Dateline: Jerez, Zacatecas
After I got back from Jerez, I immediately texted Enrique. “Why didn’t you tell me Jerez was so beautiful?!?” Enrique is from Jerez, and hardly mentioned the place, except to say that he lived there until about a year ago. “I guess I forgot,” he texted back.
Well, I’m not going to forget how beautiful Jerez is. You mention Jerez around me, and I’ll urge you to go. And apparently the Mexican government agrees, as Jerez was declared a “Pueblo Mágico” in 2007.
Jerez was founded in 1569, and was named after the same city in Spain, whose name derives from the Arabic “scherich” referring to an abundance of produce. Unlike Zacatecas, the town lies on a fertile plain surrounded by forests and orchards. It’s a smallish place, with a population of about 57,000, about a third of Zacatecas’ population. Like most Mexican towns, it is centered on its cathedral and plaza, where folks were just hanging out when I came by. Old men were playing dominoes or chess, and lots of kids were running around.
Cathedral, Jerez, Zacatecas
The door to the cathedral is one of the most ornate I’ve ever seen.
Cathedral Door, Jerez, Zacatecas
The Edificio de la Torre (Tower Building) shown below next to the cathedral was constructed to promote education and culture in the municipality in 1894 as a school for girls. Today the building houses the Jerez Cultural Center and the municipal library. In general, many of the buildings in Jerez are more ornate than their cousins in Zacatecas.
De la Torre Building Alongside Cathedral, Jerez, Zacatecas
The city is pretty quiet, though rush hour can be a bit of a zoo.
Rush Hour in Jerez, Zacatecas
The city is dotted with many fine buildings, and overall has an air of gracious charm.
Another lovely Jerez building
Jerez’s city hall is another handsome building, with the added advantage of a theater inside.
Jerez City Hall
And the theater. Seating is a bit puritan, but I’m sure the shows are good. It’s a pretty intimate theater, so that should really enhance the impact of live theater. Photo taken with the stage at my back.
Municipal Theater, Jerez, Zacatecas
At this point I’m in San Luis Potosí, having left Zacatecas this afternoon. Frankly, I didn’t get all that far today as it took me kind of a long time to pack, and then I ended up changing a fan belt on the truck. I’m hoping to set out earlier tomorrow and continue heading south. Saludos and thanks for stopping by.
El Gringo Suelto 
Very nice to read, thanks! We will be in Jerez this mid April for Sábado de Gloria. It’s much different than the usual day to day Jerez!
LikeLike
I hope you all have a great time! Saludos!
LikeLike
Hello, thank you for the post and especially for the great photos. My family is from Jerez though I haven’t been back in many years so they were a nice treat. I wanted to offer a small correction on the Edificio de la Torre. Though a direct translation is Tower Building, de la Torre is the name of the land doner for the school and thus was named Escuela de la Torre. Of course, no longer being a school it is now de la Torre Building.
Thanks again.
LikeLike
Hola Hector! Thanks for the clarification and thanks for your comment. Should you comment again, it’ll be automatically approved. Saludos and thanks for stopping by!
LikeLike
Zacatecas is the one state Jorge and I still have on our wish list. Maybe this summer? This post and the previous have us primed…
LikeLike
Joanna, I really really loved Zacatecas. Though at the end of the day, it’s a smallish place, so I’m not sure I could live there. But it has a great vibe, it’s beautiful, and the people are wonderful. It also seems to have a lot of culture for a place of its size. Saludos and thanks for commenting.
LikeLike
Wow, fabulous town and incredible architecture. I need to get my car repaired and head up that way. As you fled south toward Puebla, just south of San Luis Potosi are two amazing haciendas available to see Jaral de Berrios was the largest in Mexico. Fabulous architecture to put it mildly………..I’m amazed you’re already in Puebla, another wonderful place!
LikeLike
Thanks, Barbara! F and I spent an afternoon here in 2006, and it’s already obvious that there’s TONS of things I haven’t seen. I can hardly wait to go out to see more. And yes, I’m writing up my post right now, and it seems I’ve made incredibly good time. There’s a new cuota that completely bypasses DF. It’s little traveled, and that helped a lot. Prior to leaving, I had visions of hours in DF traffic, but I sailed right around it on the new highway. Saludos!
LikeLike
You are in my old stomping ground, since I attended the University of the Americas in Cholula. If you haven’t been to Cholula (next door to Puebla), you should go there. I just wrote a post about it today. And about a mile from Cholula is an incredibly ornate church in the little village of Tonantzintla. Tlaxcala, a short distance away, is also a very interesting and historic town.
