Real de Catorce

About Real de Catorce

Real de Catorce is a former silver-mining town high in the Sierra de Catorce of San Luis Potosí, at an altitude where the air is thin and the nights are cold. It boomed in the late colonial period, emptied when mining collapsed, and slowly revived as a destination for travelers, pilgrims and filmmakers. Stone houses, many of them roofless ruins, line its steep cobbled streets.

Most people arrive through the Ogarrio Tunnel, a long, single-lane passage cut through the mountain that opens directly onto the town. The Parroquia de la Purísima Concepción draws pilgrims devoted to its image of Saint Francis, and Plaza Hidalgo, the Antigua Casa de Moneda and the hillside Panteón are easy walks from there. Old silver mines and the ruins of Ex-Hacienda Dolores Trompeta tell the mining story. Willys jeeps and horseback guides take visitors down to the desert or up to Cerro Quemado, part of Wirikuta, a landscape sacred to the Wixárika people, whose traditions should be respected.

Real de Catorce suits adventurous travelers who don't mind basic comforts. The altitude makes walking tiring at first, so a slow pace helps. The dry months bring clear skies, while the early October festival of Saint Francis brings large crowds.