pronunciation of Tollan. In Otomi the area is called Namehi, which means “place of many people.” It was given the appendage of “de Allende” in honor of Ignacio Allende who fought in the Mexican War of Independence.

The area was the capital of one of the major civilizations of Mesoamerica, that of the Toltecs. The Toltecs rose to power after 713 CE as the successor to Teotihuacan. The current city is centered just south of the ceremonial center of the ancient city, which is famous for its Atlantean figures. The Toltec Empire reached as far south as the Valley of Mexico and its influence has been found in artifacts as far away as the current U.S. Southwest. It is believed that aguamiel was first extracted around 1100CE, which led to the making of pulque. The last Toltec ruler was Topilzin Ce-Acatl Quetzalcoatl who came to power in 1085.

After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Pedro Miahuazochil was named in 1531 as the lord of Tula helping to evangelize the area.

Tula became a municipality in 1871.

The Tula area was the scene of various battles during the Mexican Revolution, particularly between those loyal to Venustiano Carranza and those to Emiliano Zapata.

The city of Tula de Allende was built on what was the southern extension of the ancient city of Tula, centered on a former monastery built by the Spanish in the 16th century. The modern city is still connected to the ancient ruins as it is an important tourist attraction as well as a symbol of the city, especially the warrior figures located on the Quetzalcoatl pyramid. Toltec finds are not uncommon underneath the modern city. In 2009, Toltec burials from 900-1100CE were found under Tula-Iturbe Boulevard along with several kilns for firing pottery.

The modern city is a regional economic center and has been listed as one of the fastest growing in Mexico by the National Commission of Population. Most of the reason for this is the existence of a refinery and a thermoelectric plant.

The city is centered around the parish and former monastery of San Jose, with the oldest part built between 1546 and 1556. The main facade has three arches, pilasters with reliefs, a curved pediment and a chapel annex that takes from the 17th century. The cloister of the monastery has two levels with arches and fresco murals. Inside the main church, there is a modern mural called “Jesus” located at the main altar. It was named a cathedral in 1961.

Near here is a main plaza and an open-air theatre, framed by a mural called “Tula Eterna” created by Juan Pablo Patiño Cornejo. Another mural called “Tianguis Mamehni” is found at the chamber of commerce. There is also the Plaza de las Artesanias dedicated to local handcrafts including replicas of the atlas figures.

The ceremonial center of ancient Tula is located about five minutes from the center of the modern city. Tula became the most important city in the region after the fall of Teotihuacan, although it never reached the same size due to competing cities in the area. Usually identified as the Toltec capital around 980 CE, the city was destroyed at some time between 1168 and 1179.

The site is at and around the junction of two rivers, the Río Rosas and the Río Tula. The two largest clusters of grand ceremonial architecture are nicknamed “Tula Grande” (the most visited by tourists) and “Tula Chico”. Remains of other buildings extend for some distance in all directions. Tula Grande contains pyramids, Mesoamerican ball courts and other buildings but its most distinctive characteristics are the Atlantean figures, columns in the shape of warriors and the “Serpent Wall,” a wall with reliefs that serve as a predecessor to similar constructions in later cultures.

Traditional dishes of the area include barbacoa, carnitas, pulque, nopal cactus with eggs, beans with epazote and mixote but the area is known for dishes made with escamoles (ant eggs) as well as mezcal worms which are both seasonal.

Street food such as gorditas is popular in the local markets.

Eighty seven percent of the population is Catholic, with most of the rest practicing some form of Catholicism. The main feast day is dedicated to Saint Joseph on March 19. There is also a large annual pilgrimage from here to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City with many traveling by foot.

Traditional garb for men consisted of pants and shirt made of undyed cotton cloth along with a sombrero. Women’s traditional dress is a dress made of the some cloth often with a crinoline skirt underneath, decorated with ribbons and embroidery although beads and sequins are also used. A wool rebozo is common in the winter. For charreada events, men can be seen in charro outfits and women in China Poblana dress.

From Mexico City to Tula de Allende by bus: $4-$8 (2:30 hours)
From Mexico City to Tula de Allende by taxi: $23-$29 (1 hour)

You can dial 078 from any phone, where you can find free information about tourist attractions, airports, travel agencies, car rental companies, embassies and consulates, fairs and exhibitions, hotels, hospitals, financial services, migratory and other issues.

Or dial the toll-free (in Mexico) number 01-800-006-8839.

