Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco and Town of Aculco
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
132 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 29
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.
From El Cazadero it runs 132 km to El Cazadero; allow about 2 h 29 of riding. On the way it passes Historic centre of the city of San Juan de, Town of Aculco and back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,650 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco
For almost three centuries, wagon trains loaded with silver rolled north and south along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road that linked Mexico City with the mining towns of the north and eventually with Santa Fe in what is now New Mexico. It was one of the longest trade routes in the Americas, carrying silver, mercury, goods, people and ideas across thousands of kilometres. In 2010 UNESCO listed a series of sites along the route, including stretches of the old road, bridges, haciendas and towns. This section, between Aculco and San Juan del Río, crosses the high plateau on the border between the State of Mexico and Querétaro.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco is where the day begins. Next is Historic centre of the city of San Juan de.
2. 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
Historic centre of the city of San Juan de comes up about 24 km into the recorded legs. Next is Town of Aculco.
3. 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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco to Historic centre of the city of San Juan de
Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco → Historic centre of the city of San Juan de is 24 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 Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco
back through Historic centre of the city of San Juan de → Stretch of the Camino Real between Aculco is 24 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.