Town 30 km northwest of Jalpan
A riverside village with the first-finished Sierra Gorda mission, a giant ancient cypress and warm-water swimming.
Concá is a small village in Arroyo Seco municipality, north of Jalpan, set among springs and the warm waters of the Santa María River. It is home to the mission of San Miguel Concá, one of the five Sierra Gorda missions on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Built between 1754 and 1758, it was the first of the five to be completed, and it is also the most intimate. Its facade is famous for its indigenous touches among the usual saints: flowers, fruit and animals, and an eagle and a rabbit that are read as the sun and the moon. At the top, the Archangel Michael, the patron of the mission, defeats a demon. The name Concá comes from the Pame language and is usually translated as "with me."
The village is also a good place to cool off. Beside the springs that feed it grows a huge, very old cypress, considered one of the oldest trees in the Sierra Gorda, and nearby there are warm pools and stretches of the Santa María River for swimming and kayaking.
What to see and do
Look for the eagle and the rabbit, sun and moon, on the mission's facade.
Visit the ancient cypress beside the springs.
Swim in the warm pools and the Santa María River.
Come on September 29 for the feast of San Miguel Arcángel.
Getting there
Concá is about 35 km north of Jalpan on the highway toward Arroyo Seco and Río Verde, roughly 40 minutes by car; the mission is right by the road.
30 km northwest of Jalpan
Directions from Jalpan on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Concá
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Weather mild
Concá shares the climate of Jalpan, 30 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.
Make Jalpan your base
Concá is an easy trip from Jalpan, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Jalpan
-
Presa Jalpan
· Lake · 2 km away
The reservoir just south of town, a calm spot for a walk by the water at the start or end of the day. -
Cascada El Chuveje
· Waterfall · 11 km away
A 30-meter waterfall in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, reached by a short river trail off Highway 120. -
Misión de Landa
· Landmark · 16 km away
The last and most ornate of the five UNESCO-listed Sierra Gorda missions, 20 minutes east of Jalpan. -
Misión de Tancoyol
· Landmark · 25 km away
A UNESCO-listed mission with the most complex facade of the five, about an hour from Jalpan on a curvy mountain road. -
Misión de Tilaco
· Landmark · 30 km away
The smallest facade of the five missions, packed with mermaids and angel musicians, in a remote green valley.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.