Antiguo Meson de Aspeytia

Tequisquiapan

by kiwigal_1

Tequisquiapan is a beautiful, quaint town located in the State of Queretaro. It has a very colonial feel to it with old buildings and a plaza dominated by the church.
There are natural thermal springs in Tequisquiapan which are the town's main attraction. I spent a day here walking around the Plaza Civica and the shops around the town.

Convento de la Santa Cruz

by JessieLang

Convento de la Santa Cruz is a 17th Century monastery, built on the hill where the Spanish defeated the Chichimeca Indians in 1531. Construction started in 1610 and finished 150 years later. The aquifer was built by then, and they ran clay pipes from it to the monastery.

Santa Cruz was where the friars, including Junipero Serra, stayed to rest and gather supplies before building the missions in California. There is an unusual thorn tree growing in the courtyard. The thorns are in the shape of a cross. Supposedly, a friar planted his walking stick here in 1697, and the thorn tree miraculously grew from it.

In 1867 Maximilian used the monastery as his headquarters, and then one room in it became his prison. (Everywhere I went in Querétaro, it seemed, “Max was here.”)

Tours are available in English.

Queretaro

by alfredop

"General Information"

Capital: Queretaro

Cities: San Juan del Rio, Tequisquiapan

Population: 1,134,000

Size: 11,796 km

Weather: There are 3 different climates in the state.

- South: Between 12 and 18 Celsius degrees as an average.
- Center: Between 7 and 25 Celsius degrees as an average.
- North: Between 14 and 28 Celsius degrees as an average.

Distance from Mexico City: 222 km, 2 hours by car aproximately.

Main airlines: Aeromar, Aerolitoral with flights from the main cities in Mexico, such as Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Rainy seasons: From June to September.

Industrial activity focuses on the food processing (dairy products, canned fruit and vegetables, baby foods), chemical (fertilizers), and farm vehicle industries. Queretaro's proximity to Mexico City and an excellent road network facilitated the relocation of industry from the metropolitan area.

The municipalities in the vicinity of the city of Queretaro have all of the infrastructure to accomodate modern industrial plants.

Foreign companies, such as Kimberly Clark de Mexico, General Electric, Singer, Massey Ferguson, Gerber Products and Kellogg's de Mexico, among others have invested in the state.

The climate is generally dry and temperate and provides an excellent environment for agricultural products. Queretaro is well known for its vineyards, but avocados, peaches and apples are also cultivated. Major crops include corn, beans, sorghum, wheat, barley and alfalfa.

"Colonial and modern architecture"

Queretaro has a wide variety of architectonic styes, from old colonial buildings to modern squares and finance centers, including a French style railroad station whish is now transformed into a nice group of restaurants and bars.

This variety is the result of Queretaro's history that has marked the city with such amazing monuments.

"Old Haciendas"

During XVII and XVIII centuries, Queretaro was transformed into one of the main cities within the New Spain because of it's economical development.

This caused the main haciendas to be transformed into luxury palaces owned by the richest men in Mexico. This can be observed nearby the main square within the city thanks to the well preserved buildings which generate an unforgettable atmosphere for all visitors transporting them back in time to that age.