Silver Linings and Cobblestone Confessions: Offbeat Things to Do in Taxco

Essential Things To Do In Taxco When You’re Not Getting Lost In Its Labyrinthine Streets

Navigating Taxco is like playing a real-life game of Chutes and Ladders, except with more cobblestones and fewer convenient slides. The town’s non-Euclidean street layout seems designed by someone who firmly believed straight lines were for cowards. Yet within this topographical madhouse lie experiences that make every twisted ankle and shortness of breath worthwhile.

Santa Prisca: Baroque on a Silver Budget

Standing in Taxco’s center like a wedding cake designed by someone with an unlimited fondling budget, Santa Prisca Church represents Mexican Baroque architecture at its most gloriously excessive. Completed in 1758, its twin pink stone towers and elaborate churrigueresque façade (the architectural equivalent of wearing all your jewelry at once) immediately establish that moderation was not on the building committee’s agenda. The church was funded entirely by José de la Borda, a silver baron who apparently never encountered the concept of “too much.”

The interior doubles down on the opulence with gold leaf altars that would make King Midas blush. For approximately $1 (a bargain considering you’re basically entering a silver-funded jewelry box the size of a football field), visitors can explore the church outside of mass times. Pro tip: arrive between 8-10am to avoid both the devout and the tour groups, creating a rare moment of tranquility in a space designed for sensory overload.

Silver Shopping Without Getting Fleeced

Taxco’s 200+ silver shops create a buying environment that ranges from delightful to daunting. The difference between returning home with treasures versus tourist trap trinkets lies in knowing where to shop. Reputable establishments like Emilia’s Silver, Daniel Espinosa, and Violante offer certified 0.925 sterling silver pieces that won’t turn your skin green before your vacation photos hit social media.

Authentication isn’t rocket science but requires basic vigilance: look for “0.925” or “Sterling” stamps and the “TA” (Taxco Assayed) marking that functions as a quality guarantee. Price-wise, simple earrings run $15-30, statement necklaces command $50-150, and elaborate decorative pieces start at $100 and climb faster than Taxco’s streets. For an experience beyond mere shopping, visit workshops along Calle de las Delicias where artisans demonstrate craftsmanship techniques that haven’t changed substantially since Spanish colonists realized they could turn mountains into money.

Zócalo: Where Gravity Takes a Coffee Break

Plaza Borda, Taxco’s main square, functions as the town’s living room—a social hub where locals gather for gossip that travels faster than the VW Beetle taxis navigating nearby streets. This remarkably flat space (possibly the only horizontal surface in town) offers cafés with balcony seating that transforms people-watching into an Olympic sport. Café Punta del Cielo and Bar Berta provide front-row seats to this daily performance of local life.

Saturday transforms the plaza into a market that makes mall shopping seem as exciting as filing taxes. Vendors sell everything from handcrafted textiles to street food that reminds you that “authentic Mexican cuisine” bears little resemblance to Taco Bell’s interpretation. The market performs the impressive trick of being touristy enough to feel accessible yet local enough to provide cultural legitimacy—like finding a Broadway show with actors who actually live in New York.

Museo de la Platería: Silver’s Greatest Hits Album

Housed in Casa Borda (yes, that Borda—the silver baron was everywhere), this museum displays the evolution of Taxco’s silver craftsmanship with pieces dating back to the 16th century. For approximately $3, visitors receive context that makes subsequent silver shopping more meaningful, like taking Wine 101 before hitting a vineyard. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm, the museum offers a rare chance to see silver pieces you can’t afford to buy but can freely photograph.

The collection showcases how silver designs evolved from colonial religious artifacts to mid-century modernist jewelry that would look at home in a Manhattan gallery. This historical perspective helps visitors appreciate that when purchasing Taxco silver, they’re buying into a craftsmanship lineage older than most European settlement in North America.

Monte Taxco Teleférico: Mexico’s Answer to the Alps

Mexico’s only cable car system ascends 300 meters from town to Hotel Montetaxco, offering views that make smartphone cameras seem woefully inadequate. For approximately $8 round-trip (operating 9am-5pm daily), riders experience a panorama that explains why someone thought building a town on these mountains made sense despite all topographical evidence to the contrary.

