Aguascalientes may be one of Mexico’s smallest states—covering just 0.3 percent of the nation’s territory—but it hosts one of the country’s biggest events: the Feria de San Marcos. Each year, about eight million visitors flock to the capital, also named Aguascalientes, for concerts, rodeos, bullfights and gastronomic delights.
What many of those visitors never realize is that Aguascalientes is also a fine destination for hiking. In fact, a growing number of locals hope to see the state someday attract trekkers from around the world. Best of all, the entire state lies within what I call western Mexico’s “Magic Circle,” making it easily reachable from Guadalajara or Chapala in about four hours.
A 100-kilometer trail
In 2022, a group of Aguascalientes hikers and mountain climbers, inspired by Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela, set out to create a similar experience at home. Within a year, they had mapped and marked a 114-kilometer route they named El Camino de la Asunción (The Assumption Trail) after the Virgin of the Assumption, patroness of the state.
The trail connects a network of centuries-old footpaths. This year’s trek took place August 8 to 10. “The first night we camped at the splendid ex-Hacienda de Peñuelas, founded in 1575 and now a World Heritage site,” Luigi Rivera, one of the project’s founders, told me. “The second night we stayed at El Sabinal Ecopark, famed for its enormous Montezuma cypresses.”
To support participants, Rivera explained that a “sweeper vehicle” follows the route to pick up any hikers who get “pooped out” along the way. He noted there is no cost to join, and the next trek is planned for summer 2026.
The route also highlights the region’s broader natural connection. “The Assumption Trail begins in the Sierra Madre Occidental, which stretches all the way north to Sonora,” Rivera said. “From there, it’s possible to continue along the American Cordillera all the way to Alaska. That’s what I’d call a serious trek!”
El Cerro del Muerto
For less ambitious outings—what locals call hidrocálidos or weekend walks—there’s El Cerro del Muerto, just ten minutes from the city. The eight-kilometer chain of rugged hills resembles the silhouette of a man lying on his back with hands folded across his chest. The reddish earth around the formation has inspired its name: The Dead Man’s Hill.
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