Real de Catorce: Crags and Cactus

Hills of San Luis Potosi

Real de Catorce is a former silver-mining community located at an altitude of over 9,000 feet, in the dry, craggy mountains of north-western San Luis Potosí in northern Mexico.

The town was established in the late 1700′s with the opening of the first silver mines. The town prospered, filled with a rich society and thriving businesses, into the early 1800′s until the War of Independence and a tremendous drop in the price of silver forced an exodus of Spanish mine management personnel and businessmen, leaving the few local laborers who were left behind to fend largely for themselves for several decades. In 1863 a wealthy Spanish family with the name of De la Maza made its appearance, bringing funds for the repair and maintenance of the mining equipment and gainful employment to the townspeople for a number of years as silver continued to be found in the area.

Access to the town is via a largely cobblestoned road which at one point goes through the Ogarrio Tunnel, which was designed by Vicente Irizar in the late 1800′s under the initiative of the De la Maza counts. The first dynamite ever used in Mexico was used for the construction of this tunnel. The cobblestoned tunnel was opened to traffic at the turn of the century. It is very narrow, permitting only alternating, one-way traffic, and about 3 kilometers long.

The town again went into decline with the unrest of the early 1900′s and its population dwindled to almost nothing. After the Revolution, its church became a place of pilgrimage for the religious, and the Huichol indians from neighboring states make long, rugged journeys through the desert territory to gather peyote buttons for their sacred rituals.

Local Attractions and Facilities

Church of the Immaculate Conception:
Built in 1780, the church is the focal point of the town and brings thousands of pilgrims yearly to pay homage to the patron saint, Saint Francis of Assisi, on October 4th. The religious festival is a week-long event and includes processions, indigenous dances and music.

Casa de la Moneda:
Built by the de la Maza family to house the Mint, the 3-story building is now a hotel with the colorful reputation of still harboring the ghost of Don de la Maza, counting and moving around his hoard of silver.

Hotel el Mesón de la Abundancia:
This hotel is located in a building built in the middle of the 19th C., with rich wood floors and staircases. Tel. (488) 887-5044.

Other Hotels

Hotel el Real – Tel. (488) 887-5058

Hotel La Puesta del Sol – Tel. (488) 887-5005, 887-501

Restaurants:
Check out the food at the Restaurante El Cactus (Italian food, homemade bread) and the El Minero Restaurant