Named for the hot springs near the city center, Aguascalientes (pop. 800,000) is famous throughout Mexico for its no-holds-barred Feria de San Marcos, when the whole city goes wild for three weeks from mid-April to mid-May. For the rest of the year, residents—referred to as los hidrálicos (thermal water people)—settle down to work, play with their kids in the many plazas, and attend the city’s myriad of cultural events. Modern concrete buildings are interrupted by unusual churches, the mural-covered Palacio del Gobierno, and unexpected green spaces. Aguascalientes stood on the old silver trail between Zacatecas and Mexico City, but other than a few museums and a lovely plaza, it does not offer as much for tourists as the nearby colonial cities of Guanajuato and Zacatecas.
Aguascaliente’s bus station is on Convención Sur and Av. 5, a few blocks west of José Mari Chavez. Green-and-white city buses numbered in the 20s and 30s (4 pesos) run from outside the bus station to the Mercado Morelos, two blocks north of the Plaza de la Patria, in the center of town. To get back to the station, take a “Central Camionera” bus or a taxi (under 40 pesos). Ómnibus de México (☎978 2770) goes to: Ciudad Juárez (15hr., 6 per day, 951 pesos); Durango (7hr., 7 per day, 292 pesos); Torreón (6hr., 5 per day, 370 pesos); Zacatecas (2 hr., 8 per day, 91 pesos). Futura (☎978 2758) goes to: Durango (6hr., 10 per day, 292 pesos); Guadalajara (3hr., every hr. 5am-9pm, 172 pesos); Mexico City (6hr., 10 per day, 423 pesos); Monterrey (9hr., 8 per day, 376 pesos); San Luis Potosí (3hr., 15 per day, 132 pesos). Primera Plus (☎978 2671) and ETN (☎978 2429) also go to major cities.
Aguascalientes is 168km west of San Luis Potosí, 128km south of Zacatecas, and 252km northeast of Guadalajara. Circunvalación encircles the city, while López Mateos cuts through town from east to west. From Plaza de la Patria, most sights are within walking distance. The city takes its siestas quite seriously; many sights and businesses close from 2 to 4pm.
Budget hotels in Aguascalientes are located on side streets extending from Plaza de la Patria. As a general rule, hotels in the centro are of higher quality than those by the bus station and charge similar rates. During the Feria de San Marcos (mid-Apr. to mid-May), reservations are a must.
Countless numbers of food vendors selling juice, popcorn, tamales, and fruit fill the centro, especially on weekends at the Plaza de la Patria. Aguascalientes has a Tepoznieves, in Centro Parian at Juárez and Primo Verdad, which is proudly hailed as the home of Mexico’s best ice cream and offers over 131 flavors.
Museo José Guadalupe Posada. The museum displays a selection of grimly delightful engravings by locally born artist José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). Cavorting skeletons, nightmarish devils, drunks, and lovers populate his images, which tend to portray the darker, unromanticized side of rural Mexican life. Posada, an ardent critic of the dictator Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915), set the stage for the scathing social commentary of later Mexican muralists, such as Diego Rivera (1886-1957) and José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949). The collection includes 220 of his original works and images, the most famous of which, Calavera de la Catrina, depicts the calavera (skull) of a high-society female wearing an outlandish hat. Rivera recreated Posada’s La Catrina as a part of his Sueño de Una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda, now on display in Mexico City. (On León, next to the Templo del Encino, 4 blocks south of López Mateos. ☎915 4556. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm. 10 pesos, students 5 pesos, children free; Su free.)
Plaza De La Patria. Bountiful shade, benches, and bubbling fountains invite the weary to take a break. To the south, it is bordered by the Palacio de Gobierno and the Palacio Municipal. Fascinating and bitter historical murals cover the Palacio de Gobierno’s interior. Next to the Palacio on the eastern end is a large golden tower with the national emblem of an eagle on a cactus eating a serpent. Also south of the plaza is the Teatro Morelos, the site of the 1914 Convention of Aguascalientes, in which rival factions led by Zapata, Carranza, and Villa clashed over the selection of the new president, prolonging the Revolution. Posters outside the theater list event information.
Estadio Victoria. The home of Aguascalientes’ 1st division soccer team, Club Necaxa. “Los Rayos” draw large crowds, especially when they play the more popular teams from Guadalajara and Mexico City. (☎976 1830; www.clubnecaxa.com.)
