REAL DE CATORCE (or “Villa Real de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción de Guadalupe de los Alamos de los Catorce”, to give it its full title), west of Matehuala, is an extraordinary place. Mines were founded in the surrounding hills in 1772, and at the height of its silver production in 1898 the town had 40,000 inhabitants. But by the turn of the twentieth century mining operations had slowed, and in 1905 they ceased entirely, leaving the population to drop to virtually zero over the next fifty-odd years. For a period, a few hundred inhabitants hung on in an enclave at the centre, surrounded by derelict, roofless mansions and, further out, crumbling foundations and the odd segment of wall.

Legend has it that Real was “discovered” in the 1970s by an Italian hippie searching for peyote (which perhaps explains the town’s curious Italian connection), and particularly since the mid-1990s, an influx of artists, artesanía vendors, wealthy Mexicans and a few foreigners has given the town impetus to begin rebuilding. The centre has been restored and reoccupied to the extent that the “ghost-town” tag is not entirely appropriate, though Real de Catorce certainly retains an air of desolation, especially in the outskirts; the occasional pick-up shoulders its way through the narrow cobbled streets, but most of the traffic is horses and donkeys.

Real de Catorce is built in a high mountain valley at the end of a beautifully constructed 25-kilometre cobbled road through semi-desert dotted with agave and stunted Joshua trees. The final 2.3km is through the Ogarrio tunnel (named after the founder’s home town in Spain), opened in 1901, which is only broad enough for one vehicle at a time. As you drive through, the odd mineshaft leads off into the mountain to either side by one there’s a little shrine, the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, to miners who died at work. In the town, the austere, shuttered stone buildings blend with the bare rocky crags that enclose them. The single main street, Lanzagorta, runs past the 1817 Parroquia de la Purísima Concepción (daily 7am–7pm) with its square, shaded plaza and unusual removable wooden floorboards (for cleaning), and on down to the Plaza Hidalgo (aka Plaza de Armas), with its central bandstand. It’s the church that attracts most Mexicans to Real, or rather the miraculous figure of St Francis of Assisi (known as Panchito, Pancho being a diminutive of Francisco) housed here. They’re a wonderful form of naive folk art, the older ones painted on tin plate, newer examples on paper or card or even photographs, depicting events that range from amazing to mundane last-second rescues from the paths of oncoming trains, or simply the return of a stolen vehicle all signed and dated with thanks to Panchito for his timely intervention.

Casa de Moneda (Wed–Sun 10am–3pm) is a magnificent old mansion with two storeys on one side and three on the other, thanks to the sloping site it was built on. This is where Real’s silver was minted into coin, though Emperor Maximilian closed it just 14 months after it was completed in 1865. After a meticulous restoration it now serves as an art gallery and cultural centre, with temporary exhibitions from all over Mexico. Palenque de Gallos of 1863 (daily 9am–5pm), where cockfights were once held, then continue out along Zaragoza and Libertad to the ruinous Plaza de Toros, opposite Los Panteones (daily except Tues 9am–5pm) where Real’s dead lie covered by rough piles of dirt all around the decaying 1779 church. Peek inside to see its still-vibrant frescoes, which are going mouldy around the edges – just as they should be in a town like Real.

You could spend days exploring the surrounding mountains, visiting ruins, or heading downhill to the altiplano (high plain) of the desert below. One of the most relaxing ways to go is on horseback: horses are usually available around Plaza Hidalgo and in front of the Mesón de la Abundancia, from where guides will take you out across the hills, perhaps visiting the Huichol ceremonial site of Cerro Quemado, though this can seem unpleasantly voyeuristic if any Huichol are around.

For short hikes, the best nearby destination is the Pueblo Fantasma “Ghost Town”, extensive mine ruins reached in an hour or so by following the winding track uphill just to the left of the Ogarrio tunnel entrance as you face it. The most rewarding unguided longer hike (12km one way; 3hr down, 4hr return; 850m ascent on the way back) leads downhill from Plaza Hidalgo (with the stables on your left), then forks right after 50m and follows a 4WD track towards the small dusty trackside town of Estación Catorce.

You’ll soon find yourself walking among mine ruins you’ll pass a dam built to provide water and power for the mines, and even a tall chimney from one of the smelters. After about an hour you get to the small village of Los Catorces, and beyond its cemetery, a second settlement known as Santa Cruz de Carretas (about 2hr from Real). Around 10km south of Estación Catorce along the asphalt road lies WADLEY (or Estación Wadley), a small, dusty village that at first acquaintance seems even less appealing. It has, however, garnered a devoted following, chiefly for its proximity to a section of desert known to the Huichol as Wirikuta, renowned for its abundant peyote (as explored in the 2008 experimental Indie flick Wadley. Officially at least, “eating” peyote is frowned upon and there have been several police crackdowns in recent years aficionados usually sample peyote where they find it in the desert (sometimes camping the night). Don’t bring any back with you.