Querétaro City- officially Santiago de Querétaro- is the capital and largest city of the state of the same name. It is 6,100 feet in elevation on the Mexican Plateau, which is part of the macroregion known as El Bajío.
The state of Querétaro is bordered by the states of San Luis Potosi to the north, Guanajuatoto the west, Hidalgo to the east and Michoacán to the south. The state is home to large mountain ranges such as the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
Querétaro City lies 132 miles northwest of Mexico City. It is divided into seven districts: Josefa Vergara y Hernández, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Centro Histórico, Cayetano Rubio, Santa Rosa Jáuregui, Félix Osores Sotomayor and Epigmenio González. As in many modern cities, the countryside that once separated smaller communities like Jurica and Pueblito from the larger city has filled up due to urban and commercial expansion.
Just 37 miles north of Querétaro City, you can find La Peña de Bernal, the third-tallest monolith in the world. This giant rock was considered sacred by the Chichimecas indigenous people and dates back to the Jurassic period over 100 million years ago. The town of Bernal is a small picturesque community.
If you are willing to drive a bit farther, about 70 miles north of the city sits the biosphere reserve of Sierra Gorda. This beautiful reserve is filled with a variety of micro-ecosystems perfect for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. The highest point of the Sierra Gorda is aptly named “Heaven’s Door” (La Puerta del Cielo) because of its elevation and great beauty.
The state of Querétaro is also becoming well-known for its vineyards and wine, and a variety of tasting tours are available in and around the city of Tequisquiapan.
Querétaro is in the Central Standard time zone and observes daylight saving time beginning the first Sunday in April and ending the last Sunday in October of each year.
