South of Zacatecas, on the high plateau of northern Mexico, the old Camino Real de Tierra Adentro passes through a landscape of dry hills, maize fields and mesquite. This was the royal road of the interior, the great artery that ran from Mexico City for more than two and a half thousand kilometres north to Santa Fe, in what is now New Mexico, and it was the backbone of Spanish colonial expansion. Wagons and mule trains carried the silver from the mines of Zacatecas and Guanajuato south to the capital and the coast, while settlers, soldiers, priests and goods made their way north. Along the route, haciendas, chapels, bridges and towns grew up, and today sixty sites, including the historic centre of Zacatecas, form a World Heritage route.
Zacatecas itself is the jewel of the region, a city of pink sandstone built in a narrow ravine at an altitude of around two and a half thousand metres. Its baroque cathedral, with a carved façade of astonishing richness, is one of the most beautiful in Mexico, and the hill of La Bufa, which looms above the city, was the scene of a decisive battle in 1914 during the Revolution, when Pancho Villa's troops took the city. A cable car runs across the town to the summit. The old Eden mine, where you can take a small train into the mountain, gives an idea of the silver that made the city rich.
Riding up here is a high-altitude experience. The air is thin, mornings are cool even in summer, and the sun is strong. Roads around Zacatecas, such as federal highways 45 and 49, are generally in good condition, with long straights and open bends through dry hills, but trucks are heavy, and some stretches carry a lot of traffic. Smaller roads lead to villages, old haciendas and the sanctuary of Plateros near Fresnillo, home of the Santo Niño de Atocha, which attracts large numbers of pilgrims. Watch out for topes and animals, and do not ride at night.
Trancoso and the suburbs of Guadalupe and Zacatecas have fuel, shops and restaurants. In Zacatecas, try enchiladas zacatecanas and gorditas, and visit one of the old cantinas in the centre. Mezcal from the state of Zacatecas is also worth trying, preferably after the bike has been parked.