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Zacatecas

The most northern of Mexico's silver cities, fascinating Zacatecas – a Unesco World Heritage site – runs along a narrow valley overlooked by a steep and imposing hillside. The large historic center is jam-packed with opulent colonial buildings, a stupendous cathedral, magnificent museums and steep, winding streets and alleys that simply ooze charm.

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Attractions

Must-see attractions

Museo Rafael Coronel
Zacatecas
The excellent Museo Rafael Coronel is not to be missed. Imaginatively housed in the ruins of the lovely 16th-century Ex-Convento de San Francisco, it…
Museo Pedro Coronel
Zacatecas
The Museo Pedro Coronel is housed in a 17th-century former Jesuit college and is one of provincial Mexico's best art museums. Pedro Coronel (1923−85) was…
Cerro de la Bufa
Zacatecas
The most appealing of the many explanations for the name of the hill that dominates Zacatecas is that bufa is an old Basque word for wineskin, which is…
Mina El Edén
Zacatecas
Visiting one of Mexico's richest mines (1586−1960s) provides an insight into a source of wealth and the terrible price paid for it. Digging for hoards of…
Catedral
Zacatecas
Built between 1729 and 1752, the pink-stone cathedral is an ultimate expression of Mexican baroque. The stupendous main facade is a wall of detailed…
Museo Toma de Zacatecas
Zacatecas
This museum memorializes the 1914 battle fought on the slopes of the Cerro de la Bufa in which the revolutionary División del Norte, led by Pancho Villa…
Capilla de la Virgen del Patrocinio
Zacatecas
Named after the patron saint of miners, this 18th-century chapel has a holy image of the Virgen del Patrocinio above its altar that is said to be capable…
Museo del Arte Abstracto Manuel Felguérez
Zacatecas
This superb abstract-art museum is worth visiting for the building alone; originally a seminary, it was later used as a prison and has been renovated to…