Mineral de Pozos

It was a booming silver mining town in the late 1500s when Spanish colonists discovered the first silver deposits. The mines petered out in the 19th century until another deposit was found and the town boomed again. The Mexican Revolution saw many of the miners drop their picks and shovels to pick up rifles and join one army or another. After the revolution, miners returned, but a flood in the late 1930s flooded the shafts and tunnels and the mining company pulled out (along with most of the miners). By 1950, the boom town of almost 30,000 became a ghost town of 200 people. It has largely stayed that way until the 21st century when artists and adventurous young people began slowly coming back and reclaiming the often spectacular buildings as their homes and businesses. As of 2020, the town has a population of about 2,500. The closest airport is either the Aeropuerto Bajío/León (BJX) or the Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO). Both airports are about 2 hours by taxi from Mineral de Pozos. From San Miguel de Allende it is a 1-hour drive to Mineral de Pozos via Guanajuato state highway 1 (Carr. San Miguel - Dr Mora). From Dolores Hidalgo it is also a 1-hour drive. Use federal highway MEX-130 east to San Luis de la Paz, then turn South on GTO-1. If you prefer not to drive, tour guides in both cities can arrange day trips that include transportation. Walking is the best option, especially given the sheer number of photogenic spots just begging for you to take pictures....