Taxco, Mexico

...of the town with Monte Taxco, a hotel, golf course and villas complex up atop a neighbouring hill. Lots of people using it are therefore hotel guests and staff, but anyone can take a trip to enjoy spectacular views of this pretty place. It's a short hike to get to the base station (again, a 3.50 bus / 15 peso taxi would have taken me easily) but I decided to keep going on foot. You walk down, out of town onto the main road, pass the supermarket and ...
...are about 20 km from Taxco, and busses leave regularly. I got on a regular bus since that was the next one leaving, and the 45 minute trip cost 26 pesos. I asked the driver to tell me when to get off and he did, but he didn't then tell me which way to go. Luckily others had got off here too, so I followed them down the hill, but since they were Mexicans (i.e. People Who Don't Walk Anywhere) after 30 seconds we were in taxis heading the rest of the ... more

I would like to say I've always wanted to go to the silver mining town of Taxco. I'd like to say this because I'd like to be the kind of person who plans trips to places they've always wanted to go, and spends ages getting excited about them. I'm not that kind of person. I'm more into instant gratification, so I decided I wanted to go to Taxco and promptly booked a weekend there, no real thinking about it. Why, out of all the destinations a few hours out of the city, did Taxco catch my eye? Because it has a cable car. And I LOVE cable cars a perhaps obscene amount.

The bus trip from Mexico City takes 2 hours 30 minutes, and costs 125 pesos one way (see exchange rate at the end). I left on Saturday morning, returned Sunday afternoon, and had just the right amount of time in the town. Taxco is super pretty. As you come round the final curve on the mountain highway, the town springs into view, and it's the sort of view that takes your breath away. The town is set into the hillside, with white washed buildings stacking up on top of each other, and a large Christ statue overlooking it all, à la Rio. We pulled into the Estrella Blanca bus station, which is one of several in town, as different companies use different drop off points. I use the term "bus station" loosely, since really it was just half a dozen slots for busses to pull into, and some ticket counters, but despite the poor excuse for a shop, and the lack of cafe, they did have a helpful tourist information stand where I got a free map and directions to the centre.

You choices for getting around Taxco are the combis (shared, minibuses, that cost 3.50 pesos, regardless of distance within the town limits), taxis (ditto, but their standard fee is 15 pesos) or hiking. You really can't call it walking given the almost vertical nature of many of these cobbled streets. I decided hiking would be a good substitute for the gym I'd left too early to go to, and set off up the hill. The route to Plaza Borda, the central square, is simple if a little steep. You follow the road in front of the bus station, turn right at the first square you come to, and follow that alley for a few more meters. It took me maybe 15 minutes going up, and significantly less coming down.

Plaza Borda is a leafy, green plaza similar to those in Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Puebla, and any other decent Mexican town. It is surrounded by shops and restaurants, and in addition to a band stand, some benches and various street sellers, is home to the Iglesia de Santa Prisa, Taxco's main church and a good landmark to navigate by in town, as you can see its twin towers and large, octagonal dome, from quite a distance. Though it had regular church services, you can peek inside too. It's nothing too special - a fancy alter, some nice art work - but the most obvious thing that stands out is the masses of gold inside, the only place you'll find any in a town so renowned for its silver.

Leaving the church behind, my first stop was the teleférico (cable car), since it was after all my reason for being in the town. The weather was good - sunny, with no wind - so I figured my chances were good, and I didn't want to risk waiting. The cable car links the edge of the town with Monte Taxco, a hotel, golf course and villas complex up atop a neighbouring hill. Lots of people using it are therefore hotel guests and staff, but anyone can take a trip to enjoy spectacular views of this pretty place. It's a short hike to get to the base station (again, a 3.50 bus / 15 peso taxi would have taken me easily) but I decided to keep going on foot. You walk down, out of town onto the main road, pass the supermarket and keep going until you reach Los Arcos, a tiny little attempt at a viaduct which crosses the main road. Here you go left up a small hill until you see the launch. Tickets are only sold at the top, so you just pass through the turnstile, board a gondola, and pay when you get to the other end. Although they made me share (a shame, since aside from the hotel employee who was thrown in with me, there was no one at all waiting) it was a good ride, if a little short. At the top I paid my return fee (32 pesos), had a quick nosy round and then came straight on back down, since there are limited views from the top due to buildings being in the way. The best photos come from the trip down, as you're on the correct side to get a clear view of the town.

