Real de Catorce

mostly a ghost town these days, located high in the darkest mountains of central Mexico and hidden away from casual discovery. To find this old city, you have to be looking for it.

10,000 feet above sea level

mexicolesstraveled.com/catorce.htm

There is a long drive in from the highway along a rough cobbled road. The road bashed almost all the air out of our tires.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:  23°41'30"N 100°53'8"W

Comments

  • Real de Catorce was originally founded to support the large nearby silver mines. When these mines ran dry, the commerce of the city failed, resulting in its current ghost-town status. During its heydey, two Catholic cathedrals were built. The larger of the two is dedicated to Saint Francis of Assissi, Italy. During Saint Francis' saint day, the people in nearby cities (especially Matehuala) make a pilgrimage by foot to the Cathedral. The economy of the city is now primarily based on selling religious tokens associated with the Cathedral. Visitors can also take a tour of an old silver-processing building and learn how silver was processed over 100 years ago. In the late 1990s parts of the film "The Mexican" staring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, was filmed in Real de Catorce.
  • In addition to the above, these places are famous pilgrimage of Carlos Castaneda.
This article was last modified 11 years ago