Story: Taxco: The Silver City

Through the bus window, I found myself winding deeper and deeper into the hills of the Mexican countryside. I was en route to Taxco, the “Silver City,” on a bus that was larger than many of the homes we passed. The roads were becoming narrower and the hills, increasingly steep. I waited eagerly for my first glimpse of Taxco, but saw no sign of the quaint colonial town.

Eventually, the hairpin turns and steep incline were beginning to make me feel nauseous. I clutched my seat anxiously as the bus maneuvered its way through the contours of the mountains, huffing and puffing up each hill like every one was its last. Just as I was about to close my eyes and pray for the best, we made one final turn. Suddenly, unraveling before my eyes like a spool of Mexican history, was Taxco.

It came out of nowhere. The crowded, bustling town exploded from the Mexican countryside, completely unannounced but instantly breathtaking. I felt transported through time. Two and a half hours earlier I had been in modern Mexico City. Now I was in a town filled with red-tiled rooftops and white monasteries reminiscent of the 15th and 16th centuries. The streets and buildings are all built harmoniously into the landscape without trying to change the natural ascents and descents of the mountainous terrain. Ancient-looking cobblestoned sidewalks double as roads, which wind through the town like a magestic outdoor labyrinth. In Taxco, going for a walk is an adventure of its own.

The only car used throughout the town is the Volkswagen Beetle, thus everyone owns the exact same car in different colors (it reminded me of the homogeneous town in the movie Edward Scissorhands, and Taxco is just as fanciful). The Beetle is the only car that can navigate the steep and tiny streets due to the location of its engine in the back of the car rather than the front. As one walks, the toy-like cars only add to the fairytale charm that emanates from this unique town.

Buried within the State of Guerrero, Taxco is a place that seems to exist outside of time and reality. Sitting at an altitude of about 5,000 feet and located 3.5 hrs from Acapulco and 2.5 hours from Mexico City, Taxco is the perfect weekend getaway. While it might not have be the typical Mexican escape, it offers travelers the opportunity to visit a distinct facet of Mexican culture that is often invisible from the more popular resort towns.

Taxco earned its name as the “Silver City” for being a silver-mining capital. Evidence of its silver mining glory days persists throughout the excess of silver shops that line every sidewalk. Its reputation as a silver capital has been preserved – as has its beautiful history – by the many families who have been living as silversmiths in Taxco for hundreds of years. Luckily, many of the old monasteries have been converted into hotels without compromising their architectural beauty and without losing their eerie effect. In this town, one can experience and see the layers of Mexican history at every turn. Indications of the past have been vigilantly preserved, but Taxco is by no means creaky and old; it is still full of life, with a small burgeoning nightlife (that, admittedly, must obey the town's "quiet hours"), only now it has been imbedded with a new purpose.

Taxco is a truly authentic place with a rich past and a promising future. The size and compactness of the town (most shops, museums, and churches spill into the streets around the central Plaza Borda, where the Santa Prisca church is located) making the city easy to navigate, and completely walk-able – perfect for a weekend excursion. Be sure to sample the traditional Mexican restaurants, taste the chili pepper covered fruit sold by locals on the sidewalks, visit the Guillermo Spratling silver museum, and wander the busy streets aimlessly. And if you’re up for an adventure, organize a trip to the nearby Grutas de Cacahuamilpa where you can take a 3-hr tour inside one of the largest, most impressive preserved caves in the world (or, as the Taxcoans call it, “the Eighth World Wonder”).

Often reduced to a side-trip, Taxco can be much more. Many who stumble into the town decide never to leave. Every restaurant, church and shop has a story behind it. Both the days and nights cast an unforgettable spell on every traveler who passes through. Taxco is one of the most beautiful and picturesque towns in all of Mexico. If you every find yourself within a reasonable radius of its meandering cobblestone streets, I recommend exploring it for yourself.

For all who do go to Taxco, remember to get lost within the mesmerizing white walls of the “Silver City” as many times as possible. But when you leave, good luck trying to translate Taxco’s magic into words.

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