Nochistlán
Nochistlán, sometimes known as Nochistlan de Mejia, is a small town in the southern part of Mexico's state of Zacatecas. It is a charming colonial town that is popular among couples as a romantic weekend getaway. It is sometimes called la tierra de los músicos (the land of musicians) in acknowledgment of the pervasive sounds of music that seem to never stop. The town is designated as one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos.
Understand
The town has a population of about 16,500 (2010) which grows to about 28,000 if all the outlying villages are included. The landscape is mountainous with nearby peaks and valleys.
Get in
Many people use combis or shuttle services to get to Nochistlan, but a less expensive and more comfortable way would be to use an Omnibus de Mexico bus which has frequent departures from Aguascalientes. The 2-hour trip costs M$176 (April 2024).
- 🌍 Omnibus de Mexico, El Mercado De Las Coalaqui, Local 115, Centro.
See
- 🌍 Aqueduct of Nochistlan, Mirasol 6, Los Arcos. Original waterworks built by Spanish settlers during the colonial era of the 18th century.
- 🌍 Parroquia de San Francisco de Asís (St Francis of Asisi Church), Portal Abasolo 5. Beautiful baroque church with neo-Gothic elements. The interior is spectacularly colorful with a series of murals painted in the 19th century. The church is known for its large Christ image and for its old mesquite wood floors.
- 🌍 Jardin Morelos, J.Ma. Morelos 1. The town square with paved walkways, a central fountain, and towering shade trees. The Parian is along one side and the Church of St Francis of Asisi is just across the street. Great place for people watching!
Do
The town keeps a number of traditions alive that make the town a fun place to visit when festivities take place.
- El Papaqui is a week-long celebration that takes place annually from January 12 to 20. It honors the town's patron saint, San Sebastian. During festival days visitors to the town's main square should expect to get their faces covered in flour and to have eggshells filled with confetti cracked over their heads. Some people throw oranges. The festival commemorates the struggles between the indigenous people and the Spanish conquistadors.
- La Serenata is the town's coolest tradition because it happens every week. Each Sunday night, people gather in the Jardin de Nochistlan (the town's main plaza). They form two concentric circles around the plaza, men on the outer ring and women in the inner ring. Although the tradition is that men would give a gardenia to a woman they found attractive, today, its likely to be an eggshell full of confetti cracked over the woman's head. There's also a third circle for kids and married women so they can crack confetti eggs over each others heads too, after all, who doesn't want to be covered in confetti?
- Las Fiestas de Octubre is ostensibly a festival with religious roots honoring the Virgin of Toyahua and San Francisco de Asese, but the celebrations during the second and third week of October look a whole lot like a big general party with lots of banda music, dancing, food, drink and festivities that carry on from early evening to la madrugada (the wee hours).
Eat
A locally popular dish is pollo valentina which is chicken cutlets dipped in a chilcotle hot sauce and then fried.
- 🌍 La Faena, José María Morelos 15-A, Centro, ☏ +52 346 713 0123. W-M 12:00 - 18:00, closed Tu. Traditional restaurant with family atmosphere and a menu featuring seafood specialties. Recommend the shrimp campechanas.
- 🌍 La Palma, Ramón López Velarde 80, Centro, ☏ +52 346 713 2040. Daily 09:00 - 19:00. Family friendly restaurant serving mostly seafood. The house specialty is the Zacatecan molcajete, a huge stone bowl filled with mixed seafood (enough to serve two).
- 🌍 Mariscos Doña Chuy, Juarez, Centro. Daily 08:00 - 18:00. Casual basic seafood restaurant. Cash only.
- 🌍 El Nochistlence, Extramuros 14 C, San Miguel de Oriente, ☏ +52 346 713 1014. Daily 10:00 - 19:00. Casual place for roast chicken, carnitas, pork ribs, etc.
Drink
A drink called tejuino is more often associated with Jalisco than Zacatecas, but you might find it in Nochistlan and should give it a try if you're curious. It's a traditional drink made from corn meal and sweetened with piloncillo (raw cane sugar). It's thicker than most drinks with a consistency like a milkshake or a lassi, but a very unique flavor.
Sleep
- 🌍 Hotel Nueva Galicia, Cadena 31, ☏ +52 346 713 0407. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with cramped sparsely furnished rooms.
- 🌍 Hotel Plaza, González Ortega 9, Centro, ☏ +52 346 713 3240. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with dated facilities.
- 🌍 Villa Caxcana, Corona 14, Centro, ☏ +52 346 713 2522. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with decent rooms. No air conditioning. Night club next door makes for some noisy evenings. M$600.