Zacatecas

The view from the top of The Bufa

The last stop on this year’s Mexican adventure was Zacatecas, the capital city of the state with the same name. It’s a huge sprawling city divided by several hilltops at a high altitude. Like the other colonial cities on our tour, this one was built by gold & silver money. 

Zacatecas Theatre

Pancho Villa spent time here with his revolutionary gang. 

A ruin, now housing an art museum

Today it is a modern city with a beautiful center where we have lodged, venturing out twice to visit the nearby suburb of Guadalupe & out into the countryside to Jerez.

One of many plazas in Zacatecas

Our first night’s lodging was disappointing. Hostel Villa Colonial is written up as a ‘dream hostel’, however they have recently changed owners and, sadly, it has gone downhill. Our room had a little kitchen, but nothing worked. The Internet was down &, not only was the hot water none existent, the shower leaked all over the bathroom floor into the bedroom. It’s sad because the room was very large & nice, beds comfy (once I requisitioned several extra blankets) and perfectly located. 

Hotel Reyna Soledad, notice the Dona in the upper corner

After the first evening we changed locations, we were the only guests in a sweet hotel right in the center located in a restored colonial mansion. The widow who owns the building took great pride in showing us around, opening several of the 18 rooms to demonstrate how each is different. It is special with original wood & ironwork, which took teams of men five years to bring back to life from ruins. Though the warm water only lasts for a few minutes, we feel like a king & queen here!

 

Zacatecas is built on hills though the main sights can be reached without too much strain. 

Yippee!

Our first afternoon we choose to go to the top, climbing many steps to reach the Swiss made tram, which whisks you quickly to the city’s rocky mountaintop, the Bufa. 

Looking down on the center where we stayed

After snapping a couple of pictures of the center of town we choose to walk down the steep trail, passing the Signs of the Cross along the way.

The church atop The Bufa

A group of young men were sitting on the steps and one engaged us in conversation. He was interested in speaking English, though he knew very few words.  

Our first evening in Zacatecas we enjoyed watching locals & Mexican tourists ice-skate around a makeshift rink in the town’s main plaza. A huge screen showed a Mana concert, our favorite Mexican rock band. We own the CD of this concert and Keith sang along, loud & clear. Fake snow showered the skaters and a little train took the wee ones in tight circles around the rink. It was a happy event.

Church & Convent in Guadalupe

A side chapel of the Guadalupe Church

Guadalupe is a nearby town, almost a suburb of Zacatecas, home to one of Mexico’s most important churches & convents. 

The inside of the Guadalupe Church, the most Mexican of all!!

Taking a city bus it was an easy excursion and the architecture very much worth the trip. On the way we bought some fresh pineapple and then some coconut, cut to order. I’m not sure which, if either, of the fruits was a bit contaminated, but poor Keith had tummy trouble, which ruined dinner for him, which was a shame because the restaurant was not only most interesting, but also the food delicious.

La Villa de Dorado, a super restaurant!

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in an antique store. Keith immediately found a mask that he loved & another, a devil face with real goat horns that he wished he had enough pesos on hand to purchase.

Luckily, Friday, Keith’s belly was much quieter! We took a long bus ride to Jerez, a ‘Pueblo Magico’ about 40 KM from Zacatecas. 

The bus driver drove about 20 miles an hour so the journey took way too long! 

Jerez is dusty, a cowboy town that would be a great place to shoot old-time movies.

 

Jerez has a wonderful, green park in the center 

and beautiful ancient churches. 

We spent a couple of hours walking around the compact center of this frontier style town before heading back to the bus station for a much quicker ride back to Zacatecas.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will spend most of the day on a bus to Guadalajara from where we will fly home on Sunday. We have loved spending some quality time together here in magical Mexico. We are pretty tired of Mexican food & long for a hot shower & the warmth of a furnace. Keith’s only pair of jeans needs a good washing and I’ll be happy to return to my daily grind. Isn’t that what a great vacation does, make us so very grateful for the incredibly blessed lives we are so privileged to live!!