Salamanca Attractions
How to get there
From Mexico City by rail about 7.5 hours; by bus or car a total of approximately 300km/186mi on the MEX 57 D to Querétaro and from there via Celaya on the MEX 45 D or the MEX 45.
The town of Salamanca lies on the north bank of the Río Lerma in the middle of the Bajío, a fertile plateau extending over parts of the states of Guanajuato and Querétaro. Although famed for its large petroleum refinery, the town in fact contains one of the country's most richly-decorated churches.
History
In the pre-Spanish period the Otomí settlement of Xidoo was situated here. After the Spanish influx the brothers Juan and Sancho Barahoma, the owners of a hacienda, gave the settlement the name Salamanca. The official foundation date of the town is given as 1603. During the 17th and 18th c. there was much building activity here by the Church. Like all settlements in Mexico's heartland, Salamanca also played a part in the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21). The Revolution in the 20th c. and the ensuing epidemics caused relapses in the development of the region. In the last 40 years there has been considerable agricultural and industrial growth from which the town of Salamanca has also profited.
From Mexico City by rail about 7.5 hours; by bus or car a total of approximately 300km/186mi on the MEX 57 D to Querétaro and from there via Celaya on the MEX 45 D or the MEX 45.
The town of Salamanca lies on the north bank of the Río Lerma in the middle of the Bajío, a fertile plateau extending over parts of the states of Guanajuato and Querétaro. Although famed for its large petroleum refinery, the town in fact contains one of the country's most richly-decorated churches.
History
In the pre-Spanish period the Otomí settlement of Xidoo was situated here. After the Spanish influx the brothers Juan and Sancho Barahoma, the owners of a hacienda, gave the settlement the name Salamanca. The official foundation date of the town is given as 1603. During the 17th and 18th c. there was much building activity here by the Church. Like all settlements in Mexico's heartland, Salamanca also played a part in the Mexican War of Independence (1810-21). The Revolution in the 20th c. and the ensuing epidemics caused relapses in the development of the region. In the last 40 years there has been considerable agricultural and industrial growth from which the town of Salamanca has also profited.
Read More
San Agustín
The church of San Agustín is a splendid Colonial period building. The interior is decorated with painted and gilded paneling.
Church of San Bartolo
The old parish church of San Bartolo has a "rural" Baroque façade. The typically Churrigueresque estipites (pyramidal pilasters with the pointed end downward) are complemented by sculptures by local masters which incorporate old-Indian motifs such as the snake.