You can also request information to the email correspondencia@sectur.gob.mx

MORE EMERGENCY NUMBERS:

General Information: 040 (not free)

National Emergency Service: 911

Radio Patrols: 066
Police (Emergency): 060
Civil Protection: +52(55)5683-2222
Anonymous Complaint: 089

Setravi (Transport Mobility): +52(55)5209-9913
Road Emergency: 074

Cruz Roja: 065 o +52(55)5557-5757
Firefighters: 068 o +52(55)5768-3700

The area is home to some of the oldest settlements in Latin America in Huapalcalco and El Pedregal. These first settlements have been attributed to the Olmecs, Xicalancas and other tribes. A city was founded in 645 BCE by the Toltecs with the name Tolancingo as part of the empire centered in Tula. During this period, the city was home to school and temples. A calendar stone was sculpted here and a temple called Mitlancalco was built to receive the bodies of priests and princes. After 1116 CE, the Toltec Empire declined and the city was abandoned.

According to the Tribute Codex (Códice de los Tributos), the Tulancingo area was a commercial center for the Otomi-Tepehua and Totonaca people since about 1000 CE bringing traders from lands now in the states of Hidalgo, Puebla and Veracruz. Traditional trading still exists in the form of the Thursday “tianguis” or market.

The Chichimecas came to rule here under Xolotl starting around 1120. The city was refounded by these people and the remaining Toltecs. The population increased with the arrival of the Tlaxcaltecas. In 1324, a king named Quinantzin, reorganized the area politically, making Tulancingo the head of a province. Tulancingo marched against Texcoco, but was defeated. In the early 15th century, this same Texcoco, under Huitzilihuit, conquered Tulancingo, putting it within the Aztec Empire. In 1431, the Tulancingo area was again reorganized politically under Itzcoatl and Nezahualcoyotl.

During the Spanish Conquest, Prince Ixtlilxochitl gathered an army here to join Hernán Cortés to conquer Tenochtitlan. Officially, the area came under Spanish rule in 1525, and evangelists arrived soon afterwards. The Franciscans arrived from Texcoco to build a hermitage in the Zapotlan neighborhood. This would eventually become the modern cathedral, consecrated to John the Baptist. This was the beginning of the European city, which was initially constructed for the use of Europeans only; no indigenous were allowed to live there. Those indigenous who worked in city were obliged to live outside it on the outskirts at the base of the Cerro del Tezontle. Today this area is known as Colonia Francisco I. Madero and is part of the city proper.

The Valley of Tulancingo was partitioned between Francisco de Avila and Francisco de Terrazas. The fertile soil and warm climate attracted many Spanish settlers, especially older ones. In time, the area became known as the “Retiring place of Old Conquistadors.”

During the Mexican War of Independence, the city was attacked several times by insurgents in 1812, 1814 and 1815. However, royalist forces were able to hold the city until Nicolás Bravo and Guadalupe Victoria took it in 1821, near the very end of the war. Bravo remained here for a time, founding a newspaper called El Mosquito de Tulancingo and constructing a gunpowder factory. This would lead to “de Bravo” being added as an appendage to the city’s name in 1858. After Agustín de Iturbide was proclaimed emperor in 1822, he maintained a residence in Tulancingo, where he was supported by the populace. When Iturbide was dethroned, he withdrew from Mexico City to Tulancingo on his way to Veracruz and into exile.

Under the 1824 Constitution, Tulancingo was head of a district of the then enormous State of Mexico, which today are the states of Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos and Guerrero. The Tulancingo district included the areas around Apan, Otumba, Pachuca, and Zempoala.

Despite the ouster of Iturbide, Tulancingo favored a centralist form of government, rather than the state-based federalist one. It would provide refuge to centralists such as Nicolas Bravo during most of the 19th century. Bravo’s forces were attacked here by federalist forces under Vicente Guerrero in 1828. Guerrero was victorious and Bravo fled into exile. In 1853, dictator Santa Anna imprisoned federalist Melchor Ocampo in the city. Because the city was loyal to the centralist cause, Ocampo was not placed in prison, but rather allowed to walk the streets where the citizens would supervise him. This continued until Santa Anna decided to send Ocampo out of the country.

During the French Intervention in Mexico, the large State of Mexico was divided into three military districts for defensive purposes. The one in which Tulancingo belonged would eventually become the state of Hidalgo. President Benito Juárez could not hold Tulancingo and French troops entered in 1863. French emperor Maximilian I would use the same house in this city that Iturbide used before. This emperor divided the country into fifty departments, making Tulancingo the head of one of them.

