I arrived in Taxco, Guerrero, the silver jewelry capital of Mexico the next day after driving through winding mountain roads at two in the afternoon. I stopped at an old red brick gasoline station with metal framed large glass windows that housed the Tourist Information office which consisted of one desk and one tourist guide wearing a white guayavera shirt and medium blue pants and a very loud voice.
He gave me some information on different hotels, the ones that had parking lots and gave me directions to one located in the center of town. I remember driving through the hills of the narrow one-lane cobblestone streets - only enough room for my car and a few people to walk by and so many people were walking. Both sides of the street had buildings and houses two, three and four stories high and all connected to each other. You couldn't tell where one ended and one began. And the crisp and cool mountain air was cool felt great.
Taxco is an old colonial town that sits on a mountain. I felt I had gone back one hundred years in time seeing all the white stucco buildings and red tile roofs. The middle of town had an old fashion Zocalo, a town square with a wrought iron and white brick gazebo with wrought iron and wood benches. The old, tall cathedral sits on one side of the square. Two men ring the bell on the tower of the Cathedral by actually jumping and pulling down on a rope. I saw white Volkswagen bug taxis everywhere with the passengers seat taken out. And Volkswagen vans with the passenger's side door missing that are used as taxis called combis.
