Jogging and Walking

For jogging, try the public Ciudad Deportiva (Sports City) fields on the west side of Highway 190 about two miles (three km) north of the town center. Closer in, you might also jog around the big Parque Paseo Juárez (El Llano), on Avenida Juárez, three blocks east and about 10 blocks north of the zócalo.

For an invigorating in-town walk, climb the Cerro del Fortín. Your reward will be a panoramic city, valley, and mountain view. The key to getting there through the maze of city streets is to head to the Escalera del Fortín (staircase), which will lead you conveniently to the instep of the hill.

For example, from the northeast zócalo corner, walk north along the Alcalá mall. After five blocks, in front of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo [1], turn left onto Allende, continue four blocks to Crespo, and turn right. After three blocks, you’ll see the staircase on the left. Continue uphill, past the sprawling Guelaguetza open-air auditorium, to the road (Av. Nicolas Copernicus) heading north to the Planetarium (tel. 951/514-7500, 7–9 p.m. Nov.–May, check the events schedule) to enjoy the panoramic city and valley view. (Besides daytime movies and star shows, the planetarium is customarily open for evening telescopic viewing of the moon, planets, and stars.)

Past the planetarium, you can keep walking along the hilltop for at least another mile. Take a hat and water. The round-trip from the zócalo is a minimum of two miles (three km); the hilltop rises only a few hundred feet. Allow at least a couple of hours.