3 days of a pink plaza, hot springs and a fair city

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. 1
   Morning

   Museo Nacional de la Muerte

   A university museum in the centre, next to the church of San Diego, filled with objects about death in Mexico. Skulls, art and folk figures show how the country has looked at death, with humour as well as respect. Check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Morning, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip The rooms are full of skulls and skeleton figures, shown with humour as well as respect. Look at how the same subject changes from case to case, and check ahead on the opening.

   About 12 min walk1.0 km
2. 2
   Midday

   Museo José Guadalupe Posada

   The museum of the engraver José Guadalupe Posada, born in Aguascalientes, in the old quarter of the Encino. His sharp prints of skeletons, politicians and everyday scenes ran in the cheap papers of his day, and one skeleton in a wide hat came to be called La Catrina. Check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip Look for the skeleton in a wide hat, then the smaller prints around it, which are the funniest. The old quarter around the museum is calm to walk, with a church and a small garden nearby.

   

3. Lunch

   Pozole

   A bowl of hominy stew with pork, chile and lime, served with chopped lettuce, radish and crisp tostadas on the side, a dish for a day out.

   Local tip Add the lime and radish to taste, and eat it while it is hot.

   About 14 min walk1.2 km
4. 3
   Afternoon

   Templo de San Antonio

   A church begun in 1895 and finished in 1908 by a self taught local architect, Refugio Reyes Rivas. It mixes Gothic, classical, baroque and Arabic styles with a tall dome, and the inside is richly decorated. It is a working church, so stay quiet and cover your shoulders.

   Go when Afternoon, when the light comes into the dome.

   Local tip Walk all the way around the outside first, since the styles change from side to side. Inside, look up. It is a working church, so stay quiet and cover your shoulders.

   About 13 min walk1.1 km
5. 4
   Afternoon

   Centro Cultural Los Arquitos

   A cultural centre in a building of 1821 that held the first public baths of the state, a few steps from the railway museum. Look at the stone arches and the rooms, and check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Afternoon, right after the railway museum.

   Local tip The old public baths are now a place for exhibitions and classes. Look at the stone arches and the lines of the building, and check ahead on what is on and whether you can go in.

   About 13 min walk1.0 km
6. 5
   Afternoon

   Museo de Aguascalientes

   The art museum of the state, beside the church of San Antonio, with work by painters and artists born in the region. Take your time in the rooms and check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Late afternoon, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip It is an art museum of painters and artists born in the region, so choose the rooms that catch your eye rather than trying to see them all. Check ahead on the opening.

   

   About 13 min walk1.1 km
7. 6
   Afternoon

   Museo Ferrocarrilero de Aguascalientes

   A museum of the railways in the old station of the city, in a rail complex east of the centre. Engines, wagons, rails and the stories of those who worked on them fill the rooms and yards. Wear a hat for the outdoor parts, and check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Afternoon, with a hat for the yards.

   Local tip Go through the rooms in the old station, then walk out to the engines and wagons. There is little shade in the yards, so take water, and check ahead on the opening.

8. Dinner

   Quesadillas and a guava sweet

   Folded tortillas with melted cheese or a stew, then a firm sweet made from the guava of the region, a speciality of the west of the state.

   Local tip The sweet is dense and sticky, so buy a small piece to share.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. 1
   Morning

   Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

   The cathedral, a baroque church on the square, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. Look at the carved front from the plaza before you go in. It is a working church, so keep your voice low and cover your shoulders during services.

   Go when Morning, when the sun lights the carved front.

   Local tip Stand on the plaza and look at the front before you go in. It is a working church, so cover your shoulders and stay quiet during services.

   

   About 2 min walkunder 0.1 km
2. 2
   Morning

   Plaza de la Patria

   The main square of the city, a wide plaza of pink stone, trees and benches with the cathedral, the government palace and an old theatre around it. Start here, sit for a few minutes and watch the city go by.

   Go when Morning, once the stone warms up, or in the evening (about 6:06 PM) when the square fills.

   Local tip Take a bench and look at the cathedral and the palace across the way. At this height the sun is strong, so a hat helps, and the evenings are cool.

   

3. Lunch

   Gorditas

   Thick, stuffed corn cakes, griddled and filled with stews, beans or cheese, from a small place on a side street near the square.

   Local tip Pick a place with a short wait, a sign that the food moves quickly.

   About 9 min walk0.7 km
4. 3
   Morning

   Jardín de San Marcos

   A garden in the old San Marcos quarter, with paths, a bandstand with fountains, bronze figures, old trees and a rail of pink stone around it. It is closely tied to the spring fair, which grew up in this part of the city. Come on an ordinary day to stroll.

   Go when Morning, under the trees, or late afternoon (about 6:06 PM).

   Local tip Walk the paths and look at the bronze figures, then sit by the bandstand. The spring fair fills this whole quarter, so on an ordinary day it is a different, calmer place.

   

   About 9 min walk0.7 km
5. 4
   Midday

   Palacio de Gobierno

   The state government palace on the south side of the square, a building of the 1600s in pink stone with an arcaded courtyard. Murals by the Chilean painter Osvaldo Barra look down on the stairs and walls. Check ahead on whether visitors may go in.

   Go when Late morning, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip Look up at the murals along the stairs and the courtyard walls. It is a working government building, so check ahead on whether visitors may go in, and be polite to the guards.

   About 4 min walk0.3 km
6. 5
   Afternoon

   Museo Regional de Historia de Aguascalientes

   A museum of the story of the state, from the earliest peoples to today, in a building of 1901 by the local architect Refugio Reyes Rivas. Follow the rooms in order, and check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Afternoon, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip Follow the rooms in order, since they run from the earliest peoples to today. Read the labels in Spanish if you can, and check ahead on the opening.

7. Dinner

   Tacos dorados and esquites

   Crisp rolled tacos with a warm cup of corn off the cob, topped with cheese, lime and chile, from a street cart as the day cools.

   Local tip Ask for the chile on the side, since the sauces can be strong.

Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.

1. Drive from Museo Regional de Historia de AguascalientesAbout 44 min by car33.4 km

   Where Day 2 ended.
2. 1
   Afternoon

   Presa Plutarco Elías Calles

   A reservoir at the edge of the Sierra Fría, held by a concrete dam finished in 1928, with water spread across the dry hills. Walk the shore, look at the dam wall, and take sun cover. Do not swim without local advice, and check ahead on access.

   Go when Afternoon into evening (about 6:06 PM), as the light softens on the water.

   Local tip It needs a car or a driver, and the shore has little shade. Take water and a hat, keep back from the dam edge and the water, and check ahead on access and the road. Leave before dark.