Huachinango

Huachinango is a scenic small city in the mountainous Sierra Norte region of northern Puebla, Mexico. The city is known for its colonial central core and its natural beauty with mountains, forests, rivers, and waterfalls. It is one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos.

Understand
Huachinango is a mid-size city of more than 50,000 people. When all the villages of the surrounding areas are included, the figure rises to almost 100,000. The city itself retains much of its charm, with colonial era buildings in the town center, cobblestone streets, wrought iron details on balconies and window frames, and an attractive zocalo.

History
Huachinango was first settled on the banks of the Texcapa River between 1116 and 1120 by Chichimecas under the leadership of Nopaltzin. The settlement was small and grew slowly. It was conquered in the mid 15th century by the Aztecs and forced to pay tribute to Texcoco. The Spanish arrived in town in 1527, with the Augustinian missionaries following in 1543. There are no archaeological sites in or near Huachinango and the only visible remnants of pre-Hispanic history are four mounds in the El Cerrito neighborhood.

Huachinango grew steadily in the colonial era and prospered in the 19th century when it was a stop along a busy trade route between Mexico City and ports on the Gulf of Mexico.

By bus
From Mexico City (Autobuses del Norte), buses leave hourly for the 2-1/2 hour trip to Huachinango. Autotransportes San Pedro Santa Clara buses also depart Mexico City from Indios Verdes, tickets cost M$120. From Puebla's CAPU terminal, Futura and ADO operate several buses per day to Huachinango.



Get around
The historic Centro area is compact and enjoyable to walk, with cobblestone streets and a number of staircases to handle its hilly terrain. Taxis are located at a sitio next to the zocalo (town square), also known as Plaza de la Constitucion, and you'll want to use them to get to the waterfalls or nearby lakes.

Festivals

 * Carnaval - celebrated the week before lent (ending on "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday), carnaval is a period of food, drink, music and dance. In Huachinango it is celebrated by traditional huehues, costumed characters representing old men (though the modern costumes don't look very old), dancing through the streets (though the traditional violin musical accompaniment has given way to modern banda music). Times change, but the festival is still a raucuous celebration before sobering up for Lent.


 * Feria de Flores - this is a commercial flower show to market the town's biggest agricultural products (especially azaleas). Begins the first Sunday in Lent and runs for 9 days. A highlight is the crowning of the Queen of Flowers. Since 1938, Feria de Flores has been combined with and runs concurrently with Feria de Santo Entierro.


 * Feria de Santo Entierro - this is a religious and cultural festival that honors the town's patron saint. A highlight is a recreation of the story behind the town's adoption of the saint. The story is that at some point in 17th century, a wagon driver arrived at the Augustinian mission with a large crate. The crate was unloaded and the driver and his horses provided a place to rest for the night. The next morning, the monks discovered that the driver and his horses had disappeared without a word. They left the crate alone for a few weeks, assuming the driver would return. When he never did, they opened the crate to discover the image of Jesus Christ in his burial chamber. The image was displayed in the church, which eventually changed its name to Santo Entierro. Several miracles have been ascribed to the image, which itself, never seems to age. The Feria has been celebrated annually since 1923 and includes traditional dances, cock fights, charreadas, parades of floats and masked characters, and processions carrying the image of the Lord of the Holy Burial.

Go next

 * Xicotepec
 * Pahuatlán