Thursday, April 13, 2017

FEATURED ITINERARY: EL CORRIDOR DE LAS MONTANAS


Corredor Map.jpg
Corredor de las Montanas
Hidalgo, Mexico

Time Needed: 7 Days

Destinations:
  • Pachuca de Soto
  • Mineral del Chico
  • Real de Monte
  • Huasca de Ocampo

Highlights:
  • Mountain region with National Parks and breathtaking drives
  • One of the rock climbing Meccas in Mexico, great hiking too
  • Rich colonial Spanish history with Cornish and German connections
  • Silver mining region
  • Authentic Mexican food and artisan crafts
  • Basaltic prism formations
  • Haciendas
  • Soccer

More information (in Spanish):
Adventure level: Moderate
Rationale: Most activities require significant amount of walking, at time on hilly/rough roads. You will need at least a basic level of Spanish as most residents of this area of Mexico do not speak English. This is not a touristy area outside of Mexico (fellow Mexicans, however, frequently vacation here) so there are no multi-day tours. You will need to use public transportation and taxis to get around. You can also rent a car, but beware that Mexicans generally do not follow traffic laws and signals. If you are not accustomed to driving in here, you may experience a lot of horn-honking, near miss accidents (or worse) and corrupt police looking for bribes. Optional activities can increase the adventure level.
Day 1
Arrive in Mexico City by air
Transfer to Pachuca de Soto by first class bus
Transfer to hotel by taxi or “combi”
Recommended Hotel: Hotel Emily
Located in the Plaza de la Constitucion this hotel is small but beautiful with with its colonial architecture and brightly painted facade. Try to get a room facing the plaza. There are no balconies but these rooms have French doors that can be swung open to look out at the plaza below (an ornate iron guardrail prevents any “missteps”) with its Reloj Monumental - a neoclassical clock tower that is one of the centerpieces to Pachuca. Be forewarned, however, with those open doors. Pachuca is known as La Bella Airosa (The Windy Beauty) for good reason.  
Recommended Activities: Explore Area Around Hotel - Architecture, Shopping, Eating
If you stay in Hotel Emily you will be in “El Centro” or the center of Pachuca. From here you can walk to just about anywhere of historic/cultural significance as well as most shopping. There are plenty of shops to explore around the plaza, but one block up on Calle Guerrero is where the best shops and restaurants are to be found. Be sure to stop into “El Mercado” on Calle Guerrero. Pick up some fresh fruit or sit and order a bite at the food kiosk. If you want to ease your way into Mexican cuisine, however, there are a number of cafes along this street, all of which have great food. If you feel adventurous, stop at one of the street vendors and order “Esquites (fried corn kernels), Elotes (corn on the cob) or Papas (fresh potato chips).” They all come spicy and can vary in quality depending on how long they have have been sitting on the street. Mexico has a distinct mix of American and European style about it and you will notice this in the fashions at the stores where you will find athletic sneakers and American Eagle brand alongside stylish dress shoes, suits and other hip fashions.


Day 2
Tour Pachuca - Architecture, history, culture, sport

Pachuca is a sprawling city of about one million people. It’s seen it’s better days but recent efforts have been made to capitalize on its historic significance to the Republic. The mountains around Pachuca were once filled with silver and Pachuca sprung up as the major urban hub of activity for merchants, bankers, traders and the like.

Highlights include:
  • The Theater in Plaza Juarez (and the end of Calle Guerrero) - admiring its architectural beauty is free (note the current building is a reconstruction)
  • Ex-Convent San Francisco - Architecturally impressive and surrounded by plazas and gardens to explore
  • Museum of Mining and Photography (at San Francisco) - it doesn’t cost much to go in and provides a glimpse into the history of the region
  • Ninos Heroes - Just behind the cluster of shops at Plaza de la Constitucion (heading towards San Francisco and the bus terminal), this smaller plaza is a great place to find a Mariachi band willing to play a song or two for tips
  • Futbol - Soccer was brought to the Americas by the Cornish miners working in the silver mines in the mountains surrounding Pachuca. Consequently, this area is considered to be the cradle of soccer in the new world. Like most Latin Americans (and most everybody outside the U.S.), soccer is the central pastime of residents of Pachuca and the local team Los Tuzos play in a part of town, near the bus terminal, that is undergoing significant redevelopment and rebranding to capitalize on the sport. If you are visiting during the playing season, try to catch a game.
If you are looking for more modern activities, there is a modern shopping mall with a casino a short taxi or combi (a minivan-turned public transport) ride from the center of town. Near the mall you will also find Ben Guiron Park, a modern park that often features festivals and concerts. It is also home to the Museum of Modern Art.
For more information:



