leon mexico – PalmTreeMusings

Spending three days in Leon, Mexico is the perfect amount of time to get to know this city in Central Mexico. With the Silao international airport just 20 minutes away, Leon is an excellent side trip if you’re already spending time in Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende, or as a destination in and of itself.

The Triumphal Arch of the Causeway of the Heroes

For our recent trip to Leon, we stayed in the Othelo Boutique Hotel, located at the southern edge of the Central Walking Zone. It was a very modern, very cute hotel, with about sixteen rooms, featuring a library (named Yago) and a roof-top breakfast bar (named Desdemona). At under $50 a night, it is a bargain. The staff there are super nice and attentive; we enjoyed our stay there.

Leon has a hop on/hop off bus tour, but it only runs on the weekends. Instead, we decided to create our own walking tour over the three days we were there. On day one we focused on the Centro Historico, the next day we explored the Conjunto Poliforma and the Zona Piel, and on our last day, we stayed near the Barrio San Juan de Dios.

Day One: Centro Historico

The Centro Historico is about eight blocks long, and four north-to-south. The interior streets are pedestrian-only zones, so you can wander through the two main plazas, enjoy an ice cream, listen to the musicians play, and gaze at the Cathedral of Leon to your heart’s content. Leon’s main neoclassical cathedral, called Basílica Metropolitana de La Madre Santísima de la Luz, was consecrated in 1866. Outside the gates of the Cathedral is a wonderful art exhibit of artistic photographs of some of Guanajuato state’s most interesting sites. Within the Centro Historico, shops run from basic everyday items to luxury jewelry, clothing, and formal-wear. There is also the Museum of the City of Leon, and the Theatro Manuel Doblado. At the far end of the Centro Historico, the Triumphal Arch of the Causeway of the Heroes starts the next walking zone of the city.

Day Two: Conjunto Poliforma and the Zona Piel

On day two we started at the edge of the Centro Historico, at the Triumphal Arch. Passing through the arch and enjoying the jumping water spouts, we headed down the promenade towards the Conjunto Poliforma. This multi-purpose area includes a university, an ecological park, the Museum of Art and History, and a sports stadium. After spending the day meandering through these, we returned by way of the Zona Piel- the leather zone. Leon is considered the leather capital of the world and people come from all over to purchase hand-crafted boots, shoes, jackets, saddles, and more. The leather zone stretches for several blocks, and dotted in between the hundreds (literally hundreds) of small stores are cafes, smoothie stands, cervezerias in case you get thirsty during your leather goods shopping.

Day Three: Barrio San Juan de Dios

For our third and final day in Leon, we stayed closer to our hotel and explored the immediate neighborhood around the Templo San Juan de Dios. This modest church, still showing damage from bullets from the Mexican Revolution, anchors a large park where you can sit on a bench, eat an ice cream, and watch the people of the neighborhood gather for walking, chatting, dancing, and eating. For dinner we ate at Tamales LuLu, a small mom-and-pop place across the street from the church. Afterwards, we sat in the park and watched musicians play as residents of the barrio antigua danced with each other under the rising moon. An ice cream and churro combination from Churrería Las Duyas is a delightful way to cap off dinner, before heading over to Harry’s for a chelada or a michelada.