of events in the last days of the life of Christ. The Christmas season runs for December 12, the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe to January 6, the Feast of the Ephiphany, also known as Three Kings. There are many local religious celebrations by towns, often on the saint's day for which they were named. Food and drink festivals include the Alfeñique fair in Toluca; the Feria Nacional de San Marcos in Aguascalientes; the International Pasty Festival in Real del Monte, Hidalgo state; the Night of the Radishes (December 23) Oaxaca, and the Puerto Vallarta Gourmet Festival. A major gathering of Spanish-language booksellers is the annual Guadalajara International Book Fair. The International Cervantes Festival is held annually in Guanajuato. In Oaxaca, the Oaxaca International Literary Competition and the Oaxaca Independent Film Festival are events. About 225 cities and towns celebrate carnvales before Lent in late February or early March. The largest are in Mazatlán and the city of Veracruz, but such celebrations can be found all across the country: Morelos, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, Chiapas, Campeche, and Puebla. The larger city "carnavales" employ costumes, elected queens, and parades with floats, but Carnaval celebrations in smaller and rural areas vary widely depending on the level of European influence during Mexico's colonial period. Historic colonial cities Campeche, Campeche. The only walled city in Mexico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cuautla, Morelos. Site of a major battle during the War of Mexican Independence. Cuernavaca, Morelos. Historic architecture, including the Palace of Hernán Cortés. Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. The site where the Mexican Independence War from Spain began. Durango, Durango. The most important northern colonial capital city in Mexico. Dubbed the Pearl of the Guadiana Valley, has many colonial mansions, one of these is the Count of Suchil Palace. Guanajuato, Guanajuato. A major city of colonial Mexico's silver mining, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mérida, Yucatán. Dubbed the white city, with Mayan tradition has many coloniansions of impressive beauty. Mexico City. The City of Palaces as Alexander von Humboldt called it. It has been the capital of the country for almost 700 years. Since the foundation of the Aztec Empire to the present. A UNESCO World Heritage Site Morelia, Michoacán. Excellent colonial architecture; a World Heritage Site Oaxaca, Oaxaca. Colonial architecture and Indigenous traditions are mixed here; it is a World Heritage Site Puebla, Puebla. The city of known for talavera tiles; its historic