3 days of pink stone, a mine and a cable car in Zacatecas

The old centre, on foot and mostly on the flat. A square at the heart of the town, a cathedral with a carved pink stone front, a museum of art in a former college and an old street of shops and cafes to walk at the end of the day.

1. Breakfast

   Sweet bread and hot chocolate

   A warm roll or a sweet bread with a mug of coffee or hot chocolate, in a cafe near the cathedral, to warm up on a cool morning.

   Local tip Ask for what came out of the oven that morning.
2. 1
   Morning

   Plaza de Armas

   The main square of the old town, a small plaza of stone and trees beside the cathedral and the government palace. Start here, and sit for a few minutes to get used to the thin air and the light on the pink stone.

   Go when Morning, once the stone warms up, or in the evening when the square fills.

   Local tip Take a bench, breathe slowly and look at the cathedral front across the way. The air is thin, so do not rush the first hour.

   About 2 min walkunder 0.1 km
3. 2
   MorningIndoor

   Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas

   The cathedral, built in pink stone over the 1700s in a baroque style. Its front is carved like an altarpiece, with saints and flowers in the stone, while the sides and inside are plainer. It is a working church, so stay quiet during services.

   Go when Morning, when the sun picks out the carving on the front.

   Local tip Stand on the square and look at the carved front before you go in, since the inside is plain. It is a working church, so cover your shoulders and stay quiet during services.

   

   About 2 min walk0.2 km
4. 3
   MiddayIndoor

   Museo Pedro Coronel

   A museum of art and antiquities from many countries and times, collected by a painter of Zacatecas, in a former Jesuit college on a quiet square. Look at the rooms of masks and ancient objects, and check ahead on the opening.

   Go when Midday, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip It is a wide collection, so pick a few rooms rather than all. Look for the masks and the ancient objects, and check ahead on the opening.

   

5. Lunch

   Asado de boda

   The wedding stew of Zacatecas, pork cooked in a dark red chile sauce and served with rice and beans or with tortillas. A dish of fiestas, now found in many homes.

   Local tip It is rich and mild in heat, so share a plate if you are not very hungry at this height.

   About 2 min walk0.2 km
6. 4
   Afternoon

   Calle Hidalgo

   The main walking street of the old centre, a short, slightly sloping line of colonial buildings, shops and cafes that runs down from the cathedral. Stroll it slowly, look up at the stone balconies and stop wherever there is a bench.

   Go when Late afternoon into evening (about 6:25 PM), when the lamps come on.

   Local tip Walk it slowly with a hot drink, and look at the upper floors rather than just the shop windows. Keep your valuables out of sight and leave before it is very late.

7. Dinner

   Gorditas and a hot drink

   Thick, stuffed corn cakes, fried or griddled and filled with stews, beans or cheese, with a hot drink on the side, from a small place on a side street off Calle Hidalgo.

   Local tip Pick a stall with a short wait, a sign that the food moves quickly.

The hills above the old centre. A silver mine that visitors can enter, a cable car over the roofs and the valley, then the rocky hilltop of La Bufa, with a chapel, a statue and a view of the whole city. Take it slowly, since the air is thin.

1. Breakfast

   Eggs, beans and coffee

   Eggs, beans and warm tortillas with strong coffee, plain and filling before a day of climbing in thin air.

   Local tip Eat well and carry water, since the hills have few places to buy food.
2. 1
   Morning

   Eden Mine

   A former silver mine on the Grillo hill, worked since colonial days, that visitors can enter by a short underground ride and a walk through lit tunnels. The tunnels are damp, with steps and some low parts, so it is not a place for anyone who dislikes tight spaces. Check ahead on how visits work.

   Go when Morning, before the cable car.

   Local tip The tunnels are cool, damp and low in places, so wear shoes with grip and bring a light layer. Check ahead on how visits work, and skip it if tight spaces bother you.

