'Pueblos Magicos' Promotes Off the Beaten Path Travel Phillippe Diederich - VOXXI
go to original January 7, 2013

Mexico in Your Senses (SousaWilly)

In 2001 Mexico’s tourism agency, Secretaria de Turismo, together with state governments, began a program called “Pueblos Magicos” or Magic Towns, as a way of identifying different towns and areas of the country, which are not necessarily famous tourist draws, but which hold certain unique features that make them “magic.” The designation is something like a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but on a smaller more local scale. The Mexican government is recognizing many areas of the country that are tourist draws because of their natural and historical significance.

At the end of 2012, the program added a number of places to the list including Tepoztlan on the outskirts of Mexico City, and Cuatro Cienegas, Arteaga and Viesca, all three in the State of Coahuila. These new towns make up for a total of 83 towns in all 31 states within the program. For tourists who are not looking for the mega resorts of Cancun or Manzanillo, and who want to discover the real Mexico, scrolling down the list of Pueblos Magicos can be a real eye opener.

Here is a closer look at some of the additions to the Pueblos Magicos list in 2012.

Cuetro Cienegas: (Coahuila) This is not actually a town but a protected park, or natural preserve, which includes a very unique natural environment. The closest town is Cuatro Cienegas de Carranza in the state of Coahuila. But Cuatro Cienegas, the biosphere, is a place that offers one of the most unique environments in the world. It is a small desert valley with a number of mineral springs and lagoons. There are at least 150 different plants and animals that are endemic to the area, including cyanobacteria colonies, which are mostly extinct in the rest of the world and which are linked to the creation of the oxygen rich atmosphere of the earth over three billion years ago.

Batopilas: (Chihuahua) This tiny old town lies at the bottom of the Copper Canyon (a spectacular chain of canyons four times larger than the Grand Canyon). The town of Batolpilas once held some of the richest silver mines in the world. It is a difficult place to get to as it is a five hour drive from Creel. There is an Jesuit mission, an abandoned 100 year old tunnel, old abandoned mines, and the former mansion of the American mining magnate and governor of Washington DC., Alexander Shepherd.

Huichapan: (Hidalgo) This town’s claim to fame in Mexican history is that it was the first place where the Grito or call for independence was celebrated in 1812 at a building called El Chapitel. The town has a fascinating public swimming pool built on the side of a cliff, an artisan community, and traditional food and events. Since Huichapan is situated in the middle of the Sierra Gorda, it also boasts hiking, horses back riding and tours of its surrounding mountains.

The Mexican government and the Secretaria de Turismo, are doing a fantastic job of identifying a number of towns and areas for tourists to visit. Mexico, no doubt, is a unique country with diverse topography, history, fauna and people. Pretty much until the last decade the Federal Government has focused most of its tourism development moneys to areas that invite mega-development and tourism like Cancun, Manzanillo and Cabo San Lucas. The Pueblos Magicos campaign is a step in the right direction, or one that will help preserve the patrimony of the country while bringing in much needed tourist dollars to these remote areas of the country without forcing any major changes on them.

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