Zacatecas, Mexico

Zacatecas is a city in Mexico, the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It was founded in 1548, two years after the nearby discovery of silver, and became an officially-recognized city in 1584. Its population as of the 2005 census was 122,889. Zacatecas is also the municipal seat of the municipality of Zacatecas which surrounds the city. The municipality has a population of 132,035 and an area of 444 km (171.4 sq mi). The city is the largest in the state, slightly larger than Fresnillo (pop. 110,892), but the municipality of Fresnillo (pop. 196,538) has a greater area, with more population in its outlying communities.

Zacatecas, UNESCO's World Heritage Site

Zacatecas is an emblematic symbol of baroque architecture. Narrow streets that suddenly meet the wide plazas and impressive row houses are engraved into the very skin of the cathedrals faade. The city of Zacatecas was founded in 1546 as a mining town crisscrossed by invisible tunnels where silver and other minerals were extracted during colonial times. And for centuries, it served as the northern frontier of Spains New World Empire.

Parameters of the World Heritage Site

Zacatecas is a well preserved and carefully conserved example of a Spanish colonial town, with the irregular layout characteristic of those whose economy is based on mining.

According to the UNESCO criteria, the reasons for this property to be inscribed in the WHS list are:
Zacatecas was one of the principal centres of silver mining from the early Spanish period until the 20th century and its architecture and layout reflect its economic importance and the resultant cultural flowering which influenced developments in these fields in central and north America

Zacatecas is an outstanding example of European colonial settlement that is perfectly adapted to the constraints imposed by the topography of a metalliferous mountainous region.

Armando Vargas,
Sous Chef, Meson de Jobito

Armando Vargas, Sous Chef, has been working in Meson de Jobito for the last 8 years. In the past, he has worked in different restaurants in Santa Monica, California such as La Jirafa, Il Fornaggio and Langosta Roja (Red Lobster). With almost 20 years working as a chef, his best creation for "El Mesonero" has been a special called "huevos encarcelados" for breakfast (imprisoned eggs).

Slideshow of Michael and Susan