A day trip to...Colón, Querétaro

Colón is a religious town and most of the tourism around it is based on pilgrimages. Around an hour from Queretaro city.  This town is worthy of a stop into for its beautiful churches and market whether you are religious or not. The only town in Mexico to be named after Christopher Colombus (well it was originally an indigenous town and then later renamed)

I have become obsessed with the idea of visiting towns that are associated with different catholic virgins.  In Jalisco we had the virgin of Zapopan and the virgin of San Juan de los Lagos, both of which I have visited to catch a glimpse of the doll like statue at the front of the churches.  Each virgin although an extension of the general concept of the virgin Mary is often connected with miracles or holy experiences and although they look similar in their appearances, embody and represent different qualities.  I additionally enjoy collecting souvenirs of these virgins and they appear on a special shelf in my house.

Colón's significance as a religious site is based around its virgin, The Virgin of Sorrows. The main church here is dedictaed to the Virgin of Sorrows - a styling of the virgin Mary who is reflected in a state of intense sorrow or suffering.

Nunzilla!

Pretty chapel

The whole importance of the town seems to emulate from the church and on the Sunday I visited that was what most people here wanted to experience.  The church itself was packed and everyone was singing away.  The smaller chapels in to the sides of the church are worth visiting for their over the top decoration which is not unlike a holiday villa in Spain at times, but very colourful and good to look at for a bit.  On the far side of the church is a small museum of paintings and material related to visions of the virgin around Mexico.  One of my favourites made it look like the virgin was an attacking godzilla like figure, nunzilla, if you will.

Between the bus station and the main part of town there is a really beautiful little chapel which when I visited was stunningly decorated in fresh flowers and completely deserted.  Was really atmospheric and peaceful, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

A Day trip to...Celaya, Guanajuato

Celaya Skyline in the city centre

OK, so this again is one of those towns where the locals of the city advise you to not visit. They say it is crime ridden, dirty, and not worthy of your time.  This, as usual, makes me wanna go all the more!  Now living in Queretaro, Mexico after moving from Guadalajara for a new job - it was the first of the new towns to explore.

Statue of Independence

The city is famous in Mexican history for an epic battle which took place in 1915..  Now it is mostly a quiet town renowned for its strawberries and raspberries (although I saw very little of either on my visit).    The town has quite a few oddities which will be of interest for a wandering tourist.  Firstly the city has the countries first statue of independence in the city centre and also features a large metal water container right next to the beautiful cathedral and historical buildings. Whether you feel that the water container is an eye sore or an interesting addition to the skyline is up to you.  I find it kind of awesome!  It really breaks the skyline up from being just another colonial style city with pretty buildings.

It would be super to have tours to access parts of the ball but heyho.  Nope,  You just have to admire it from underneath.

The city centre is reasonably small and after an hour or so on foot you can explore most of the side streets of the main part of the city.  I found the city museum (http://cultura-celaya.com/museo.html) really interesting and the displays were well managed and well presented.  Additionally on a Sunday the main plaza often has a band playing and on my visit was full of people dancing in the open air.  A pleasant and good way to spend a few hours people watching.

I would like to return to the city at night as there seemed to be some incredible looking cantinas - traditional and huge!  I will update when I have explored them!