El Edén Mine

The El Edén Mine is one of the earliest European shaft-mines to have been sunk into the Zacatecas mountains. Today, it's one of very few you can visit and boasts dioramas, guided tours and even a mine-cart ride. There's a museum of the rocks and minerals produced within the mine, and a visitors.

The mine began tunneling into the earth way back in 1586, just 40 years after the first silver veins were dicovered in the area. Zacatecas' legacy as a mining center was still in its infancy. But somehow the mine kept producing silver and gold, among other precious minerals all the way until 1960 when it finally closed. Today, it's one of the most well-preserved mines of its kind anywhere in the world.   

The mine cart train visits the La Esperanza but visitors can also walk the El Grillo tunnel. Guides are on hand to convey some of the legends that came up with the silver over hundreds of years. Visitors arrive today not just to escape the heat. A trip into the tunnels gives you a profound appreciation for the earth as a provider for human culture's world wide.

The Museum of Rocks and Minerals, the biggest of its kind in Latin America, lets visitors admire precious stones from around the world. There's even an underground nightclub within the former rock crushing room. 

The El Edén Mine is less than ten-minutes walk from the Plaza de Armas area.It's often visited as a part of a visit to the city center and the many museums and other attractions and shops in the area. While is has many of the trappings of a mere tourist haunt, it's still an eye-opening view of the deep past of the Zacatecas capital, and one that gives invaluable insight into the people and culture of today. 

Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.