Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret and Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
472 km
Riding-time estimate
9 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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Sombrerete it runs 472 km to Sombrerete; allow about 9 h 02 of riding. It goes by way of Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town, Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal, Sierra de Órganos and Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,400 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret
Sombrerete is a silver town in the northwest of Zacatecas, founded in the 1550s when Spanish prospectors found rich veins of ore in the hills. The name comes from a hill nearby shaped like a small hat. In the colonial era, Sombrerete's mines produced enormous wealth, and the town grew into an important stop on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road linking Mexico City with the far north. That wealth built a remarkable collection of churches, convents and mansions, many in the pinkish local stone, and the historic ensemble is part of the UNESCO listing of the Camino Real. The Franciscan convent, the church of Santo Domingo, and the chapel of the Tercera Orden, with its unusual oval plan, are among the highlights. The town has a slightly faded, unhurried atmosphere, far from the tourist crowds of the more famous colonial cities.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret is where the day begins. Next is Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town.
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.
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 20 km into the recorded legs. Next is Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal.
3. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 97 km into the recorded legs you reach Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal. Next is Sierra de Órganos.
4. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sierra de Órganos, about halfway. Next is Chapel of San Antonio of the Former hacien.
5. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 376 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal. Next is back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town.
8. back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 472 km.
Leg by leg
Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret to Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town
Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret → Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town to Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal
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.
Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal to Sierra de Órganos
Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal → Sierra de Órganos is 75 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 Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal
back through Sierra de Órganos → back through Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal to back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town
back through Architectonic ensemble of the Town of Chal → back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town is 77 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 Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret
back through Temple of San Pantaleón Mártir in the Town → Historic ensemble of the city of Sombreret is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.