Zacatecas is known as the “city with a face of pink quarry and a heart of silver”, due to the color of the stone used in the construction of its main monuments and the wealth that its deposits of precious metals gave.
The state capital, the magical towns of the state and other towns in the region, have architectural and natural beauties and sites of great historical importance, both in mining and in the formation of Mexico as a Republic.
We invite you to discover our selection of the most interesting tourist places in Zacatecas.
1. El Eden Mine
Let’s start with a 16th century mine with museums and lots of minerals: the El Edén mine.
This silver and gold mine began to be exploited in the 1580s and had its greatest splendor in the 17th and 18th centuries.
It was closed in 1960 due to the flooding of its tunnels and reopened 15 years later as a tourist attraction.
Between 2004 and 2005, an artistic and museographic remodeling work was undertaken, turning it into a top-level attraction of interest in its field.
Your tour takes you through galleries and tunnels and includes a train tour of La Esperanza sinkhole, in the company of guides.
Inside the mine there is a museum of minerals and rocks from all over the world, including veins of gold and silver in their natural state. It is a place with a didactic and recreational approach in its exhibition.
The El Edén Zacatecas mine is on Calle Antonio Dovalí Jaime. It is open every day of the year between 10 am and 6 pm, for 100 MXN the entrance for adults.
2. Cathedral Basilica of Zacatecas
This religious property declared a World Heritage Site is located in the historic center of Zacatecas and is dedicated to the dedication of the Virgin of the Assumption.
Its construction ended in 1772, leaving a majestic temple with 2 superb towers, which made the silver aristocracy and the entire city proud when it was built in the 18th century.
The cathedral combines New Spain Baroque, Churrigueresque and Neoclassical styles. Corinthian colonnades and carved stone sculptures of New Testament figures, doctors of the church and popes stand out on its elegant façade.
The side covers are also of great beauty. The northern one, dedicated to the Lord of the Parish and the southern one, to Our Lady of Zacatecas.
Inside, the main altarpiece stands out, a work from 2010 by the artist Javier Marín that replaced previous ones. It is 10 meters wide by 17 meters high and is covered with sheets of gold extracted from the state’s mines. The cabinetry is in birch wood and the whole weighs 20 tons.
3. Guadeloupe
The town of Guadalupe, integrated into the metropolitan area of Zacatecas, was declared a Magical Town in 2018, becoming the sixth town in the state with that distinction for its monuments, museums, and artisan traditions.
Among the museum facilities, the Guadalupe Museum stands out, one of the most important tourist places in Zacatecas and Mexico, due to its New Spain artistic heritage.
The museum is located in the old Convent of Our Lady of Guadalupe and houses more than 800 colonial art objects, including canvases by the great masters of New Spain painting, sculptures and feather pieces.
The convent temple has a beautiful Baroque façade flanked by a minaret tower and a bell tower. The 18th-century organ and choir stalls inside are majestic.
The Zacatecas Platero and Artisan Center operates in the big house of the old Bernárdez mining estate, where silver jewelry is produced.
The Juárez Garden is the main local meeting space and is surrounded by emblematic buildings such as the convent, the museum and the Naples Chapel.
4. Teul de Gonzalez Ortega
It is located south of Zacatecas, in the Sierra Madre Occidental. It achieved its distinction as a Magical Town thanks to its architectural and archaeological heritage.
The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe was built in 1535, being one of the oldest religious buildings in Mexico.
Adjacent to the church of San Juan Bautista is the parish museum and theater, with a collection of pre-Hispanic and colonial objects.
The archaeological site is located on the Cerro de Teúl, with a pyramid on top. During the colonial era it was destroyed by the Spanish and their Tlaxcalan allies. It was later rebuilt.
Another attraction in Teúl is the Don Aurelio Lamas Mezcal Factory, almost a hundred years old. It now offers a tour of its facilities.
Between the end of July and the beginning of August, the “day of the absent son” is celebrated in Teúl de González Ortega, a festive reunion of the natives of the town who live in other places in Mexico and abroad.