Day 3
Mineral del Chico
Mineral del Chico is a quaint little mining town nestled in a valley within the mountains surrounding Pachuca. It can be easily reached by combi from Pachuca (you can catch one near Plaza de la Constitucion). You may also want to consider staying the night in Hotel El Paraiso so you don’t feel rushed to catch the last combi back to Pachuca. You’ll enjoy the rooms, the restaurant and the grounds. There is easily a full day’s worth of activities here, especially for the more active.

Recommended Activities: Explore town and park - history, culture, religion, nature, sport
The town itself is small and can be explored in a matter of an hour or two. For lunch, look for the stairs near the convenient store that head up to several lunch counters (all owned by the same family) where you can get an authentic quesadilla with your choice of fillings - we recommend huitlacoche (corn fungus), flor de calabaza (zucchini flowers), hongos (mushroom) or gualumbo (maguey flowers, available seasonally). If you’d like a guide or want to support the local economy, look for one of the ecotour operators (there are several) to take you on a tour of the park. Some include ziplining, horseback riding or four wheeling. While the commercial operator behind the main plaza is the easiest to find, we recommend making the effort to track down one of the local ejido-owned and operated tours. Ejidos are regional councils that own and manage land taken away from the church at the turn of the 20th century and given back to the people. Supporting their businesses directly supports communities with limited means that would otherwise have to poach resource from the national park to survive.
Parque Nacional el Chico was the first national park in Latin America, created a few years after Yellowstone. This area is a Mecca for rock climbers. Whether experienced or interested in giving it a try, we recommend you contact Equipo Aventura (they have a store on Calle Guerrero in Pachuca). They will be able to set you up with a local guide. They also have connections for mountain biking and hiking guides. It’s very easy to spend a day or two just hiking the trails through the park, which is a great way to see some wildlife (be prepared to be buzzed by hummingbirds, watch for a variety of reptiles and tarantulas or if you are real lucky you may even sea a ring-tailed cat), get great views of majestic rock formations, find hidden waterfalls and walk among the hanging bromeliads. The visitors’ center for the park has an interactive, environmental education center where you can learn about the natural history of the park. Across the street from the center is an ejido that offers horseback riding, camping and camp food. You can also camp in the park at one of three well-equipped campgrounds. Don’t have a tent? They also rent out rustic cabins with wood-burning stoves (it can get chilly at night in the mountains).

Highlights include:
  • El Chico National Park
  • Central Plaza in Mineral del Chico
  • Quesadillas in the market
  • Rock climbing, hiking and/or biking
  • Wildlife
  • Rock formations
  • Ejidos
More information:



