The name is thought to come from the Otomí language meaning "the great ball game" or from the Tarasco/Purépecha language and have the definition of "place of stones". It should be noted that the area of La Cañada, east of Santiago de Querétaro, features a large gorge that resembles the two opposite walls that were used in the Native American ball game.

Querétaro is bordered to the north by the state of San Luis Potosí, to the west by Guanajuato, to the east by Hidalgo, to the southeast by the state of México, and to the southwest by Michoacán.

The capital city of Santiago de Querétaro is located some 200 km to the northwest of Mexico City. It is known for its Colonial Era architecture.

Geography The state is located between northern parallels 20° 01' 02" and 21° 40' and western meridians 99° 03' 23" y 100° 36'. The surface area is 11,687.69 km², 0.6% of Mexico and its is ranked as the 27th (out of 32) largest state.

Elevation
The state is heavily mountainous, notably in the Sierra Gorda and the Sierra Queretana. The area between the two (the Valleys and the Semidesierto) is composed of numerous valleys and usually low peaks. However, the highest peak is the Cerro del Zamorano (3 360 m above sea level) in the Valley of Querétaro. Other notable peaks include Cerro El Espolón (3 240 m), Cerro La Pingüica (3 160 m), and Cerro de la Vega (3 120 m).

The highest municipality seat is Amealco (2 620 m asl) while the lowest is Jalpan at 760 meter asl. Santiago de Querétaro and San Juan del Río are located at 1 820 and 1 920 meters asl, respectively.

Climate
There is a wide array of climates, mainly due to elevation. Following the Köppen climate classification, there are nine climate types, the most widespread being semiarid and temperate (BS1k), covering 39.53% of the state's surface most notably the cities of San Juan del Río, Cadereyta, Tequisquiapan and Ezequiel Montes.