In 1863, Tulancingo made the city the head of a see, under the archbishopric of Mexico City, despite desires to have the head of this see in Huejutla. Its territory included parishes from Puebla, Hidalgo and Mexico State. Soon after Juárez and the federalists ousted Emperor Maximilian, the state of Hidalgo was created. Tulancingo was considered as a place to locate the new state’s capital but Pachuca was chosen instead.

During the Mexican Revolution, forces loyal to Francisco I. Madero under Gabriel Hernandez took Tulancingo in 1910. Madero himself visited in 1912. Forces loyal to Venustiano Carranza took the city in 1915, with Carranza visiting in 1916.

The municipal territory contains a number of small rivers and streams as well as mountainsides, making it susceptible to flooding. Two most recent major floods occurred in 1999 and 2007. Major flooding occurred in and around the city in 1999, with communities such as La Rosa, on the outskirts, the hardest hit, when rivers and streams overflowed. The flooding was caused by heavy and prolonged rainfall which affected several states in the region. Over 500 houses were abandoned in the city at the height of the disaster. Hurricane Dean caused flooding damage again in 2007, when in less than 12 hours of rain, eighteen colonias were underwater with water pouring off mountainsides. Many houses were completely destroyed and a number flooded by sewerage. Those here were among the estimated 100,000 affected in Hidalgo state.

The climate is temperate to cold with an annual average temperature of 14C and an average rainfall of between 500 and 550 mm per year. Most rain falls from June to October.

The city is the second-largest and second most important in the state. It lies at the foot of the Cerro del Tezontle mountain, which gives views of the city and much of the surrounding valley. At the top there is a restaurant, playground, sports facilities and more. Industrial development has made the city a gateway to the Sierra Poblana and Mexico’s northern Gulf coast. Despite the city’s long history, almost no early colonial structures still survive. It has its own Zona Metropolitana defined, containing 3 municipios, 204,708 people in the 2005 census up from 193,638 in 2000, covering some 674 square kilometers.

The city centers on its Cathedral and the Jardin Floresta (Floresta Garden). The Cathedral’s origins date back to 1528 when it was established as a Franciscan monastery, with a church dedicated to Francis of Asisi. This church was reconstructed in 1788 by Damián Ortiz de Castro, and was dedicated to John the Baptist, who is the city’s patron saint. The cloister of the old Franciscan monastery was left intact. In 1862, this church became the seat of the diocese or see of Tulancingo, gaining cathedral status. In 2007, Tulancingo became an archdiocese with the seat remaining here. This archdiocese is subject to the archdiocese of Mexico and covers a territory of 8,000 square miles (21,000 km2), or almost the entire state of Hidalgo and a few parishes in Veracruz. The bishop lives in the old cloister complex.

The Cathedral is 56.6 meters tall and made of grey sandstone with a sober Neoclassical facade, and a portal flanked by 17 meter tall Ionic columns. In the interior, there is a holy water font in stone and a wood pulpit decorated with reliefs. There is also an organ with more than 16,000 flutes. The old cloister has rounded arches and ceiling supported by thick wood beams.

The Floresta Garden is formed by two sections, the Plaza de la Constitución and Parque Juárez. This area originally was the “Manzana Fundacional” or Foundation (City) Block and the atrium of the original Franciscan monastery in the early 16th century. Shortly after that time, the name was changed to Jardín Floresta. Leathergoods, cider, hats and wool items can be found for sale in La Floresta.

The city has a number of notable churches. The La Expiración Chapel was constructed in 1527 by Friar Juan de Padilla. It is located in the old Zapotlán neighborhood, one block from the San Miguel Municipal Cemetery. It is one of the few buildings left from when the Franciscans founded the Spanish settlement, and is considered to be the oldest chapel in the region. The Iglesia de los Angeles or Church of the Angels is dedicated to an image of the Virgin Mary called the Virgen de los Angeles, or Virgin de los Angelitos (little angels). Devotion to this image began in 1736, but the name was officially given in 1790. In 1862, she was named as the patroness of the diocese of Tulancingo. The church was begun in 1878, but the case and main altar, sacristy and other features were not built until 1942. In 2008, she was named the sovereign (titular) of the archdiocese. Most major religious processions in the city proceed from here and end at the Cathedral. The La Merced Temple was constructed in 1892 by José Antonio Agüero. However, the building collapsed before it was finished, leading to a new construction which exists today. Other notable churches include the San José Church and the Church of La Villita.

