The Jardín is the working heart of Dolores Hidalgo: a square shaded by laurel trees, ringed by stone benches, with a wrought-iron kiosk at the centre and the Parroquia rising on the eastern side. Father Hidalgo's statue, sword raised, dominates the middle of the gardens — Mexicans visit to be photographed beside it.
The square is also the headquarters of the town's most surprising attraction: the nieves stands. Dozens of vendors compete in flavours, with the conventional fruit and chocolate sitting beside chilli, mole, beer, tequila, avocado, octopus, shrimp, and pork rind. Most stalls give free tasters. Order a small bowl with two or three flavours, walk to a bench, and watch the town go by — half an hour here is one of the better small pleasures in central Mexico.