I knew I wanted to go to the famous caves nearby during my weekend, and decided it would be easier to go next rather than trying to coordinate a trip the following day, with my pre-booked bus home. The Grutas de Cacahuamilpa are about 20 km from Taxco, and busses leave regularly. I got on a regular bus since that was the next one leaving, and the 45 minute trip cost 26 pesos. I asked the driver to tell me when to get off and he did, but he didn't then tell me which way to go. Luckily others had got off here too, so I followed them down the hill, but since they were Mexicans (i.e. People Who Don't Walk Anywhere) after 30 seconds we were in taxis heading the rest of the way. This cost 5 pesos per person (and since the taxis were just normal cars next to a Tacos stand, that seemed reasonable) but if I went again I'd just walk as it would only take 10 minutes, and it's all downhill.

The caves are extremely popular, and as such you have to go en masse on a guided tour. These depart on the hour, so we had a little time to wait. At the entrance to the caves there are various food and drink stands, plus others selling souvenirs. There are also free toilets (though you have to pay a peso or two for the toilet paper). The tour lasts 2 hours and is about 4km (2km in with a guide...then walking back on your own at your leisure). They only offer these tours in Spanish, but you don't really have to understand to enjoy it, as most of the time our guide was pointing his flashlight at various rock formations with "funny" shapes, and you don't have to be bilingual to be able to recognise Father Christmas, Homer Simpson, Barbie etc. It sounds cheesy, but it was really fun. The caves are massive - I've never seen anything like them, as the tops are wildly high, and some of the stalactites and stalagmites enormous. It was like being in some kind of magical underground world, and I wasn't surprised to learn various films had had scenes shot here. One thing I was surprised by though was how accessible the place was - at the start there are ramps as well as steps, and after this almost everything is a flat path, with just some steps at the end. There were various babies in pushchairs, and elderly people with walking sticks managing just fine. We even saw one woman in a wheelchair coming out as we were going in. Although you can't get right to the final cave without walking, you could enjoy the vast majority of the tour. In fact, if you do have difficulty walking, then the caves are suprisingly a lot easier to navigate than the streets of Taxco.

Along the way I befriended a couple of girls. One was a (Mexican) English teacher who lives about 4 streets away from me in the city. Weird. Anyway, they were in a rush as they were leaving that day, so we agreed to get a taxi back rather than try to find a bus. Very unseasonably it had started to rain by this point, so it seemed an extra good idea. There were lots of taxis waiting, and they were happy to take us in the direction of Taxco but, apparently, due to licensing laws they couldn't actually drive us up to the centre, so we were dropped at the bottom of the hill. The whole trip took nearly 5 hours, but that included the time we had to wait for the next tour to depart.

I had great plans to go for a swim in my hotel's pool (Outside! In February!) but the rain put me off so I went for dinner instead. Taxco is brimming with places to eat, but most are stands or small Comida Corrida places, not full blown restaurants. I found one though, which like many restaurants in town, had lovely views (and nice, glassless windows through which to enjoy them). Food here is cheap - I paid 50 pesos (£2.35) for pasta and a drink, and that included a generous tip. The next day I had cake and coke in Vicky's overlooking the church, and therefore arguably the best view in town, and that cost a mere 40 pesos (£1.85) including tip. If drinking's your thing, the Margarita cocktail was allegedly invented here, and the bar it all happened in still stands on Plaza Borda.

On Sunday I had time to explore the centre, but first I needed breakfast. Buffet breakfasts aren't that common in Mexico in general, but Taxco seems to be the exception, as many places were advertising them, especially for Sundays. I took the lazy option and ate in my hotel, and both the selection and quality was top notch. Having eaten enough to last me all day, barring and ice cream or two, I headed out.

