Tepezala and the Cerro del Chiquihuite Mining Country

Tepezala sits about 55 km northeast of Aguascalientes city in the northern hills of the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, roughly an hour by car. The route runs north on Federal Highway 45 to Rincon de Romos, then east on the Tepezala road, a well-surfaced two-lane climb into copper-mining country. Regional buses leave the Central de Autobuses de Aguascalientes but take about an hour and thirty minutes and run only a few times a day, which makes a car by far the more practical choice - particularly since the town is best paired with Real de Asientos, about half an hour further on the same loop.\n\nCopper and silver have been worked in these hills since the sixteenth century, and Tepezala is one of the oldest mining settlements in the state. What remains is low-key rather than curated: a stone parish church on the main plaza, old shaft headframes and tailings on the outskirts, and quiet streets that see very few visitors. The Cerro del Chiquihuite rises behind the town and gives long views across the state, over the valley toward the Sierra Fria on a clear day. The climb is short but exposed, taking under an hour each way on rough tracks. Small workshops in the area still produce copper pieces, and the surrounding hills hold mineral specimens that draw occasional rockhounds.\n\nA good day starts early, leaving Aguascalientes around 8am to reach Tepezala by 9. Mornings suit the Cerro del Chiquihuite climb, before the sun is high and while the haze over the valley is thinnest for views. Late morning covers the plaza, the church and the mine remains on the town's edges. From there it is a short drive east to Real de Asientos for lunch and an afternoon among that town's cobbled streets and catacombs, returning to Aguascalientes in the early evening.\n\nEating options in Tepezala are minimal - a few fondas around the plaza serving comida corrida at roughly MXN 80 to 120, and morning gordita stands. Cash is essential; card acceptance is rare. October to April is the best window, with cool clear days ideal for the hill climb and the long views. Summer afternoons are hot and the exposed track offers no shade, and the July to September rains can make the upper sections slippery.