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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar and Town of Aculco

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
317 km
Riding-time estimate
5 h 21
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

From San Miguel de Allende it runs 317 km to San Miguel de Allende; allow about 5 h 21 of riding. It goes by way of Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist, Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro, Historic centre of the city of San Juan de and Town of Aculco. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,650 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. 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

    Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar is where the day begins. Next is Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist.

  2. 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.

    Read the complete Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    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 Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro.

  3. 3. 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.

    Read the complete Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    about 65 km into the recorded legs you reach Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro. Next is Historic centre of the city of San Juan de.

  4. 4. 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.

    Read the complete Historic centre of the city of San Juan de write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Historic centre of the city of San Juan de, about halfway. Next is Town of Aculco.

  5. 5. Town of Aculco

    Aculco is a quiet stone town in the northwest of the State of Mexico, on the high plateau at well over two thousand metres, where the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the colonial road to the north, passed through on its way from Mexico City. The town was a staging post, and its well-preserved centre, with a broad plaza, the Franciscan church and convent of San Jerónimo and old houses built of pinkish stone, is part of the UNESCO listing for the route. It was here, in November 1810, that royalist troops defeated Miguel Hidalgo's insurgent army, an early setback in the War of Independence that people still mention with a kind of local pride.

    Read the complete Town of Aculco write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Town of Aculco sits at 190 km, about halfway. Next is back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de.

  6. 6. back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Historic centre of the city of San Juan de write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de comes up about 201 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro.

  7. 7. back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    about 253 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro. Next is back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist.

  8. 8. back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist, late in the day. Next is Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar.

  9. 9. Protective town of San Miguel and Sanctuar

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    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

    The route ends here after 317 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 Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro

Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist → Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro is 32 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 Town of Aculco

Historic centre of the city of San Juan de → Town of Aculco is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Town of Aculco to back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de

Town of Aculco → back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de to back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro

back through 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 Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist

back through Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro → back through Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist is 31 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.

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