At its 18th-century peak La Valenciana was the richest silver mine on earth, credited with roughly two-thirds of world silver output. Here is the history of the Counts of Valenciana, what to look for in the Templo de San Cayetano, and how to visit the mine today.
Why La Valenciana mattered so much
Silver was found in the hills above Guanajuato in the 1550s, and for two centuries the mines along the Veta Madre were worked in patches — rich, flooded, abandoned, reworked. La Valenciana changed the scale of it.
In the 1760s Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer, a Spaniard of modest means, took on ground that others had written off as exhausted and sank shafts deeper than anyone had tried on that stretch of the vein. He was right. Below the worked-out upper levels lay ore bodies of extraordinary richness, and from the 1770s the mine poured out silver on a scale that reordered the whole district. Guanajuato became, for a period, the most productive silver city in the world, and La Valenciana was the reason.
The scale is what the famous statistic is trying to capture. You will read in guidebooks, museum panels and local histories that La Valenciana alone accounted for around two-thirds of the world's silver production at its height. Treat it as the traditional headline figure rather than a modern audited number — colonial output records are incomplete and much silver moved untaxed — but the underlying point is not in dispute: no single mine anywhere was producing more.
That wealth is still visible in the city below. The baroque churches, the university, the great houses on Positos, the mansions turned hotels — the silver of the Veta Madre paid for the city that UNESCO protects today.
The Counts of Valenciana
Obregón's reward was ennoblement: in 1780 the Spanish Crown made him first Conde de Valenciana, and his partner Pedro Luciano de Otero became one of the richest untitled men in New Spain. The title passed down a family that behaved much as Europe's mining aristocracy did — endowing churches, financing public works, marrying into other silver dynasties, and building on a scale that outran the town around it.
Two things about the counts are worth knowing before you visit:
- They built the church, deliberately and expensively. San Cayetano was not a parish project with a mine attached; it was the mine owner's votive offering, and the quality of the carving reflects a patron who could pay for the best stonecutters and gilders in the viceroyalty.
- They employed a whole town. The barrio of Valenciana existed for the mine: shaft crews, ore sorters, carters, the men who carried ore up notched ladders on their backs. The houses, the chapel and the walls you walk past were company infrastructure long before they were heritage.
The family's fortune faded with the wars of independence, the flooding of the deep workings and the collapse of colonial silver finance. The mine kept working in various hands into the modern era, which is why the site you visit is a mix of colonial stonework and later industrial equipment.
Templo de San Cayetano: what to look for
The church stands across the road from the mine entrance, and even people who normally skip churches stop for this one.
- The façade. Pink cantera stone carved in the churrigueresque style — the late Mexican baroque built around the *estípite*, an inverted-obelisk pilaster. The surface is worked until it dissolves; the more you look, the more figures appear.
- Three gilded altarpieces. The main retablo plus two lateral ones, all in carved and gilded wood, among the best-preserved 18th-century ensembles in the Bajío.
- The pulpit. Inlaid wood, said to have been imported, and one of the finest pieces of joinery in the state.
- The silver detail. Look for mining iconography and for the count's patronage worked into the ornament; the church is a statement about where the money came from.
- Dates. Construction ran from about 1765 to 1788, overlapping exactly with the mine's boom years.
Entry to the church is free; a donation is expected, and photography without flash is usually tolerated when there is no service. Dress as you would for any working church — shoulders covered, hats off.
Visiting the mine
Two things are called "La Valenciana" locally, and it helps to know which is which:
- Bocamina de San Cayetano — the entrance beside the church, with a shaft head, ore-hauling gear and a short underground section, plus a small museum room and shop.
- **Bocamina de San Ramón** — a few hundred metres away, the older and more atmospheric descent, with original shafts, a mineral gallery and a bar built into the former gunpowder store.
Both are privately run, both charge a modest entry fee in cash, and both include a guide who takes you down. Expect uneven stone stairs, low headroom, damp air and a hard hat. Neither is suitable for anyone with mobility limits, and both are tight for claustrophobia — our accessibility guide explains the terrain honestly. Wear shoes with grip.
Above ground, the *bocaminas* sell local minerals and silver, and vendors along the church wall sell the same. Buy because you like it, not as an investment.
Getting there and what else is nearby
La Valenciana sits about 5 km uphill from the centre, on the road that continues to Cristo Rey del Cubilete.
- By bus: city buses marked *Valenciana* or *Cristo Rey* leave from near the Mercado Hidalgo and the central streets; fares are a few pesos and the ride is 15–20 minutes.
- By taxi: cheap and quick from the centre; agree the fare first, and arrange a return or ask the driver to wait if you are going late in the day.
- On a tour: most city mine tours combine Valenciana, San Ramón, the Museo de las Momias and a viewpoint. Compare operators in our mine tours and ex-haciendas guide or browse verified tour companies in Guanajuato Capital.
- Walking: possible but steep and mostly on the roadside — go up by bus and walk down if you want the views.
Combine it with the Mineral de Rayas shaft head, the Templo de Cata and its chapel of the Señor de Villaseca, or continue to Cristo Rey on the mountain. Back in town, 24 hours in Guanajuato shows how the mine morning fits with the centre in the afternoon, and you can find places to eat and places to stay among our verified listings.
Practical notes
- Cash. Entry to the bocaminas, buses and most vendors are cash only; the nearest reliable ATMs are in the centre.
- Altitude and sun. You are above 2,000 m with little shade on the plaza. Water, hat, sunscreen.
- Best light. Late afternoon for the church façade, which faces the plaza and glows.
- Hours. The bocaminas generally open mid-morning and close late afternoon, daily; the church closes around services. Confirm the same day in high season.
- Guides. Underground you go with a guide; tips are customary and usually a large part of their income.
- Respect. This is a working barrio and an active church, and the mine is a monument, not a photo prop. Don't climb on the shaft works or take stone.
Frequently asked questions
Did La Valenciana really produce two-thirds of the world's silver? That is the traditional figure quoted locally and in many guidebooks for the mine's late-18th-century peak, when it was the world's leading silver producer. Colonial production records are incomplete, so treat the exact fraction as an inherited estimate rather than an audited statistic — but La Valenciana's position as the richest silver mine of its day is well documented.
Who founded La Valenciana? Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer, working with Pedro Luciano de Otero, developed the mine from the 1760s by sinking deeper shafts into ground others thought exhausted. In 1780 he was created first Count of Valenciana.
Is the Templo de San Cayetano the same thing as the mine? No, but they are neighbours and share a history. The church was built with mine profits between roughly 1765 and 1788 and stands across the road from the Bocamina de San Cayetano.
Can you go inside the mine? Yes. The Bocamina de San Cayetano beside the church and the nearby Bocamina de San Ramón both run short guided descents into historic workings for a small cash fee. Expect steep stone stairs, low ceilings and a hard hat.
Is La Valenciana part of the UNESCO site? Yes. The 1988 inscription is called the "Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines," and the Valenciana workings and San Cayetano are among the protected mining elements, as is Mexico's 1982 Zona de Monumentos Históricos decree.
How do you get to La Valenciana from central Guanajuato? Take a city bus marked *Valenciana* or *Cristo Rey* (15–20 minutes), a taxi, or a guided mine tour. It is about 5 km uphill from the Jardín Unión.
How long should I allow? An hour and a half covers the church and one mine. Add a couple of hours if you continue to Cristo Rey or visit both bocaminas.