From November 16 to 22, regional fairs are held with dances, typical shows and traditional foods.
5. Bufa Hill
According to the most accepted version, the name of this hill, a popular geographical reference of the city of Zacatecas, was given by the conqueror, Juan de Tolosa, in the 16th century, who found it similar to a pig’s bladder, to which he they say bufa in some parts of Spain.
It is a historic hill since Hidalgo arrived there at the beginning of Independence and was the scene of the capture of Zacatecas by Pancho Villa in 1914.
On the hill is the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Patrocinio, which dates back to 1728 and is one of the main places of worship in the city.
The Zacatecas cable car, a means of transportation and a tourist attraction, has a station on Cerro de la Bufa. On one of the slopes of the elevation is the Mausoleum of Illustrious Men, where the remains of outstanding personalities such as the musician Genaro Codina Fernández, author of the March of Zacatecas, hymn of the charros and second national anthem of the Zacatecans rest.
6. Pines
The Magical Town of Pinos is 2500 meters above sea level in the Gran Tunal desert, which gives it a cool and dry climate. It was part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro thanks to its mines and the rise of precious metals allowed the building of a preserved heritage as a tourist attraction.
In front of the Plaza de Armas are the ex-convent of San Francisco and the Parish of San Matías.
The Chapel of Tlaxcalilla is located on land in the old Tlaxcalteca neighborhood, which houses paintings and a notable Churrigueresque altarpiece.
The IV Centenario Community Museum exhibits a collection of prehistoric objects, historical pieces and works of art; while in the Museum of Sacred Art there is the famous Christ with a Floating Heart.
At Hacienda La Pendencia they have been making mezcal for 4 centuries without changing the procedure much, and the stone ovens for cooking and the tahonas for crushing pineapples are frozen testimonies of the past.
Be sure to buy the popular jarritos, symbols of its pottery and crafts.
7. Zacatecas Cable Car
It links Cerro de la Bufa and Cerro del Grillo in the historic center of Zacatecas, making a route of 650 meters at 85 meters high.
The cable car was inaugurated in 1979 as the first in Mexico and is one of the great tourist attractions of the city, especially for its beautiful panoramic views.
It was reactivated in 2018 after being paralyzed for two years for a modernization of the system and expansion of the cabins.
Now it operates with 7 compartments with a capacity of 8 passengers per unit. One of them has a glass floor to increase visibility. It travels at 19 KPH and is equipped with automated safety devices, which the previous cable car lacked.
The Eden Mine, below the Cerro del Grillo and one of the main attractions of the city, is connected to one of its stations.
The transportation system operates from Monday to Sunday between 10 am and 6 pm, extending the hours until 10 pm in high season.
The single trip costs 100 MXN for adults and 50 MXN for children (160 and 80 for the round trip). Zacatecans enjoy a 50% discount.
8. Sherry from Garcia Salinas
The tambora is the musical instrument that symbolizes this Magical Town 54 km southwest of the city of Zacatecas.
The Zacatecas tamborazo is a heritage from the 19th century and on November 22, the day of Santa Cecilia and of the musicians, the Tambora Festival is celebrated, which attracts many visitors.
Jerez de García Salinas also stands out among the tourist places in Zacatecas for its beautiful architectural heritage, led by the Municipal Palace, an impressive baroque building from the 18th century; the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Solitude, the Tower Building, the Hinojosa Theater and the Humboldt and Inguanzo portals.
For practicing outdoor sports, there is the El Manantial Ecotourism Center, in the Sierra de Cardos, where there are trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, as well as hanging bridges and cabins.
The Mercado de Artesanías is the place to buy beautiful gold and silver filigree work and leather goods and natural fibers.
9. Taking of Zacatecas Museum
The capture of Zacatecas was one of the capital events of the Mexican Revolution, since after this victory of Pancho Villa and his fearsome Division of the North over the forces of President Huerta, on June 23, 1914, the path of the Mexicans was paved. revolutionaries to Mexico City.
The museum is located in the Casa Fuerte del Patrocinio, on the esplanade of Cerro de la Bufa, a site used by Victoriano Huerta’s federal army as a warehouse and hospital, from where he was expelled by Villistas.
