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Pétanque in León and the Bajío
Three cities within three hours of each other, carrying more tournament weekends than any other part of Mexico. The country’s largest club and its most ambitious venue sit at two corners of it.
Three cities within three hours of each other, carrying more tournament weekends between them than anywhere else in Mexico. Querétaro has the country’s largest club, León has its most ambitious venue.
San Luis Potosí, which the federation calls the sport’s second epicenter, has thinned out considerably.
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Across three cities
Clubs and venues
Only one Bajío club appears on the federation’s 2026 affiliation registry, and it is the biggest in the country.
| Name | Where | Registry | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Boule | Querétaro | 34 | The largest federated club in Mexico. Founded 2019, board formally constituted September 2021 |
| Haz Hilo | León, Guanajuato | Venue | Twelve courts on former ranch land, opened September 2021. Not on the affiliation registry, so treat it as a venue rather than a club |
| Club de Petanca San Luis | San Luis Potosí | None registered | Plays at Parque de Morales on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 4:30pm to 7pm. No San Luis Potosí club appears on the 2026 registry |
Haz Hilo is a venue, not a registered club. It runs two tournaments on the national calendar and appears on the federation’s venue map, but it holds no affiliated players.
That matters only for sanctioned competition. It has no bearing on playing there.
Terrain
Where to play
Four places to play across the three cities, from three-peso municipal courts to a twelve-court private complex.
| Venue | Where | Access | Courts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haz Hilo | León, Guanajuato | By arrangement | 12 | Fifteen by four meter courts on a tepetate and gravel base, with dormitories, a kitchen, a terrace and a bar on site |
| Deportivo Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez | Central Querétaro | 3 pesos entry, 10am to 10pm daily | 2 | Lit municipal courts and the easiest entry point in the region. League night is Tuesday, 6pm to 10pm |
| Iglesia de Jurica | North Querétaro | Free, any hour | 1 | A neighborhood court in the park beside the church, with no lighting |
| Parque de Morales | San Luis Potosí | Free, open park hours | Public courts | Home of Club de Petanca San Luis, which plays Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30pm to 7pm. Also used for the Torneo Mexicano de Petanca when it ran |
The Querétaro municipal courts, the Jurica court and Parque de Morales are open to anyone. Haz Hilo is private and needs an arrangement with the owner.
Outside the three cities, Bonom in San Miguel de Allende is a restaurant-bar with covered pétanque courts at Calzada de la Estación 19A, by the old railway station. It opened in July 2022, and customers play for free when they order.
Its social media has been quiet since 2023, so confirm it is open before making the trip.
Three weekends a year
The tournament weekends
The Bajío carries three events on the federation’s 2026 national calendar, more than any other region.
| Month | Event | Where | Format and contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | Torneo de la Amistad, 4th edition | León, Haz Hilo | Free doubles. Contact José Valdés on 477 670 1706 |
| March | Open Querétaro, 5th edition | Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro | Free triples, organized by Belle Boule |
| May | Torneo de la Amistad Petanquera, 5th edition | León, Haz Hilo | Free doubles |
The Open Querétaro moved in 2026. It now runs in March at Ezequiel Montes rather than in April in the city, so check the venue before booking anything.
The full national calendar is on the events page.
Travel
Getting around the triangle
Distances
Querétaro is about two and a half hours from Mexico City, and León roughly five hours from the capital or two and a half from Guadalajara. San Luis Potosí sits about five hours from Mexico City.
Any two corners of the triangle are within about three hours of each other.
Why that matters
A tournament at Haz Hilo pulls clubs from Mexico City, Guadalajara, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí without anyone needing a flight. The on-site dormitories turn it into a weekend rather than a drive.
Querétaro and Bajío airports handle domestic flights and a limited number of international ones.
Background
How the corridor formed
Three separate local scenes that grew toward each other, rather than one that spread outward.
San Luis Potosí first
Guillermo García Navarro played and promoted the game in San Luis Potosí for years before his death in October 2019. The federation’s own history names the state as the second epicenter of Mexican pétanque.