My first stop was the museum Guillermo Spratling, named for the American William Spratling who arrived in the 1930s and brought about the town's second revival, turning it into the silver centre it is today. This is not a silver museum though - it's full of pre-Colombian artefacts, like a human skull adorned with stunning mosaic tiles. The museum is not large - it takes up two floors, but with only one room on each - and if you've visited the Anthropology museum or Templo Mayor in Mexico City, then you'll have seen it all before. It is interesting however for its layout, which is like a fancy jewellery shop, with all the exhibits in glass cases round the edge of the room and fancy up-lighting. It's also free on Sundays (bonus!) or costs 31 pesos the rest of the week.

My next stop, a literal stone's throw away, was the Museo de Arte Virreinal, where entrance is 20 pesos. You have to "register" at Taxco's museums, so I was writing in the visitors' book when the weird old Argentinean man who had just entered ahead of me decided to take a photo of me. Rather worryingly, none of the museum's guards seemed to think this at all strange. I promptly went round the museum in a zig-zag manner to avoid following a few steps behind him all the way, but I did loiter for a little bit at this fantastic piece near the entrance, which looks like a large, square tiered wedding cake, with fabulous murals on the 3 panels on each of the 4 sides. This museum is more history than its "Art Museum" name would suggest, but was made more interesting by the bilingual signs on almost all the exhibits (something lacking from the Spratling museum).

Taxco's main trade is in silver, so almost every shop and stand you come across (and for a small town, there is a huge number) is a jewellers. You can spend from a couple of pounds to a month's salary or more (at least at local pay rates) on anything you could imagine, though a lot of the shops you soon find are stocking identical items. I didn't buy a thing - making me probably the first tourist, ever, to say this - but I enjoyed looking. My problem was that everything I liked was expensive - not just compared to what I earn here, but compared to what I would ever wish to spend on jewellery. I couldn't help thinking that if I were to want to spend that much, it would have to be a shop where I'd get an iconic blue bag to go with my purchase. In Taxco, jewellery shops are called Platerias, not to be confused with Paleterias (ice cream shops) where I was willing to spend my money. The best ones are located on the street between the bus station and the centre, but I tried several during my day and a half, just to be sure. I would especially recommend Mixx, a local chain, where for 15 pesos you can get a whippy yoghurt (healthy, y'know) with a base and two toppings (slightly less healthy).

Would I recommend a weekend in Taxco? Definitely. The town has a wonderful charm to it and every corner you turn there's a view worthy of a postcard. There's not so much to do that you're distracted from the architecture of the town, but if you crave adventure or a change of (stunning) scenery, the caves are nearby, as are various other half-day attractions. Busses depart from Mexico City every couple of hours, and the journey is pleasant - on anything except the hideous budget busses, you'll get a direct service with free drinks and nibbles, air conditioning, on board toilets and a couple of films. We even got one in English on the way back. Taxco is unique - you can't begin to compare it with anywhere else in the region - and therefore provides a brilliant contrast to the more industrial Mexico City, or the more Colonial Querétaro or San Miguel de Allende. If you don't want to see the Grutas you can easily do Taxco in a day with an early start and late finish, but I much preferred a relaxed overnight stay and the chance to see a bit more of the region while I was at it.

At the moment, 21 pesos is about £1. So at this exchange rate my weekend racked up as follows:

Bus tickets 2 x 125 pesos = £11.75
Hotel 580 pesos = £27.25
Buffet breakfast 90 pesos =£4.20
Cable car 32 pesos = £1.50
Grutas 60 pesos = £2.80
Transport to Grutas and back 83 pesos = £3.85
Dinner 50 pesos = £2.35
Cake 40 pesos = £1.85
Museum entrance 20 pesos = 90p
4 ice creams (ahem) 70 pesos = £3.25

Total for the weekend.... just under £60. Bargain!

For more about:

TAXCO:

http://www.floramex.com/li-history_of_silver_in_t axco.htm

http://gomexico.about.com/od/colonialcities/p/tax co.htm

the GRUTAS:

http://cacahuamilpa.conanp.gob.mx/

 

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