We'll start in the Plaza de la Paz and head to the Valenciana neighborhood, where we'll visit the Valenciana Mine, discovered between the 16th and 18th centuries, and the Tiro de Guadalupe. You'll have the opportunity to enter the Valenciana Mine accompanied by a geologist, who will explain its construction, the historical mining techniques, and the most relevant geological facts about the Veta Madre, a formation of more than 25 km that crosses Valenciana, Cata, Mellado, Sirena, and Rayas, rich in silver and gold. You'll also see the majestic Church of San Cayetano, a symbol of the mining era's splendor, and you'll be able to browse local shops offering minerals and handicrafts.
We'll then continue to the Cata district, visiting the Cata mine, the former Villaseca hacienda, the Bustos hacienda, the Plazuela de Don Quijote, and the Cata temple, where the Señor de Villaseca is venerated. Later, we'll head into Mellado, perched on a hill with breathtaking views, to see the Plaza de Mellado, the Temple of La Merced, the Chapel of the Señor de los Trabajos, the Hospice of Santa Fe, the San Juan de Rayas mine, the Tiro de Mellado, and the Garrapata mine.
In Mellado, you can also see a historic section of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, one of the most important trade and cultural routes of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This road, also called the Camino de la Plata, stretched for more than 2,500 kilometers from Mexico City to Santa Fe, in what is now the United States, and was actively used between the 16th and 19th centuries. Its main function was to connect the mining areas of the north, such as Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Chihuahua, with the administrative and commercial centers of the south.
We'll end the tour at the iconic Rayas mine, a testament to the mining power of Guanajuato, and then take you back to Plaza de la Paz.