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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of and Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
494 km
Riding-time estimate
8 h 54
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.

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Why this ride

A 494 km round trip from Jalpan - roughly 8 h 54 in the saddle. On the way it passes Former hacienda of Chichimequillas, Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar and back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of

    In the 1740s and 1750s, Franciscan friars led by Junipero Serra, the same man who would later found missions in California, arrived in the Sierra Gorda, a rugged range in the state of Queretaro, to bring the Pame and other indigenous peoples into mission communities. The five missions they built, at Jalpan, Landa, Tilaco, Tancoyol and Conca, are among the most extraordinary churches in Mexico. Their facades are covered in vivid, almost wild, baroque decoration, with saints, angels, flowers, and symbols that seem to reflect local indigenous hands as much as European ones. UNESCO listed them in 2003.

    Read the complete Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of is where the day begins. Next is Former hacienda of Chichimequillas.

  2. 2. Former hacienda of Chichimequillas

    On the high, dry plain northeast of Querétaro, the village of Chichimequillas grew up around an old hacienda, one of the many great estates that lined the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Inland Road that connected Mexico City with Santa Fe, in what is now New Mexico, for nearly three centuries. Silver, mercury, cloth, livestock, missionaries and soldiers travelled this route, and haciendas like this one supplied food, water and rest. The route was listed by UNESCO in 2010 as a series of sites, and the hacienda is one of them; its old buildings, chapel and walls hint at the wealth and power once concentrated here.

    Read the complete Former hacienda of Chichimequillas write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Former hacienda of Chichimequillas comes up about 196 km into the recorded legs. Next is Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar.

  3. 3. Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar

    San Miguel de Allende is a hill town in the highlands of Guanajuato, a little over two thousand metres above the sea, with cobbled streets climbing between ochre and rose-coloured walls, and in the middle of it the Gothic spires of the parish church rise improbably above the rooftops. The point on your map is in the centre of the town, and the sanctuary of Atotonilco, about fourteen kilometres away on the road to Dolores Hidalgo, was inscribed together with the town by UNESCO in 2008.

    Read the complete Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    about 246 km into the recorded legs you reach Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar. Next is back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas.

  4. 4. back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Former hacienda of Chichimequillas write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas, late in the day. Next is Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of.

  5. 5. Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Back at Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of to Former hacienda of Chichimequillas

Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of → Former hacienda of Chichimequillas is 196 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

Former hacienda of Chichimequillas to Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar

Former hacienda of Chichimequillas → Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar to back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas

Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar → back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas to Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of

back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas → Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of is 197 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

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