Zacatecas, Mexico, el trece de Deciembre, 2019

I slept really well on the bus thank goodness.  It certainly makes for an easy next day. We came 755 km and I’m as far south as Mazatlan but it’s not nearly as warm.  I also lost an hour so it was a 14 hour trip-

Luckily, the apartment I rented wasn’t booked last night so I could check in early.  It’s awesome!  I’m down a very narrow walking only street right in the historic centre-

The bedroom has a huge window out to a courtyard-

and the living room and kitchen are one big room-

Jose was at work so he left the key with a neighbour who has a religious store on the corner and is missing a few teeth.  I had to get him to come and light the pilot light in the hot water tank too.

After getting settled, I went walking.  There are a lot of churches, including Sagrado Corazon.  It’s squished in between buildings-

There are always people sitting in the pews or kneeling. Walking through a park, there were some bronze benches commemorating Genaro Codina for music-

Pedro Coronel, a painter-

And another for a writer-

There was a large monument in the centre of the park-

And of course there was a sign-

Mina El Eden is a former silver mine.  Mining began in 1586 and ended in 1960.  At the top, we got into a train that descended 350 yards into the heart of La Bufa hill.   The mining was at it’s peak in the 17th and 18th centuries with gold, silver, copper, iron, zinc and lead being the main products extracted.  There are seven floors but our tour was on the fourth.  I didn’t understand much of the tour but it must have been good because everybody laughed a lot.  We had to wear hard hats and there were a lot of displays inside.  It’s very modern and clean-

From left to right, workers and their equipment are depicted through the ages-

It was hard work-

I don’t know how much force one could get into a pick while balancing on a swing-

It was hot, humid and equipment was primitive-

Imagine having to climb ladders with bags of ore on your back-

At the end of the mine, it’s only a short walk to the Teleferico which takes you from the base of El Grillo Mountain to the hillside of La Bufa.  The car is 250 feet above ground-

and it’s 710 yards from start to finish.  There are some great views-

On top there are many souvenir stands selling beaded bracelets=

Beaded necklaces-

and dolls-

There are more bronze statues on Bufa Hill where the Battle of Zacatecas was won by the resistance. War heroes commemorated include General Felipe Angeles who worked with Pancho Villa leading the Division del Norte against the government-

Of course Pancho Villa-

As well as General Panfilo Natera who led the government forces-

Another represents the people who fought as revolutionaries-

The Capilla del Nueste Senora del Patrocinio church is up top -

with a Mexican Jesus-

and notes, photos and jewelry left as offerings in front of Him-

You can climb to the peak of Bufa Hill where there is also a zip line-

The view is awesome-

I walked down to the Plaza de Armas.  This house is ready for Navidad-

A monument to Guadeloupe was at an intersection with a prayer on the wall that asks her for peace, justice and prosperity for the barrio (community) and to bless the people living here-

La Cathedral Basilica de Zacatecas was at the bottom of the hill-

Inside-

There appeared to be a wedding but I’m not sure because there were no guests but she looked older than fifteen-

The man at the tourist booth suggested I go to La Leyenda-

for supper and try asada boda, a Zacatecas dish, which is a mildly spicy stew.  It was not my favourite-

Walking home I passed a monument/fountain-

There was supposed to be a musical event at the Cathedral at 8 pm with the pipe organ.  It’s hard to beat a pipe organ playing in a large cathedral but when I got there, it was mass so I came home.  The streets are crowded with pedestrians and traffic.  There are lots of lights and I’ll get pictures of them tomorrow.

I had a big day and am looking forward to visiting a few museums tomorrow.  It’s great to be back in the warm sunshine!

P.S.