Considered a prosperous region due to its agricultural, livestock and mining areas, the Mexican Bajío includes the states of Aguascalientes, Jalisco (from Guadalajara to Los Altos), Guanajuato, Querétaro and on some occasions San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and the lower part of the northern Michoacan.
Importance of the Bajío in our country
It is not only a geographical region, but also a historical, economic and cultural one that is located in the Lerma-Chapala basin. Likewise, it is an important industrial corridor and first in food production: grains, from corn to coffee; avocado, chili and tomato; as well as livestock products.
Finally, it has one of the most important trade routes in the country thanks to an extensive network of highways, railways, and airports.
Why is it called that way?
In the first place, because it is located in a relatively low part of the Mexican highlands, between one thousand and two thousand meters above sea level.
None of its states, with the exception of Guanajuato and a part of the Altos de Jalisco, exceeds 2,000 meters of altitude; and if it is compared with Mexico City or Toluca, it could be said that it is located at a low level of the national territory.
Bajío tourist attractions
Practically in any of the states that make up the region there are points of interest for national and international travelers.
- The state of Quéretaro has seven Magical Towns, among which Tequisquiapan and Bernal stand out.
- The city of Aguascalientes offers visitors the Plaza de las Tres Centurias, the José Guadalupe Posada Museum or visiting one of its Magical Towns: Calvillo, Real de Asientos and San José de Gracia.
- Regarding visiting Guadalajara, the tourist offer is immense, read more here.
- Guanajuato includes Magical Towns, vineyards, adventure tourism and even archaeological sites.
Brief history of the region
Due to the abundance of precious metals in the area, from the 16th century, in the colonial period, the viceregal authority not only protected the Bajío territories, but also provided resources for the mining of gold and silver; which allowed a century later to reach greater prosperity than the rest of the New Spain territory.
In the same way, the economic boom facilitated the construction of cities as well as the education of their inhabitants through the creation of higher education institutions in Guadalajara, Guanajuato, León, Celaya, Valladolid and Querétaro.
This translated into an important historical and cultural legacy; Examples of this are the cities of Guanajuato, Morelia, Santiago de Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende and Zacatecas, all considered World Heritage Sites.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the Mexican independence movement arose in the Bajío in the cities of Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro.