City Travel Guide: Taxco, Mexico

Many people come to Taxco, Mexico to buy sterling silver jewelry in this town which was made famous and fat from the silver deposits that once surrounded it. With the silver mostly gone, Taxco has done a remarkable job of morphing its mining town roots into a city that’s rich in other ways too. It’s all in our Taxco travel guide.

The Santa Prisca church presides over the heart of Taxco, Mexico.

What to do in Taxco, Mexico

Yes, buying items made of silver is still a big draw in Taxco and tourists looking for a few pieces for themselves or as gifts rub shoulders with major importers looking to buy pounds of jewelry at a time to sell in the US or Europe. There are dozens of stores and sellers happy to oblige any customer. But Taxco, about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Mexico City, is also part of Mexico’s elite group of Pueblos Magicos, which means there’s plenty of architecture and ambiance in this town too.

The ornate pink stone Churrigueresque-style towers of the Santa Pisca church.

Start by taking in the architectural madness of the Santa Prisca church which anchors the Plaza Borda which is named after the church’s creator Frenchman Jose de la Borda. After making fortunes in Mexico, Borda decided, as rich men in the 1700s did, to build a church. The whole project was completed in just seven years but Borda spent nearly his entire fortune to do it, financing the project himself and retaining complete artistic control.

Santa Prisca church interior Taxco Mexico

When the Santa Prisca church was built in 1758 it was one of the most ornate (inside and out) in the world.

The result is an elaborately carved Churrigueresque-style exterior and a lavishly gold-leafed interior. It was mind-blowingly fancy in 1758 and remains fantastical today.

The taxis of Taxco, Mexico

No matter what lures you to Taxco, don’t arrive in a big pickup truck like ours. The streets are steep, slippery, narrow, and curvy. Creeping through town looking for our hotel was a white-knuckle trip in our truck and we nearly got jammed into a tight spot more than once. Needless to say, we didn’t fit into most of the parking lots in Taxco either.

The VW Beetle (with or without sombrero) is perfectly suited to the narrow and winding streets of Taxco.

Even one of the world’s smallest cars, the ubiquitous VW Beetle, has to break out the fancy moves in order to negotiate the streets of Taxco as our Beetle Ballet video, below, shows.

The best way to explore Taxco is on foot up. You can also hike a trail above town which brings you to the base of the enormous statue of Jesus that looks down over town from up on top of a hill.

An overview of the winding streets and Colonial architecture of the hillside town of Taxco, one of Mexico’s Pueblos Magicos.

Where to eat and drink in Taxco, Mexico

Every afternoon around 5 pm a red VW Beetle (of course) rolls into the Plaza Borda in central Taxco carrying a huge basket heaped with a dozen varieties of freshly made pastries, breads, cookies, and confections. The crew of female vendors can barely set the basket on its stand before they’re swarmed by locals eagerly pointing to their favorite goodies (all less than US$1).

Amazing baked goods appear every afternoon in Taxco.

Luckily, the red VW returns with more lovingly-packed baskets strapped to its specially-designed roof rack until every morsel is sold. This is why the pastry ladies of Taxco made our Best Food & Beverages of 2010 list.

While in Taxco we also sampled some noteworthy pozole (white, green, or red versions of a hominy-filled soup made with pork or chicken). First, we went to Restaurant Santa Fe on Hidalgo Street where the red pozole was smoky and rich and wonderful (45 pesos or US$3.50 for a huge bowl) and the green pozole tasted more “green” than anything we’ve ever had. Just terrific.

Pozoleria Tia Calle right on the main square (Plaza Borda) presented itself as a contender too and the red and green pozoles were good here but we walked away preferring Santa Fe’s pozole (plus it was cheaper). Weirdly, Wednesday is the only day of the week that Pozoleria Tia Calle serves both red and green pozole. The rest of the week (closed Tuesday) only one version of pozole is served.

We also treated ourselves to the local cocktail which is called a Berta and is served at the Berta Bar, a festively-painted locals haunt right on Plaza Borda. A mix of tequila, soda water, and a bit of honey this fairly delicious concoction is like a less sweet and all-natural version of a paloma (which is made with tequila and grapefruit soda).

Where to sleep in Taxco, Mexico

In Taxco, we stayed at Mi Casita. This 12-room hotel feels like what it is: someone’s house (the hotel was the family home of the charming women who now run it–say hi to Marta for us!). Every room is unique and full of antiques and airy patios and plants. Room #4, which is referred to as the “secret to love” room, has the most romantic views over Taxco which sparkles like silver at night.