We'll start at 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 chance to enter the Valenciana mine accompanied by a geologist, who will explain its construction, the historical mining techniques, and the most relevant geological data of 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 get to see the majestic church of San Cayetano, a symbol of mining splendor, and you'll be able to check out local businesses that offer minerals and crafts.
Then we'll head to the Cata neighborhood, visiting the Cata mine, the former Villaseca hacienda, the Bustos hacienda, the Don Quixote square, and the Cata temple, where the Lord of Villaseca is venerated. Later, we'll head into Mellado, perched atop a hill with breathtaking views, to explore the Plaza de Mellado, the Templo de la Merced, the Capilla del Señor de los Trabajos, the Hospicio de Santa Fe, the Mineral de San Juan de Rayas, the Tiro de Mellado, and the Mina de Garrapata.
In Mellado, you can also see a historic stretch of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, one of the most important commercial and cultural routes of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This road, also called the Camino de la Plata, stretched for over 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 wrap up the tour at the iconic Rayas mine, a testament to Guanajuato's mining power, and then take you back to Plaza de la Paz.