Cerro de la Bufa

La Bufa is the rock that decides how Zacatecas looks: a crested hill rising directly above the colonial centre, named for its resemblance to a wineskin, and reached by a cable car that swings across the whole city from the Cerro del Grillo station - a short ride with the best possible introduction to a town of pink cantera roofs packed into a ravine. On top sits an ensemble: the eighteenth-century chapel of the Virgen del Patrocinio, the city's patroness, still a pilgrimage focus; the Museo de la Toma de Zacatecas, which recounts the 1914 battle fought on these slopes, one of the decisive engagements of the revolution, with equestrian statues of its commanders outside; an observatory and a mausoleum of illustrious Zacatecans cut into the rock; and terraces where the view runs from the cathedral's carved facade to the semi-desert horizon. Paths climb the crest for the higher outlook, and the sunset hour turns the whole city rose. Craft stalls and a restaurant handle the rest.

History

The hill, 2,610 metres above sea level, was home to several Aridoamerican peoples, among them the Zacatecas, who gave their name to the city and the state. Juan de Tolosa named it when the Spanish arrived looking for silver, and in 1588 it was placed in the city's arms with the support of Philip II (Wikipedia, Bufa Hill).

The main sights

• The cable car - the crossing above the city roofs.
• The Patrocinio chapel - the summit pilgrimage church.
• The battle museum - 1914 remembered where it happened.
• The terraces - Zacatecas in pink stone below.

When to go

Late afternoon for the light and the sunset; the cable car stops in high wind, so mornings are the safer bet if the day is blustery. Year-round.

Before you go

The summit is windy and cold well beyond what the city below suggests. Cable-car queues build on weekends. Walking up is possible but steep and better done downhill.

Nearby

The El Eden mine connects by lift to the cable-car station; the cathedral, Coronel museums and the centre lie below.

Key facts