The Railroad Museum (Museo del Ferrocarril) is located in the old train station. It contains old photographs of the building’s construction, objects from the office from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Built in 1893 by Gabriel Mancera, this building was the second train station for the city and bears witness to the time period when Tulancingo served as a major hub of transportation and communication in Hidalgo state. Nearby, the Vagón del Ferrocarril (Railroad Car) cafeteria offers crafts and other regional products.

Near the Railroad Museum, at the entrance to the highway that connects Tulancingo to Acatlán and Huasca del Ocampo, is a statue of Tulancingo’s famous son, Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, better known as El Santo or The Silver Mask, Mexico’s most famous lucha libre wrestler. The wrestler was born here in 1917 and is buried here as well. A statue was originally placed here in late 1999, and at the same time, the highway it marks was renamed Boulevard Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, El Santo. The ceremony was hosted by his son, a wrestler named El Hijo del Santo and 100 others including various from the lucha libre world. However, the original statue placed here was met with derision among the populace for its diminutive size and “null athletic characteristics,” being called the “Monument to E.T.” by many residents. The statue suffered vandalism, which even included a few bullet holes. Between 2004 and 2006, the city and El Santo’s son worked to replace the statue, eventually hiring self-taught sculptor Edwin Barrera who created the life-sized soldier statues at the military base in the Cuatro Caminos. The current stone monument is 2.30 meters tall and is a reproduction of the wrestler with his cape and mask in a fighting stance.

The Museo de Datos Históricos (Museum of Historical Facts) is in the building that was the first train station for the city. This museum traces the city’s history from the pre-Hispanic era to the present day. It contains two rooms: one dedicated to photographs and the other with archeological finds including those of the Huajomulco culture.

The Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Library is located in a building constructed in the 19th century on what was part of the Cathedral’s old cemetery. The current library has been in operation since 1984. The Jardin del Arte (Art Garden) and Ricardo Garibay Cultural Center were built were the old Municipal Palace was demolished in 1984. These areas host national and international exhibitions and events featuring art, music and theatrical works.

The Municipal Market is built on what was the Plaza of the Count of Orizaba. In the last decades of the 19th century, it was converted into a market but the building was neglected. In 1948, the current market was constructed. There are five tianguis markets, including one that specializes in counterfeit products (called “fayuca”), two public traditional markets, and a Central de Abastos or wholesale market.

The city has a number of historic homes, mostly dating from the 19th century. The Casa de los Emperadores or House of the Emperors, was used by both Agustín de Iturbide and Maximiliano I as a residence. It is located on the corner of 1 de Mayo and Cuauhtémoc Streets. It is the only house in which both emperors stayed. The Casa de los Huesitos de Chabacano or House of the Little Apricot Pits is a Neoclassical work from the 19th century. The name comes from its owner in the early 20th century who ran a grocery store from the building and would paint apricot pits for neighborhood children to use as toys. The house is still in private hands and located on the corner of Juárez and 1 de Mayo Streets. The Exquitlán Hacienda is a building constructed from the late 19th century by Pánfilo García Otamendi. The work was completed using materials brought from France and was inaugurated in 1908.

The Municipal Zoo has 180 species and a total of 390 animals. Species include lions, tigers, antelopes, lizards, bears, deer and a hippopotamus which is the zoo’s mascot. Overlooking the city are a number of large satellite dishes, which were constructed in the 1960s, initially to televise the 1968 Olympic Games. These dishes would give the city the nickname of “City of the Satellites.” Today, they provide various services. The two largest satellite dishes are 32 meters in diameter and weigh 330 tons each. These provide international service. A third is 15 meters in diameter and links the country with networks in the United States. The last is only 7 meters and is national. These dishes are the largest and the most important in Mexico.

One distinctive neighborhood whose origins can be traced back to the original founding of the Spanish city is Colonia Francisco I. Madero. Located at the base of the Cerro del Tezontle, it began as an indigenous settlement outside the city proper. As the city grew, it eventually was incorporated. The initial separation of the indigenous from the Europeans allows native culture to survive for a time after the Conquest. Old religious practices were maintained in secret and traditional herbal medicine continued to be practiced. Some residents claimed to be nahuals or Mesoamerican demons, making the Spanish of the city afraid to go into this area. Since then, people of this area have been called derisively “nahuals.” More recently, crosses have been placed in this area, especially in the intersection of 16 de Septiembre and Avenide del Trabajo to “scare” the nahuals that supposedly still live here.

