Torreón

Plaza Mayor, the Arocena and sunset on the Noas hill

A day in Torreón begins at Plaza Mayor on Avenida Allende and the Museo Arocena on the corner of Cepeda and Juárez, the region's best museum, with Mexican and European art and a well-told history of the Laguna. A few blocks away, the Teatro Isauro Martínez on Galeana has an ornate interior; check for an evening show.

Midday. Head underground to the Canal de la Perla, a late 19th-century irrigation channel that once carried water from the Nazas to farms in the southeast of the city. Restored sections now host art exhibitions, and it is a cool refuge from the heat. Lunch on tacos or flautas at one of the branches of Los Farolitos.

Afternoon. Spend a slow hour in the Bosque Venustiano Carranza, the city's big shady park, and look at the art deco Estadio Revolución a block away.

Evening. Before sunset, drive or take a taxi up to the Cristo de las Noas. The statue, said to be the third largest of its kind in Latin America, stands beside a church and shrines that recall the Holy Land, and the terrace looks over Torreón, Gómez Palacio and the desert ranges. Finish with dinner on Bulevar Independencia, or with a Santos Laguna match if they are playing at home.

Gorditas, Los Farolitos flautas and Laguna steaks

Torreón eats like the cattle country it is, and its cheapest meals are often its best: gorditas from stands across the city, thick masa pockets stuffed to order with stewed beef, chicharrón or beans. They are busiest in the morning and early evening, and Los Farolitos, a local chain, is the easy introduction.

Los Farolitos, a local chain with branches across town, is the easy introduction: plates of tacos, crisp rolled flautas and tostadas, all quick and reliable. For a sit-down meal, El Pueblito on Bulevar Constitución, also known as the OK Maguey, is decorated like a Mexican village and serves traditional dishes alongside grilled cuts of beef. El Pinabete, named after a tree native to the region, is another well-loved local name.

Most mid-range restaurants and steakhouses line Bulevar Independencia, near the Galerías Laguna mall, and this is where locals go for a big dinner of carne asada, arrachera or cabrito. The Laguna's dairy farms supply much of Mexico's milk, so fresh cheeses and cream appear on everything from enchiladas to breakfast plates.

Desert summers mean plenty of cold drinks: try an agua fresca of melon, from the region's own fields, between sights.

Ojuela's hanging bridge, Lerdo and the road to Parras

Torreón makes a good base for the deserts and oases around it, best reached by car between October and March. The classic trips are the green old town of Lerdo, Mapimí and the hanging bridge of Ojuela over a former mine, and the wine town of Parras.

Lerdo, just west of Gómez Palacio, is the older and greener of the three Laguna towns, with tree-lined streets and a relaxed main square. Combine it with a stop in Gómez Palacio for lunch; both are within half an hour of central Torreón.

Mapimí and the Puente de Ojuela make the classic desert outing, around an hour and a half to the north in Durango state. Above the abandoned mining town of Ojuela, a long wooden suspension bridge spans a deep ravine, and you can walk across it to the old mine workings. The surrounding desert is part of the Mapimí reserve, famed for the legends of the Zona del Silencio. Leave early, bring plenty of water and avoid the midday heat.

Parras de la Fuente, about two and a half hours east, is an oasis town of springs and vineyards. Casa Madero, founded in 1597, claims to be the oldest winery in the Americas, and the town makes an easy overnight stop on the way to Saltillo.

Closer to home, the dry riverbed of the Nazas occasionally carries water after heavy rains in the sierra, a rare and much-discussed event in the city.