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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal and Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien starting at Chalchihuites

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
348 km
Riding-time estimate
7 h 02
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

From Chalchihuites it runs 348 km to Chalchihuites; allow about 7 h 02 of riding. The stops in between: Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town, Sierra de Órganos, Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien and back through Sierra de Órganos. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,400 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal

    Chalchihuites is a small town in the far west of Zacatecas, on the edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and it lies on a stretch of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior Land. Its architectural ensemble, with a parish church and colonial houses around a plaza, is part of the UNESCO listing of the Camino Real. The name comes from the Nahuatl word for jade or greenstone, chalchihuitl, a reference to the turquoise-like stones found in the area, which were prized by the peoples of Mesoamerica.

    Read the complete Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal is where the day begins. Next is Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town.

  2. 2. Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town

    San Martín is a small farming town on the high plateau of western Zacatecas, a dozen or so kilometres from the old mining city of Sombrerete, and at its heart stands a colonial church dedicated to San Pantaleón Mártir. The building, with a sturdy stone facade, a bell tower and a cool, simple interior, is one of the sites listed as part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the colonial road that ran north from Mexico City through the silver country to New Mexico. Churches like this one marked the stopping places along the route, and they served the small communities of farmers, muleteers and miners who lived in this harsh, beautiful landscape.

    Read the complete Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town comes up about 77 km into the recorded legs. Next is Sierra de Órganos.

  3. 3. Sierra de Órganos

    Pipes of a giant church organ, frozen in stone: that is what the Spanish saw when they named the Sierra de Órganos, a range of rock formations in the north-west of the state of Zacatecas, near the border with Durango. The columns and pinnacles of volcanic rock rise from the high desert, carved by wind and water into strange shapes, and the area is a national park, protected for its geology and its landscape of grassland, oak and pine.

    Read the complete Sierra de Órganos write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 109 km into the recorded legs you reach Sierra de Órganos. Next is Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien.

  4. 4. Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien

    Nombre de Dios, in the state of Durango, is a small, dusty town on a dry plateau about a hundred kilometres south-east of the state capital, and it carries the distinction of having been the site of the first Franciscan mission in Durango, founded in the 1550s.

    Read the complete Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien, about halfway. Next is back through Sierra de Órganos.

  5. 5. back through Sierra de Órganos

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Sierra de Órganos write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Sierra de Órganos sits at 147 km, about halfway. Next is back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town.

  6. 6. back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town comes up about 270 km into the recorded legs. Next is Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal.

  7. 7. Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal closes the day.

Leg by leg

Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal to Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town

Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal → Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town is 77 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town to Sierra de Órganos

Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town → Sierra de Órganos is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Sierra de Órganos to Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien

Sierra de Órganos → Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien to back through Sierra de Órganos

Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien → back through Sierra de Órganos is 68 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Sierra de Órganos to back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town

back through Sierra de Órganos → back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town to Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal

back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town → Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal is 77 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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