Day 4
Real de Monte
Real de Monte is also easily reached by combi from El Centro and makes for a great day trip. Combis run more frequently to this town so staying overnight probably isn’t necessary, but can be worth it if you’d like to explore as much as possible. Whereas Mineral del Chico is decidedly Spanish in influence, Real is very English.
Recommended Activities: Explore town - museums, food, shopping, history
Everything about this town revolves around the Acosta Mine, which you can explore on a guided tour just a short walk from the town center. The mine was run by the Cornish for many years, which explains the architectural influence on the town as well as their famous “pastes” - pastry filled with meat, beans, mushrooms, potatoes among several other options. While available throughout Hidalgo, Real de Monte is the place to get them. This is also one of only a handful of places to get cheap silver in Mexico. You will see the stands and stores everywhere near the principal plaza. It’s worth spending a few hours admiring the buildings, browsing the stores and trying the food. Real is a small town, but much larger than Mineral del Chico.
Highlights include:
  • The Acosta Mine tour
  • Shopping for silver
  • Visit the English Cemetery
  • Ask a local for the sight of the first soccer game played in the Americas
For more information: 
Day 5
Huasco de Ocampo
You can reach Huasco by combi and make a day trip of it, though plan for a long day as this town takes longer to get to, not so much because of distance but because the windy mountain roads are slow to drive. It’s worth it, though, so if you’re not up for a long day or want to extend your trip and spend a couple days up here consider a hotel in town. The main plaza, as is typical in Mexico, is surrounded by artisan shops and eateries. Unlike the other towns that largely feature more commercial goods, Huasco is great place to shop for those one of a kind, hand-made items. There are also several “must sees” in the general area that require a taxi. They include the ex-Haciendas of San Miguel Regla and Santa Maria Regla. Santa Maria is now a hotel but the public is welcome to come explore the grounds. You may recognize the property as The Mask of Zorro was filmed here. San Miguel largely operates a tourist destination these days. For a small entrance fee you can walk the “eco”-parks as well as visit the trout farm and dine onsite. San Miguel is widely recognized as one of the most romantic places in Mexico with it’s tree-lined walkways, flowers and lakes. Finally, it’s worth another taxi fare and entrance fee to visit Las Prismas Basalticas (Basaltic Prisms). A strange, formation of thousands of hexagonal columns made from basalt and highlighted by a beautiful waterfall.
Highlights include:
  • Prismas basalticas
  • Hacienda San Miguel Regla, most romantic place in Mexico
  • Hacienda Santa Maria Regla and The Mask of Zorro
For more information:


Day 6
Mexico City
Transfer to Mexico City by first class bus
Transfer to hotel by taxi or metro (light rail)

To say Mexico City is big and noisy is an understatement. Unless you are from New York, you probably can’t comprehend the level of organized chaos that is this city. Point in fact, this is actually the fourth most populated city in the world. As you can probably guess, numbers 1-3 are in Asia. Still, it’s actually pretty easy to get around thanks to a comprehensive light rail system, but the city is large so leave plenty of time to get from one end to the other. On the surface it may seem to be just another dirty, noisy and polluted urban center in a less developed country. Look deeper. Mexico City is a curious mix of international, modern metropolis, Spanish colonial history and Mayan culture.  It’s worth getting an early bus from Pachuca to maximize your day here or even extend your trip a day or two take in multiple sites. If you developed a love for Mexican food by now, you can find all your favorites in “El D.F.” (pronounced “day effay”) as Mexicans call it. If you are dying for something different, the city has immigrants and cuisines from around the world.

Recommended Activities: Explore city - religion, culture, history, food
As this is a city, your primary activity here is going to be walking and sightseeing. There is something for everyone though. Religious people will want to check out the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe where Saint Juan Diego is believed to have seen the Virgin Mary. The Zocalo (or more formally known as Plaza Constitucion) is a large central plaza where you can see the federal buildings and site of many public events, much like the National Mall in D.C. It’s the heart of the historic center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to also make a trip to the National Museum of Anthropology which is full of artifacts and displays highlighting the indigenous populations of Mexico. You may remember that long before Mexico City, this area of Mexico was Lake Texcoco until the Aztecs filled it in (a marvel of its time) and built the city of Tenochtitlán. Today, the canals of Xochimilco are that remain but the area is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buy passage on a shared gondola (called a Trajinera) and marvel and the brightly colored (from the boats and the floating gardens) network of waterways that led the conquistadors to give this place the moniker of Venice of the New World. Mariachis serenade boaters who come to celebrate birthdays, propose or just spend the day with the family. Food can be purchased from floating vendors as well.
Highlights include:
  • Anthropology Museum
  • Xochimilco
  • Zocalo
  • Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe
Day trips worth extending your stay:
  • Taxco (silver mining city)
  • Cuernavaca (colonial town with a palace, public gardens)
  • Valle de Bravo (quaint European-style colonial town overlooking large lake)
More information:




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Location: Pachuca, Hgo., Mexico

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