Geography
Zacatecas covers 75,275 km² of the Mesa Central, the high plateau that fills the middle of northern Mexico. Most of the state lies between 1,800 and 2,400 m, and the capital, at about 2,440 m, sits in a ravine below the Cerro de la Bufa. Rainfall is between 300 and 500 mm a year over most of the surface, falling in summer, so the landscape is semi-arid grassland and scrub broken by isolated ranges.
The Sierra Madre Occidental comes into the state from the west around Valparaíso and Sombrerete, rising to about 3,200 m and carrying pine forest and the eroded volcanic columns of the Sierra de Órganos. In the north-east, around Concepción del Oro and Mazapil, the Sierra Madre Oriental reaches in from Coahuila; the Peñasquito mine there is one of the largest open pits in Latin America. Between the two ranges the plateau drains inward — the Aguanaval river runs north into the desert and disappears, and no river in Zacatecas reaches the sea except by way of the Juchipila valley in the south, which drops towards the Río Grande de Santiago.
Farming follows the water. Zacatecas is regularly Mexico's largest producer of dry beans and chile seco, and its highland vineyards and guava orchards work the southern valleys. The state has one of the highest rates of emigration to the United States in the country, and remittances are a significant part of its income.
The settlement pattern is a direct consequence of silver. A strike at the foot of the Cerro de la Bufa in 1546 turned Zacatecas into one of the richest mining camps in the Spanish empire within a generation, and the road built to carry the metal south — the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro — became the axis of the northern colonies. The capital's stone centre, laid out in that ravine and topped by a pink-cantera cathedral finished in 1752, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993; a cable car runs from the Cerro del Grillo to the Bufa, and the Mina El Edén, worked from the sixteenth century, is entered from inside the city.
Main cities
Municipal populations, INEGI census of 2020. The capital is smaller than both Fresnillo and its own suburb, Guadalupe, with which it forms a metropolitan area of about 380,000.
| City | Population (2020) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fresnillo | 240,532 | Largest municipality; silver district |
| Guadalupe | 211,850 | Adjoins the capital to the east |
| Zacatecas | 149,607 | Capital, UNESCO World Heritage centre |
| Pinos | about 69,000 | South-east, on the San Luis Potosí line |
| Sombrerete | about 64,000 | Colonial mining town, Sierra de Órganos |
| Río Grande | about 63,000 | North, Highway 45 to Durango |
| Jerez | about 60,000 | Jerez de García Salinas, Pueblo Mágico |
| Loreto | about 50,000 | South-east, near Aguascalientes |
| Calera | about 44,000 | Site of the state airport |
| Ojocaliente | about 42,000 | Highway 45 south of the capital |
Neighbouring states
Eight states touch Zacatecas, which gives it a jagged outline. Clockwise from the north: Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Nayarit, Durango. The contacts with Nuevo León, Guanajuato and Nayarit are short corners rather than long frontiers, while Durango, San Luis Potosí and Jalisco share the longest boundaries. Aguascalientes is almost enclosed by Zacatecas on three sides.
Getting there
General Leobardo C. Ruiz International (ZCL) is at Calera, about 25 km north of the capital, with domestic flights and services to Los Angeles, Chicago and other US cities used heavily by the migrant community. Aguascalientes (AGU) is about 130 km south and often has cheaper fares. The airports map covers both.
Federal Highway 45 and the tolled 45D form the main axis, running north-west from Aguascalientes through Zacatecas and Fresnillo to Durango and on to Chihuahua. Highway 49 crosses it, linking San Luis Potosí with Zacatecas and continuing north-west to the Laguna at Torreón. Highway 54 runs south to Guadalajara through the Juchipila valley and north-east to Saltillo by way of Concepción del Oro. From Mexico City the drive is about 600 km, roughly seven hours by 57D and 45D. The road map shows the federal network.
Zacatecas sits at a genuine crossroads, which is why its distances are short in every direction: Aguascalientes about 130 km, San Luis Potosí about 190 km, Guadalajara about 320 km, Durango about 300 km, Torreón about 350 km and Monterrey about 460 km. Fresnillo is 60 km north-west of the capital on 45D. Long-distance buses use the terminal on the southern edge of the city, and the state has no passenger rail service.
Questions about Zacatecas
Where is Zacatecas on the map of Mexico?
In north-central Mexico, on the high plateau between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. It is about 600 km north-west of Mexico City and borders eight states, from Coahuila in the north to Jalisco in the south.
Why is Zacatecas famous for silver?
Silver was struck at the Cerro de la Bufa in 1546 and the district financed much of colonial New Spain. Mining never stopped: the Fresnillo district is one of the largest primary silver producers in the world, and Zacatecas is usually Mexico's leading silver-producing state.
How high is Zacatecas city?
About 2,440 m above sea level, which makes it one of the highest state capitals in Mexico. Nights are cold from November to February and the air is dry all year.
How far is Zacatecas from Mexico City?
About 600 km by road, roughly seven hours on Highways 57D and 45D through Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Aguascalientes. Flights to Zacatecas (ZCL) take about an hour and a half.
Is Zacatecas safe to visit?
The historic centre of the capital, the Fresnillo–Jerez corridor and the main toll roads carry ordinary traffic, but Zacatecas has been placed at the highest US State Department advisory level in recent years because of cartel conflict along the state's highways. Check the current advisory before travelling.