10 Best Sights in San Miguel de Allende and the Heartland, Mexico

The only cable car in the world to cross an entire city, the Teleférico runs from Cerro del Grillo (Cricket Hill) above the Mina Edén to Cerro de la Bufa. Though it crosses at the narrowest point, it showcases the city's magnificent panorama and baroque church domes and spires. It's worth the cost to get the ride up to Cerro de la Bufa, which is quite a climb otherwise.

This is one of Mexico's finest interpretations of baroque style. It has three facades—the principal one dedicated to the Eucharist is best viewed from 2 to 6 pm, when the afternoon sun lights up the deeply sculpted reliefs. Inside, the 20-ton main altarpiece is bathed in 24-karat gold and has statues of 11 important saints, including the Virgin of the Assumption, to whom the cathedral is dedicated. It was completed in 2010, to replace more sober, neoclassical altar decorations that in the 19th century were installed to replace the original baroque altar.

Pancho Villa's definitive battle against dictator Victoriano Huerta occurred on this rugged hill, now a city landmark, in June 1914. The spacious Plaza de la Revolución, paved with three shades of pink Zacatecas stone, is crowned with huge statues of Mexican heroes. You can ride a zip line (MX$200 per person, or MX$300 for two) or have your photo taken dressed up like Pancho Villa (complete with antique rifle) and a soldadera (female soldier) companion, with outfits supplied by an enterprising young man. A walk up to the observatory gets you the best view of Zacatecas. Also on-site is the Sanctuario de la Virgen de Patrocinio, a chapel dedicated to the city's patron, and the Museo de la Toma de Zacatecas, which has a separate admission charge.

Some folks take a cab up and the cable car back down to the city; others enjoy taking the cable car up to the site and walking back down.

From 1586 until 1960 this mine supplied Zacatecas with most of its silver. Most tours are in Spanish, but props and dioramas within the individual caves (those that aren't flooded) help re-create a picture of the miner's life. Visitors enter on a little train, but there is walking, too, and plenty of steps; wear sturdy shoes and bring a sweater. There's a snack shop, a museum where you can see examples of different minerals and fossils, and, of course, the obligatory gift shop.

At the top of Cerro de la Bufa is the Museo de la Toma de Zacatecas, which has 10 rooms of historic objects such as guns, newspapers, furniture, and clothing from the days of Pancho Villa.

Originally a Jesuit seminary and later a Dominican monastery, this building was used as a jail in the 18th century, and is now a museum that exhibits the work of Zacatecas artist and sculptor Pedro Coronel. Also on display is his extensive collection of works by Picasso, Dalí, Miró, Braque, and Chagall, among others, as well as art from Africa, China, Japan, India, Tibet, Greece, and Egypt.

Concealed by the former Convento de San Francisco's mellow, pink, 18th-century facade is a rambling structure of open, arched corridors, all leading through garden patios to rooms that exhibit, on a rotating basis, 3,000 of the museum's 10,000 máscaras (masks). These representations of saints and devils, wise men and fools, animals and humans were (and still are, in some parts of Mexico) used in regional religious festivals. The museum also has a remarkable display of puppets, pre-Hispanic art, photography, and paintings.

Because the collection can be overwhelming and the grounds are very pretty, you might take a snack and enjoy a small outdoor break during your visit.

Across from el palacio de gobierno (state government office) is a national monument, an18th-century colonial building with lacy ironwork balconies, built from native pink stone. Today housing the Justice Department (Tribunal Superior de Justicia), its historical name is "Palace of the Bad Night," which, according to legend, was the home of a silver-mine owner. The mine had failed, so, left with only enough funds to pay his workers' final wages, he went to pray at the cathedral. On the way home he ran into a woman whose son was sick and gave her everything he had. Early the next morning loud banging on the door seemed to herald his doom, but upon opening the door he was instead informed that the mine workers had found the richest gold vein ever seen in these parts.

This 18th-century Jesuit church has an ornamented facade and an opulent interior with religious paintings. In the sacristy is an extensive collection of religious art.

By the time the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, this ancient city was already a ruin. The site's original name, Chicomostoc, means "place of the seven tribes." It was previously believed that seven different cultures had occupied the area, each one building atop the other's city. Debate continues as to whether the inhabitants of the area were related to the Mesoamericans (who occupied what is today central Mexico through northern Central America) or the indigenous cultures of what is now the southwestern United States. The site consists of the ruins of a ceremonial pyramid and a ball court; the principal draw is the rose-colored Salón de las Columnas, containing 11 massive round columns built of the same small slabs of rock. Interesting artifacts are housed in the site's impressive museum. To get here, take a bus toward Villanueva, get off at the entrance to La Quemada, and walk 3 km (2 miles). The bus ride takes about an hour and involves a long walk. Most visitors find it easier to take a taxi or guided tour out of Zacatecas.