Celaya
Celaya is a city and its surrounding municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state.
It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 310,413. The municipality for which the city serves as municipal seat, had a population of 415,869. The city is located in the geographic center of the municipality, which has an areal extent of 553.1 km2 (213.6 sq mi) and includes many smaller outlying communities, the largest of which are San Miguel Octopan, Rincón de Tamayo and San Juan de la Vega.
Getting to Celaya
It is 50 km west of the city of Santiago de Querétaro and 260 km from Mexico City. BJX IATA airport and QRO IATA airports are nearby. From Queretaro, it is a fast, easy drive to Celaya on a modern divided highway. Head west on federal highway MEX-45D for 45 minutes and you will be in Celaya. The highway has tolls.
Worth seeing
Temple of the Virgen del Carmen. Built from 1802 to 1807 (neoclassical architectural construction). Municipal Pantheon and Museum of Mummies of Celaya. The Municipal Pantheon was the first civil cemetery in Celaya, it is one of the most important necropolises in the State; Inaugurated in the 19th century, the funerary architecture of this pantheon stands out for its diversity, and the set offers a sense of orderly…
Things to do
Xochipilli Park. The metropolitan park of Celaya. Parque Malecón Bicentenario Celaya. A boardwalk on the bank of the Laja river. Christmas Fair. Celaya's regional Christmas fair is held each year from December 17 to January 4 in the old "Celanese Mexicana" factory at the exit to Salvatierra to the south of the urban area. Club Celaya (football/soccer), Miguel Alemán Valdés Stadium. A team of the Liga de Ascenso.
Where to eat
Celaya is known for its cajeta, a typical sweet made in an artisanal way. It is prepared with goat's milk in copper saucepans. There is a great variety of flavors: envinada, pine nut, vanilla, burnt, walnut, among others.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Oyervides (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.