Pozos is a relatively unknown ghost mining town that has been regaining its footing of late as Mexican citizens and foreign artists repopulate the area, and curious tourists visit to learn about the city's fascinating past. I should point out that although Pozos is referred to as a ghost town, it was never really a ghost town. Even at its lowest point in the 1950s & 60s, the population of Pozos was around 200.

Pozos sits at 7,500 feet in high plains desert country, a landscape that is starkly beautiful. Thorny cactus patches accentuate the rough, rolling dunes of clumpy brown dirt and scrub grass. The desert landscape is an apt backdrop to Pozos, a city of ruins. Everywhere you look, you see the remnants of what were once majestic structures - arches, columns, adobe walls, steps. To wander here is to do so in another epoch.

Pozos is close to the geographic center of the country in Guanajuato State, only 35 miles from popular San Miguel de Allende (but don't tell anybody). The town is actually called Mineral de Pozos but it's known as just Pozos. [Pozos means 'wells' in Spanish (at one time there were more than 250 wells in the area supplying the mines), so the town's name can be loosely translated to 'Mineral Wells'.]

From colonial outpost to boom city to ghost town, Pozos has had a intriguing history. This once opulent colonial city thrived through several gold and silver bonanzas from 1576 (when it was founded) through to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. It became one of the richest of the colonial mining towns, reaching its peak about 1890.

The decline began in the 20th century when Mexican revolutionaries, needing financial resources to maintain their efforts, repeatedly raided the town for its silver. In the process, they scared away the North American and European owners of the mines who took their modern equipment and technical expertise with them. Other economic and geological forces also speeded their demise - the world silver market was in decline, and the mineral veins below Pozos were nearing exhaustion. The mines struggled along, but when workers broke into an underground river in 1926 and flooded the tunnels, Pozos was finished as a mining center. With little else in the city to support them, workers and their families fled and Pozos became a ghost town.

From a population high of more than 70,000, when it enjoyed all the glamor and sin of a boom town, Pozos bottomed out to less than 200 souls during the 1950's and 60's, barely staying alive amid scattered farms and ranches. In an effort to protect this important historical town, the Mexican Government declared the town & area an Historical National Monument in 1982, however, the status did nothing to prompt its restoration.

But Pozos has been gradually reviving in recent years & now boasts a citizenry of 2,300 & growing. The renewal is being led by adventurous Mexicans, Americans and other ex-pats who are restoring derelict but handsome old structures, building in the surrounding countryside, and establishing art studios & galleries. The town and area have also become a popular location for movie sets. Pozos is basically benefiting from the exodus from popular San Miguel de Allende which is experiencing growing pains. Mexico's current president, Vicente Fox, a native of the state of Guanajuato and its former governor, has also been encouraging investment in tourism projects,

Although still not well known as a tourist destination, the main attraction here is abandoned haciendas & other once-opulent public buildings, old churches & chapels, and old area mine ruins.

This is Pozos' main web site with a lot of information:

http://www.mineraldepozos.com/

An excellent article: http://www.paintingfrance.com/NYTimesPozos.htm

All of my journals from this trip can be found at: http://www.worldisround.com/browse/NorthAmerica/Mexico/Guanajuato/