Irapuato

Dancing fountains, the Hospitalito and Parque Irekua in a weekend

Irapuato's weekend starts at the Plaza Principal, also called the Plazuela Miguel Hidalgo, where the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception rises beside a bronze John Paul II made from residents' keys and a dancing-water fountain. Nearby, the Plazuela Juan Álvarez has an old sundial and Maximilian's Dolphin Fountain.

Then take in the Municipal Palace and the small Hospitalito church.

Saturday afternoon. Spend two hours at the Museo de la Ciudad Salvador Almaraz on Calle Allende, in the Barrio de la Piedra Lisa. It runs from Mesoamerican figurines through colonial life to Independence and the Revolution, with temporary art shows upstairs, and entry is free. Afterwards, look in at Museo Pacha Moma on Tresguerras in the Barrio de San Miguel.

Saturday evening. Eat tacos al pastor at one of the busy stands on Calle 5 de Febrero, which stay open past midnight.

Sunday. Go green. Parque Irekua, built on the old Revolución plant nurseries, has an artificial lake, a small zoo, jogging tracks and an open-air theatre, and it fills with families at weekends. With a car, drive instead to the Parque Ecológico on the slopes of the Cerro de Arandas for wide views of the Bajío; note it closes on Sundays, so swap the days if you want both.

Fresas con crema, seafood tostadas and late-night pastor

Strawberries are Irapuato's first food, grown on the irrigated Bajío plain and a point of local pride. Fresas con crema, sliced berries folded into sweet cream, sell in cups at stalls around the centre, and in winter and spring roadside stands on the highways into town add chocolate-dipped berries, jam and sweets; buy where the fruit is piled fresh.

The city was also long a centre for canned refried beans and pork and beef raising, which shows on menus. Taquerías do tacos al pastor shaved from the spit, plus tripa, cabeza and lengua for the more adventurous, and the most popular stands run from breakfast until about 1 am. Weekend mornings bring carnitas and menudo to the markets.

Being far inland does not stop a love of seafood. Casual marisquerías serve tostadas heaped with shrimp, octopus or fish ceviche, washed down with micheladas, some of them topped with seafood too. These places usually open from midday to early evening, which is when locals eat their main meal.

For the wider Guanajuato table, look for enchiladas mineras, the miners' enchiladas with potato, carrot and crumbled cheese that belong to the state capital an hour away, and for cajeta, the goat's-milk caramel from nearby Celaya.

Guanajuato's callejones, León leather and other Bajío escapes

Irapuato sits on the main Bajío highways, which makes it a practical and often cheaper base for the region's better-known towns. Guanajuato city, the state capital, is about an hour away by road, León and its leather shops are close by, and San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo are within reach for a long day.

Guanajuato city, the state capital, is about an hour away by road. Its colonial centre fills a narrow ravine, with painted houses climbing the hills, traffic diverted into old tunnels and a maze of steep alleys such as the Callejón del Beso. Go early to beat the tour buses, and stay into the evening for the student minstrel groups called estudiantinas. In October the Festival Internacional Cervantino turns the town into one big stage, and rooms there sell out, so a bed in Irapuato makes sense then.

León, about an hour west, is the shoe and leather capital of Mexico. Its leather district around the bus station is lined with outlets selling boots, jackets and belts, and the city centre has an arcaded main square.

Salamanca, around 20 km east, is mostly industrial but keeps the Augustinian church of San Agustín, whose gilded altarpieces are among the finest in the state.

Further east lie San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo, where the 1810 call to arms for independence was made. Both are long day trips from here, and overnighting is the better plan. Any of these runs well in the dry months, November to April, when roads are clear and storms do not interrupt the afternoons.