Zacatecas, Mexico - July 26-28, 2023

[Martin Hash]

After another fabulous bush camp, set in the desert, completely matching my preconception of Mexico, we ended up the next night in the tourist town of Zacatecas. Through good fortune, while all the single people were relegated to a large dormitory the couples got private room & baths. That sounds pretty good but this being Mexico, when it rained hard the first night, water poured through the ceiling in the bathroom, flooding the floor, requiring us to dam up the door opening with towels so water didn’t flow into the bedroom. Also, the slat ceiling used stucco in the gaps which powered the room with grit anytime something rolled around on the roof. I’m not complaining though; for privacy I’d suffer a multitude of privations. The room was adorned with a painting of the nearby ornate cathedral built in 1772.



My wife, Gwynne, and I took a cable car up to a church and tourist trap on the peak of a steep hillside. Gwynne had been dizzy, probably from dehydration over the past few days, so climbing up the steps to the gondola station was a challenge, but once we took the ride, the beautiful view from the bistro where we had American-style french fries & beer improved her day. The bronze statues of Mexicans fighting the revolution were very intriguing too.



The most surprisingly good attraction was a mask museum housed on a semi-restored old momentary of similar to the cathedral. The masks looked to ne old and relatively new, all with eye slots as if they were intended for use but so small many would only fit a child. The variety, sizes & vintages Stretched across the centuries.



Outside of the museum was a vendor cart selling old coins and old Mexican artifacts. I bought some silver thimbles, bronze adornments from Conquestidor horse saddles musket balls from the Spanish conquest, and spent rifle and pistol cartridges from the revolution, plus some old coins. The vendor asked what I was going to do with them? “Show them to my grandkids,” I proudly replied.

Conquistadora Rife Shot c.jpg