The hotel at the summit welcomes non-guests to its restaurant and facilities, creating an accessible luxury experience without the overnight commitment. The sight of Taxco spreading below, with Santa Prisca’s pink towers rising from a sea of white buildings and red tiles, provides the perfect Instagram opportunity to make friends back home question their decision to vacation at a beach resort with 500 identical rooms.

Local Gastronomy: Not for the Faint of Appetite

Taxco’s regional specialties constitute a culinary adventure that ranges from “delightfully authentic” to “courage-testing.” Perhaps most infamous are jumiles—seasonal edible beetles that taste like cinnamon and are still squirming when served. They represent the ultimate “I’m not a tourist” credential, though consuming living insects requires a level of cultural commitment typically reserved for anthropology doctoral candidates.

More accessible options include pozole guerrerense at Pozolería Tía Calla ($7-10 per bowl), a rich hominy stew that bears the same relationship to canned soup that filet mignon does to beef jerky. El Rincón de los Canallas serves cecina (salt-cured beef, $10-15 per plate) that makes jerky seem as sophisticated as hot dogs. For dessert, Dulcería La Estrella offers jamoncillos (milk fudge, $3-5 per package) with a texture and sweetness that explains why dental tourism is also popular in Mexico.

Cristo Monumental: Jesus with the Best Views

Taking inspiration from Rio’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue (but with fewer beachgoers and more silver vendors), Taxco’s 18-meter white stone Christ statue overlooks the city from a vantage point that requires moderate physical exertion to access. The 30-45 minute hike delivers panoramic views worth every labored breath and sweat bead, particularly near sunset when the town below glows golden.

The statue itself is less architecturally significant than its Brazilian counterpart but offers superior selfie potential due to smaller crowds. As with most things in Taxco, getting there involves uphill walking on surfaces seemingly designed by someone who considered flat paths morally suspect. The combination of religious significance, physical challenge, and Instagram potential creates the perfect trinity of modern tourism appeal.

Accommodation: From Budget Bunks to Colonial Luxury

Taxco accommodations span from backpacker-friendly to luxury colonial experiences. Budget travelers can secure beds at Hostal Casa Bertha ($25-35/night), where the central location and rooftop terrace compensate for basic amenities. The mid-range category includes Hotel Los Arcos ($70-90/night), occupying a colonial building with an interior courtyard reminiscent of smaller versions found in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Those with deeper pockets should consider Hotel Mi Casita ($150-200/night), a beautifully preserved colonial mansion with panoramic views and a swimming pool positioned to make every photo look like a travel magazine cover. For authentic local immersion, Casa Taxco BandB ($100-120/night) offers family-run hospitality with home-cooked breakfasts featuring recipes passed down through generations—the culinary equivalent of discovering your grandmother was secretly a gourmet chef.

Day Trips: When You Need a Break from Vertical Living

Even the most enchanting silver town benefits from occasional contrast, and Taxco’s surroundings offer compelling reasons to temporarily abandon the cobblestones. The Cacahuamilpa Caves, just 40 minutes away, reveal one of the world’s largest cave systems with formations that look like what would happen if Gaudí designed stalactites while hallucinating. The scale makes visitors feel appropriately insignificant, a humbling counterpoint to Taxco’s human-crafted grandeur.

History buffs should prioritize the Xochicalco archaeological site (1.5 hours away), a UNESCO World Heritage pyramid complex comparable to some Mayan sites but with fewer tourists crowding your photos. For mystical vibes with a side of excellent food, Tepoztlán (2 hours away) delivers another Pueblo Mágico experience with pyramid hiking and spiritual reputation—essentially Sedona but with better tacos and without the vortex tour salespeople.

Transportation: Beetles, Buses, and Brave Walking

Getting to Taxco requires minimal planning: direct buses depart regularly from Mexico City’s Terminal Sur (3 hours, $15-20), eliminating the stress of navigating Mexico’s highway system personally. Once in town, the famous white VW Beetle taxis ($2-5 per ride) navigate streets so narrow they must exhale to pass each other. These automotive icons, discontinued everywhere else, continue their service in Taxco like mechanical cockroaches surviving a global extinction event.

Walking represents both the most authentic and challenging transportation option. Locals recommend sticking to Avenida de los Plateros for gentler slopes, though “gentle” in Taxco remains relative—think San Francisco streets with less fog and more silver shops. The town’s terrain throws down a physical challenge that separates tourists into two categories: those who embrace the vertical lifestyle and those searching for elevator alternatives in a town built before electricity existed.