Visiting Durango: The city
in City of Durango, Mexico
There are so many places in my country that I haven't seen. It's a pity that while I lived in Mexico I didn't have the chance to visit so many wonderful places. But on the other hand, it makes it interesting that there are still so many places to discover. I have the *intention* of visiting a new place every time I go back, this could take a long time, but that's not a bad thing. This means that I have Mexico for a very long time. This summer while in Mexico, I decided to visit the neighbouring state of Durango (Neighbour of my home state Sinaloa).
Until recently, it took eight hours to reach Durango's capital: Durango city. Now that a new highway (Carretera Durango - Mazatlan) has opened, it takes less than three hours. This highway has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, but I will write about that and share some pictures in my next post.
So, when we arrived in downtown Durango city we found this:
.... Just kidding. That is a picture of "Paseo del Viejo Oeste" over which I'll write further on. So.. back to Durango's downtown. It looks like this:
Durango is not a very big city (for Mexican standards), but its historical center extends for several blocks, where you can appreciate its beautiful baroque and neoclassic architecture. There are a couple of churches, plazas and museums to visit, as well as some shopping streets. There is also the Constitucion Street, which is a very popular street with shops and several cafes and restaurants. This street is very lively during the day but also at night when the rest of the center closes.
The plaza de Armas is the city's main square, and in front of it there's the cathedral. (Above picture of Cathedral, and below, a close up of the beautiful details of one of the side doors):
Here are pictures of the "Templo de Nuestra Señora" and its arches and fountain.
Above "Palacio de Gobierno" and the Ricardo Castro theatre. Below: Aguacate Museum and the Temple of Santa Ana at night.
Francisco "Pancho" Villa was one of the main figures in the Mexican revolution and he was born in Durango. For this reason they recommended us to visit the Francisco Villa museum, but we couldn't find it! We asked the people around and they sent us to another museum: The museum of regional history also known as the Aguacate museum.
The museum was very interesting since it included a pre-Hispanic section, as well as a section about Pancho Villa, and other important people from Durango. It was very informative about the history of the state and we were glad we ended up there. Unfortunately that meant we didn't have time to find and visit the Pancho Villa museum, maybe next time.
The Old West
There have been many western movies filmed in Durango, so in the outskirts of the city they have built: "Paseo del Viejo Oeste". This in an attraction where they built a western set for people to visit and take pictures dressed in western outfits, ride around in a horse carriage or eat and drink in a western restaurant. They also have a show with many extras dressed in western outfits which you can enjoy while you sitting in the restaurant. (The show is only in Spanish). It was entertaining to visit and nice to take pictures.
So that's it! Next post: The mountains of Durango.....
I hope you liked the pictures!