What to see and visit in Dolores Hidalgo and Atotonilco Sanctuary (Mexico)

En Mexico There are large, well-known tourist destinations, but there are also countless attractive places that deserve to be discovered because they provide our traveling experience with a more complete vision of the country.

Within the Silver Route that we are following for cities that are registered on the list of the World Heritage for the Unesco and that, since CDMX, goes through Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato y Zacatecas, it is always possible to make small detours or stops that take us to other points of interest.

For example, between San Miguel de Allende y Guanajuato There is a direct road that is the most convenient if we do not want to stop, but you also have an alternative route that adds just 20 more kilometers and allows us to delve into the history and culture of this country.

We refer to the route that takes us to visit the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno of Atotonilco And the city of Dolores Hidalgo.

They are not minor places, since the first is declared World Heritage next to the historic center of San Miguel de Allende, and the second occupies a special place in this country as it is considered the place of origin of the Mexico's independence.

In fact, his full official name is Dolores Hidalgo Cradle of National Independence.

Visit of the Sanctuary of Atotonilco

Atotonilco It is a small town of just 600 inhabitants formed around the sanctuary, which is one of the most beautiful examples of baroque art and architecture nationwide.

It is located at 14 kilometers from San Miguel de Allende and it only takes 20 minutes to get there.

The sanctuary was built in the 18th century as a spiritual retreat and soon became a place of pilgrimage, as it remains today.

The building began construction in 1740, and in just eight years it was practically finished; Then, with the passage of time, different additions were made.

The sanctuary is made up of a large church and several chapels that are worth a stop.

Above all, the mural paintings made by Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre and a series of paintings Rodriguez Juarez.

Overall, as a jesuit sanctuary that is, the doctrine promoted by St. Ignatius of Loyola but adapted to the local context.

Many pilgrims still come today to meditate and perform spiritual exercises.

The surroundings of the sanctuary are full of stalls selling religious items and souvenirs, but also traditional food stalls.

During the visit we were told that there was a time when pilgrims wore crowns of thorns and flagellated themselves with seven-headed whips, but nowadays these extremes are prohibited.

The sanctuary also occupies an important role in the movement of national independence since the insurgent army used as a flag a banner with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe taken from this place.

What to see when visiting Dolores Hidalgo

About 30 kilometers from the sanctuary is Dolores Hidalgo, a very interesting small city to learn about Mexican history and perfect to immerse yourself in the local atmosphere.

The call Pain scream It is considered the act that gave rise to the Mexican War of Independence.

It took place in the early morning of September 16, 1810, and that is why this date is celebrated every year as the Día de la Independencia, and it is the main civic festival of the Mexican calendar.

There is no single version of the events that occurred, but tradition states that that day the priest Hidalgo, in the company of other leaders, rang the church bells and addressed a rally to those in attendance to take up arms against the “bad government.”

Una visit to Dolores Hidalgo must start in the Main square, a large space surrounded by interesting buildings.

The central part of the square is a garden that attracts residents throughout the day and is presided over by a statue of Miguel Hidalgo.

One of the trees in the garden is said to be a sapling of the so-called Sad Night Tree, under which it is assumed that Hernan Cortes He cried when his men were expelled from Tenochtitlan in 1520.

Church of the Scream in Dolores Hidalgo

The first thing that stands out in the square is the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is also known as the Church of the Scream.

The tall towers dominate the entire town.

The bell that rang priest Hidalgo is currently located in the National Palace of Mexico City, so the one ringing now in the bell tower is a replica.

Inside there are several samples of religious baroque art.

National Independence Museum in Dolores Hidalgo

Next to the church is the Bicentennial Museum 1810-2010, which, despite its name, focuses primarily on Mexico's first 100 years as an independent country.

To find out about the entire independence process, it is best to go to the National Independence Museum.

Here it is clearly seen that this was not only the result of the Creole conspiracies of the years prior to 1810, but also of many previous indigenous rebellions.

Visiting House in Dolores Hidalgo

In the Dolores Hidalgo Square there is also the Visiting House, a plateresque-style mansion with a very elaborate façade.

In 1810 it was the home of the Spanish authorities and now it houses the Republic President when you visit Dolores Hidalgo to celebrate the National holiday.

This visit usually takes place during the fifth year of his presidential term, which lasts six years.

Casa Hidalgo Museum

Another important place for history is the Casa Hidalgo Museum, where the main protagonist of the Grito in the previous years.

It shows a series of personal objects, documents and paintings about the character, who must be remembered that his surname is currently part of the name of the city.

Beyond museums and history, a visit of Dolores Hidalgo It allows us to immerse ourselves in the local atmosphere of a small provincial Mexican city.

Walking through the streets, browsing in the shops, sitting in the square and watching the daily hustle and bustle of the balloon sellers and shoe shiners, eating some tacos in a local restaurant, everything forms a set of sensations that allow us to know and enjoy of our trip.

But in any place there are always unique or less frequent details, but that do define the atmosphere of this country.

En Dolores Hidalgo we can recommend two.

One is to eat an ice cream in the square in some of the stalls with the most variety that we will find throughout the trip.

It is the opportunity to try flavors of probably unknown fruits, such as zapote or the soursop, plus corn cob (corn), mole (those spicy sauces typical of the country), or even tequila.

A final recommendation would be visit to the José Alfredo Jiménez House-Museum, which reviews the life and work of the most famous composer of Mexican popular music and is open in his birthplace.