From Mexico City by air about 1 hour; by rail about 17 hours; by bus about 8 hours; by car 613km/381mi on the MEX 75D and MEX 45 via León, Querétaro and Aguascalientes. The attractive colonial town of Zacatecas, capital of the state of the same name, is situated in a narrow gorge, dominated by the hills of La Bufa, Mala Noche and El Padre and surrounded by a plateau with mountainous outcrops. For centuries the town was an important centre for silver mining. Today Zacatecas is one of the most beautiful colonial towns in the country with its attractive old buildings and cobbled streets.

The region around Zacatecas (Náhuatl: "land where zacate grass grows") was inhabited by various Indian tribes in pre-Hispanic times. Very little is known about them although they may well have at times come under the influence of the culture centres of Chalchihuites and La Quemada (Chicomóztoc).
A group of Conquistadores led by Juan de Tolosa, who were searching for silver, founded the town in 1546. The settlement quickly became rich through silver mining and in 1585 received its charter from Philip II. During the Revolutionary War there was a bitter struggle here between troops of the dictator Victoriano Huerta and Francisco ("Pancho") Villa, in which the latter was the victor. In 1993 UNESCO declared this historical town a world cultural heritage centre.