Across the Plaza de Armas heading up Hidalgo you will find a selection of silver and original stone jewelry shops – stop into Minerales de Zacatecas and select healing minerals to EXorcise your negative impulses and EXpand the new self.
Father Junipero Serra and his Franciscans made their way through here on the journey to California. The ex-Franciscan convent, just keep heading up Hidalgo towards the Bufa, has been left in graceful decay with manicured gardens, age-opened roofs, and a great mask museum put together by Zacatecan photographer Rafael Coronel...these are traditional celebratory masks from territories throughout Mexico, used in pre-hispanic to present-day fiestas – a very graphic way to learn the history and cultures at play here!
On the other side of the center, another no-miss site is the Mina del Eden; the ironic name for the huge silver and mineral mine which is open to visitors April through October.... You take a little tramway and then walk deep into the mine in a fascinating guided tour which explains how for a bag of beans indigenous mine workers would shimmy 5 stories up a rope with a load of ore on their backs. And in a true Mexican touch there is a DISCO! in the heart of the mine, operating weekends for those who really want to EXorcise some part of their past.
For nighttime action check at the tourist office and scout posters downtown –music, movies, dance and theater take place in elaborate historic buildings themselves worth the price of admission. Any questions? Stroll over to the Caffe San Patricio on Hidalgo where everybody checks in at least twice a day, or even if you are not staying there have a drink on the terrace of Hostal Villa Colonial and ask what’s happening!
Rituals and Fiestas continue to form a large part in Mexican life and the smart traveler plans to schedule around some of these great events which include the International Street Theater Festival – 2 weeks in October, Int’l Folklore Festival every August, The State Fair (the Feria) in September, The Moors vs. the Christians mock-battles in August. Holy Weeks-the 2 weeks around Easter...The cultural calendar can be accessed at If you do happen to choose Easter time, reserve in advance as Mexicans travel en masse...and DO NOT MISS Sabado de Gloria in Jerez, 30 minutes busride from Zacatecas. It is the ultimate charro (Mexican Cowboy) fiesta!
PW Zapata currently lives in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. She produces TV programming in English and Spanish about travel, arts & culture and interesting people and events. Look for her upcoming series Cafe Mexico which offers differing points of view from the south side of the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande.
