Taxco de Alarcón (named after Juan Ruiz de Alarcon one of the leading dramatist of Spain's golden age who is claimed as a native son) is a former colonial silver-mining center in the northern part of the Mexican state of Guerrero on the western arm of the Sierra Madre del Sur. It is located 200 km southwest of Mexico City along the old highway to Acapulco at an elevation of 1,800 m (5,900 ft).
The city serves as the administrative center of the municipality of the same name, which covers a total area of 347 km2 (134 sq mi) of the surrounding territory. With a population of 50,415, Taxco is the fifth-largest in the state. The municipality has a population of 98,854, which also includes the cities of Tlamacazapa and Acamixtla.
The city is built on the side of a mountain, with very steep narrow cobblestone streets lined by whitewashed houses with red-tiled roofs.
The original indian town was founded about 1445 and shortly thereafter became subject to the Aztecs. Its indigenous pronunciation is "tlacho" nahuatl for "the place of the ballgame." Before the Spanish Conquest the indigenous people of the area played ballgames where great fortunes were won and lost including jewelry, land, and slaves.
In 1531 Taxco was conquered by the Spaniards and by 1534 the first viens of silver were found. Cortes staked his mining claim in Taxco and by the end of the century silver from Taxco had spread across Europe. Taxco was Spain's primary source in the New World of precious metals.
Hernán Cortés mined tin for his artillery in the area of Taxco:
I commenced to inquire everywhere if anywhere there was any (tin), and Our Lord, Who takes care, and has always taken care, wished to provide with the greatest speed, so that I came upon by chance amongst the natives province which is known as Tachco, certain small pieces of it in the manner of a very thin coin, and proceeding on my inquiry, I found that in the said province, even in others, it was used as money; on becoming more familiar with the matter, I learned that it came from the said province of Tachco which is a 26 leagues distances from this city, and then I learned of the mines and sent tools and Spaniards and they brought me a sample of it, and at that I gave the order that they extract all that was necessary, and whatever more may be needed will be extracted, although with great labor; and even when travelling in search of these metals a vein or iron in great quantity was found by chance, according to what I am informed by those who say they know it.
—Cortés, Fourth Letter of Relation, dated in Mexico 15th October 1524, addressed to Emperor Charles V
Taxco was incorporated in 1532. The books in the Court of Letters, Taxco's first-known public registry, go back to 1529.
In 1542 the Mayor, Don Luis de Castilla, was the first Spaniard to make his fortune from the mines of Taxco.
In 1716 a French prospector Joseph De La Borda ran a prosperous mining venture in Taxco and in return for his fortune he commissioned the baroque style Santa Prisca Church. Construction began on February 23, 1751 and was completed by December 3, 1758. |
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William Spratling, (1900-1967), arrived in Taxco in 1925 from Sanyea New York. He was an architect who came to Taxco with the intentions of writing a book, Little Mexico.
He purchased a house in Taxco after receiving $2000.00 for arranging Frescoes to be painted at the Cortes Palace in Curnavaca by his fried Diego Rivera.
Spratling had prevously succeeded in promoting Diego Rivera's work in New York. While in Taxco he discovered the talented craftsmen producing handmade silver jewelry and tableware. Being a connoisseur of Popular American art Spratling took much interest in the talents of the local craftsmen.
Convincing Master goldsmiths Artemio Navarrette, Alfonso Mondragon, and Wencesloa Herrera from nearby Iguala he was able to open his own shop known as, "La Aduana."
As his shop flourished he eventually opened "Las Delicias" These three men along with Spratling developed an apprentice system by which many young silversmiths were trained. These young silversmiths included, Antonio Pineda, Antonio Castillo, Chino Ruiz, and Enrique Ledesma. These men are now considered the Great Mexican Masters of Silver.
Spratling's workshop produced silver jewelry and tableware based on pre-hispanic art which he exported to the United States in bulk. The shop flourished and Taxco's reputation and craftsmen were recognized worldwide.
Taxco is the world's capital of silver, with over 200 shops and dozens of renowned silver jewelers. Silver is still the most important aspect of Taxco's economy.
Taxco was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2002. |
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