10 TOURIST PLACES AND ATTRACTIONS IN AGUASCALIENTES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The tourist places of Aguascalientes reflect its cultural identity as a guava-producing town, Catholic and with a railroad tradition. This is a state in northern Mexico founded in 1575 as a refuge for those who traveled the Ruta de la Plata.

Its name is due to the important presence of hot springs. Aguascalientes has highways and airports that allow it to connect with many points of the Mexican territory.

In 2014, hotel occupancy exceeded 50% with national and international tourists. In the second quarter of 2017, Aguascalientes' Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 8.8%, well above the national average.

This growth is largely generated by tourism. However, Aguascalientes only contributes 1.3% to Mexico's GDP.

The 10 main tourist places of Aguascalientes

1- San Marcos Fair

It is a national fair of colonial origin that seeks to promote livestock and agricultural activity in this region.

It is celebrated for three weeks in April and its activities include cockfights, concerts, charreadas, bullfights, fireworks and poetry, which attract the attention of locals and tourists.

The date of celebration is not the same each year, although its main day is April 25, which is the day of San Marcos. It is considered the most important fair in Mexico.

2- The Snail

El Caracol is a theme park located very close to the city center, where there is a focus on the tourist side of the drilling that resulted from the attempt to build an underground hydraulic system.

The drilling that was made at the beginning of the work left a path of 7 meters underground, which today includes exhibits of fossils of mammoths, bison, mastodons and other prehistoric animals that have been found in the surroundings.

3- Sierra Fría

It is a nature reserve with 112,090 hectares of extension. In this there are forests of pine and oak, as well as a varied fauna that includes animals such as the golden eagle, the puma, the white-tailed deer and the cacomixtle.

The rulers adapted the space so that today you can practice mountain biking, observation walks and sport fishing there.

4- José Guadalupe Posada Museum

It is a museum dedicated to a native artist born in 1852, who became a very critical illustrator during the Porfiriato period.

The humorous political denunciation of his works made him very popular among Mexicans, but the culmination of his work is represented by the illustrations of the verses to death.

5- Festival of the Skulls

The Festival de las Calaveras, or the Fair of the Skulls, is a festival that has been held since 1994, between the last week of October and the first of November.

It takes place in the vicinity of the Pantheons of the Cross and of the Angels. Through this activity, the day of the dead is commemorated and a tribute is made to José Guadalupe Posada.

About this festival there are hundreds of events that include the tianguis, artistic exhibitions, the grape harvest, sporting events, plays and the tribute to the deceased.

In addition, there is the popular walk, "Illuminate the feet of the dead," which takes place on the Cerro del Picacho, at the foot of the Cerro del Muerto.

But the event that could be considered as the main one is the parade of skulls, which reaches the altar of the undead.

It is the second most important tourist activity in Aguascalientes, after the San Marcos National Fair, due to the number of visitors and the economic income it generates for the state.

6- The Broken Christ of the Calles dam

The Broken Christ is a 28 meter high sculpture (if you count the 3 meters of its base), located in the center of the Presidente Calles dam, in the municipality of San José de Gracia.

It is a work inspired by a sculpture that, according to popular belief, arrived in a wooden box on the back of a mule in town.

This town witnessed the Cristero land war in 1926. The first irrigation and water storage district was built there in 1928.

Already in 1930 the town had been abandoned. The place was repopulated over the years and was named as San José de Gracia. Now the Broken Christ has a sanctuary that is very visited during Holy Week each year.

7- Calvillo

Calvillo is a town that was born as a congregation of Nahua Indians from San José de Huejúcar.

It was formally established thanks to the donation of a piece of land by the owner of the San Nicolás ranch, Don José Calvillo.

In November 1771, the town was founded by the governor of La Mitra de Guadalajara, Manuel Colón Larreategui.

Its national fame is due to the production and processing of guavas, as well as the textile technique of unraveling.

In fact, there it celebrates the Guava Fair, a festival that includes cultural shows and the coronation of a queen. And there is also a guava tourist route.

8- The Parish of Señor del Salitre

This temple was built between 1772 and 1884 on land donated by José Calvillo in honor of the Lord of Salitre, patron of the town of Calvillo.

It has an altar covered in gold and has the second largest dome in Latin America. Its construction gave rise to the formation of the town.

It has three roofed naves that are covered by the half-orange cupola with stained glass windows. The decoration is made up of oil paintings that tell the story of San José.

About the Lord of the Saltpeter

Legend has it that the López de Nava couple dreamed of having a special crucifix in their home and bought as many as possible, without finding one that would satisfy them.

One day two strange strangers arrived asking for a lodging and noticed the couple's taste for these figures.

Upon hearing the story from the López de Nava family, they offered to make the crucifix they were looking for.

The next day, the outsiders were no longer in the workshop, but there was a beautiful crucifix that they wanted to donate to Zacatecas.

It was impossible to carry this crucifix because of its enormous weight. Then, Mr. López donated the crucifix to the temple that was already nearing completion.

9- Real de Asientos

It is the oldest municipality in Aguascalientes. Its identity is related to mining since it was the predominant activity in that town during the Colony.

In this you can find very old buildings (even from 1548), with pink quarry facades.

But its most important attraction is the tunnel system that was built in the 18th century to deal with leaks from the parish.

The mining history of the place can be learned a little more during the tour to the El Hundido Mine, aboard the El Piojito train.

10- Railway Museum

This museum was founded in 2003 in the old train station of the city, inaugurated in 1911.

In it, almost 10,000 pieces of objects related to railroad activity such as locomotives, wagons, rails, among others, are exhibited. Testimonials from people who worked there are also displayed.

The building retains its original facade to respect the style of the time. The original construction is due to the Italian architect GM Buzzo, but the renovation is the work of the architect José Luis García Ruvalcaba.

References

1. Exploring Mexico (s / f). Aguascalientes. Recovered from: explorandomexico.com.mx
2. Calvillo advertising (2016). Learn about the history of the Lord of Saltpeter. Recovered from: calvillopublicidad.com
3. Tourism Promotion Council of Mexico (2016). Aguascalientes. Recovered from: siimt.com
4. González, Luis Miguel (2017). Another look at the GDP, Aguascalientes grows 8.8%; Tabasco falls 11.6%. Recovered from: eleconomista.com.mx
5. Valdivia, Francisco (2017). Majestic and imposing the temple of Señor del Salitre. Recovered from: elsoldelcentro.com.mx
6. Wikipedia (s / f). Aguascalientes. Recovered from es.m.wikipedia.org