Real de Catorce

San Luis Potosí, Mexico

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Real de Catorce, in the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, is a former silver‑mining town set high in the Sierra de Catorce mountains, about 2,200 meters above sea level and reached through the 2.3‑kilometer Ogarrio tunnel cut straight into the rock.

Founded in the late 18th century, it briefly became one of the richest mining centers in the Americas, and today its cobblestone streets, crumbling colonial buildings, and mine ruins give it the feel of a “ghost town” blended with a carefully revived Pueblo Mágico.

The town is famous for its striking stone church, the Immaculate Conception, its old bullring, and the mint building where silver was once processed, all set against a dramatic high‑desert landscape. Real de Catorce also holds deep spiritual significance for the Huichol people, who trek there for peyote ceremonies, and it attracts visitors drawn to mining history, mysticism, hiking, and off‑road tours into the surrounding canyons and peaks.