Nochistlán

Nochistlán, sometimes known as Nochistlan de Mejia, is a small town in the southern part of Mexico's state of Zacatecas. It is a charming colonial town that is popular among couples as a romantic weekend getaway. It is sometimes called la tierra de los músicos (the land of musicians) in acknowledgment of the pervasive sounds of music that seem to never stop. The town is designated as one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos.

Understand
The town has a population of about 16,500 (2010) which grows to about 28,000 if all the outlying villages are included. The landscape is mountainous with nearby peaks and valleys.

Get in
Many people use combis or shuttle services to get to Nochistlan, but a less expensive and more comfortable way would be to use an Omnibus de Mexico bus which has frequent departures from Aguascalientes. The 2-hour trip costs M$176 (April 2024).



See








Do
The town keeps a number of traditions alive that make the town a fun place to visit when festivities take place.


 * El Papaqui is a week-long celebration that takes place annually from January 12 to 20. It honors the town's patron saint, San Sebastian. During festival days visitors to the town's main square should expect to get their faces covered in flour and to have eggshells filled with confetti cracked over their heads. Some people throw oranges. The festival commemorates the struggles between the indigenous people and the Spanish conquistadors.


 * La Serenata is the town's coolest tradition because it happens every week. Each Sunday night, people gather in the Jardin de Nochistlan (the town's main plaza). They form two concentric circles around the plaza, men on the outer ring and women in the inner ring. Although the tradition is that men would give a gardenia to a woman they found attractive, today, its likely to be an eggshell full of confetti cracked over the woman's head. There's also a third circle for kids and married women so they can crack confetti eggs over each others heads too, after all, who doesn't want to be covered in confetti?


 * Las Fiestas de Octubre is ostensibly a festival with religious roots honoring the Virgin of Toyahua and San Francisco de Asese, but the celebrations during the second and third week of October look a whole lot like a big general party with lots of banda music, dancing, food, drink and festivities that carry on from early evening to la madrugada (the wee hours).

Eat
A locally popular dish is pollo valentina which is chicken cutlets dipped in a chilcotle hot sauce and then fried.

Drink
A drink called tejuino is more often associated with Jalisco than Zacatecas, but you might find it in Nochistlan and should give it a try if you're curious. It's a traditional drink made from corn meal and sweetened with piloncillo (raw cane sugar). It's thicker than most drinks with a consistency like a milkshake or a lassi, but a very unique flavor.

Go next

 * Aguascalientes
 * Jalpa
 * Teúl