Aguascalientes and the San Marcos Fair

Aguascalientes is the capital of one of Mexico’s smallest states, in the center of the country, between Zacatecas and Jalisco. The name comes from the hot springs the Spanish found in the 16th century, when they founded the town in 1575 as a stop on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the silver road between Mexico City and the north.

The historic center has Plaza de la Patria, with the baroque cathedral and the red-stone Government Palace, and streets of mansions that lead to temples and gardens. The city is the home of José Guadalupe Posada, the printmaker who created the skull figure La Catrina, and it has the Museo Nacional de la Muerte, dedicated to Mexican traditions about death.

From mid-April to mid-May, the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, founded in 1828, takes over the Jardín de San Marcos and the surrounding neighborhoods with parades, music, bullfights, rodeos and exhibitions, and is one of the country’s largest popular fairs.

The city is modern and well organized, a good base for exploring the state and continuing to Zacatecas or Guanajuato. Aguascalientes follows the UTC−6 time zone, Central Standard Time of Mexico, with no daylight saving time.

This destination brings together 1 city: Aguascalientes.