Basílica De La Asunción De Las Aguascalientes. The soft gray-and-rose-colored Solomonic Baroque facade of the 18th-century basilica make it the city’s most remarkable structure. The cathedral’s interior, restored in the 18th and 19th centuries, is graced with high ceilings, ornate icons, and gold trimmings along with 17th- and 18th-century paintings by Jose de Alcibar, Andres López, and Miguel Cabrera. (In the center of Plaza de la Patria. Open daily 7am-2pm and 4-9pm.)
Templo De San Antonio. A 10min. walk from the Plaza de la Patria down Zaragoza, a unique onion-domed church rises up at the end of the street. Construction of the church began in 1895 and was completed in 1908 under self-taught architect José Refugio Reyes (1862-1945). The patterns on the interior murals, frescoes, oil paintings, and delicate stained-glass windows matches the eclectic exterior, which blends Baroque, Classical, and Oriental styles. (On Pedro Parga at Zaragoza. From the plaza, walk 3 blocks down Madero, go left on Zaragoza, and continue for 3 blocks. ☎915 2898. Open M-Sa 6:30-10am, 11:30-12:30pm, and 6-9pm; Su 6:30am-noon and 5:30-9pm.)
Museo De Aguascalientes. This small, interesting art museum in a building designed by José Refugio Reyes exhibits the works of Aguascalientes native Saturnino Herran (1887-1918). Though Herran died at 31, he left behind a masterful collection. His 1917 design for a mural, Nuestros Dioses, blends indigenous with Catholic worship in a visually stunning sketch. Rotating exhibits feature Mexican painters, sculptors, and photographers. (Across from Templo de San Antonio. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm. 10 pesos, students and seniors 5 pesos; Su free.)
Jardín De San Marcos. Around 1600, indígenas erected the Templo Evangelista San Marcos on this site, originally an indigenous settlement. The small church still has services, and is the center of a crowded pedestrian thoroughfare filled with Mexican families in the evenings. The adjacent arcade is lined with bars and vendors and is active late into the night. (The Jardín is a 5-10min. walk on Carranza from Plaza de la Patria. Church open daily 7am-2pm and 4-9pm.)
Hot Springs. Aguascalientes does, after all, mean “hot waters,” and sure enough, there are several thermal balnearios (hot springs) at the edge of town. Most are overrated—waters tend to be lukewarm at best. The most accessible springs are at Baños Termales de Ojocaliente. The turn-of-the-20th-century building consists of many private thermal showers and an outdoor swimming pool. The waters are reputed to have cured cases of rheumatism, which helps explain the elderly clientele. (Balneario located across the Parque Urbano la Pona at the fork of Revolución and San Luis Potosí. To get there from the city center take a Ruta 14 or 19 bus eastbound from Madero and ask the driver if it is bound for the Balneario. Open daily 7am-7pm. 70-180 pesos per hr.)
Other Sights. Around the centro are other museums worth a look. The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo displays rotating exhibits of contemporary Latin American artists and houses a small library. (At Morelos and Verdad. ☎918 6901. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm. 10 pesos, students and teachers 5 pesos.) The Museo Regional de Historia occupies another building designed by Refugio Reyes. The collection explores the area’s past, from prehistoric to Revolutionary times. (Carranza 118. ☎916 5228. Open Tu-Su 9am-7pm. 30 pesos, students and children free; Su free.)
Unless you catch the Feria de San Marcos, Aguascalientes doesn’t have much of a nightlife. By city ordinance, discotecas are prohibited in the centro histórico, and even on the outskirts they can only open their doors Thursday through Saturday. Bars or merenderos (open-air cafes), on the other hand, are open every night of the week. They are concentrated on Pani, between Ponce and Nieto, in the area of the San Marcos Fairgrounds just south of the Jardín. Buses stop running around 10pm, when taxis become the best way to get around.
During the Feria de San Marcos (mid-April to mid-May) everything from cockfights to milking contests takes place in the Jardín de San Marcos. The Feria de San Marcos is commonly referred to as the “largest cantina in Mexico,” and cheap outdoor bars pop up on every street corner. To reach the Expo Plaza, walk two blocks to the left as you face the Templo in Jardín. The festival of the patron saint of Aguascalientes, La Romeria de la Asunción (August 1-15), is celebrated with dances, processions, and fireworks. The Festival de las Calaveras (late Oct.-early Nov.) is another occasion for the city to cut loose and celebrate.
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