Which route will you be taking out of Puebla? Toward Veracruz or toward Oaxaca? If you take the Veracruz route be sure to make time to visit the archaeological site of Cantona. It’s fantastic (I also wrote a post about it some time ago).
Saludos!
LikeLike
Hey Bill! Thanks for the tips. I’m thinking of heading toward Veracruz next, and hoping to meet up with John Calypso and Anita there after they move on Sunday. But Oaxaca is also on my list. I’ll check out your post on Cholula. It’s been on my list for a while. Saludos, and thanks for your multiple, wonderful comments!
LikeLike
From those photos that screams classic pueblo magico!
LikeLike
Hey Will! Or should I say, “¡Hola Wilango!” LOL. Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I’m really a sucker for these Pueblos Mágicos. Saludos!
LikeLike
The sights are gorgeous! I’m glad I am “seeing” them through your blog ’cause I couldn’t do the drive. But it must be a tremendous feeling to have covered so much ground. How much further to your actual destination?
LikeLike
Hi Andean! Thanks for the kind words. I’ve enjoyed seeing the sights, and the driving is the price I pay. I just landed in Puebla, and I’m sitting in a sidewalk cafe on the Zócalo. Saludos!
LikeLike
I’ve never been to Zacatecas, much less Jerez. Guess I will have to add them to my list of places to see.
Saludos
LikeLike
Hola Bill, definitely add Zacatecas to your list. Once there, Jerez is probably worth a side trip if you’re as into old buildings as I am. Otherwise Zacatecas will have plenty to amuse you. Saludos!
LikeLike
To me, all of the Mexican colonial cities seem exotic. After all, here on the beach, we are extremely short of old buildings. I have said it before, but it is true. There are no buildings in town older than I am. That is why I prize my highland visits.
LikeLike
It remains an open secret that many of us are mystified by your choice of locale. But that said, I’m glad that you are happy with it. Thanks for commenting! Saludos.
LikeLike
I think you really need to come to Xalapa-Coatepec-Xico Muy Magico! See you there?
LikeLike
I’ve been to Xalapa, though only briefly, and would love to go back. The museum there is amazing, with all the Olmec heads. When are you all headed that way? Saludos.
LikeLike
“The city is pretty quiet, though rush hour can be a bit of a zoo.”
You’re a card is what you are.
Love that theater. Too bad those chairs are all one has to sit in.
LikeLike
Thanks Felipe. It was getting late, and I needed some injection of humor. There were actually a few people getting around Jerez on horseback, which I found charming. Saludos.
LikeLike
The face in the filigree on the entrance way to the church has to have a story behind it.
LikeLike
Hi Norm, I was wondering about that too, but a combination of fatigue and limited time caused me to laeve that one in the mystery bucket. Saludos.
LikeLike
Enjoyed the photos and narrative. Was it early? There doesn’t seem to be many people around.
LikeLike
Hi Francisco. It was actually late Sunday afternoon. There were plenty of people, but I tend to wait to snap until they’re out of the picture. That is unless they’re an important part of the picture. I have a picture of the crowd in the plaza in Guadalupe, which was chock-full. Interestingly Mass, too, was sold out. Standing-room only. I asked someone, and they said all the masses are typically sold out. That’s a big difference between Jerez and, say, DF. In DF, I’ve never seen a sold-out mass. Saludos.
LikeLike
I think… you really do need to come to Spain…
LikeLike
I think…you’re right. It’s just a question of when and how. Oh, and being able to sthand listhening to Spanish accents, LOL. Saludos.
LikeLike
As you know, I’ve just spend the weekend in Andalucía. Great food, great landscapes, great people… but I just hate the accent. It grates at my soul, I swear!
LikeLike
I don’t mind the accents of Spain at all. I fact, I rather enjoy listening to the Castilian “zeta”. Of course everyone in Spain thinks I sound like a Mexican. Hmmm, I wonder why? LOL
LikeLike
Initially I found Spaniards impossible to understand, as all of my Spanish teaching is in either Mexican Spanish or Colombian Spanish. (I hired a lovely Colombian woman in Boston to give me a year’s worth of tutoring, which included the “forced march through verb,” LOL.) Now I can understand the Spanish, but I still prefer Mexican and Colombian accents. (And keep me away from sharp objects when Cubans or other Caribbeans are speaking Spanish, LOL.)
By the way, you might enjoy a Spanish film called “Nico y Dani,” a lovely coming-of-age story which takes place on the Spanish seaside. I leave it to you to Google the details. Saludos.
LikeLike
Yes, I have a very difficult time understanding Cubans and Puerto Ricans. All those swallowed consonants… ¿Cómo etá uté? Colombian Spanish (at least in the Andean regions) is supposed to be some of the most perfectly pronounced Spanish anywhere.
LikeLike