Get to know Candela

Candela has always been a free town, and its inhabitants are proud of that. Since the foundation of the Villa of San Carlos de la Candela, the inhabitants of Monclova, Zacatecas, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and some mulattos who never knew slavery, as the Candelenses tell us, never knew about it.

 

Candela, Coahuila, is a Pueblo Magico (Magical Town) located in the desert where history has been written in its buildings more than three centuries ago, as well as in the bowels of the subsoil where the Grutas del Carrizal lie and through which water springs burst into the earth as is the case of the Ojo Caliente, testimony that the origin will always be under our feet, in our roots.

 

With warm weather, Candela stays at 21° C (70° F) most of the year, except for the winter, when the temperature drops to 4° C (39.2° F), and in the summer the temperatures go up to 35° C (95° F), proving that the desert can be quite capricious.

 

Walking through its historical center is like wandering through the 18th century, especially when entering the Parroquia de San Carlos Borromeo, a contemporary church of the village, founded at the same time. Inside you will find the art of the people of Candelaria with one of the materials that proudly predominates in the region, mesquite, wood from which the beams of its ceiling are made.

 

At the exit of the temple, the Benito Juarez Plaza is waiting for you to visit its kiosk and sit in the shade of a tree to take a break because the day awaits you with adventures that won't give you space to waste a single minute.

 

A very important building for Candela, Coahuila, is, without a doubt, its train station, a construction that resembles a medieval fortress and has more than a century, a legacy of Venustiano Carranza in gratitude to his supporters, mostly from Candela, which for some strange reason is not located in the town, but about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, in the town of Lampazos de Naranjo, Nuevo Leon.

 

Another site that calls attention because of its unusual interior is El Palacio Municipal (The Municipal Palace), which could well be appreciated like any other government building if you see it from the outside, but once inside it will make you wonder if you got the wrong place.

 

For some reason of logistics -or an immense passion for the party- the interior of the Palace is shaped like a jaripeo. Its chroniclers tell that this is how it was decided to offer the inhabitants a space for recreation within the same town without having to travel long distances to enjoy social activities.

 

In addition, something that makes the Pueblo Mágico of Candela, Coahuila, unique, is its prized Barbary sheep, an endemic species of the Cerro pájaros azules that eventually appears on the Mesa de Cartujanos, a plateau that shares Nuevo Leon and Coahuila territory.

 

Last but not least, when hunger makes its presence felt, we recommend you try its cortadillo, consisting of beef pulp stewed with tomato, onion, and chili. At dessert time, try their burnt milk candies or their delicious cornbreads.