Pinal de Amoles

Pinal de Amoles
Town
Overlooking a street in the center of Pinal de Amoles
Coat of arms
Pinal de Amoles Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 21°08′03″N 99°27′31″W / 21.13417°N 99.45861°W / 21.13417; -99.45861Coordinates: 21°08′03″N 99°27′31″W / 21.13417°N 99.45861°W / 21.13417; -99.45861
Country	Mexico
State	Querétaro
Founded	1606
Municipal Status	1932
Government
Area
• Total	705.3698 km2 (272.3448 sq mi)
Elevation (of seat)	2,400 m (7,900 ft)
Population (2005) Municipality
• Total	25,325
• Seat	1,525
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
Postal code (of seat)	76300
Area code(s)	441
Website	www.pinaldeamoles.gob.mx (Spanish)

Pinal de Amoles is a town located in Pinal de Amoles Municipality in the state of Querétaro in central Mexico. It is part of the Sierra Gorda region which stretches over northern Querétaro into Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, with 88% of the municipality’s land comprising the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. The municipality contains large areas of forests and the highest peaks in the region, which separate the wetter areas of both the north and east from the drier areas of the south and west. The town began as a mining camp in the 17th century. However, most mining in the area has disappeared and the municipality is one of the poorest in Mexico, despite recent efforts to promote ecotourism and restart mining. This has led a large number of residents to migrate to larger cities in Mexico and to the United States to work, sending remittances back home. These remittances now overshadow the locally generated economy.

The town of Pinal de Amoles, was founded as Real de San José de Amoles, in the early 17th century as a mining camp. Today, much of that mining has disappeared, but the town remains. It is located 153 km north of the state capital, straddling Federal Highway 120, which connects it to San Juan del Río in the south and the state of San Luis Potosí in the north. The town located at an altitude of 2,320 meters above sea level, on small flat spaces on a mountain with a population of 1,582 (2005). For this reason, it has narrow winding streets and many inclines. Most of the streets are of cobblestone and many houses are painted red, ochre or yellow, with colorful balconies. There is no municipal market but the traditional tianguis is held on Sundays. This features basic products, especially locally produced fruits and vegetables in season. It also features locally produced coffee and breads such as pan de pulque (pulque bread).

The town center consists of a very small plaza which fronts the local parish church of San José, dedicated to Saint Joseph. The San José Church was begun in 1770 and inaugurated in 1771. It has a simple design with a traditional pediment on its facade. On the right hand side, there is a bell tower with three levels.