Silver came out of the mountains of the north, and everything else came back the other way: wine, cloth, tools, tobacco and soldiers. The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was the road that carried it all, running from Mexico City to Santa Fe, and it opened in the late sixteenth century and remained in use for roughly three hundred years. It crossed rivers and ravines, and where it did, the Spanish built bridges, a number of which have survived. The bridge of Atongo is one of the stone bridges along the road in the state of Mexico, close to Jilotepec.
Jilotepec was an important place long before the Spanish came, a centre of the Otomí people, and the Spanish used Otomí allies to push the frontier northwards, founding settlements among the hills. The old road passed through this country of dry hills, maguey fields and small farms, then headed on toward Querétaro and the silver towns. UNESCO listed the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro in 2010, including bridges and towns along the way, and these structures are a reminder that the road was a piece of infrastructure as much as a route.
Today the country north-west of Mexico City is crossed by fast modern highways, and the old road survives as quiet lanes and village streets. Riding on them can be pleasant, with little traffic, gentle hills and the smell of dust and wood smoke, but surfaces vary and speed bumps appear in every village. Stone bridges are narrow, and some have uneven or slippery paving, so cross them slowly. The dry months, from November to April, are the most comfortable, while summer brings heavy afternoon rain.
Fuel is available in Jilotepec, about ten kilometres away, and the town has cafes and small restaurants, and the main highway to Querétaro has plenty of service stations.