Zempoala

Zempoala is a fantastic little town in the rolling and dramatic hills of central Hidalgo. In some sense, the town ends a chain of Pueblos Magicos which begins with Teotihuacan (at San Juan Teotihuacán and San Martín de las Pirámides) and Otumba. Here, across the state line, visitors sense the essential difference of Hidalgo even with the many similarities to the other nearby towns. This is the land of pulque, soaring and surreal maguey plants reaching for the sun, and a landscape that seems to reach everywhere though never quite to the horizon. It's a forlorn and inviting version of Mexico for connoisseurs and their lucky invitees. 

The town was famously home to Toltec, Otomí, and other cultures. The Community Museum of Zacuala tells more of that story through artifacts and documentation seemingly drawn right from the same landscape.

The fruit of the nopal still figures into the local culinary scene which is alive with not just nopales, but all kinds of exotic local flavors. It's very much a barbacoa town and people come just to eat. But the surrounding landscapes invites hikes and visits to the many historic haciendas with rare civic architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries. The old hacienda of San Juan Pueblilla in particular is well developed and a pleasure to explore and enjoy.

Zempoala itself is laid out around the giant former monastery of Todos Los Santos. Begun in the 16th century, today the towering old facade competes only with the surrounding mountains in an attempt to dominate the landscape. But the sky here seems to always win over even the highest peaks.  

Autobuses Teotihuacan and Texcoco both run direct buses from the Autobuses del Norte station in Mexico City. And some visitors will take in the other little towns along the way. From Pachuca, the Texcoco bus takes only about 30 minutes.