Silver built Zacatecas, and you can see it in every street. The city lies in a narrow ravine at around 2,400 metres on the high plateau of north-central Mexico, founded in the 1540s after Spanish prospectors found rich silver veins in the surrounding hills. For centuries the mines here poured wealth into the Spanish crown, and the miners and merchants spent their share on churches, mansions and plazas of pinkish quarried stone. The centre became a World Heritage Site in 1993, and the city is also on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the long colonial road that ran from Mexico City to New Mexico.
The cathedral is the showpiece, its façade a dense riot of carved saints, vines and angels in the local Baroque style. Above the city rises the Cerro de la Bufa, a rocky hill with a chapel and a commanding view, where Pancho Villa's forces won a decisive battle in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. A cable car links the Bufa to another hill across the valley, and an old mine, El Edén, can be visited underground, its tunnels running beneath the city.
As a riding destination, Zacatecas offers high-altitude plateau roads with long straights, open views and big skies, interrupted by sudden mountain ranges. Federal highways 45 and 49 meet near the city and carry heavy truck traffic, while the smaller roads west towards Jerez, a pretty colonial town, and the rock formations of the Sierra de Órganos are much more enjoyable. At this height the air is thin, the sun burns quickly and evenings are cold, even in summer. Thunderstorms build on many summer afternoons during the rainy season.
The region also lies on the pilgrimage routes of the Wixárika, or Huichol, people, who travel to the sacred desert of Wirikuta further east, a living tradition that runs alongside the colonial history.
Fuel is plentiful at the Pemex stations in and around Zacatecas and Guadalupe. Safety is a real consideration: parts of the state have seen cartel violence, and travel advisories should be checked before you go. Ride in daylight, stay on main roads and ask locally about current conditions. Food is a reason to stop, from gorditas filled with stews to asado de boda, the rich red chile pork served at weddings.