The State of Mexico has a lot of charming destinations that are little known. An example of them is Villa del Carbón, a colonial-style Magical Town, surrounded by forests, with beautiful cobblestone streets, many craft sales and surroundings with dams and recreational centers where you can practice ecotourism .
Also, as in almost all of Mexico, the food is delicious; barbecue and trout are typical. Escape this weekend, as Villa del Carbón is only 1 hour and a half from Mexico City. If you go between January and March, make sure you cover yourself well, because the cold there hits quite hard.
To do?
Due to its proximity to Mexico City, this getaway could well be two days: Saturday and Sunday. Of course, go very early so that you take advantage of the time as much as possible.
Saturday
Arrival and direct to enjoy the dams
On your first day in Villa del Carbón, nothing better than enjoying the ecotourism activities that can be done in the dams that are in the surroundings . You come from Mexico City, so a breath of fresh and pure air is just what you need, and you will like it very much.
There are 3 dams you can choose to visit, each with its own charm. Or, show off with your friends and set up a route to visit everyone in one go.
-Presa del Llano: it is nestled between mountains and forests, so it offers very beautiful landscapes. Here you can rent a boat and take a walk around the entire dam. It also has rental cabins and wading pools for the little ones.
It is located at kilometer 4 of the Villa del Carbón-Toluca highway.
-Taxhimay Dam: This dam is very interesting because it is located in a community where Otomi people still live. Beneath its waters are the ruins of the old town of San Luis de las Peras, which was flooded in the 1930s to make way for the construction of the dam. Here you can take tours by boat, kayak or aquabike. It is located in San Luis Taxhimay, about 40 minutes from the municipal seat of Villa del Carbón.
-Benito Juárez Dam: here you can go horseback riding, spill adrenaline on ATVs and practice sport fishing.
It is located on the Tlalnepantla-Villa del Carbón highway, within the communities of Molinitos and San Martín Cachihuapan, right at the entrance of the municipality.
Sunday
To populate as God commands
Since yesterday was a day 100% immersed in nature, now it’s time to discover the small-town charm of this destination.
The relevant sites you should know about are:
-The Plaza Hidalgo: which is the heart of Villa del Carbón and from where you can start a walk to see its corners.
-The Church of the Virgen de la Peña de Francia: dating from the 18th century and took 40 years to complete.
-La Casa de Cultura: where in addition to being a space for the arts of the town, you will find a museum that exhibits archaeological pieces from the region.
-The Park and Outdoor Theater: where plays, musical contests, dance performances and all kinds of festivities are performed. With a bit of luck you will get to see one of them.
-The Craft Market: as we told you a while ago, in this town there are many craft sales. Its main production is made of leather and wool, so here you can find shoes, vests, jackets, boots, wallets, bags, belts, hats, gloves, and sweaters.
An excellent quality handmade eggnog is also produced and we recommend that you take home a couple of bottles, of different flavors. In addition to this market, you can find handicrafts in the area of the arches and portals in the town center, and in the workshops themselves located in different parts of the municipality.
How to get?
By bus: buses leave at the Cuatro Caminos, Toreo and Rosario metro stops that leave you in the center of Villa del Carbón.
By car: take Periférico Norte, then the deviation to Atizapán de Zaragoza and continue to Villa Nicolás Romero, then follow state highway 5 to Villa del Carbón.