The Sierra Gorda Missions still are doing very well in 2022. When the sun shines on the facades of the churches, they really glow. Be sure to be there at the right moment of the day though: Jalpan and Landa are best in the morning, while Conca and Tilaco (pictured) are better in the afternoon. There’s a (free) regional museum also in Jalpan which has replicas of the facades, which I found worth a look for the details.

I visited 3 of the missions on public transport, and have some practicalities to share:

Getting there and away

Jalpan is the natural hub for visiting the Sierra Gorda. I took a direct bus there from Mexico City Norte with the company Coordinades. They have 4 buses daily. It takes 7 hours. On the way out I went via San Luis Potosi (from where I travelled on to the next WHS, Zacatecas). Also 7 hours on a slow bus from Grupo Vencedor.

Getting around

Grupo Vencedor is the regional bus company of the area. Nothing fancy, but you’ll see a bus passing by at least once an hour. It will easily get you to Landa and Conca from Jalpan. Here is their schedule (no pre-booking).

Tilaco and Tancoyol lie some 10-20km from the main road. I took a taxi from Landa to Tilaco (500 pesos return inc waiting time). The taxi driver also wanted to take me to Tancoyol, but to fork out another 20 EUR or so for a similar church I found too much.