Aculco is a quiet town of Otomí roots in the north of the State of Mexico, set on a small hill along the old Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. Visitors come for the Baroque parish and former convent of San Jerónimo, the main garden, the old public washing basins, and the waterfalls of La Concepción and Tixhiñú nearby. It is also cheese country: local dairies make queso Aculco, cream, and butter, best followed by barbacoa, pulque, or fruit liqueurs.
History
Aculco began as an Otomí settlement. Its Otomí name, N'dome, means two waters, while the Nahuatl name Ahcolco is read as the place where the water bends. In 1540 the Spanish built the parish and convent of San Jerónimo, founded by Franciscans, and the town took Saint Jerome as its patron. It grew as a stop on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road north from Mexico City that is now on the World Heritage List.
In 1810 the insurgent army suffered its first major defeat here during the War of Independence. Once independence was won, the municipality was created in 1825. In 1954 the town added Espinoza to its name in honor of Ignacio Espinosa, a philanthropist born here.
The local economy has long been rural: corn, beans, wheat, and vegetables, along with cattle, sheep, and goats. Dairy became the town's calling card, with small plants producing cheese and cream, and stonework in quarried cantera is another local trade. Aculco was named a Pueblo Mágico in 2015.
Climate cool
Best months to visit: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr (driest months with comfortable afternoons)
Average daily high and low (°C) and monthly rainfall, 2020–2024.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Aculco
Hotel del Jardín Hotel · 4.0 km from the center Find on Booking.comLinks open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. Hotel names from OpenStreetMap.
Photos
Where it is
Aculco within Mexico
The town up close · Open in Google Maps
Getting there
- Fly into QRO: Querétaro Intercontinental Airport, about 65 km away in a straight line
Drive times are estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, without traffic.
Nearby Pueblos Mágicos
32 km away
33 km away
37 km away
43 km away
Sources: population from Wikidata (may count the whole municipality) · elevation and climate from Open-Meteo · airports from OurAirports (straight-line distance).