Here we are in Zacatecas

So here we are in Zacatecas—finally. It was an eight-hour drive for Mohita but she did well and we made it to this 450 year old city that is steeped in history. We travelled across the high plateau and saw clouds for the first time since we left California. Great towering clouds with beams of sunlight shining through—a most beautiful sight.

At 8,200 feet, Zacatecas is higher than Mexico City and we are really feeling the altitude—shortness of breath with the slightest exertion. The altitude creates a lovely climate however; the air is cool and the sun is warm. It has the feeling of one of those golden September days. Zacatecas is larger than we had expected with extensive suburbs and highway overpasses, but the old centre of the city is quite something to see. The churches and many of the other ancient buildings are made of a vibrant rose-coloured stone, and the streets and sidewalks are laid with basalt blocks. This part of town lies between two significant peaks so from the central area the streets wind up the hill, often with steps or ramps of stone.

It's quite a cultural centre with many interesting museums and galleries. We spent the afternoon at the Gallery of Abstract Art and discovered a couple of brilliant contemporary painters, Manuel Felguerez and Cecelia Garcia Amaro. This museum is housed in an incredibly beautiful building that began as a seminary, then was taken over for the headquarters of the Mexican Revolutionaries and later became the prison. About 15 years ago the local government did an amazing restoration to create the gallery.

For the past two weeks Zacatecas has hosted a huge music festival. If only we had known last night when we pulled in that we could have gone to see Bob Dylan perform as part of the festival! Tonight they're presenting some pop music from Argentina but we're just going to stay home to rest up so we can explore more of the city tomorrow.