Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar and Historic centre of the city of San Juan de
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
260 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 39
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.
A 260 km round trip from San Miguel de Allende - roughly 4 h 39 in the saddle. On the way it passes Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist, Former hacienda of Chichimequillas, Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro and Historic centre of the city of San Juan de. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,300 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar is where the day begins. Next is Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist.
2. Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
North of the city of Querétaro, the land rises into dry hills dotted with cactus, mesquite and the remains of old haciendas. These estates were the economic engines of colonial Mexico, producing grain, livestock and pulque for the cities and mines of the north. The chapel of the former Hacienda of Buenavista stands in this landscape near the village of the same name, close to Santa Rosa Jáuregui, and it is part of the UNESCO-listed Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Former hacienda of Chichimequillas.
3. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 52 km into the recorded legs you reach Former hacienda of Chichimequillas. Next is Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro.
4. Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Santiago de Querétaro's skyline is defined by its aqueduct, seventy-four tall stone arches striding across a valley into the city, built in the early eighteenth century at the expense of the Marqués de la Villa del Villar del Águila to bring fresh water from the hills. Legend says he did it for love of a nun; the more prosaic version says he wanted to improve public health. Either way, it is one of the great engineering works of colonial Mexico, and the view of the arches at dusk, lit up against the sky, is unforgettable.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro, about halfway. Next is Historic centre of the city of San Juan de.
5. Historic centre of the city of San Juan de
San Juan del Río grew up as a stop on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road that ran north from Mexico City to the silver mines of Zacatecas and on to Santa Fe in New Mexico, and its historic centre is one of the sites along that route listed by UNESCO in 2010. For centuries, mule trains, wagons and travellers passed through here, stopping at inns and crossing the river on the stone bridge built in the early eighteenth century, which still stands. The centre has plazas, churches, convents and colonial houses of pink and grey stone, and a relaxed provincial atmosphere, despite the city's growth as an industrial centre.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro comes up about 183 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas.
7. back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 209 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas. Next is back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist.
8. back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 260 km.
Leg by leg
Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar to Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar → Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist to Former hacienda of Chichimequillas
Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist → Former hacienda of Chichimequillas is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Former hacienda of Chichimequillas to Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Former hacienda of Chichimequillas → Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro to Historic centre of the city of San Juan de
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro → Historic centre of the city of San Juan de is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic centre of the city of San Juan de to back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Historic centre of the city of San Juan de → back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro is 52 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro to back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas
back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro → back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas to back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
back through Former hacienda of Chichimequillas → back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist to Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar
back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist → Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.