The annual Feria de Tulancingo is the main event for the city featuring the commercial, agricultural and industrial activities of the area.

As municipal seat, the city of Tulancingo is the local governing authority for over one hundred communities, which cover a territory of 290.4km2. However, about 75% of the municipality’s population of 129,935 lives in the city proper. Other major communities include Jaltepec (pop. 5,177), Santa Ana Hueytlalpan (pop. 5,261) and Javier Rojo Gómez (pop. 4,972). The municipality borders the municipalities of Metepec, Acaxochitlán, Cuautepec and Singuilucan.

It is located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in the Sierra Hidalgo, as it begins its descent to the Gulf of Mexico. It is mostly valley floor with some peaks. This relatively flat surface is mostly of light volcanic rock cut with ravines, small canyons, large hills and volcanoes. The larger canyons include Los Ermitaños, which forms a “Y” over one kilometer long. The highest point is the Cerro del Tezontle, named after the volcanic rock it is principally made up of. Other elevations include Cerro Viejo, Napateco and Las Navajas. The main river is the Tulancingo River, which is part of the Metztitlán River system. There are four small lakes called Los Alamos, Otontepec, San Alejo and La Ciénega.

The climate is temperate to cold with an annual average temperature of 14C and average rainfall of between 500 and 550 mm per year. Most rain falls from June to October. Forested areas include trees such as pine, ocotea, oyamel, cedar and walnut trees. Most wildlife consist of small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels with birds such as hummingbirds, doves and woodpeckers and reptiles such as snakes.

In the Tulancingo Valley, some of the oldest human remains of Mexico were found in Tecolote Cave. However, the most important site is Huapalcalco. This site is located about three km from the center of modern Tulancingo and contains a pre-Hispanic pyramid and cave paintings. In the cliffs of Huapalcalco and nearby, there are fifty groups of cave paintings, some of which date back as far as 10,000 BCE. The pre-Hispanic site was first excavated in the 1950s by Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH). Carbon dating has placed objects as far back as 1,100 BCE. In the 7th century, a ruler by the name of Quetzalcoatl ruled here until he left to found Teotihuacan. While the remains of this site do not look impressive, they are the forerunners of the Teotihuacan civilization. The center of the site is a five-level pyramid measuring twelve meters at its base and is eight meters high. The function of this site was that of a ceremonial center. At the top of the pyramid, there is a monolithic altar, which was probably used for the deposit of offerings. The name means House of Green Wood.

Most people of the city are familiar with the San Miguel Municipal Cemetery located on Miguel Hidalgo Street in the main city. However, the city and municipally have a number of notable cemeteries. Cemeteries here are a custom brought and imposed by the Spanish after the Conquest. Prior to this, the indigenous peoples buried their dead underneath their houses. The first cemetery in the city was located next to what is now the Cathedral. Today, this cemetery no longer exists, as it has been abandoned and built over. Another notable cemetery in the area is the one at Santa Ana Hueytlalpan, where evidence of Otomi traditions can be seen such as the arrangement of Mexican marigolds and offerings of seasonal fruits, mole, sweets and alcohol. The Santa María Cemetery also has indigenous touches but this one has Nahua influence.

Los Ermitanos is a nature preserve that contains two almost parallel ravines and numerous rock formations such as towers, cliffs and narrow peaks. The area has a cold climate and fog is common.

You can dial 078 from any phone, where you can find free information about tourist attractions, airports, travel agencies, car rental companies, embassies and consulates, fairs and exhibitions, hotels, hospitals, financial services, migratory and other issues.

Or dial the toll-free (in Mexico) number 01-800-006-8839.

You can also request information to the email correspondencia@sectur.gob.mx

MORE EMERGENCY NUMBERS:

General Information: 040 (not free)

SNational Emergency Service: 911

Radio Patrols: 066
Police (Emergency): 060
Civil Protection: +52(55)5683-2222
Anonymous Complaint: 089

Setravi (Transport Mobility): +52(55)5209-9913
Road Emergency: 074

Cruz Roja: 065 o +52(55)5557-5757
Firefighters: 068 o +52(55)5768-3700