A Visit to Mineral De Pozos...If Only the Walls Could Talk!

We recently traveled to the nearby historic mining town of Mineral de Pozos, or “Pozos” as the locals call it. Located at 7500 feet and about an hour away from San Miguel by auto, we had heard good things about visiting and decided to make an overnight journey of it. I called ahead and arranged lodging with the young lady who answered the phone at the Posada de Las Minas, and although she spoke no English, I managed to muddle my way through it and was only slightly amazed when an email arrived confirming our reservation.

Pozos, has a long and fascinating history, beginning with its founding as a fort to protect shipments of precious metals to Mexico City in 1576. When the Jesuits arrived some time later in an attempt to convert the indigenous Chichimeca Indians, they soon discovered that the area was rich in mineral deposits including vast quantities of gold and silver. They began using European mining techniques to extract the riches and the town flourished. 

When the Jesuits were forcibly removed from the area around 1767, other Europeans eventually moved in and things really started to grow. By 1895 the city was booming and there were over 300 mines and nearly 80,000 residents! Eventually however, the mines started to decline. The Mexican Revolution of 1910, and the subsequent purposeful flooding of the mines by either rebels or the mine owners during the Cristero Rebellion of 1926 was the final death knell for Pozos and the last mine was shuttered in 1927. The city then began a serious decline and by the 1950’s there were only about 200 people living there. As the city fell into ruins, the buildings were looted and stripped of their roof beams for firewood and many of them eventually collapsed or became uninhabitable. 

In 1982, the city was declared a National Historic Monument, and some efforts at restoration began. The town continued to fight its way back to life, and in 2012 was declared a “Pueblo Magico”, a designation that would allow it to receive large scale restoration assistance from the government. Today the town is really starting to show the results of these efforts, and many are comparing it to the San Miguel of thirty or forty years ago. Fortunately however, some of the things that many people consider to be mistakes made in San Miguel may be avoided in Pozos. Rather than allowing Gringo money to dominate the economy, there are groups helping the local population to create businesses and jobs, and there is a focus on fostering a culture of sustainability.  Many of the tourists you will find here are Mexicans from the nearby city of Querértero or as far away as Mexico City. They come to get away from the big city and immerse themselves in the history and culture of the area. Tours of the abandoned mines are popular, and over 30 kilometers of newly constructed trails are creating a haven for mountain bikers. A number of local artisans are recreating and selling some of the pre-Hispanic musical instruments, and a small group of hotels, restaurants, and bars are springing up in the town.

We arrived around 10am, checked into our lovely hotel, and began our walking tour of the town. After a hearty lunch served by a family run Mexican restaurant, we continued our leisurely stroll and sightseeing tour. Walking the quiet streets among a curious mixture of inhabited and ruined buildings, it is sometimes hard to imagine this town as a vibrant city of 80 thousand souls, brimming with life and hundreds of colorful stone buildings. The ghosts are everywhere, but for those living here the city is coming back to life. 

Next...The Cobblestone Diaries gets a lesson!

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Guanajuato...Land of the Living Dead!

Guanajuato, a pleasant 1-1/2 hour bus ride from San Miguel is another beautiful Spanish Colonial city situated in the high desert mountains of central Mexico. The rugged mountains that surround the city produced vast quantities of silver and other minerals under Spanish rule, but today the area is known for producing a broad array of goods including ceramics, textiles, agriculture, and other hand-made goods that are exported around the world. Guanajuato is not only the state capitol, it is home to the University of Guanajuato and boasts a vibrant student population. With all it has going for it, it is ironic that it is perhaps best know for being the home of the Museo De Las Mumias, or Museum of the Mummies!

We arrived around 10 am and exited the bus stop with no idea of where we were, or how to get where we were going. A quick GPS search for El Centro, or the town square showed that it was over 7 km away and a 1-1/2 hour walk! We quickly decided a taxi was our best bet, but Guanajuato is another place where most of the taxi drivers speak little or no English. After a brief exchange with the first driver we saw, I felt a bit more confident than Kate that we were actually headed in the right direction, and about 15 minutes later we were deposited in front of the large Mercado in the center of town. Perfecto! The market here is a bustling indoor affair, and is housed in a large domed building in the center of town. We spent a little time wandering the booths and taking in the sights and smells before heading to the museum.

Guanajuato is nestled on the steep hillsides of the dramatic valley in which it is located. From the town square, everything is up, and I mean up. Most of the side streets are narrow alleys, and many of the homes can only be reached by ascending long flights of stairs. It reminded me a bit of the Arizona mining town of Bisbee, but on steroids. We followed the signs to the Museo de Las Mumias, which not surprisingly led us up and up through the city and after several stops to catch our breath, near the top of the steep hills we finally reached the museum. First unearthed in 1865, the mummification process is a result of the composition of the soil and low humidity of the dry desert air. Many of the mummies were victims of a cholera epidemic around 1833, and were disinterred when relatives of the deceased were unable to pay a tax that would allow them to remain buried. Cemetery workers in charge of the dis-internment started to charge visitors a few pesos to few the bodies, and over time the museum was formed. Today it houses over a hundred corpses in various states of decay.

Some of the mummies are said to have been buried alive, and while the grotesque facial expressions may just be the result of the natural postmortem process, it's a good story and adds some spice to the gruesome nature of the display. As bizarre as it is, it is hard to take your eyes off it, and the mummies of young children are particularly unnerving. Many of the mummies still have the remains of the clothing and jewelry they were buried in, and some still have quite a bit of hair. But indeed, it is the tortured facial expressions on many of the mummies that really make for a night of sweet dreams after your visit!

Leaving the friendly mummies behind us, we made our way back into town to find a bite to eat and enjoy some more of the sights in this lovely town. We had an amazing time at the Diego Rivera Museum which far exceeded our expectations. While many consider Guanajuato to be the most beautiful  and romantic city in Mexico, we still feel that San Miguel holds that honor, but the city is wonderful indeed. With its narrow winding cobblestone streets and alleys, brightly colored buildings, and dramatic setting, it is another gem in the high desert of Mexico.