Villa del Carbón
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◈ Surrounded by mountains and lush vegetation, the quiet, colonial atmosphere of this Magical Town invites you to stroll through its cobblestone streets among red-tile roofs and kick back at one of its ecotourism centers.
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◆ Witnessing the charro (Mexican rodeo) tradition on the weekend.
◆ Enjoying a boat ride on the Taxhimay Reservoir.
◆ A visit to Casa del Recuerdo de Ofe.
Check out the workshops where they make leather goods. One suggestion is El Pial, where owner Don Arturo has fascinating stories to tell you.
❖ La Casa del Recuerdo de Ofe
Ofelia Reyes has collected and recovered a number of relics from Villa del Carbón’s history, which she’ll happily show you in a journey through time.
Located a short walk from Plaza Hidalgo, this colonial house has been adapted into a museum. It recreates the areas used by former townspeople. There are photographs, documents, clothing, and many more artifacts from this Magical Town’s history.
❖ Plaza Hidalgo
Upon arriving to this Magical Town, you’ll be amazed at the provincial air of this handsome park surrounded by essential buildings such as Palacio Municipal (town hall), with its beautiful murals, the gazebo, porticos, and old mansions that today serve as restaurants, hotels, and shops. The Casa de la Cultura with its eye-catching clock is one of them.
❖ Handicrafts Market
Built in the late 19th century, the building originally housed the municipality’s first elementary school. In 1987, this Handicrafts Market was set up in former school. Now, you can buy leather goods made by the town’s artisans, as well as traditional candies.
❖ Sleep in the Middle of Bosque de Aventura
Round up the family and grab your pet to enjoy nature at Villa Xtreme, a place with cabins, campgrounds, and extreme sports.
Dare to try the nearly 2,000-foot-long zipline circuit and a climbing wall.
❖ Shop for Leather Goods
You can find leather goods for sale on the streets or head to one of the workshops, where you can learn about how they’re made and even order boots tailor-made to your size and taste.
This Magical Town is famous for its hand-crafted ankle boots and leather goods. Here, you’ll find jackets, belts, purses, and more. There are over 50 workshops producing thousands of shoes a week using traditional methods. It’s one of the reasons Villa del Carbón is considered the ankle boot capital of the world.
In the streets around Plaza Hidalgo, you’ll see many stores selling leather goods: jackets, vests, boots, belts, saddles, and key chains.
❖ See the Reservoirs
If you’re a fan of ecotourism, here, you’ve got plenty of options for turning your vacation into an adventure. From Mexico City via the Tlalnepantla-Villa del Carbón road, there’s Presa Bonito Juárez.
There’s also Presa del Llano, one of the most popular reservoirs to visit, just 7 miles southwest of Villa del Carbón. There, you can take a boat ride to see the entire reservoir, fish, or come ready for a day in the country among the trees.
You can also enjoy Presa Taxhimay, over the submerged ruins of what was once the town of San Luis de las Peras. It which was flooded to create the reservoir in the 1930s. Be sure to snap up some photos of the two belltowers peeking out over the water.
❖ Barbacoa and Pulque Fair
In late July every year, this food festival brings together lovers of barbacoa (goat meat steamed in an underground pit) and pulque (fermented maguey sap).
At the fair, you can enjoy traditional barbacoa de hoyo sold by over 40 exhibitors. To go along with this delicacy, there’s also a local pulque fair that has earned national fame.
