The city of Zacatecas is a magical place and one I am sure would capture the heart at any time of year. It becomes really special by adding a major arts festival, coinciding with holy week, and one of the best views in town on the roof of a 100 peso budget hotel. A vista only bettered by riding the Swiss built teleferico - and that took a 1 hour wait.Stone paved streets, surrounded by large, amazing buildings - built on silver money in the 17th century - are brought to life by music, dance and theatre on every corner. Artists and craft stalls pepper the paths, with huge crowds everywhere. The blessing is that the tourists are largely Mexican families, from cities across the country, not gringos with flashing cameras. A curious cultural mix has been put together. I saw a mariachi band, the Mexican Muse (or so I thought), experimental Quebecois jazz and A Clockwork Orange - as part of a Stanley Kubrick series.
Once the culture ends, the serious business of drinking tequila starts. A myriad of odd bars are tucked away in the narrow streets. At Huracan, all the staff are all dressed as professional wrestlers, yet the interior design features religious inconography. In a more traditional mould, Las Quince Letras is the oldest bar in town and crams enough people in to make health and safety professionals drop dead. The night has to end in what is only known as 'la discoteque en la mina', because that's what it is... a nightclub at the bottom of disused silver mine.
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