Travel Guide Peña De Bernal

This small village surrounded by hills with semi-desert vegetation was founded in 1647 in the center of the state, 92 km from Santiago de Querétaro. It is known above all for its rock formation, the Peña, the third largest in the world after those of Gibraltar and Rio de Janeiro. Its peak reaches 2,545 meters above sea level, 515 meters above the village. For centuries, the Peña has been an important ritual centre for the semi-nomadic tribes that roamed the area. One side of the Peña is accessible to all walkers, the other is reserved for experienced mountaineers. The village, as small as it is enchanting, spreads out around a charming shady square. Around the square and along the winding streets are typical 18th- and 19th-century buildings whose colourful façades are sometimes decorated with unusual friezes and motifs. The Palacio Municipal is in itself an attraction worthy of the Hansel and Gretel tale. At that time, the prosperity of Bernal, like that of the other villages in the region, came from mining and trade. Nowadays, woolen clothes and blankets are produced here on impressive looms. For some years now, an association of villagers has been working to renovate emblematic buildings such as the Capilla de las Animas and the San Sebastián church. They have also created the small Museo del Cine Nacional as well as a Museo de las Mascaras that displays masks made every year by the locals in a local contest. Bernal is definitely the best base in the region to take your time and visit the surroundings. It can also be the ideal gateway for those wishing to venture into the Sierra Gorda.