Zacatecas, Mexico  - The Mexican state of Zacatecas is marked by desert and half-desert in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidente.

Precious metals like silver and gold have always attracted people to the area. Indeed, without gold and silver even state capital Zacatecas, some 600 kilometres north of Mexico City, would probably not exist.

When the Spaniards arrived five centuries ago, they quickly began hunting for the treasures of an area that had until then been populated - though only sparsely - by the mix of indigenous peoples known as the Chichimecas.

The riches of past times are now to be seen particularly in churches and palaces in Zacatecas and other towns around the state. The city, whose historic centre has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1993, is a jewel of Spanish colonial architecture.

Many visitors opt first for the aerial tramway that rises high to the mountain La Bufa, to get an overview of the numerous churches, palaces and cloisters around the city.

Zacatecas draws some 1.5 million tourists a year, most of them Mexicans. There are also some visitors from the United States and Canada, while Europeans are rare.

However, state authorities are hoping to change this during the coming years. Tourism Minister Rafael Flores has many ideas and offers to attract Europeans and others to this other, unknown Mexico.

The state capital alone has several magical hotels. One of them was built in the old bullring, another is a former 18th century "vecindad" - a group of row houses with a common courtyard - with small lanes and bridges over the lanes.

The city features several festivals devoted to music, the theatre and popular arts. And, given that gold and silver mining is again proving profitable, the city government finances all concerts and exhibitions.

Some 20,000 people were recently able to enjoy a concert by renowned US songwriter Bob Dylan without having to pay a cent for their tickets.

Zacatecas has a long list of worthwhile museums, all housed in the ancient buildings formerly belonging to religious orders.

The Franciscan convent, a stately 16th century building that was partly in ruins, holds some 2,700 masks which were used in the region's various celebrations and were owned by painter Rafael Coronel, who collected a total of 11,000 masks.

The Felguerez Museum holds the renowned murals that were meant to represent Mexico at the Expo 1970 in Osaka. They were so large that they never left the building in Zacatecas.

The silver mine El Eden is particularly worth the effort. A large part of the mine, which has been operational since the 16th century, has since been made accessible to tourists. There is currently even a nightclub deep into the mountain, where mostly indigenous people worked under brutal conditions in the past, and silver continues to be drawn from the mine to this day.

Outside the city, there are significant pre-Hispanic ruins.

On a hill some 150 kilometres south of Zacatecas, near the road that goes to Guadalajara, lies La Quemada (Chicomostoc). What is most noteworthy about it is the presence of huge columns which must at one time have held up a large roof.

And on the counter in the cafeteria a collection of rattlesnakes from the area can still be seen. Engineer Carlos de Berghes was the first to discover the place - which like Teotihuacan, near Mexico City was built before 1,000 AD - while he was working for the mining company Vetagrande in the search for precious metals.

Two natural parks promise lasting impressions: the Sierra de Organos, some 20 kilometres from Zacatecas, and the Sierra de los Cardos, a thistle desert near the town of Jerez. Visitors can spend the night in one of several simple overnight "cabanas" which offer anything one can need in the wilderness - but no television or internet access.

"We also want to attract people through tours into the large modern mines," Flores noted.

However, he has further plans, including adventure trips in all- terrain bicycles through the deserts and half-deserts of the second- largest state in Mexico in terms of surface.

The sportswoman Elvia de Anda has already come up with several routes, from one to another of the haciendas that rear the best fighting bulls in Mexico. Or to haciendas which can provide visitors with traditional dishes characteristic of the area: mezcal - a drink made from the blue agave, iguana, snake and rats, among other exotic foods, all well prepared to constitute delicacies. (dpa)