Day 30 – Wednesday 19th October 2005

It was 1548 when the Spaniards founded a settlement in Zacatecas. They promptly started mining operations, extracting silver from the mountainside that dominates the skyline above the city. Once extracted, the silver was sent in caravan loads to Mexico City. This trade inevitably made the owners of the mine very rich, and they in turn eventually invested some of this wealth back into the town by commissioning some amazing buildings.

The hostel I was staying in was just around the corner from the town centre, the cathedral was visible from the rooftop terrace of the hostel. Built in the mid 1700´s the cathedral is probably the most ornate building I have seen so far in Mexico. The main facade features intricate carvings of God, Jesus Christ, the 12 apostles and an Angel. The sheer quality of the masonry makes you appreciate the time and effort the masons went to when the cathedral was first built, along with the expense the work must have come at.

Beside the cathedral lies the plaza de Armas, which is lined with the Palacio de Gobierno and the Palacio de Mala Noche. This open space has a very distinctive colonial look to it, and is the settng for many local events. One such event was to take place the upcoming Saturday, and here were a bunch of workmen busy constructing a stage in preparation.

Again when I reached the Plazuela Francisco Goitia there were more street performers, as there had been he previous evening. The steps srrounding the Plazuela are a natural place to sit and watch these performers and I did just that for a bit, but there is only so much I can take of Spanish speaking clowns before my attention starts to wander, so I didnt stay long! The theatre stands at the top of the Plazuela, and there was an open door so I sneaked in and had a look around. Pretty much the same as any other theatre I guess.

On the northeast sde of Zacatecas stands a rock topped hill that is known as La Bufa. The views from the top were supposedly great, so I went up to the summit. I didnt take the cable car however, as the day I wanted to go up there, it wasn´t running. Instead I had to walk which in the end didn´t turn out to be too difficult, and it made me appreciate getting to the top that little bit more. I stayed at the top for about an hour, catching my breath, taking in the views and watching a local tradeswomen setting up her pitch from which she sold her wares. For some reason the Mexicans had built a church on top of the hill as well, so I went in and had a look around. It turned out to be one of simplest and nicest of all the churches I have been into in Mexico so far.

Walking down the hill was a lot easier, but by that time I figured I deserved a rest, so I went back to hostel, met up with the English lads and went to the park to catch some rays. The weather was perfect again, not a cloud in the sky. I don´t mean to rub it in people, but I don´t miss the cold and rain of England one little bit!

About an hour before sunset, we decided to walk back up to La Bufa to see the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance. Once it had, we decended the hill and returned to the hostel, hada few hours rest then went out for a beer. Again the town was devoid of people, so we called it an night and saved ourselves for the next day.