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Taxco and Cuernavaca
 
One of the most popular day trips from Mexico City is the trip to the towns of Cuernavaca and Taxco. These towns are gems. Taxco particularly, is the Mexico you thought you were going to go to when you arrived in Mexico City. These towns maintain a rich cultural atmosphere in the face of a modernizing and touristy Mexico.

The small town of Taxco has a population of only 52,000. It is a town of beautiful colonial antique buildings set against a stunning landscape. Narrow cobblestone streets lead through the maze of buildings, occasionally opening out onto a plaza or a fountain.

The federal government has declared the entire city a national historical monument. Older buildings are restored when they can, and any new buildings must mesh well with the surrounding buildings and be built in the same style, even using the same materials.

Taxco has some very interesting festivals; if you plan to visit this time warp of a town, be sure and plan your visit to coincide with one of these celebrations.
Since Taxco is a silver mining town, it only goes to reason that some of their silversmiths are the best. There are hundreds of small shops that sell silver works at very reasonable prices. The purity of the silver is very high and they have very strict grading systems.

The weeklong national silver fair, Feria de la Plata, is held during the last week in November or the first week in December, and is a big deal in the small town of Taxco. In preparation for this fair, each shop produces their best work with the hope of winning the competition and bringing fame and business to their establishment.

Below are some of the finer works in some of these shops. Not surprisingly, these items sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

The insides of these little silver shops are sights to see unto themselves. Some are styled and constructed with themes, like this beautiful cavern-shaped shop.

 

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