Chihuahua City
Capital of Chihuahua State and the starting point of the Chepe train. Baroque cathedrals, Villa's house and revolutionary murals tell the history of northern Mexico.
Chihuahua City is the capital of Chihuahua, Mexico's largest state. It sits in a river valley on the northern plateau at an elevation of about 1,440 m, with a population of around 950,000. The city was founded in 1709 to serve nearby silver mines, and in the colonial era it was an important stop on the Royal Road to New Mexico. In 1811, independence leader Miguel Hidalgo was imprisoned and executed here. During the Mexican Revolution, it was Pancho Villa's stronghold. That is why many of the city's museums and murals relate to the wars of independence and the revolution. It is also the eastern starting point of the famous Chepe train (Chihuahua–Pacific Railway), and many visitors begin their journey to Copper Canyon from here.
Areas to explore: (1) The historic centre. Plaza de Armas and its Baroque cathedral, the murals in the Palacio de Gobierno, Casa de Hidalgo (the dungeon where Hidalgo was held), and San Francisco Church can be seen in a half day on foot. (2) South of the centre. Villa's house (now the Museum of the Revolution), the Art Nouveau Quinta Gameros mansion, and the Juárez house. (3) The outskirts. The Nombre de Dios caves to the north, the old mining town of Santa Eulalia to the east, and Cumbres de Majalca National Park to the northwest. (4) About 90 km west, the Mennonite community of Cuauhtémoc.
Climate: March to May and October to November are the most comfortable. June to August is hot during the day, with afternoon thunderstorms. December to February brings sunny days, but nights can drop below freezing, with occasional snow. The high plateau is dry, so stay hydrated and use sunscreen.
Getting there: Chihuahua International Airport has flights to Mexico City, Monterrey and other cities, and long-distance buses reach major cities across the country. Economy and tourist Chepe trains depart from the north-side station, so book in advance on the official website. The historic centre is walkable, while outlying sites are best reached by taxi or on a local day tour. A stay of 1 to 2 days is recommended before taking the train or a long-distance bus to Copper Canyon.
Top sights
- Chihuahua Cathedral – The most important Baroque building in northern Mexico, with a pink stone façade carved with saints and a crypt housing a museum of religio…
- Museo Histórico de la Revolución (Quinta Luz) – The former home of Pancho Villa, displaying relics of the revolutionary era and the bullet-riddled Dodge in which he was ambushed.
- Quinta Gameros – An early 20th-century French Second Empire mansion with Art Nouveau interiors, featuring exquisite stained glass and carved wooden furnitur…
- Plaza de Armas Chihuahua – The city’s central square in front of the cathedral, with a statue of the city’s founder and flocks of pigeons. It is the starting point fo…
- Palacio de Gobierno Murals – A state government building converted from a former Jesuit college. Large murals on the courtyard walls tell the history of Chihuahua, and…
- Casa Chihuahua & Hidalgo's Dungeon – A state cultural heritage museum converted from the former Federal Palace. Its underground level preserves the dungeon where Hidalgo was he…
- Museo Casa de Juárez – The residence where President Benito Juárez lodged during the French intervention, and the site of the provisional government.
- Templo de San Francisco de Asís – Chihuahua’s oldest church, built by the Franciscans in the 18th century. Hidalgo’s remains were once buried here.
- Chihuahua Aqueduct – A stone-arched aqueduct from the colonial era, built in the 18th century, with surviving arcades running along the city’s avenue.
- Museo Semilla – An interactive science museum that is popular with families for its dinosaur fossils found locally in Chihuahua and its nature and technolo…
- Museo del Mamut – A small paleontology museum in the historic center, displaying a mammoth skeleton along with fossils and minerals from Chihuahua State.
- Grutas de Nombre de Dios – A limestone cave north of the city. The guided route passes through a dozen or so chambers with varied stalactites.
- Santa Eulalia – The birthplace of Chihuahua city, an 18th-century silver mining town with well-preserved stone-paved streets, an old church, and mining rem…
- Cumbres de Majalca National Park – A pine-and-oak mountain national park northwest of the city. Its strange rhyolite rock pillars and forest cabins make it a weekend hiking a…
- Cuauhtémoc Mennonite Colonies – A farming community of Mennonites who settled here from the 1920s. Visitors can tour the Mennonite museum, cheese factories, and apple orch…
Where to eat
- Los Mezquites – One of Chihuahua's most representative mesquite-charcoal steakhouses, a long-established favourite for local celebratio…
- Tacos y Montados La Junta (Avenida de las Américas) – A home-grown Chihuahua taco chain known for the 'montado', a flour tortilla filled with asadero cheese and grilled beef…
- La Casona – An upscale restaurant in the former mansion of nineteenth-century governor Luis Terrazas, where the architecture and hi…