South of Mexico City, deep in the mountains of the state of Guerrero, sits a town that was once one of the largest suppliers of silver in the Spanish Empire. Though it produces less silver now than in years past, Taxco is still world-renowned for its intricate silver jewelry creations and family-run workshops that attract thousands of visitors every year. But beyond silver shopping, the town offers a wide variety of cultural attractions that exist thanks to mining.
From one of Mexico’s most famous churches — built with silver money — to a hidden pre-Columbian silver mine and a City of Light award, here are 5 surprising things you didn’t know about Mexico’s most famous silver town. Sitting atop steep hills and surrounded by dramatic cliffs, Taxco — whose official name is Taxco de Alarcón — was founded in 1529. But it wasn’t the first Taxco: the Indigenous town of that name, now called Taxco el Viejo, lies south of the city we know today.
In 1521, Hernán Cortés sent an expedition to find tin ore. Due to the geology of the region, deposits of silver abounded in the area, and a few years later the Spanish set up the mining camp that would soon become the city of Taxco. Under the Spanish, mining in Taxco began around 1524, making it one of the oldest European mining centers in the Americas.
However, its true mining heyday happened in the 18th century, after Spanish businessman José de la Borda inherited a mine from his brother Francisco and found the San Ig.