Planning a Trip

Getting There & Departing

By Plane -- Mexicana (tel. 800/531-7921 in the U.S., 01-800/502-2000 in Mexico, or 492/922-7429; www.mexicana.com) flies nonstop to and from Los Angeles. So does American Airlines (tel. 800/223-5436 in the U.S., or tel. 01-800/904-6000 in Mexico). Seats are hard to come by around Christmas, when native Zacatecans fly home in large numbers. Several domestic carriers link Zacatecas to other points in the country.

Transportation from the airport, 29km (18 miles) north of Zacatecas, is $15 by taxi.

By Car -- From the south, you can take Highway 45D, a toll road, from Querétaro through Irapuato, León, and Aguascalientes (a 6-hr. drive). It's expensive (about $30/£17) but fast. Highway 54 heads northeast to Saltillo and Monterrey (a 5- to 6-hr. drive) and southeast to Guadalajara (a 4 1/2-hr. drive). Highway 49 leads north to Torreón (4 hr.) and southeast to San Luis Potosí (3 hr.). Highway 45 heads to Durango (4 hr.).

By Bus -- Omnibus de México, Estrella Blanca, and their many affiliates handle first-class bus travel to and from Zacatecas. Together, they operate 20 buses a day to/from Guadalajara; 20 to/from León (where you would change buses for Guanajuato); 30 buses that go to/from Mexico City, stopping in Querétaro; and 12 per day to/from San Luis Potosí. The Central Camionera (bus station) is on a hilltop a bit out of town. The taxi ride costs about $4 (£2). You can check schedules and buy tickets from several travel agencies in town. Ask at your hotel.

Visitor Information

The downtown office is at Hidalgo 401 at Callejón de la Caja (tel. 492/924-4047 or 492/925-1277); it's open daily from 9am to 9pm. Sometimes there's an information desk outside on Hidalgo.

City Layout

Understanding traffic circulation in the middle of town requires an advanced degree in chaos theory. I either walk or let the cab driver handle it. The city's main axis is Hidalgo. From the Plaza de Armas (main square), it goes 8 blocks southwest to the Enrique Estrada Park and Hotel Quinta Real (changing names as it goes); in the opposite direction it reaches another 8 blocks to the Rafael Coronel Museum (again making a name change). The historical center of town extends several blocks on either side of this 1.5km (1-mile) stretch of Hidalgo.

Getting Around

I enjoy walking around Zacatecas, but the terrain is hilly and the air is thin. Cabs are inexpensive and readily available. Their availability declines somewhat between 2 and 4pm, when office workers snag them to get home for the midafternoon meal.

Special Events & Festivals

During Semana Santa (Holy Week), Zacatecas hosts an international cultural festival that the town hopes will eventually rival the Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato. Painters, poets, dancers, musicians, actors, and other artists converge on the town.

The annual Feria de Zacatecas, which celebrates the founding of the city, begins sometime during the first week of September and lasts for 2 weeks, incorporating the national Fiestas Patrias (independence celebration). Cockfights, bullfights, sporting events, band concerts, and general hoopla prevail. Famous bullfighters appear, and the cheap bullfight tickets go for around $8 (£4).