Laredo to Mexico City
The
contrast between I-35 coming from San Antonio and the ugly downtown streets
of Nuevo Laredo can be freaking at a first
glance for American visitors, but the impression improves as you head south
and approach more important Mexican cities.
Photo*: Ajusco Mountain, 13000 feet, the highest point - within the city limits of Mexico_City!
Thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), every mile between Laredo and Mexico_City is reasonably well preserved four lane divided road, though some urban parts may be less well preserved.
Also, much of the route is toll-free, excepting: the route from Laredo to Monterrey is also a toll road, all bypasses around Monterrey, Saltillo, San Luis and Querétaro are to be paid for, and most of the route from Querétaro to Mexico_City is also a toll road.
However, driving directions are confusing at times, especially for non-hispanics. Download this GPS map to stay on track and aware of nearby points of interest.
Click
on the binoculars to see a screen shot of Google Earth displaying the
GPS map of the route from Laredo, TX to Mexico_City
GPS Map
-
Download the free GPS Map in GPS eXchange (.gpx) file format, which can be read and transferred to your GPS using free GPS software. (The .gpx file will appear in a new window where you can File > Save as... on your computer
Mexico Basemap
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GPS Map Details
File: Laredo-Mexico_City.gpx (494KB)
Revised: 28 September 2005
Class A Data
Waypoints: About 700 waypoints, including about 200 routepoints
and 500 points of interest (the .kmz file only includes waypoints for
major cities).
Tracks:
- Tepotzotlán-Querétaro
- Querétaro-San Luis Potosí
- San Luis Potosí a Matehuala
- Matehuala a Monterrey
- Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo
More Info
Laredo / Nuevo Laredo
Laredo and Nuevo Laredo are not really big-big towns, but there is the border and where the journey begins. About three-fourths of all commerce with the USA crosses the Rio Grande at Laredo.
Monterrey
Monterrey is a large industrial center, State capital and the country's third largest city.
Matehuala
Matehuala is rather small town without much importance whatsoever, but its main feature is that travelers have always needed to rest and eat and refuel somewhere in the desert. Stopping in Matehuala is the best way to break up an exhausting four or five hour drive from Monterrey to San Luis.
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosi is an important industrial city and State capital. Worth a short visit.
Querétaro
Queretaro is the State capital, the main crossroads of this Country, quite industrial, but with plenty of beautiful Spanish Colonial art. It is said that half of Mexican population lives northwest of Queretaro and the other half lives southeast of it. Main roads from Baja California, Nogales, El Paso and Laredo funnel there to enter Mexico_City.
*References:
Special thanks to Gerardo Kloss Fernández del Castillo who contributed photos, this data and writes:
"The
file is made up of my personal notes on the road. I have edited it carefully
on ExpertGPS,
I have checked most of it on Google Earth, I have compared all data with
reliable road maps and I have worked on it enough to assure that measurements
are as accurate as a Garmin ETrex can offer in normal conditions or maybe
more, whenever possible."
