The state of Aguascalientes is one of the smallest states within Mexico, nevertheless it is home to three Pueblos Mágicos which I all visited together with Jonathan during my week there. San José de Gracia was the first one we visited, riding on Jonathan's small motorcycle to see the village and its lake, the surrounding canyons and the Cristo Roto, one of the largest sculptures in Mexico.
San José de Gracia
San José de Gracia is about an hour drive from the city of Aguascalientes and is located next to the reservoir "Presidente Plutarco Elías Calles". There are a lot of different boat trips you can do from the mooring of San José, we decided for the "Executive Trip", which brought us near to the Cristo Roto, the dam and a skull head sculpture. At the mooring there are a few restaurants where you can enjoy fish and other kind of food. Unfortunately, one of these restaurants was almost completely swallowed by water after a prolonged heavy rainfall. The Cristo Roto (Broken Christ) has just one arm and is a symbol of the exodus in the face of the catastrophe to which the population was subjected, as well as a reminder of the sick and oppressed. Access to the Christ statue is just possible by water.
Afterwards we made a short detour to Boca de Túnel, an adventure park, canyon and reservoir as well. There are a lot of suspension bridges and zip lines you can cross. As we came there in the late afternoon there was no possibility anymore to do this action activities but we had a great view over the canyon as you also can just hike around the mountains by your own a little bit.
Calvillo
Calvillo is known as the world capital of the guava fruit, a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. Guavas originated from Mexico or Central America but are also consumed a lot within Asia, especially India. Guavas are rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, with moderate levels of folic acid. One single common guava fruit may provide you with more than sufficient vitamin C as you need on a daily basis. Guavas also contain high level of pectin, that's why they are extensively used to make all kind of sweets, preserves or jams. With Jonathan and Edgar I visited a guava sweets factory where we could see the process of making the sweets and try some of them. Afterwards we had lunch in a restaurant with Enchiladas en Mole de Guajaba (rolled tortillas in a special guava sauce) and a guava beer. There is also a pizzeria in town which serves guava pizza.
Calvillo does not only offer guavas but also a beautiful centre to stroll around for a while. Furthermore there are a lot of shoemakers within the city who produce the traditional huaraches, open leather shoes. This kind of sandals has tradition within many parts of Mexico. Nowadays, bald truck tyres are used for the sole of the shoes. In Calvillo there is even a monument to the huaraches and its producers. We talked for some time with one of the oldest shoemakers in town who lives directly next to the statue.
On our way back to the city of Aguascalientes we made a stop at one of the two water reservoirs which are situated right next to Calvillo. As there falls hardly any rain during most months of the year in Northern Mexico these artificial lakes are essential as a water supply.
Real de Asientos
I visited Real de Asientos with Jonathan, Edgar and Jin before we attended the Fiesta de Quince Años of Gretel. On our way to Real de Asientos we stopped at the ex-convent of Tepozán, built in the 17th century by Franciscan monks. Nowadays it is a museum which shows the life of the monks, the music instruments they used and as the convent is right next to a silver mine also the history of the mining industry in Real de Asientos.
There are a few houses in Real de Asientos whose outside as well as inside walls are beautifully decorated with all different kinds of precious stones which were found within the region. The owner of one of these houses invited us to take a closer look at this elaborate work of art. These stones serve not only as jewellery but also as water taps, lamp holders, coat hooks and other useful objects.
On our way back we stopped at an old railway station but we were waiting in vain for the train.
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