Gorgeous hiking in Aguascalientes? Ask these Mexicans how

Aguascalientes is 1 of Mexico’s smallest states, occupying lone 0.3% percent of the nation’s territory. That doesn’t halt astir 8 cardinal radical from pouring into the capital, besides called Aguascalientes, for its yearly Feria de San Marcos, the country’s largest fair.

Those visitors travel for concerts, rodeos, bullfights and gastronomy. They mightiness ne'er conjecture that Aguascalientes is besides a large spot for hiking and that a fewer of its citizens imagination it whitethorn someday pull trekkers from each astir the world.

One large attraction successful Aguascalientes is the yearly Feria de San Marcos. But for those seeking much of a quality outing, hiking astir the Aguascalientes superior does not disappoint. (Feria de San Marcos/Facebook)

A way implicit 100 kilometers long

In 2022, a radical of section upland climbers and hikers, inspired by the celebrated Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage successful Spain, decided to effort creating a akin acquisition successful their ain state. Within the abstraction of a year, they had marked retired a 114-kilometer trail, which they telephone El Camino de la Asunción.

The Assumption Trail is named aft the patroness of Aguascalientes, the Virgin of the Assumption, and connects centuries-old footpaths.

“This year, participants did the trek from Aug. 8–10,” I was told by Luigi Rivera, 1 of the project’s founders. “The archetypal night, we camped astatine the splendid ex-Hacienda de Peñuelas, which was founded successful 1575 and is [located on] a World Heritage tract [Mexico’s El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, oregon the Royal Inland Route], and past we passed the 2nd nighttime astatine El Sabinal Park, famed for its immense aged Montezuma cypresses. It was an unthinkable experience!”

“By the way, if idiosyncratic feels pooped retired portion hiking, we person a sweeper conveyance which picks them up and drives them to wherever we’ll campy that night.”

Rivera told maine determination is nary outgo for information successful these extended hikes.

The Trekking Aguascalientes Club tin beryllium easy recovered connected Facebook. (Luigi Rivera)

Going from Aguascalientes to Alaska

“There’s 1 much happening I should accidental astir the Assumption Trail,” Rivera added. “This way takes hikers into the beginnings of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which stretches from present to bluish Sonora. From there, it is conceivable 1 could proceed hiking close up the American Cordillera until they reached Alaska. Now that’s what I’d telephone a superior trek!”

“How astir little ambitious hikes?” I asked Rivera. “Where bash Hidrocálidos (people from Aguascalientes) spell walking connected the weekend?”

Exploring the Dead Man

Just a 10-minute thrust from the metropolis of Aguascalientes, Rivera told me, there’s a concatenation of craggy hills 8 kilometers agelong that, from the close perspective, resembles the silhouette of a antheral lying connected his backmost with his hands connected his chest. People telephone this El Cerro del Muerto and constituent retired that the antheral indispensable beryllium dead, alternatively than sleeping, due to the fact that the world is precise reddish astir his alleged body. A fable recounts that the Muerto was a Chichimeca clergyman (a precise gangly one) who went 1 time to bathe successful a blistery outpouring and ne'er came back. This provoked a warfare among respective Indigenous groups.

During the war, truthful the communicative goes, the elephantine clergyman reappeared and was deed successful the bosom by an arrow. He fell implicit dead, landing straight connected apical of his people, the Chichimecas, and burying them. To this day, it is said, those who slumber successful the Cerro tin perceive their laments successful the mediate of the night.

The Cerro del Muerto is said to lucifer a dormant antheral with his hands connected his chest. (Luisalvaz)

“Walking the full magnitude of El Muerto takes 2 hours each way,” Rivera says. “But determination are radical into way moving who bash each of it successful little than fractional that time. The way passes done respective ecosystems and was declared a protected earthy monument successful 2008. It’s a delightful and casual hike.”

Getting workout and picking up trash

According to Rivera, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that got isolated radical retired of the metropolis and into the wilderness.

“Before COVID,” Rivera said, “most radical lone went to the Feet of the Dead Man, a.k.a., El Picacho. They would leap retired of the car, ascent El Picacho and thrust backmost home. There were lone a fewer quality lovers who would hike the full magnitude of the assemblage of El Muerto.” 

This pandemic-inspired involvement successful hiking had its pros and cons.

“People connected with nature,” helium said. “But they besides near trash everywhere.”

So Rivera worked with the metropolis connected a run to cleanable up the full magnitude of the Cerro del Muerto.

One absorbing attraction successful Asientos is La Casa de la Geodas. The walls are covered with geodes. (Kurt Menking)

Magical Town, magic hike

Another pleasant hike successful this country is from the Pueblo Mágico of Real de Asientos to the Cerro Altamira.

Real de Asientos, a 40-minute thrust from the capital, is simply a picturesque small mining municipality built from pinkish quarried chromatic and dating backmost to 1647. It’s besides location to La Casa de las Geodas (The Geode House), whose walls are covered with these bonzer rocks that, erstwhile breached open, are often filled with beauteous quartz oregon calcite crystals.

“The hike to Altamira is 4 kilometers 1 way,” Rivera told me. “You commencement connected the outskirts of Asientos, and from there, it’s each uphill. The altitude summation is astir 500 meters, and the way takes you past a rejuvenated excavation from which they’re extracting golden and silver. It’s a bully ascent to the peak, which is 2,600 meters high. Once you are connected top, you person a large presumption and volition astir apt spot the improvement known arsenic a lenticular cloud. They’re lens-shaped and look thing similar UFOs. I find them enchanting!”

Camping during a four-day hike successful the Aguascalientes hills. (Luigi Rivera.)

“So you see, Aguascalientes is overmuch much than the Feria de San Marcos!” Rivera tells me.

The routes to Cerro del Muerto and Cerro Altamira are precise well-known, and you’ll find tons of section radical rather blessed to enactment arsenic your guide.