So much is clearly a matter of preference: do you prefer city living or rural living? Do you like a desert climate or does a jungle thrill you? Does elevation bother you? The cost of living matters for most people. Friendliness of locals. Political and criminal instability? I even know some people who consider some places unlivable because they are too hilly.

For me, I’m looking for a smaller town, near a bigger city. I like the semi arid climate for all the sun! But I’m aware that there are many regions in Mexico that NEED more water. I love a forest, but that doesn’t match up with the arid climate I just claimed to love.  

When I come to a new town usually the first thing I notice is the esthetics of the town. Is it attractive to me? Charming? Too busy or too quiet? Clean?

If you saw my last video you know how much I like Tequisquiapan! It’s lovely and it’s on my short list for a place to call home!

But I went to see two pueblos magicos in Queretaro while I was in the area. 

One I kind of knew was too small to be my new home: San Sebastian Bernal. It’s a tiny town of about three thousand, only has a few streets, and is a big tourist attraction in Queretaro. It’s claim to fame is the giant monolith, its famous rock, the largest monolith in America in the northern hemisphere and the third largest in the world.   

Geological studies indicate the rock is the exposed core of an ancient volcano. Following its extinction, the lava in the interior became solid and most of the rest of the volcano eroded over millions of years. The solidified magma that remains is what constitutes and shapes the monolith.

Like Tequis, I get the feeling that this town is another experience on the weekends! It was lovely and quiet when I visited, just a few tourists like me walking around.

I had heard a lady complaining that she needed to sell her house in Bernal because on weekends the tiny town filled with drunk teenagers on ATVs running through the streets and rattling the windows.  I found it quaint and a pleasure to walk around.

It’s considered a Place of memory and living traditions of the Otomí-Chichimecas people: the Peña de Bernal, guardian of a sacred territory was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity site by UNESCO in order to protect the Otomí-Chichimeca people who consider the monolith to be sacred.

If you happen to be here on May 4, you can watch their descendants make their annual pilgrimage to the summit while carrying a 187-pound wooden cross in the hopes of bringing rain and divine protection to their people.

It’s popular with climbers and If you want to make it to the summit, your option is to hire a guide for the Pena de Bernal climb. The guide provides you with the experience and required equipment.

The other pueblo mágico I saw was Caderayta de Montes, only a few miles away, it is the entrance to the Sierra Gorda region;  with great geographical diversity: it has a semi-desert climate in the south and forests in the north. In 2011 it was named the Magical Town thanks to its history and its magic and medicinal wisdom inherited from the Chichimeca, the native peoples of the region.

Caderayta de Montes, a town of about 70K people that was notable to me just because when I went I didn’t see a single other (apparent) tourist.  The town has a lovely big zocalo with two churches anchoring one side. Craft marketers were setting up their wares of baskets embroidery and clay pottery. The Main Square is the heart of the town, you can visit the Parish of San Pedro y San Pablo, and the temple of the holy solitude.  I found the symmetry of the Templo de la Soledad to be very pretty!  I loved the vibrant colors of both churches.

I tried to imagine living there. The advantages of a town that is less well known and touristy are many. The cost of living is undoubtably less. The cultural immersion is instant and not optional. Your language skills would get better because they have to!

On the other hand, there may be no one there who can guide you into your new life there, in your language. Perhaps a town has a culture that’s different than what you’re used to in regards to getting a home to rent, for instance.

In Caderayta I looked online for possible houses to rent and didn’t find much of anything. Maybe there they do this more by word of mouth, local signage, or some local paper? I don’t know.  

I have found facebook groups to be a good source of news about what’s happening NOW in a location. 

After I got back to Tequis I looked up some information on Caderayta and found that there had just been a murder in town. Though it’s hard to get crime stats here, I got the feeling that this is very unusual. 

I also learned that two young lovers were getting kind of too close at the park in front of children and the public, And I also found out the Caderayta is the location for the national chess tournament!!

there are also caves, canyons on archeological sites to explore. Both towns are a part of the Wine and Cheese Route of Querétaro! 

On the way back to Tequisquiapan I saw farmland and crops growing, and some vineyards. I’ve read that Queretaro’s agrofood exports are thriving. Berries, avocados, vegetables, and flowers are flourishing in international markets.

It is impossible to perceive the hidden underbelly of a town or area in only a week or two, or even a month. You don’t know what the local gossip is about the mayor, what crimes have been happening, or what neighborhoods are the best.  It takes a while to really get to know a town. I think that’s why many immigrants to Mexico like to find other expats in the area to make it easier, and get the scoop on whatever they need to know.

As for me, I think the benefits of cultural immersion, and Spanish language immersion in a town away from tourists, may be worth it!