The word underwhelming must have first been coined by a visitor to this town. I admit, I almost walked back onto the bus from which I’d just disembarked upon a quick scan of the place. Unfortunately, given the time at which I’d arrived, heading onto the next town was not practical. So I decided to spend what remained of the day trying to determine how the place had ended up on my “to do” list. I was still new to Mexico, and it wouldn’t be the last time I’d be fooled by the Mexican website listing Pueblos Magicos (Magic Towns).
It’s not that Tequisquiapan was an unattractive place. Like others in Mexico, the town is adorned with colorfully painted buildings draped in bougainvillea vines. There are festive banners blowing in the wind above the streets flanked by rooftop dogs monitoring the passers by, but the city simply lacks life. It reminded me of a visit to Seville, Spain several years back during the month of August. The streets were barren due to the extreme heat that, combined with a summer wind, gave one the experience of what it might be like to be a piece of meat in a convection oven. Perhaps the unseasonable cold was having the same effect here as locals hid beneath colorful blankets from what, to them, felt like winter. Nothing makes me laugh like seeing Mexicans don wool hats and down jackets when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. It’s true!
Deciding to head into town from the bus terminal, I hopped on a local bus forgetting to inquire whether it was ‘Directo’ so I ended up getting a grand tour of every cobblestone street in town before finally arriving at the city center, where I realized I could have been a half hour earlier had I just walked from the bus terminal. I navigated my way to the tourist office to get recommendations on where to stay and what exactly it was that tourists did here. I was pointed to a church across the main square and a market just a block away. Certainly not enough to justify having accommodations for an overnight stay. I can’t complain, however, since my hotel room cost the equivalent of $17 and included WiFi and a liter of water. The latter was surprising as a liter of water in the store costs about $1.50. They’d just given me a complimntary gift worth 10% of my room price.
After dropping my bag, I began my exploration of Tequisquiapan. Two minutes in the church, five minutes in the market. I still had four hours before I could justify eating dinner! I decided to expand my reconnaissance outside the boundary of the tourist map. I was determined to find out why people came here. As it turns out, the place is popular for its hot springs. Ironically, the tourist season is during a time of year when I would think hot springs would be quite uncomfortable. Who wants to sit in a hot tub when it’s a balmy 100 degrees out? Today is the kind of day I would expect to see Mexicans flocking in droves to escape the “Mexican winter”.
My expanded exploration led me to several gated communities just outside the city center. This is where the elite from Mexico City keep summer homes to which they can escape on long weekends. It was an unexpected site in this part of Mexico. Gated communities are not unusual in places where gringos come to spend their winters, wanting to come to Mexico without actually having to be in Mexico. I circumnavigated several fences to find a dried up river bed filled with trash before making my way back to the city center. By then it was 5 o’clock, and I decided I could justify an early dinner before heading up to the internet cafe to warn others against making the same mistake I made.
I am looking forward to my departure tomorrow in the hopes that the next town on my list has more to offer than Tequisquiapan. Unfortunately, the only thing interesting thing about this town is its name.