My family has visited several Mexican beach destinations, and we’ve love all our experiences! Yearly millions of visitors go to the bustling beach towns of Mexico, like Cancun, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta, these hot spots are full of 5-star resorts. But Mexico is a large country with much more to offer than just margaritas by the beach. So, when I was planning our family summer getaway this year, my kids asked if we could go somewhere in Mexico that is not a beach destination and a short non-stop flight from DFW. I was super excited they said that, primarily since I have only been to one non-beach destination in Mexico; that being its capital, Mexico City.

First thing that came to mind was that Mexico has a rich history of  both the Old World and the New World; of when the Aztecs ruled the region to the 300 years under the Spanish flag. Thus, I thought of visiting the historical destinations in Central Mexico. And since both kids are learning Spanish at school and they have touched on Mexican history, I thought it an excellent opportunity to dig deeper into this beautiful country of Mexico!

With that said we decided to follow the Mexican Independence Route –  well sort of – and visit some of the cities and towns where it all began. Below is a map of the area, with Miguel Hidalgo’s war campaign route, which started in Dolores (in blue); and our family vacation of the area in red, which started in Queretaro.

Citation: Melish, John, et al. Map of the United States of America: with the contiguous British & Spanish possessions. 1820. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2008622175/>

Queretaro

We started our journey from the City of Querétaro, the capital of the state with the same name. There is a non-stop flight from DFW to QRO, which makes it a lot better, especially these days when there are so many delayed/canceled flights. The last thing you want is to get stranded in the middle of your journey. Read More