Bernal, Queretaro, is a charming, upscale Mexican town about an hour from the lovely colonial city of Queretaro. A few foreigners live there, and we were among them for several months in 2005. But of the 5,000 or so inhabitants, fewer than two dozen were foreign… and we never met many of those! Our Spanish improved a lot while we were there.

Bernal is clean. It has a distinctly New Age flavor, which seems to have its roots also in the pre-Hispanic culture which is still strong in Mexico. For example, see my story of first going there and meeting Anna, in my page, The Magic of Bernal.

What makes Bernal so special is the mountain above it:

This mountain attracts rock climbers from all over the world, and is also the focal point of many tales about UFOs, crystals inside it, and more. Actually, my husband saw a UFO there, after attending an all-night temescal, or sweat lodge. See Kelly’s Hot Night Out.

Everyone told us we had to be there for the spring equinox, and we were once. We joined the pilgrimage up the mountain:

And we took part in the festivities and ceremonies on the plaza:

To find out more about this wonderful little town, just choose Bernal from the category list on the sidebar. It’s under PLACES > Queretaro > Bernal.