A free Puebloteca guide Zacatecas's Pueblos Mágicos

Free Zacatecas travel guide

All 7 of Zacatecas's Pueblos Mágicos on one printable page. Free when you sign up for our weekly email.

All 7 Pueblos Mágicos, with a photo and what makes each special
A map of Zacatecas with each one on it
Road trips that join the pueblos close together
The best months to go
How far each is from the nearest city
The sights not to miss
The fiestas worth planning around
The fiestas month by month
Where to stay in each
Made to print or save as a PDF

The 7 Pueblos Mágicos in this guide

Most visited first. The full guide adds the sights not to miss, the fiestas, how far each is by car, and a layout made to print.

1

Jerez

Jerez, in Zacatecas, is known for its elegant 19th-century buildings, including the Hinojosa Theater, and for its spring fair. It was the birthplace of the poet Ramón López Velarde.

When to go: Jan, Mar, Apr, Dec
2

Nochistlán

Nochistlán de Mejía is a small city in southern Zacatecas whose Nahuatl name means "place of cochineal". It is known as a land of musicians, home to dozens of bandas, mariachis and tambora groups, and as the first site of Guadalajara. Visitors come for its architecture and its festivals: the flour-and-confetti Papaqui in January honoring Saint Sebastian, the October fiestas, and the Sunday evening serenata in the garden plaza.

When to go: Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov
3

Sombrerete

Sombrerete is an old silver town in northwestern Zacatecas, set at the foot of the hat-shaped hill that gave it its name. Its colonial street plan survives, with wide streets, alleys and small plazas lined with carved stone churches such as the San Mateo monastery, Santo Domingo and San Juan Bautista. The historic center is part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro World Heritage listing, and the rock formations of Sierra de Órganos National Park are a short trip away.

When to go: Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec
4

Guadalupe

Guadalupe sits right next to the city of Zacatecas and forms a single metropolitan area with it, but its historic center has a character of its own. The main draw is the former Franciscan Apostolic College of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an 18th-century missionary complex that is part of the UNESCO-listed Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. Visitors come to see the convent and its church, walk the old center, which the state has declared a historic city, and explore former haciendas such as Bernárdez.

When to go: Jan, Mar, Apr, Dec
5

Villanueva

Villanueva is a colonial town in southern Zacatecas, set among farmland, hills, and rivers. Its center has the parish church of San Judas Tadeo and the Municipal Palace, and the surrounding area holds pre-Hispanic petroglyphs and old haciendas. The town is known as the birthplace of tamborazo, the drum-driven brass music of Zacatecas, and for wood and leather furniture. The liveliest time to visit is the San Judas Tadeo fair, October 20 to 28.

When to go: Mar, Apr, May, Dec
6

Pinos

Pinos is an old mining town on the slope of the Sierra de Pinos, in the high desert of southeastern Zacatecas known as the Gran Tunal. It was a stop on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the silver road north from Mexico City. The town is divided into four old neighborhoods, including one called Tlaxcala, and its Franciscan convent still stands. Around it spread wide plains of yucca and thorn scrub broken by rocky mesas.

When to go: Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov
7

Teúl de González Ortega

Teúl de González Ortega is a small town in the far south of Zacatecas whose name comes from the Nahuatl word for god or sacred. Above it rises the Cerro del Teúl, an archaeological site that was a major Caxcan ceremonial center, with a main plaza and two pyramid platforms. In town, the 18th-century Sanctuary of Guadalupe recalls the Franciscan past. Teúl is also proud of its musicians, and blue agave is a growing local crop.

When to go: Mar, Apr, May, Nov