Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco and Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
135 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 33
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.
135 km from Rancho Viejo to Rancho Viejo, about 2 h 33 of riding. On the way it passes Bridge of El Fraile, Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist and back through Bridge of El Fraile. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
From the outside, the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco is plain: thick whitewashed walls, a modest bell tower, a dusty plaza in a small village on the dry plateau of Guanajuato. Step inside and every surface erupts in colour. The church was founded in the eighteenth century by the priest Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro as a place of penitence and spiritual retreat, and its walls and ceilings were covered over decades with murals by the painter Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre, full of saints, angels, Biblical scenes and verses. People call it the Sistine Chapel of Mexico, and the comparison is less exaggerated than it sounds. It is listed by UNESCO together with the nearby town of San Miguel de Allende.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco is where the day begins. Next is Bridge of El Fraile.
2. Bridge of El Fraile
Atotonilco is a small village in the hills outside San Miguel de Allende, and its sanctuary is sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of Mexico. The church was founded in the eighteenth century and covered, inside, with extraordinary baroque paintings by a local artist, who filled the walls and ceilings with scenes of the Passion, saints and symbols in a dense, theatrical style. It is still an active place of pilgrimage, and many people walk here from San Miguel, especially during Lent, in a tradition that goes back centuries.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bridge of El Fraile comes up about 24 km into the recorded legs. Next is Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist.
3. 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
Back at Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco to Bridge of El Fraile
Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco → Bridge of El Fraile is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Bridge of El Fraile to Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist
Bridge of El Fraile → Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist to back through Bridge of El Fraile
Chapel of the former hacienda of Buenavist → back through Bridge of El Fraile is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Bridge of El Fraile to Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
back through Bridge of El Fraile → Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.