Real de Catorce

Real de Catorce is a former silver mining town located at the 9000 foot level of the Sierra de Catorce Mountain Range 260 kilometres northwest of the City of San Luis Potosi, close to Matahula. It is reached by a 27 km cobblestone road followed by a 2.4 km long (alternating) one way tunnel. It is an amazing trip to this town.

The town was founded in 1772 when silver was discovered in the area and the mines were worked until 1905 when falling world prices forced it to close. In its days of peak production it rivaled Guanajuato in silver production After that the town joined the ranks of other ghost mining towns of Mexico and survived pretty much untouched until artists and some ambitious individuals working the tailings established another foothold in the town.

Because it has changed so little since the Nineteenth Century, it is a natural location for western films and several were filmed here. They include “The Mexican” with Brad Pitt, “Bandidas” with Salma Hayak and Penelope Cruz and “The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre” with Humphrey Bogart.

We drove there today, paid the $20 Peso fee to enter the tunnel, found a place to park on one of the very narrow streets and walked around much of the town. The town is built on the side of a mountain so walking involves much up and down climbing and at 9000 feet elevation, your heart and lungs really feel it. Real de Catorce would be a very healthy place to live!