Tournaments in his name ran at Parque de Morales and later at Hacienda Jaralillo in Guanajuato, one of them drawing world champion Dylan Rocher.
Querétaro, 2019
Juan Pablo Mac Gregor learned the game on a trip to France and started playing at home and at a food truck called La Glotonería. The club formalized its board in September 2021.
Belle Boule now holds 34 registered players, making it the largest federated club in the country, and it also runs the Armadillos academy.
León, 2021
Haz Hilo opened in September 2021 with a regional tournament of 24 triples teams, after three months of construction on former ranch land. Members of Club Petanca Roma came up from Mexico City to help build it.
Its position at the geographic midpoint of Mexican pétanque is what turned three separate scenes into a circuit.
Where it stands
Querétaro has the players and León has the venue. San Luis Potosí, for now, has neither a registered club nor a date on the national calendar.
Club de Petanca San Luis still plays at Parque de Morales on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Common questions
Questions about pétanque in the Bajío
Where is the easiest place to start in the Bajío?
The Deportivo Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez in central Querétaro. Two lit municipal courts, open 10am to 10pm daily, with entry at three pesos.
Belle Boule runs a league there on Tuesday evenings from 6pm, and the club is used to newcomers turning up.
What is Haz Hilo?
A twelve-court pétanque venue on the outskirts of León, opened in September 2021 after about three months of construction. José Alberto Valdés Villarreal built it on former ejido land.
The courts are fifteen by four meters on a tepetate base topped with fine gravel, and the site has dormitories, a kitchen, a terrace and a bar.
Is Haz Hilo the largest pétanque facility in Mexico?
No. Its twelve courts are beaten by Rancho del Dragón near Ensenada, which has fourteen with six of them lit.
What Haz Hilo does have is position. Players call it the epicenter of Mexican pétanque because it sits at roughly the midpoint between most of the country’s clubs.
How do I visit Haz Hilo?
It is a private venue, so access is by arrangement rather than by turning up. The tournament contact is José Valdés on 477 670 1706.
The two Torneo de la Amistad weekends in February and May are the straightforward way in, and the on-site dormitories make them a weekend trip.
Who is Belle Boule and how big is it?
The Querétaro club, founded in 2019 by Juan Pablo Mac Gregor after he learned the game in France. Its board was formally constituted in September 2021.
With 34 registered players it is the largest federated club in Mexico, and its president Noel Magny represented the country at the 2025 Doubles World Championship in Rome.
Is San Luis Potosí still active?
Less than it was. The federation’s own history calls the state the second epicenter of Mexican pétanque, but no San Luis Potosí club appears on the 2026 affiliation registry and nothing on the 2026 national calendar is held there.
Club de Petanca San Luis still plays at Parque de Morales on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Who was Guillermo García Navarro?
A photographer and businessman from San Luis Potosí who played and promoted the sport for years, and who died in October 2019.
Two memorial tournaments have carried his name, one in San Luis Potosí and one at Hacienda Jaralillo in Guanajuato. Neither is on the 2026 federation calendar.
How far apart are the three cities?
Querétaro sits about two and a half hours from Mexico City. León is roughly five hours from the capital or two and a half from Guadalajara, and San Luis Potosí about five from Mexico City.
Any two corners of the León, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí triangle are within about three hours of each other, which is what makes the weekend tournament circuit work.
When is the season?
Year-round, with rainy season afternoons from June through September the only regular disruption.
The tournament calendar concentrates in February through May, which is also the most comfortable stretch for a full day outdoors.
Elsewhere in Mexico
The other Mexican regions
Five regions, five different routes into the sport.
Playing in the Bajío and not listed?
San Luis Potosí especially has groups the registry no longer tracks. Send the details.
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Overview
- Cities covered: León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí
- Largest club: Belle Boule, 34 players
- Largest venue: Haz Hilo, 12 courts
- Cheapest courts: 3 pesos, Deportivo Josefa Ortiz
- Calendar events: three in 2026
- Triangle drive time: about 3 hours between corners
- Peak season: February to May
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