Zacatecas

If you are captivated by Colonial towns, you might want to take a round trip from Guadalajara to Zacatecas, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993. Squeezed in a narrow valley, high in the barren mountains, this once-famous and thriving mining town was one of the largest producers of silver in Mexico. The dazzling wealth of this once-prosperous mining town is displayed everywhere you look: opulent mansions, superb churches, ornate theaters, and many museums displaying fine art. You will not want to miss the ornate, pink-stone cathedral, considered by many to be the finest example of baroque architecture in the country. It was built from 1729 to 1752 from the riches of the local mines and its façade, with rows of intricately carved columns framing carved stone statues, is quite unbelievable. Zacatecas had its share of artists, two of whom, brothers Rafael Coronel and Pedro Coronel, donated fabulous museums to the city. One of the most unique museums in town is the Rafael Coronel Museum in the beautiful Monastery of San Francisco, which displays a staggering private collection of over 5,000 masks and 19th-century marionettes donated by Rafael Coronel. Not to be outdone, Rafael’s brother, Pedro, gave his extensive collection of art to the city and this is housed in the Pedro Coronel Museum, an old Jesuit monastery. The museum features not only sculptures and paintings by Pedro, but also works of art by Picasso, Dalí, and Chagall. Adjacent is the fabulous Elias Amador Library where an incredible collection of over 25,000 antique books is magnificently displayed. While in Zacatecas, take the teleférico (cable car), which glides over the city to the Cerro de La Bufa, the hilltop that was the site of Pancho Villa’s most famous battle. There are monuments on the hill commemorating this event. Also on the summit is a beautiful church. When the cable car returns you to town, ask directions for the short walk to La Mina Eden, just a few blocks away. At the entrance to the mine you buy a ticket and a guide leads you through the vast, dimly lit tunnels, hand-hewn by Indian slaves. Along the way you cross suspension bridges over cavernous drop-offs where water has collected. You cannot help being saddened when you see the horrific conditions in which the slaves—men and young boys—worked and died. We were told that not a day ever passed without a fatal accident. At the bottom of the tunnel, your guide leaves you and you board a little train that slowly returns you to a world of light. About 57 kilometers southwest of Zacatecas on highway 54, there is the interesting pre- Columbian site of La Quemada. A visit here can be made as an excursion by car from Zacatecas or as a stop en route from or back to Guadalajara. La Quemada is a fortresslike pre-Columbian site situated on a hilltop overlooking the valley and the route of the ancient traders. The ruins of its massive buildings and stone walls attest to its ancient purpose of protection for traders and the valuable goods they carried. In addition, it probably also served as a warehouse for collection and storage of goods awaiting transfer by Mesoamerica’s long trains of porters. Porters were a vital commodity in pre- Columbian Mexico as beasts of burden were not available and most goods moved on the backs of men. Somewhere around A.D. 1000–1200 the site was destroyed, probably by Chichimec tribes from the northern desert.