Querétaro city will build “world-class” planetarium
State Tourism Minister Adriana Vega Vázquez announced recently that Querétaro’s capital city will soon begin building a new world-class new planetarium
“It is a world-class planetarium, with the highest standards and technology that we can find,” she said.
Vega Vázquez also hopes that the new facility will offer the chance to host international conferences and help boost tourism to the city, a sentiment also echoed by Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri González.
“Tourists increasingly want to have more experiences,” Kuri said. “They are less contemplative and more participatory. This new planetarium is going to be another tool that the Ministry of Tourism has to attract visitors to Querétaro so that they not only stay one day but two or three days,” he explained.
The project also aims to support space observation projects by providing high-quality equipment as part of the city’s Manuel Gómez Morín Educational and Cultural Center.
Record real estate sale in Riviera Nayarit
An ultra-luxury villa has sold for US $17.5 million in the Riviera Nayarit, a record for property prices in the coastal state.
The One&Only Mandarina Complex, where the villa is located, offers “enchanting rainforest and sea views,” according to developers.
RLH Properties, which oversees the complex, sold almost US $67 million worth of villas in 2022. Nayarit has recently seen a boom in luxury tourism, as tourists flock to its unspoiled natural beauty and proximity to major airports.
“Our residential business has exceeded expectations, showing extraordinary results and ensuring its position in the market. We exceeded the commercial goals in the company’s history, making us feel grateful to the investors who trust in this business model, which is a success”, said Borja Escalada, the company’s general director.
RLH also manages the luxury Rosewood Mayakoba, Fairmont Mayakoba and Banyan Tree Mayakoba properties in Quintana Roo.
Pro-bullfighting petition
Tauromaquia Mexicana, a group of pro-bullfighting campaigners in Mexico, has presented a petition calling for an end to bans on bullfighting in Mexico City.
The group claims that the sport is an integral part of popular culture and that moves to ban bullfighting in Mexico are misguided.
Despite criticism of the sport, Tauromaquia Mexicana says that it is fit for the 21st century and that the number of bullfighting’s supporters greatly outnumber its detractors.
With 30,000 signatures on the petition, Tauromaquia Mexicana said there are a significant number of small businesses that depend on the sport for survival.
Last week, the traditional bullfighting central to San Cristóbal’s Spring and Peace fair was canceled hours before it was due to begin after animal rights activists sought an injunction against the event.
New luxury hotel to open in San Miguel de Allende
The Pueblo Bonito Golf and Spa Resorts hotel chain is scheduled to open a new luxury resort in San Miguel de Allende this November.
The 111-room hotel, which will also boast an additional 45 luxury residences, will be located outside the historic center of the city by the Zeferino Gutiérrez park, offering dramatic views of the city skyline.
“This is our first urban property in which we are creating a totally different environment for the Vantage brand,” said Enrique Gandara, commercial director of Pueblo Bonito Resorts.
“Guests will be immersed in an atmosphere of elegance and refined spaces, with a residential component and facilities of a high-level tourist center.”
Tourist caught on Chichen Itzá pyramid
An unidentified tourist has been seen climbing the Temple of Kukulcán, the iconic pyramid at the center of the Chichén Itzá archaeological site.
Footage posted to social media showed a man descending the steps of the pyramid, having climbed to the “castle” building at the top. A crowd gathered at the bottom of the stairs and hurled insults and water at him as he was led away.
The man appears to have been detained by security and fined for his breach of the rules, according to El Universal newspaper.
The Federal Law on Archaeological, Artistic and Historical Monuments prohibits climbing structures in archaeological zones in Mexico. The maximum penalty is 5,000 pesos.
With reports from El Universal Querétaro, El Economista, Tauromaquia Mexicana, El Economista, El Universal and Milenio
