Tequisquiapan - It's party time

If it wasn't already clear, I'm officially in love with Tequis. It's not just a summer fling, no: it's a passionate love story.

As soon as I arrived, the party started. For three weeks, the city celebrated the Festival of Arts, Cheese and Wine.

In other words, Tequis was transformed into a giant free buffet where art, cheese, and wine vied for attention. Tasting booths lined every corner, shows performed nightly on four different stages, and the town was decorated as if it had won the lottery. More than 300,000 visitors came to be pampered… and the entire population was in high spirits.

And while I was going to see the show, I took the opportunity to taste the local products and admire the Adelitas (the horsewomen are named in homage to a female soldier of the Mexican Revolution) and the caballeros.

No sooner had the 50th festival ended than the red and white garlands (wine and cheese) were taken down and the green jerseys were brought out. Change of scenery, new pretext: the World Cup.

Here, fútbol (or soccer for Canadians and Americans) isn't a sport, it's a religion. A religion with priests in cleats, collective masses in front of the TV, and prayers and curses directed at the referees. You think Canadiens hockey team fans are intense? Don't make me laugh. In Tequis, we breathe fútbol , we eat fútbol , we sleep fútbol . Even the neighbor's dog wears a Tri "jersey" (the nickname of the Mexican team, an abbreviation of "El Tricolor," referring to the three colors of the Mexican flag) .

The municipality took things to the extreme by installing a giant screen in a park in the city center. The result: everyone gathered there like one big family, shouting, singing, and crying... depending on the score, while the handsome, young mayor handed out snacks.

credit: Facebook page of Héctor Magaña Renteria, mayor of Tequis

And the best part? Tequis is a small town of only 35,000 inhabitants… that manages to throw parties worthy of a big city, and all for free. Honestly, I'm so glad I chose this little slice of paradise to settle in Mexico.

Credit: Ivan Resendiz Guerrero