Sorry that this is so late.  I had pictures selected and edited for this post and lost them so these are second rate.  Strange things are going on with my pictures ever since I started using Adobe Lightroom which I know it must be me not knowing what I’m doing.  I could get the pictures off of my camera disk and edit them again but don’t have the time right now. So here goes with what I have:

The main attraction in Zacatecas are the buildings with the nice architecture.  Since the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, there are strict ordinances to preserve the structures as they were in the colonial period.  Almost all the buildings have black wrought iron balconies and business names are painted in black lettering.

Many buildings were made using pink stone

 

The Zacatecas Cathedral, built in 1752, is considered by many to be the best example of Churrigueresque architecture in Mexico.  This church does not open until 6 and so we didn’t see inside. If I had a do-over, I would go downtown at night when everything is lit up and the churches are open.

The stonework used in this building was my favorite with the hues of pink, gold and grey.

After we had walked around town we stopped for something to eat. As we came out of the restaurant I saw an open air tour bus parked up the street and mentioned it to Steve. At that very moment, the second and last person we met who speaks English, was walking by and heard me.  He asked if we wanted to ride the bus and to follow him.  It turned out the bus was reserved for a tour group 30 minutes hence but the young man talked the driver into taking us on a private tour around the city.  The English speaking man, Pedro, was an off duty tour guide!

Pedro was born and raised in California and spoke flawless English of course.  He gave us a great tour and we learned so much about the city.  Behind him you can see an example of the often seen wrought iron balconies.

Another one of the many temples and churches downtown. 

This building is for sale – price is 5 million dollars

An example of the black lettering seen on many businesses.

This large building housing the former Mercado (market place) has been turned into a mini mall with upscale shops.

Zacatecas is the first city I’ve been to in Mexico that has a very cosmopolitan, sophisticated air about it.  The young people are stylish in a big European city type sense; almost everyone is very well dressed. This might be attributed to the universities and several schools of higher education in the city. Also one of the first things I noticed was how clean the city is, how there were no beggars, and no one hustling tourists to buy trinkets. There are very modern buildings on the outskirts along with big shopping centers. 

I’ve been to San Miguel de Allende, recently voted the #1 city in the world by Conde Naste travelers in 2013.  I bet those readers have not been to Zacatecas!  But then I didn’t see one single gringo other than the Canadian couple at the RV park the first night.  We signed several guest books and I noted tourists from several countries in South America and other parts of Mexico.

One of my favorite movies, Old Gringo with Gregory Peck and Jane Fonda, was partially filmed in Zacatecas and in this building above.

In former times, water was channeled in this aqueduct to Zacatecas from the state of Guanajuato

The 74 remaining arches of El Cubo Aqueduct stretch across the city and wrap around General Enrique Estrada Park.

The centerpiece of Enrique Estrada Park is Fuente Espectacular, an enormous fountain with synchronized waterspouts that dance to piped-in music and are illuminated with multi-colored lights at night.

Then it was back to the RV park where we had a mini aqueduct/fountain to enjoy before heading north.