The building was built and occupied in the 16th century by the Spanish conquerors, before the formal foundation of Zacatecas.
The museum opened in 1984 during the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the seizure and was expanded in 2014. It contains a layout of the positions of the opposing forces, as well as weapons used, newspapers from the time, photos, coins, bills, documents and objects related to mining.
Outside the museum is the Esplanade of the Revolution, with sculptures by Villa and other revolutionaries.
10. Bonnet
Its interesting architecture, the beauty of the Sierra de Órganos and the Altavista archaeological site are the main attractions of the Zacatecas Magical Town of Sombrerete.
The Temple of the Third Order has a beautiful façade with Renaissance lines and an unusual vault that rests on 2 arches.
The convent of San Francisco de Asís is a pilgrimage center where the founder of the Franciscan order, the Virgen del Refugio and San Mateo are venerated.
The Altavista site is located 55 km from Sombrerete with archaeological ruins and a site museum where a collection of objects from the Chalchihuite culture is exhibited.
The Sierra de Órganos has curious rock formations that give good photos, such as La Ballena and La Cara de Apache.
This mountain range of rocky slopes gets its name from its elongated stones that look like the flutes of an organ.
The gastronomic symbol of the Magical Town are the brujitas, gorditas stuffed with minced meat, potatoes and beans.
11. House of the Inquisitor Museum
A visit to this museum constitutes a journey back in time to the period when men and women were imprisoned and burned by the Holy Office for alleged heresies.
It is located on Avenida Hidalgo, in the historic center of the city of Zacatecas, in front of the Portal de Rosales. It works between 9 am and 9 pm, closing at 10 pm during the holiday season.
The Casa del Inquisidor Museum exhibits originals and replicas of devices and tools used to torture prisoners during the Inquisition trials.
The guides offer an overview of this dark period that lasted in Mexico between 1571 and 1820, although in Europe it had begun in 1184 in the midst of medieval obscurantism.
Among the spaces of the museum are the court rooms, capital and minor sentences and masks. There is also an enclosure with replicas of the mummies discovered in the Zacatecas temple of Santo Domingo in 2009.
The entrance price is 35 and 25 MXN for adults and children, respectively.
12. Fresnillo from González Echeverría
It is the second most populous city in the state after the capital, 41 km northwest of Zacatecas.
Fresnillo comes from the colony for a small ash tree that grew in a spring. The rest of its name was added in the Republican era in honor of the Juarista leader, José González Echeverría, governor of Zacatecas between 1851-1853.
Fresnillo is also called “El Mineral” and the “World Silver Capital”. Among its attractions are the Napoleón Gómez Sada Mining Museum and the Ecological Park and Tourist Mine.
The museum has a collection of minerals, photographs of the most important mineralized bodies in Mexico, mining instruments and a room dedicated to the Hacienda Nueva, the largest in the world for the benefit of silver.
The park has a collection of fauna and flora and offers access to an underground mine, ending the tour with a climb to a viewpoint from where there are spectacular views of the landscape and the city.
A few kilometers from Fresnillo is Plateros with its famous Santo Niño de Atocha sanctuary.
13. Silversmiths
The town of Plateros, separated from the city of Fresnillo by the Mexico-Ciudad Juárez highway, is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in the country due to the sanctuary that keeps the Santo Niño de Atocha, a small image that awakens one of the greatest venerations nationals.
The Sanctuary of the Santo Nicho de Atocha attracts crowds only surpassed in Mexico by the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Cathedral of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos.
The maximum fervor materializes on the occasion of the Holy Child festivities, on Christmas day, when tens of thousands of faithful come to ask for divine favors or to thank them.
The sanctuary was completed at the end of the 18th century as an architectural example of late baroque, where a valuable collection of neoclassical altarpieces is exhibited.
The Sanctuary of Silversmiths is a World Heritage Site and was located on the old Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the almost 2,600 km road that linked Mexico City with Santa Fe (New Mexico, USA).
