Why Querétaro?
The city of Santiago de Querétaro (usually shortened to Querétaro) is slightly off the beaten path, a well-kept secret to all but Mexican tourists. It’s an undiscovered gem of a colonial city, just an hour from the gringo-filled town of San Miguel de Allende and a couple of hours from Guanajuato. Querétaro is where harried residents of Mexico City (about a two hour drive away) go to unwind in the relaxed atmosphere of the old town. The architecture earned the city’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site, which means the city actively preserves its historic buildings with strict codes and design restrictions.

The state of Querétaro has dry air, hot springs, biosphere reserves, mountain ranges, historic mission towns, American and European manufacturing plants, ranches, farms and opal mines. It’s a prosperous state and the city of Querétaro reflects that prosperity in the quality of its services, such as hotels and dentistry.

Weather
Querétaro’s weather features warm days and cool nights year-round, with average highs from the upper 60s to low 80s and lows from the mid 40s to upper 50s. Any rain usually occurs between April and November, when Querétaro may be affected by storms in the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. During these storms, rain can be heavy, usually in the afternoons. The elevation of the city of Querétaro (about 5800 feet) in the Sierra Madre mountains keeps the air clean and prevents flooding. It’s a comfortable, temperate climate in the tropics.

Safety and Cleanliness
Unlike the towns on the border with the USA, Querétaro ranks as one of the safest and cleanest cities in Mexico. The city is near the top of every measure of quality of life. The crime rate is one of the lowest in the country and you can walk the streets of the historic center without fear at night, a far cry from most cities of this size. The colonial center of the city employs hundreds of street-cleaners, mostly women, with brooms and carts. You will see them hard at work seven days a week, which makes it as clean a city as can be found anywhere in the world. Queretanos are rightfully proud of their city and state and they like to meet and talk to Americans and practice whatever English they know.

Sights
Apart from sidewalk cafés and restaurants, the historic center is filled with churches, temples, ex-convents, fountains, statues, hotels, mansions and government buildings. The colonial and baroque architecture is preserved by design regulations that prevent any modernization of the exteriors. Almost every building has a sunlit courtyard, hidden from view until one is lucky enough to catch a glimpse through an open outer door. There are andadores (pedestrian streets), some of which are crammed with food sellers’ and artisans’ stalls every day. The several beautiful plazas in the old town are tree-filled and lively.

There is an Aqueduct, a prominent structure built by a Marquis to bring water to the city and his beloved’s house, which is now the Hotel Casa de la Marquesa. Every week, from Thursday through Sunday, in the Jardín Zenea, there are dancing displays by local clubs or live music. There’s a theatre, cultural center and several museums. If you just want to sit and watch the people wandering the city’s colonial center, there are park benches, shoeshine stands, sidewalk cafés and bars in every plaza.

Beyond the city, the state of Querétaro has wonderful natural and historical sights to see. Go to the State of Querétaro Tourist Board’s site at:
www.venaqueretaro.com/eng_index.html

After Dark
Querétaro’s historic buildings are floodlit at night, so strolling the streets after dark will give you a whole new view of the city. There are nightspots of other kinds too! If you’re in the mood to go night-clubbing, there are several clubs where you can stay up all night with the lively younger set, dancing and drinking until dawn.

Food
Querétaro is the home of the gordita, a thick tortilla that can be stuffed with cheese and an assortment of meats, vegetables, cactus and salsas. You will find gordita and taco vendors everywhere, along with cafés and restaurants whose menus range from the comida corrida, a set meal that can be as cheap as US$3 for four courses and coffee, to haute cuisine with a Querétano twist for $15 per entrée. The city water is safe enough to brush your teeth with and most good restaurants and hotels either have purified water systems plumbed in or use bottled drinking water. The state of Querétaro is an important producer of food, most often from smaller family farms, with less use of pesticides than the Big Ag of the USA.

Taxis
Queretaro's yellow taxis are not metered, but for just about any ride around the center of town you’ll usually pay about US$2.50. Ride out to the suburbs and you might pay up to US$4. Fuel prices will be progressively raised in Mexico during 2008, so taxi fares will rise accordingly. You might want to agree your price before you get in, but we have found Querétaro’s taxi drivers to be consistent in their pricing and friendly. And there are plenty of taxis available. A taxi from the airport to the center of town will cost US$25, which is the set rate for the ticket that you buy before you leave the terminal.

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