The ghostly and magical village of Real de Catorce

Real de Catorce is considered a magical village. In the second half of the 18th century it experienced its heyday thanks to its mines from which immense quantities of silver were extracted, an activity that continued until the beginning of the 20th century in what had been a cradle of the Huichol or Wixarika civilisation of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Life took place mainly in the meanders and it is the underground that holds artistic and architectural attractions such as the Tunnel de l'Ogarrio. Also worth visiting are the Old Mint, the Padre José Robledo Parish Museum, the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the Arena for bullfighting and cockfighting, fortunately no longer in use. Amidst its abandoned vestiges one can sometimes come across herds of horses let loose by their owners. From the hamlet, where a thousand people now live, one can set off towards Cerro del Amanecer, in a hairless, western landscape where the peyote plant is widespread.