   About 2 min walk0.2 km
3. 2
   Midday

   Teleférico

   The cable car that crosses the valley from the Grillo hill to the hill of La Bufa, carrying you high over the roofs, domes and streets of the old town. Check ahead that it is running, since strong wind or storms can stop it.

   Go when Midday, or late afternoon (about 6:25 PM) for the light on the roofs.

   Local tip Check ahead that it is running, since wind and storms can stop it. Take a seat by a window, keep your hands inside and look back at the cathedral towers as you rise.

4. Lunch

   A light lunch of soup and tortillas

   A bowl of soup with warm tortillas, or a plate of quesadillas, in a small place near the cable car station.

   Local tip Eat lightly before going up high, and keep a layer ready for the wind.

   About 11 min walk0.9 km
5. 3
   Afternoon

   Cerro de la Bufa

   The rocky hill above the city, higher still than the town itself, with a small hilltop chapel, a statue of a mounted general of the revolution and a wide look over the valley, the roofs and the surrounding dry hills. Stay on the paths and take water and a hat.

   Go when Afternoon into evening (about 6:25 PM), as the colours change over the valley.

   Local tip The hilltop is higher than the city, so go slowly, drink water and wear a hat. Stay on the paths, keep back from the edges and leave time to come down before dark.

   

6. Dinner

   Prickly pear sweets and a warm supper

   A plain supper of stew and tortillas, then a small piece of queso de tuna, a firm sweet made from the fruit of the prickly pear, a speciality of the region.

   Local tip The sweet is dense and sticky, so buy a small piece to share.

A day of old convents and stone. A bus ride to the town of Guadalupe for a convent museum of colonial paintings, then the museum of masks in the ruins of a convent in Zacatecas and a short walk to an old aqueduct as the day cools.

1. Travel from Cerro de la BufaAbout 16 min by car or transit6.0 km

   Where Day 2 ended.
2. Breakfast

   Fruit, bread and coffee

   A plate of fruit, a roll and a cup of coffee, a light start before the short ride out to Guadalupe.

   Local tip Carry water and a small snack for the bus.
3. 1
   Morning

   Ex Convento de Guadalupe

   A large former Franciscan convent in the town of Guadalupe, a short bus or taxi ride from Zacatecas, now a museum of colonial religious painting and art, with cloisters, a library and a chapel. The ride is short, and a visit takes a good part of a morning.

   Go when Morning, as an indoor stop.

   Local tip Ask your hotel how to reach Guadalupe by bus or taxi, and check ahead on the opening. Look at the cloisters and the painted ceilings as well as the paintings.

4. Lunch

   Enchiladas zacatecanas

   Corn tortillas dipped in a red chile sauce, folded and topped with potato, carrot, cheese and lettuce, a dish of Zacatecas served with a side of beans.

   Local tip Order a cold fruit water to go with it, and eat them while they are hot.

   About 17 min by car or transit6.7 km
5. 2
   Afternoon

   Rafael Coronel Museum

   A museum of masks, puppets and folk art set among the ruins of an old convent of San Francisco, with the roofless arches and cloisters now a garden. Walk through the open ruins slowly, and look at the thousands of masks from all over Mexico.

   Go when Afternoon, in the soft light.

   Local tip The ruins are open to the sky, so take a hat in the sun and a light coat in the shade. Look at the masks up close, and check ahead on the opening.

   About 19 min walk1.6 km
6. 3
   Evening

   Acueducto El Cubo

   A short line of old stone arches, built in colonial times to carry water to the town and still standing above a street in the southwest of the old centre. Walk along the avenue to see it, and take a taxi back up if the hill tires you.

   Go when Evening (about 6:25 PM), as the day cools.

   Local tip It is a short stop beside a busy street, so take care at the kerb. Walk along the avenue, and take a taxi back up if the slope tires you.

7. Dinner

   A last supper in the old centre

   A plate of pork stew or gorditas, followed by a sweet and a hot drink, on one of the quiet streets near the cathedral.

   Local tip Order what the table beside you is having, and ask what is in season.