Where in the World Is Sean Brodrick?
I’m waiting for my plane in
My first stop is an amazing city. Let me tell you about it ...
The city was founded on silver. A large silver vein found in the 16th Century sparked a silver rush. As the number of miners grew, the mines became larger and the mountains of ore became mountains of silver.
The city was originally built over a river, which flowed through tunnels underneath the city. However, after years of raising buildings due to floods, engineers built a dam and redirected the river into underground caverns. The tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones for traffic, and this underground road network carries the majority of cars driving through the city today.
The city played a major part in the Mexican War of Independence.
To the west of the city is a famous cemetery noted for the natural mummies produced by means unknown. About 1 in 100 bodies buried there experience natural mummification.
The dead don’t necessarily rest easy here. In the late 1800s the town instituted a "burial tax.” When poor families can’t pay the tax, their relatives are dug up and placed on public view in a purpose-built museum, which still adds corpses to this day.
Places that were silver mines of old are now under this city. Only visible silver was mined, which means there is plenty left in place. This presents the cityfolk with a interesting quandary: Do they want to dig up parts of the city to get the silver?
Can you guess what city this is?
Labels: Mexican silver mine, silver
posted by Sean Brodrick @ 7:00 AM
<< Home