silver and light

There is a Zacatecas because there is silver in them thar hills.

Unlike a number of other mining areas, the Spanish did not discover silver on their own during their conquest of Mexico in the 1520s and 1530s. The Indians who controlled this area had mined, but primarily for turquoise. In the process, they also found silver. That discovery has determined a lot of what Mexico is -- even to this day.

We arrived last night to one of the most interesting reverse sunsets I have seen. I suppose it was because of the structure of the clouds, but the colors had a certain J.M.W. Turner look or perhaps something even more contemporary. It was a good omen for today's introduction to Zacatecas.

When Texas and three other Mexican states seceded from Mexico in the 1830s, Zacatecas took the opportunity to secede, as well. President López de Santa Anna quickly put down the rebellion on his way to Texas where he met a completely different result. But the area around the city of Aguacalientes had supported the government. As a result, Zacatecas was punished by the loss of its territory when Aguacalientes became a state of its own.

Our Zacatecas guide, Rosalio.

Zacatecas is on the border between northern and southern Mexico, but its citizens consider themselves northerners. It is no surprise that the area has been part of every major war in Mexico's history. Independence. Reforma. The French Incursion. The Revolution.

Not only is it strategically located, it is a wealthy city. All of that silver made many people rich. But it killed far more.

The wealth is evidenced in the city's cathedral. Its facade is considered to be one of the best examples of Mexican Churrigueresque architecture -- the Spanish version of Rococo architecture.

The facade is replete with theological stories and symbolism. Apostles and trinity carved in stone.

The church of Santo Domingo has walls decorated with gold leaf -- giving the impression of a well-designed music box. A bit of ostentatious display not uncommon in Mexican mining town churches.

All of that opulence came from the mines of Zacatecas. When the Spanish arrived, they seized operating mines and discovered others. They then enslaved the local tribes to mine for them.

Being an Indian miner was initially a death sentence. Miners often lived for no more than 2 years. When the Spanish arrived in 1519, there were 25 million Indians in Mexico. within 20 years only 1 million were still alive. Death in the mines was one reason.

I picked up a tourist brochure distributed by the government of Zacatecss. In the middle of a paragraph on population, this jarring bit of trivia appeared. "Zacatecas has the smallest percentage of indigenous population of any state of Mexivo."

Of course they do. And the mines are one reason.

Even after the Catholic church ordered the end of slavery, it persisted in other forms.

We visited the Eden Mine, what had been a working silver mine up until 1960s. It is now a virtual museum. Complete with dioramas that demonstrate how miners plied their trade.

A wag in our group said he felt as if we were in Disneyland. It did have a bit of that feel, but the difference is this was a real mine with real wealth and death.

I doubt any of us would have felt comfortable clamoring through this mine when it was operating. Nor would the owners have allowed it -- for our own safety.

From an historical perspective, it was interesting to see techniques from pre-Hispanic mining through to the Industrial Revolution.

One of the great ironies is that as Mexico became richer in the 1890s through the Industrial Revolution, the Mexican Revolution was brewing here in northern Mexico. Most of the industry was owned by foreign interests. Canadians and the British owned most of the mines around Zacatecas.

That ownership came to an end with the Mexican Revolution. And, once again, Zacatecas played a pivotal role.

One of the turning points in what some historians call the second phase of the Revolution was the Battle of Zacatecas in 1914 where a total of 8,000 men died on one day in battle. The victorious insurgents were led by one of the Heroes of the Revolution -- Pancho Villa.

La Bufa is a hill above this city that sits at about 8000 feet above sea level. Tourists drive to the top for three reasons: the view, to ride the gondola, and to see a heroic monument to three generals of that battle -- Villa, Natero, and Angeles.

History has a way of recycling itself. After the Revolution, foreign investors were expelled from the country, including the Canadian mine owners.

The Canadians are now back, offering good wages to local miners. Even so, history dies hard, and there are many people in Zacatecas who have not welcomed the return of the foreigners. The voices of the dead in the mines still whisper to some.

We were then released on our own for the afternoon. I chose to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. And I am glad I did.

It is one of those places where I could have spent eight hours. I say that, but after about three hours of analyzing good art, I have to stop. It is like eating a full chocolate cake in one sitting.

The museum houses some of the best works by contemporary Mexican artists. The large collection of the works of Manuel Felguérez are housed in one wing of the museum. I am quite partial to it.

I was even more impressed how the museum curator chose to display many of his paintings. Rather than displaying the paintings only in long corridors, the museum has built three suspended bridges that allow the viewer to see a large assortment of Felguérez's work in a small space.

But one exhibit still has me pondering. In 1970 Mexico had a pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. The museum now houses the huge paintings that were displayed there.

It is hard to describe how monumental these pieces are. Collectively, they are known as the Murals of Osaka. And that is the effect they have. As murals. The size concurrently minimizes the size of the viewer while concurrently expanded his humanity. When I walked into the room, I actually stopped in mid-stride.

And that brings us full circle. We were welcomed to Zacatecas with that abstract light that finds its place in modern art.

And, even though Zacatecas bears the burden of a UNESCO listing, it is not captured in amber. It is a a vibrant city that has found its place in the 21st century.