Taxco de Alarcón or simply Taxco is a small city in the north of the state of Guerrero in Mexico.
The city was born in 1528 during the Spanish colonization and the arrival of Hernán Cortés who discovered many silver mines. The city prospered widely until the 18th century and became one of the largest silver mining centers in Mexico.
The current name Taxco de Alarcón also commemorates the famous Mexican-Spanish writer Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza (1581–1639), who was probably born in Mexico City but lived and worked in Taxco before moving to Spain and there died. The place is classified as Pueblo Mágico-“Magic Town”.
Taxco is classified as a National Historic Monument thanks to its colonial architecture and its baroque Santa Prisca church built in 1748 on the initiative of José de la Borda.Despite Taxco’s rich history, its main attraction is the hundreds of silversmiths specializing in silver scattered throughout the city.
Access : Coordinates: 18.556389, -99.605 / Taxco located north of of the country, 36 km from the city of Iguala, 135 km from the capital of the state of Chilpancingo and 170 km southwest of Mexico City.
Highlights :
- Taxco, called in some books “Tasco”, played a major role in the history of silver mining in Mexico.
- On March 19, 1990, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) named the area of historical monuments of Taxco as a national heritage, which is made up of 72 blocks that include 96 buildings with historical value, built between the centuries xvii and xix.
- The city was named “Magic Town” of Mexico in 2002, being the third town to receive this award due to the quality of the silverware, the colonial constructions and the surrounding landscape, because many of Taxco’s buildings are colonial in style and date from the golden age.
- Taxco also belongs to the state’s Sun Triangle tourist area, along with the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Acapulco beach binomial.
- Taxco is one of the main tourist destinations in the State of Guerrero, together with the city and port of Acapulco and the Ixtapa – Zihuatanejo binomial, forming the tourist area known as the Triangle of the Sun.
- Top sights in Taxco : Built in the 1750s in the late Baroque Churrigueresque style, the Church of Santa Prisca is one of the most magnificent in all of Mexico. / The former monastery church of San Bernardino, dates from the 18th century. / The Casa Borda, the former residence of the clergy of Santa Prisca / Alexander von Humboldt lived in the stately house, later renamed Casa Humboldt, during his stay in Taxco in 1803. Today, the Museo Virreinal is housed here, in which various exhibits from the period before Mexico’s independence (1821) / The Mina de Taxco, which is accessible to visitors, provides insights into the times of silver mining with pickaxes etc.
Go next : Iguala, or Iguala de la Independencia, is a historic town in the state of Guerrero, Mexico./ Cuernavaca, City of Eternal Spring, the capital of the Mexican state of Morelos. A popular vacation place.