14. La Encantada Park and Zoo
Animals, groves, large green areas, recreation sites, an open-air theater, a tartan track, murals and a little train are the low-cost attractions offered by La Encantada Park and Zoo, open Wednesday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Its 15 MXN entrance fee includes a ride on the little train.
The park was inaugurated in 1985 in an area of 5 hectares. The zoo is home to more than 180 individuals of 40 species, including tigers, lions, cougars, sheep, zebras, bears, lemurs, spider monkeys, marmosets, prairie dogs, raccoons, donkeys, bighorn sheep and birds of prey.
In the aviary there are peacocks (common and white), Canadian ducks, geese, guinea fowl and other species.
The extensive green areas are perfect for family gatherings and for practicing yoga, as well as for exercising in the equipment area. On the tartan track you can jog and run.
15. Nochistlan
Zacatecan town in the south of the state, near the border with Jalisco, with architectural gems and traditions that earned it its designation as a Magical Town.
The main square is the Jardín Morelos, a landscaped and wooded space surrounded by colonial and republican buildings.
The parish church of San Francisco de Asís was built in the 17th century and contains the tomb of San Román Adame Rosales, a priest shot during the Cristero War.
The temple of San Sebastián houses the so-called Guerito de Nochistlán, an image of the martyr who enjoys great veneration in the town.
The San José temple is a neo-Gothic construction with a white dome and two slender twin towers.
The Casa de los Ruiz was the scene in 1810 of the Cry of Independence in Zacatecas and the Los Arcos Aqueduct is an impressive 18th-century construction, with its majestic arcade and its fountains that were supplying water until the last century.
The arches are illuminated at night offering a beautiful nocturnal postcard.
16. Rafael Colonel Museum
Rafael Coronel Arroyo was a creator from Zacatecas who excelled in figurative and abstract art. He passed away in 2019.
The museum that bears his name works in the ex-convent of San Francisco, in Zacatecas, a building from 1593 that was the first convent enclosure founded in the current territory of the state. The museum spaces were restored and conditioned between 1987 and 1990.
The heritage of the museum is made up of more than 16 thousand pieces, including masks, pre-Hispanic objects, drawings, paintings, terracotta, puppets, crafts, offerings, colonial furniture and musical instruments.
It exhibits the most important collection of masks in the world and some works by Diego Rivera, such as the study of a self-portrait of the famous Guanajuato painter for his mural, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central.
In the collection there are pre-Hispanic figures that belonged to Rafael Coronel, as well as masks made and donated by the artist, inspired by different themes such as the devil, Easter, Lent, Holy Week, typical dances and animals.
The Las Tandas de Rosete Aranda room houses a display of puppets from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which belonged to the famous family and puppet company.
17. The Burnt
Archaeological site in the Zacatecas municipality of Villanueva, 50 km south of the city of Zacatecas.
There are 2 versions about the origin of the name. One suggests that it was placed by the first conquerors who found the place burned. Another theory suggests that it took the name of a later hacienda that burned down.
Some colonial chroniclers associated the site with Chicomóztoc or the Place of the Seven Caves, mythical site of origin of the Mexica and other Mesoamerican civilizations.
Among its structures, the Votive Pyramid and the Hall of Columns stand out. The first of these is a building 10 meters high and sloping slopes with a temple on top.
The Hall of Columns measures 41 x 32 meters and has 11 columns that are believed to support a roof. It is suspected that its purpose was ceremonial, including human sacrifice.
Other structures in the complex are a ball game field, ruins of the wall that surrounded the citadel, the Pyramid of the Sacrifices and El Cuartel, the latter structure for probable residential use.
18. Tlaltenango de Sánchez Roman
This Zacatecan city and municipality with the same name is located in the Tlaltenango Valley, 170 km south of Zacatecas.
The word “tlaltenango” is Nahua and would mean “land on plateaus”. The complement was added in honor of the colonel, José María Sánchez Román, leader of the Reforma and a native of the town.
Among its places of interest is the Tlaltenapa Museum, opened in 2005 on a private initiative, with a collection of objects that were mostly donated by the residents themselves.
