Hidalgo

The state

Get to know Hidalgo

Hidalgo lies just north of Mexico City, between the dry plateau and pine‑covered mountain ranges. The region lived off silver since colonial times, and the mining towns in the mountains retain churches, stone streets and an unexpected heritage: miners who came from Cornwall, England, in the 19th century.

Pachuca, the capital, is known for the Monumental Clock downtown and for pastes, the turnovers brought by English miners that became a state specialty. In the highlands, Real del Monte and Mineral del Chico are mining villages with colorful houses and steep roofs, with mines open to visitors and trails in El Chico National Park.

Huasca de Ocampo has the Prismas Basálticos de Santa María Regla, columns of volcanic rock several meters high down which waterfalls flow, and old silver‑processing estates. In the Mezquital valley, the Grutas de Tolantongo feature a turquoise‑colored warm river, caves and thermal pools on a canyon slope.

In the southwest, the Tula archaeological zone preserves the atlantes, large stone columns shaped like warriors from the ancient Toltec capital. On the border with the State of Mexico, the 16th‑century Padre Tembleque aqueduct is a World Heritage Site. On the table, pastes, lamb barbacoa and seasonal escamoles.