Zacatecas!

March 7
Wednesday
At 8:30 a.m. we check out of the Casablanca, pile into the bus, and head for Zacatecas. The first stop is at Nombre de Dios, a very early town on the Camino Real.
We tour the town briefly. Some of our group, suffering from “churchitis,” cannot bear to tour yet another church. Most of us, however, are curious. This one is a beauty. The interior walls are a vibrant mint green, beautiful in an exotic way. Inez and I agree that these Mexican churches never disappoint. No matter how run down or dull the outside, each one has its own particular beauty inside. Like others along our route, this church has mosaic floors. Unlike others, however, it has a distinctly Moorish feeling. The arches are made of cement blocks. Between the arches are brick-lined domes. Before reboarding the bus, we buy snacks at a tiny general store. I’m lucky enough to purchase the last remaining bag of delicious dried apples, a bargain at ten pesos.
Today’s route is very long, and to avoid another 12 hour day in the bus (of which we’ve had a couple), we bypass Sombrerete and go on to the village of Contreras. Hal informs us that this village was on the original route of El Camino Real. After seeing the church, in which the Pacheco and Galuidan families are recognized, we wander through a section of ruins. Cylindrical watchtowers and an ancient acequia make it easy to imagine Juan Onate and his men passing through on their horses. The cultivated fields around us are dotted with pyramid-shaped grain repositories.
Our bus lumbers southward, pausing at a border town. Because we are passing a state line, from Durango to Zacatecas, and our driver must pay a fee. It is still a long way to the city of our destination. The surrounding countryside, rolling hills dotted with pinons, looks very much like northern New Mexico. A military control point requires us to stop for inspection. The new Mexican administration, Hal informs us, is really clamping down on drugs. Obviously, we do not look like suspicious characters, so we are waved through.
We pass many signs pointing to Fresnillos and Aguascalientes, heading ever southward. In Zacatecas at last! We check into Hotel Meson de Merced, conveniently located in the heart of downtown, freshen up, and then embark on a walking tour with a local guide named Ulysses. He shows us a cathedral dedicated to St. Augustine, baroque on the outside and neoclassical on the inside. We’re shown government buildings dating back to the time when Zacatecas minted coins for three different treasuries. Silver coins were made for China, the Philippines and New Spain. In exchange, Zacatecas received goods such as silk and ivory. We end the day’s tour with time at the Cathedral of Zacatecas, a graceful mix of Spanish and Indian design features.