Querétaro is a landlocked state in central Mexico, known for the baroque Historic Monuments Zone of its capital, Santiago de Querétaro, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Beyond the capital, the state holds the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, the Franciscan missions of Jalpan de Serra, the Pueblo Mágico of Tequisquiapan, and the towering monolith of Peña de Bernal. Querétaro is also Mexico's second-largest wine-producing region, with vineyards and cheese producers strung along the Ruta del Vino y Queso.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Querétaro.
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1
Founding of Querétaro
Otomí leader Conín, baptized Fernando de Tapia, negotiates the peaceful founding of Santiago de Querétaro under Spanish rule, avoiding the bloodshed seen in other conquests
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2
Construction Begins on the Convento de la Cruz
Franciscan friars establish the Colegio de Propaganda Fide de la Santa Cruz, which becomes the launch point for missionary expeditions across northern New Spain and California
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3
The Great Aqueduct Built
The Marqués del Villar del Águila finances and directs construction of the 74-arch stone aqueduct that carries water more than 8 kilometers into the city, completed in 1738
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4
Sierra Gorda Missions Constructed
Franciscan missionaries, following methods later used by Junípero Serra in California, build five richly decorated Baroque mission churches across the rugged Sierra Gorda
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5
La Corregidora Warns of the Conspiracy
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, wife of the Corregidor of Querétaro, alerts Ignacio Allende that the independence plot has been discovered, accelerating Miguel Hidalgo's call to arms
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6
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Signed
With Mexico City occupied, the Mexican government relocates to Querétaro and signs the treaty ending the Mexican-American War, ceding vast northern territories to the United States
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7
Execution of Emperor Maximilian I
After a three-month siege of Querétaro, Republican forces capture Emperor Maximilian I, who is tried in the Teatro de la República and executed on Cerro de las Campanas on June 19
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8
Signing of the Mexican Constitution
The Constituent Congress convenes in Querétaro's Teatro Iturbide and signs the Constitution of 1917 on January 31, still Mexico's governing charter today
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9
Historic Center Inscribed by UNESCO
Santiago de Querétaro's historic monuments zone is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique Baroque architecture and colonial urban layout
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10
Sierra Gorda Missions Inscribed by UNESCO
The five Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda de Querétaro are added to the UNESCO World Heritage List for their exceptional Baroque facades and missionary significance
Historical sites
Places where Querétaro's past comes alive.
Teatro de la República
The theater where the Constituent Congress signed the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and where, decades earlier, a tribunal condemned Emperor Maximilian I to death.
Where: Ángela Peralta y Juárez, Centro, Querétaro
Admission: Free
Cerro de las Campanas
The hilltop where Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, along with generals Miramón and Mejía, was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867, ending the Second Mexican Empire.
Where: Centro Universitario, Querétaro
Admission: Park approx MXN 5-7; museum small separate fee
Acueducto de Querétaro (Los Arcos)
A 74-arch, 1,280-meter stone aqueduct completed in 1738 under the Marqués del Villar del Águila, built to bring a reliable water supply to the growing colonial city.
Where: Calzada de los Arcos, Querétaro
Admission: Free
Templo y Ex Convento de la Santa Cruz
Founded in 1683 as the Colegio de Propaganda Fide de Santa Cruz, this Franciscan missionary college trained friars who evangelized across northern New Spain, Texas and California.
Where: Barrio de la Cruz, Querétaro
Admission: Free (donation welcome)
Templo y Ex Convento de San Francisco / Museo Regional de Querétaro
A 16th-century Franciscan monastery that now houses Querétaro's regional museum, with archaeological, colonial and Independence-era collections spanning the state's history.
Where: Corregidora 3 Sur, Querétaro
Admission: MXN 105 foreign visitors approx $6; free Sundays for Mexican nationals
Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo
Completed in 1752, this 18th-century Baroque church is renowned for its flying-buttress bell tower and elaborate gilded altarpieces, among the finest examples of colonial religious art in the city.
Where: José María Arteaga 89, Querétaro
Admission: Free
Casa de la Zacatecana
An 18th-century civil residence with a period courtyard and spiral staircase, tied to a well-known local legend of forbidden love and murder among Querétaro's colonial elite.
Where: Independencia 59, Querétaro
Admission: MXN 45 (approx $2.50)
Casa de Ecala
An 18th-century Baroque mansion with an elaborately carved cantera stone facade and wrought-iron balconies, regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of colonial civil architecture in the city.
Where: Luis Pasteur 6 Sur, Querétaro
Admission: Free (exterior)
Ex Convento de San Agustín / Museo de Arte de Querétaro
Built between 1731 and 1743, this cloister is considered one of the most important Baroque religious complexes in the Americas, its ornate columned courtyard now forming the heart of the city's art museum.
Where: Allende 14 Sur, Querétaro
Admission: Free
Museo de la Ciudad de Querétaro
Housed in a former colonial convent building, this municipal museum traces the city's urban and social history through changing exhibitions on Querétaro's people and neighborhoods.
Where: Guerrero Norte 27, Querétaro
Admission: Free (donations accepted)
Antigua Estación del Ferrocarril de Querétaro
Inaugurated in 1904, this railway station brought Querétaro onto the national rail network and now serves as a cultural center and museum within the historic monuments zone.
Where: Héroe de Nacozari s/n, Querétaro
Admission: Free (varies by exhibition)
Misiones Franciscanas de la Sierra Gorda (Jalpan de Serra)
Five Baroque mission churches built by Franciscan friars between 1750 and 1760 in the remote Sierra Gorda, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 for their fusion of European and indigenous artistic styles.
Where: Jalpan de Serra, Sierra Gorda
Admission: Free to enter the church; small fee at some site museums
Jardín Zenea
The central plaza of colonial Querétaro, laid out in front of the Templo de San Francisco and long the civic and social heart of the city, named for 19th-century governor Manuel María Zenea.
Where: Corregidora 1, Querétaro
Admission: Free