Aguascalientes
Ciudad HistóRica / Feria Nacional De San Marcos · Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
A prosperous small city in the Bajio named for its hot springs, sitting on a network of tunnels nobody has fully explained - pre-Hispanic in origin by most accounts, partly mapped, largely closed. It has two things worth crossing the country for. The Feria Nacional de San Marcos, running since 1828, is the largest and oldest fair in Mexico: about three weeks that swallow the city every April. And Jose Guadalupe Posada was born here: the engraver who drew La Catrina, the elegant skeleton in a feathered hat who became the face of the Day of the Dead everywhere in the world. He died poor and was buried in an unmarked grave in Mexico City. Outside the fair, the city is clean, calm and a little reserved, with excellent museums, a pedestrianised centre and a notable Day of the Dead festival in late October. At 1,880 m it is dry and sunny, and it works well as a two-night stop between Guadalajara, Zacatecas and Guanajuato. The old tunnels are mostly closed; do not expect a tour.
Plaza de la Patria, Centro, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, 20000, Mexico
An open city - free, no gate. Museums including the Museo José Guadalupe Posada and the Museo Nacional de la Muerte keep daytime hours, generally close on Mondays, and several are free on Sundays. ⚠ THE POSADA AND DEATH MUSEUMS SIT BESIDE EACH OTHER AND SHOULD BE DONE AS ONE VISIT. ⚠ THE FERIA NACIONAL DE SAN MARCOS RUNS FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS AROUND LATE APRIL INTO MAY - it is the largest and oldest fair in Mexico, it brings millions of visitors, and it fills and multiplies the price of every room in the state. Book months ahead or avoid those weeks entirely; bullfights form part of it. ⚠ THE CITY'S UNDERGROUND TUNNEL NETWORK IS MOSTLY SEALED AND ACCESS IS OCCASIONAL - ask at the tourist office whether anything is currently open. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.