Zacatecas

State of central Mexico; area 75,040 sq km/28,973 sq mi; population (2000 est) 1,351,200. The capital is Zacatecas. The state lies in the Central Plateau area of Mexico, with a mean altitude of 2,350 m/7,700 ft. Agriculture is limited by low rainfall, averaging 50 cm/20 in, but crops of cereals, sugarcane, and alfalfa are produced and there is some cattle rearing. Industries are on a relatively small scale, but include the refining of mineral ores, sugar refining, rum distilling, and woollen and cotton textile manufacture.

Zacatecas

Capital of the state of Zacatecas in Mexico, 525 km/326 mi northwest of Mexico City; population (1995) 118,742. Zacatecas is on the Mexico City-Ciudad Juarez railway. Situated on the slopes of Cerro de la Bufa at an altitude of 2,495 m/8,186 ft, encircled by mountain peaks, it is Mexico's second-highest city. It is the most important mining centre in the state, the chief minerals extracted being gold, silver, lead, and tin. The largest silver mine in the world, processing 10,000 tonnes of ore daily, is nearby at Real de Angeles.

Zacatecas was founded in 1548, and has many 17th- and 18th-century buildings, including a cathedral. The houses are constructed of pink sandstone known as cantera rosa.