Chilpancingo
Chilpancingo is the capital of Guerrero, Mexico. It is a popular stop on the drive between Mexico City and Acapulco and is known for a large festival the week before Christmas each year.
Understand
[edit]It is a mid-size city with a population of about 283,000 in 2020.
Get in
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Map of Chilpancingo
By bus
[edit]From Mexico City's Taxqueña bus terminal, there are many buses on various lines including Futura, ETN and more. Hourly buses on Estrella de Oro depart throughout the day. The 3½ hour bus trip costs about M$500.
- 1 Central de Autobuses Chilpancingo, Av. Benito Juarez 16. Busy bus station with many buses stopping on the Mexico City - Acapulco route.
Get around
[edit]Car or taxi is best.
See
[edit]- 1 Zoologico Zoochilpan, Sta. Cruz, Jose Lopez Portillo, ☏ +52 7474725906. 09:00 - 16:00 (closed M). Small city zoo with a good variety of animals. Inexpensive but could use renovations and better maintenance.
- 2 Pezuapan (Pezoapan), Zirándaro 27, Unidad Guerrerense. Small archaeological site with a small pyramid and some covered ruins. Fenced off and closed to the public, but you can see some things through the fence.
Do
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- Paseo del Pendón - Sunday before Christmas, since 1825 this festival has filled the streets of Chilpancingo with dance, music, and masks. Over 1,500 dance groups come to participate in the event. The largest and most popular of the regional dances is the Tlacoleros dance (tigres y tlacoleros). As tigers (jaguars) threaten the farm hands, the boss organizes everyone and gets them to dance with thunderous stamping to scare away the threatening tiger. This dance is an iconic part of local culture.
- Grutas de Juxtlahuaca - about 45 km southeast of Chilpancingo is a natural park featuring an archaeological site in a natural cave system. The caves feature drawings created during the Olmec civilization around 1200-900 BC. The caves are open to the public but a local guide is required.
- Gral. Juan Alvarez National Park - about 50 km east of Chilpancingo on federal highway MEX 93 is a remote mountainous natural area with forests of pine and oak. A number of animals live in the park including lynx, coyote, skunk, grackle, opossum, badger, iguana, deer, rabbit, partridge, quail, dove, rat, snake, vulture, and hawks.
Buy
[edit]- 1 Mercado San Francisco, C. Juan Ruiz de Alarcón SN, Centro. 07:00 - 20:00. City's main marketplace. Lots of vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables as well as food stalls with the city's best variety of street food at inexpensive prices.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Restaurant Senorial, José Francisco Ruiz Massieu S/N, Fracc.villa Modern, ☏ +52 7474712041. 07:00 - 23:00 (closed Su). Upscale restaurant with varied regional Mexican menu. Small off-street parking lot. Live music evenings. M$500.
- 2 Shifu, Gregorio Pérez Rodríguez 17, Cuauhtemoc Nte, ☏ +52 747 116 1168. Daily 11:00 - 20:00. Chinese noodle restaurant. The ramen is recommended and is enough to serve two.
- 3 Venezia, Santa Cruz. Daily 09:00 - 18:00. Pleasantly casual downtown restaurant with open air second floor dining room. Serves traditional Mexican food. Often busy at breakfast when the chilaquiles is the best dish on the menu.
- 4 Caramba, Universal, ☏ +52 747 472 0384. Tu-Su 07:30 - 00:00, closed M. Classic Chilpancingueños taqueria. Order the Caramba and try it with different salsas. M$150.
- 5 La Parrilla, Av. Benito Juárez 58, Unidos Por Guerrero. M-F 08:00 - 23:00, Sa 08:00 - 19:30, closed Su. Traditional Mexican cuisine served in large portions at reasonable prices. M$200.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel Parque Sur, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas, Colonia La Haciendita 75, ☏ +52 747 116 0022. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Clean, comfortable rooms with modern decor but the hotel lacks some amenities. No AC in rooms, no restaurant on-site (but bars and restaurants are located within walking distance).
- 2 Hotel Torre Esmeralda, Lázaro Cárdenas 41, Loma Bonita, ☏ +52 747 116 1008. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Clean, comfortable hotel with good service and off-street parking. Rooms have AC, mini-bar, and work desk. M$600.
- 3 Hotel Chilpancingo, Av Miguel Alemán 8, Centro, ☏ +52 747 472 2446. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Extremely bare bones rooms that are clean but utterly basic. No on-site parking. M$2100 (Nov 2023).
- 4 Hotel Ana Luisa, Av.Juarez No.86 esq, Hnos. Galeana, Col, Unidos Por Guerrero, ☏ +52 747 116 0341. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small, basic rooms with balconies. Clean and comfortable. M$600.