Accidental Leon

Leon, the 4th largest city by population in Mexico, is a provincial town in Guanajuato, known for its leather and shoe industry. It only got on our radar when John's cousin from Aguascalientes mentioned in passing that he sometimes flies into the Leon airport. That was a good enough reason for us to give it a look, and Leon did not disappoint.

The city center has an eclectic architecture from different periods, beautiful squares popular with every kind of people, cultural ventunes all over the place, and pedestrian streets teeming with activities. There is even underground parking, so with the modern world!  No wonder Leon was the first city in Mexico to implement a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit).

We stayed for 4 nights at the art deco Hotel Leon, completed in 1938. The interior is more than awesome!










Plaza Principal.






We ate 2 terrific vegan lunches at Govinda's.


More city center 20th century architecture.










Monunental Stone Mural across from the Cathedral


The former prison is now the Museum of the Identities which "holds the collective memory of the local activities that reaffirm the concept of what it is to be from León" says the offical website.




Sun-Ling buys avocados at Mercado Estrella (first below) and a view down the street in front of Mercado Estrella (second).




The Fuente de los Leones illuminated at night.


The Palacio Municipal at night.




The Cathedral at night.


Our nearest BRT station at night.




The Parroquia de (Parish Church of) San Sebastian = amazing!


A Postal Delivery Moto parked in the lobby of the Post Office.


Exhibition of oil paintings by local artist Oliver Esquivel (top level).






Loading shoe leather near Mercado Republica.


El Templo Expiatorio exterior and interior. The last stained glass shot below is a "map" of Centro Leon.








View of pedestrian plaza and Templo Expiatorio from an overpass.




Monumental sculpture in homage to San Sebastian, the patron Saint of Leon, at the Museo De Arte E Historia De Guanajuato.


Bonus: Gulf Gas Station.

Leon State Fair - La Feria Estatal de León 2023

Our second day in Leon was the start of the 26-day Leon State Fair (La Feria Estatal de León 2023). From everything I read, I had expected it to be a big deal, and it was even bigger on the ground

• Huge indoor convention center that hosed vendors as well a performance venue
• Three concert venues (one requires additional ticket) and an ice skating show  
• A circus
• Multiple informal outdoor performance acts/artists
• Four ferris wheels, and two or three of every other type of ride
• Hundreds of food vendors from kiosks to outdoor dining with uniformed waiters and mariachi bands
• Not as many animals (a few hundreds at the most) as I expected: horses, cows, goats, chickens

Everything was super shiny, state-of-the-art. John: This place makes the NC State fair look like a village fair.

Later we learned that the Leon Fair is the third largest in Mexico. Aguascalientes is number one. This totally explained the vast venue we saw in Aguascalientes that much puzzled us.

Two of the four big wheels.


First a Rockin' band with wrestling masks. ;-) And second, a 15-second video of a cover of Come Together by the Beatles




Long line for pan de soya.


Games and rides galore.






Animal tent.






The Gorditas Michoacana were sooooo tasty.




The best fair photos are always after dark, no?


















Walking home along the pedestrian avenue that connects Centro with the fairgrounds.




We stop at El Templo Expiatorio for a few photos.






Bonus.