While in Mexico City, we really wanted to do another overnight trip to a neighboring city. We had loads of choices, but after learning about Taxco, we decided this was the place for us.
Taxco is a very important city in Mexico, and is where silver was mined. It has a rich (literally) history.
We got an early Uber ride to the bus station, and took a stunning bus ride through the mountains to Taxco. The arrival into this city is breathtaking. Clinging to the hillside, Taxco looks magical, as if it was painted onto the hill.
Upon arrival to the city bus terminal, we looked at the map and realized our hotel was only a 1/2 mile walk. What we didn't realized was that it was straight uphill. A great introduction to this incredibly hilly city. We arrived to our hotel out of breath, ready to drop off our bags and start exploring. Our hotel has a handful of rooms, and is one block from the historic city center - a perfect location for us.
The Centro is a very pretty little square with a beautiful church, cobblestone streets, and a flurry of activity. Every couple of minutes, white VW bug taxis drive through the square. It seems that most of the taxi are VW bugs that have had the passenger seats removed, and you sit in the back with the driver only in the front.
We checked out the church, which was incredibly ornate. We had to visit a side door, that has a famous sculpture of a skeleton without arms.
We then visited the Museo Casa Figueroa. This is a cool house that is located just off the main square, up a hill (of course!) and is supposedly haunted. It had some super cool rooms, decorations, and features, and our guide told us the story of the owner. She even showed us a hole in the wall into which they hid their stores of silver. There is also a haunting sculpture of Jesus on the cross.
After our museum tour, we did a bit of exploring on the streets. We particularly like the stonework art found in the middle of the streets, and the stone walls throughout the city.
In the square, there is a popular restaurant that specializes in pozole. We had to try, and of course it was delicious!
There is a local hotel that was doing some renovation work years ago. They were cutting through the bar floor, and the ground gave way. Come to find out, it was located directly atop an ancient pre-Hispanic silver mine. The government came in to examine it and explore it. Instead of re-opening it as an active mine, it was declared a archaeological site and is protected. They offer tours, so we had to take it. The tour was awesome, and the mine itself is very large. It is so hard to imagine ancient peoples working these mines with nothing more than their hands and some crude tools, like deer antlers to cut out the silver.
After our tour, we went back to the main square to find an old bar that specializes in the city's popular drink, the Berta. It is made with tequila, lime, soda water and honey. The view from our private balcony was almost as good as the drink.
Across the square, we found another rooftop bar with amazing views and nice drinks. So, we had to try the view from the other side.
For dinner tonight, we found a very nice restaurant with, you guessed it, an amazing patio with breathtaking views of Taxco. Returning to the main square this evening, we found some live music and couples dancing. A fun atmosphere.
This is a stunningly pretty city. We made the right choice for our overnight adventure.
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