Real de Catorce
Real de Catorce | ||
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Coordinates: 23 ° 41 ′ N , 100 ° 53 ′ W Real de Catorce on the map of San Luis Potosí
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Basic data | ||
Country | Mexico | |
State | San Luis Postosí | |
Municipio | Catorce | |
Residents | 1392 (2010) | |
Detailed data | ||
height | 2755 m | |
Post Code | 78550 | |
prefix | 488 | |
Calle Constitución in Real de Catorce |
Real de Catorce , formerly called Real de Minas de Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción de Guadalupe de los Álamos de Catorce with full name , is a former mining town in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí , which in the final phase of the colonial period (from 1772) because of its Silver wealth had great importance. It is located on the edge of the eastern Sierra Madre at an altitude of 2,755 meters. Today Real de Catorce is a town of tourist importance with around 1400 inhabitants and the administrative seat of the Municipio Catorce .
Since the Mexican Revolution , the place, which used to have a population of up to 30,000 and can only be reached through a two-kilometer tunnel, has been largely deserted and was long considered a ghost town. It was only in the last few years that Real de Catorce has been revived by tourists and due to the settlement of some artists who produce art articles for tourism. International tourism is mainly due to the film The Mexican with Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt . In 2001, the place was also included in the Pueblos Mágicos program of the Mexican Tourism Authority.
Real de Catorce is also a mystical place: on October 4th, the Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception is the destination of thousands of Catholic believers who thank him for supposed miracles on the day of St. Francis of Assisi . In the spring, members of the indigenous population of the Huicholes cross the desert of San Luis Potosí to make sacrifices on the Cerro Quemado (Burnt Mountain) of Real de Catorce, which is considered the birthplace of their "Tatewari" (grandfather fire).