Atlas Obscura would not be possible without the dedicated work of our community, who help us add more wondrous places to the site every day. We want to give some of our most dedicated contributors a chance to share collections of some of their favorite entries, and tell us all a little more about themselves. Mario Yair TS joined Atlas Obscura in 2015 and is first on our leaderboards in places visited in Mexico, and first in places added in the nation’s capital. 

“I am passionate about curiosities and strange places, and for some time I lived in Mexico City, knowing it from head to toe,” Mario says. In his hunt for unusual locations around the city, he came across Atlas Obscura in 2014. “Although there were not many sites, they were quite strange, so I immediately visited them.”

Not long after, Mario decided it was time to showcase the places he loved and began submitting entries to Atlas Obscura, as he further explored the database. “While staying in the city, from the comfort of my room, I discovered hundreds of amazing places around the world and spent hours exploring random places, looking at the photos and descriptions,” he says.

That’s when Mario decided it was time to travel and learn as much about Mexico as possible. “Until today, my most memorable trip happened to the north of the country in 2017.” His plan was to start in Durango, venture down through Zacatecas to Guadalajara, then back to Mexico City. “It was a secret trip of which I did not warn anyone, this was the kind of thing that those who know me expect from me,” he says.

After setting everything in motion and overcoming a few delays, Mario arrived in Durango to start his journey. This list tracks that memorable trip.