Cadereyta de Montes is a dry-country Pueblo Magico east of Querétaro, sitting where the Bajio begins to lean toward the Sierra Gorda. It is not the prettiest colonial town in the state, and it should not be sold that way. Its appeal is more particular: cactus gardens, a working semi-desert landscape, old churches, and roads that quickly leave the plateau for canyons and reservoirs.
The town centre is calm and useful, with the parish church and plaza giving you the expected small-town frame. The real reason to stop is the plant life. Cadereyta has both a regional botanical garden dedicated to the Queretaro-Hidalgo semi-desert and Quinta Fernando Schmoll, a long-running private cactus and succulent nursery.
That focus gives Cadereyta a stronger identity than many ordinary administrative towns. If you are driving the wine-and-cheese route, heading toward Bernal, or starting into the Sierra Gorda, it is worth making time here instead of treating it as a road sign.