It has rooms with different themes, including clocks, decorative pieces and furniture; coins and banknotes, instruments from the old village apothecary, industrial objects that belonged to an old soft drink factory, and archaeological pieces.
Other local attractions are the church of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the temple of San Diego and the chapels of Veracruz and Santo Domingo.
The main natural space is the Sierra de Morones, with a ravine called El Campanario, streams, waterfalls and hiking trails.
19. Zacatecas Aqueduct
Another of the iconic tourist places in Zacatecas is the colonial aqueduct, impressive with its pink quarry structure that dates back to the end of the 18th century, although construction lasted up to a century later in independent Mexico. It supplied water to the people of Zacatecas until the end of the 1920s.
The section of the aqueduct that survived is one of the symbols of the city and carried the water to the place where the monument of General Jesús González Ortega, a prominent ally of Juárez and governor of Zacatecas (1858-1858), stands. From there the vital liquid went to a battery from which the town was supplied in the current Plaza Independencia.
The elevated channel started from the El Cubo mine shaft, which is why it is also called the Cubo Aqueduct.
The beautiful arches of the canal, some reinforced with flying buttresses, are located in the place where the Plaza de Toros de San Pedro used to be, currently occupied by a luxury hotel.
20. Juchipila
Nestled in the Juchipila Canyon, between the Morones and Nochistlán mountains, in the south of the state of Zacatecas, is this picturesque town and municipality whose Nahua name means “place of beautiful flowers”.
The main monuments of the town are the parish church built in the 18th century and the birthplace of the hero, Antonio Rosales Flores, a man from Juchipela who distinguished himself during the War of Reform and the Second French Intervention, who died in combat in 1865. The house where was born is located next to the temple.
Cerro de las Ventanas is an archaeological site in the municipality of Juchipila, which owes its name to some caverns with observatories that look like gigantic windows.
The site has a structure called Casa del Acantilado, which is believed to have been a surveillance point.
Other ruins are a pyramid 5.6 meters high with a base of 975 m 2 and a platform that was part of a ball game court.
Tourist map of Zacatecas
Recommendations to visit Zacatecas
The city of Zacatecas is located at 2,460 meters above sea level, so its nights are cold.
In the city there is a wide hotel offer of 1 and 5 star complexes, luxury restaurants and cheap places such as La Cantera Musical Restaurant. It rains little (431 mm per year), concentrated between June and September.
Zacatecas at night
The night tour of the city of Zacatecas in the cable car with the illuminated historic center is impressive.
A tradition is the callejoneadas, a tour of the streets and alleys of the historic center starting from the Plaza de Armas, with surprises along the way such as mariachis.
The Histriónica theater company offers entertaining evenings about Zacatecan legends, narrated by a character dressed as a devil.
La Mina Club, in the El Edén mine, is one of the most original bars in Mexico.
zacatecas tourist brochures
The portal zacatecastravel.com , of the Secretary of Tourism of the state of Zacatecas, produces promotional material and tourist guides for free download.
Magical Towns of Zacatecas
The state of Zacatecas has 6 Magic Towns: Jerez de García Salinas, Nochistlán, Pinos, Sombrerete, Teúl de González Ortega and Guadalupe.
These towns bring together a beautiful architectural heritage, natural spaces for adventure sports and nature observation, archaeological sites, craft and gastronomic traditions and interesting testimonies of the golden and silver splendor era in the region.
Tourist places of Zacatecas: Zipline 840
This park provides the best Zacatecan experience in zip lines. They offer tours from 250 MXN, they have promotions for 2 people and can include photos and videos in the package.
Its technical team of certified professionals has more than 20 years of experience.
Does this selection with the best tourist places in Zacatecas seem correct to you? Send us your comments and share the article with your friends so they can also give their opinion.
See also:
- Read our guide on the best Magical Towns of Zacatecas
- We leave you our definitive guide on Teúl De González Ortega, Zacatecas – Pueblo Mágico
- Check out our ultimate guide to Los Pinos, Zacatecas, Pueblo Mágico
