Mining Magical Towns
Silver and gold built some of Mexico’s most beautiful towns. Today you can go down into mines, explore ore-processing haciendas, walk among ruins and discover the British, French and colonial legacy of these mining Magical Towns.
San Luis PotosíReal de Catorce
A former silver-mining town in the San Luis Potosí highlands, reached through the Ogarrio Tunnel: cobbled streets, mine ruins, Willys jeep rides and Wirikuta.
GuerreroTaxco de Alarcón
Mexico's great silver town: steep alleys, the baroque church of Santa Prisca, sweeping viewpoints, the National Silver Fair and Holy Week processions.
HidalgoReal del Monte
A mining town with a British legacy in Hidalgo: mine tours, the English Cemetery, the Paste Museum and steep, colorful streets.
GuanajuatoMineral de Pozos
A reborn ghost town in Guanajuato: silver and gold mines, the Jesuit Ovens, ruined haciendas, galleries, music and semi-desert landscapes.
Estado de MéxicoEl Oro
Mining heritage and Porfirian architecture: the Municipal Palace, Juárez Theater, Mining Museum, the San Juan mine tunnel and northern forests.
MichoacánTlalpujahua
The town of eternal Christmas: over 300 workshops of hand-blown glass ornaments, the Dos Estrellas mine, sanctuaries and Michoacán forests.
MichoacánAngangueo
A mountain mining town and the best base for the El Rosario and Sierra Chincua monarch butterfly sanctuaries in Michoacán.
HidalgoMineral del Chico
Forest, mines and adventure 30 km from Pachuca: a via ferrata, viewpoints like Peña del Cuervo, reservoirs, mist and cabins among fir trees.
HidalgoHuasca de Ocampo
Mexico's first Magical Town: the Basaltic Prisms, Santa María Regla mining haciendas, misty forests, fresh trout and legends of elves.
AguascalientesReal de Asientos
A pink-stone mining town in Aguascalientes: silver since 1647, the Hidden Aqueduct, the Señor de Tepozán sanctuary and the little Piojito train.
ZacatecasSombrerete
Colonial mining and movie-set scenery in Zacatecas: a historic center on the UNESCO Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Sierra de Órganos and local brujitas.
ZacatecasPinos
A mining town on the UNESCO-listed Camino Real de Tierra Adentro: plazas, churches, ore haciendas with their tall chimneys and a mezcal tradition.
DurangoMapimí
Durango's first Magical Town: mining since 1598, the Ojuela suspension bridge, the Zone of Silence and the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve.
ChihuahuaHidalgo del Parral
Silver mining, the Revolution and Pancho Villa's legacy: the Alvarado Palace, the Francisco Villa Museum, La Prieta mine and baroque churches.
ChihuahuaBatopilas
At the bottom of the Copper Canyon: a silver-mining town since 1708, with a subtropical climate, the Batopilas River and Rarámuri culture.
SinaloaCosalá
A mountain mining town in Sinaloa's Sierra Madre: historic center, the church of Santa Úrsula and an ecological reserve with green macaws and zip lines.
SinaloaEl Rosario
Mining and ranchera roots in southern Sinaloa: the Lola Beltrán Museum, the Mining Museum, the Rosario parish church and Iguanero Lagoon.
JaliscoSan Sebastián del Oeste
A mining village in the Sierra Madre, a few hours from Puerto Vallarta: old mansions, mist, high-altitude coffee and raicilla.
Baja California SurSanta Rosalía
A French-influenced copper-mining town on the Sea of Cortez: Santa Bárbara church, El Boleo museum, wooden houses and El Boleo bakery bread.
HidalgoZimapán
Adventure in Hidalgo's Sierra Gorda: the Fernando Hiriart reservoir, San Cristóbal Canyon, the Xajhá caves and Los Mármoles National Park.