Town 8 km northwest of Álamos
La Aduana's sister mining village, once a municipality of its own, with ruins of the old silver mines on the hills around it.
Minas Nuevas is the second of the two old silver-mining villages in the hills west of Álamos, a short way north of La Aduana. It grew up in the 1680s, when Spanish prospectors found rich silver deposits in these hills, and it was one of the first sizable settlements in what is now Sonora. From 1877 to 1916 it was even the seat of its own municipality.
The mines of Minas Nuevas and La Aduana, packed into a strip of hills only a few kilometers long, produced an enormous fortune over the centuries, and that money is what built the grand colonial mansions of Álamos. Around 1900 the Zambona mine here was still one of the most important in north-western Mexico, with about 150 workers.
Today Minas Nuevas is a quiet village of a few hundred people. The attraction is the setting: stone walls, old mine workings, and ruined buildings scattered across the dry hillsides, a reminder of how much activity once filled this landscape. It pairs naturally with La Aduana on the same outing.
What to see and do
Walk among the ruined stone buildings and old mine workings on the hillsides.
Imagine the scale of the mining that paid for the mansions of Álamos.
Combine it with La Aduana and its Balvanera church on the same trip.
Go late in the afternoon, when the light on the hills is warm and the heat eases.
Getting there
Minas Nuevas is about 8 kilometers north-west of Álamos, reached on the same road as La Aduana; from La Aduana a dirt road continues a couple of kilometers north to the village. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes by car from Álamos. Mine shafts and ruins can be unstable, so stay out of old tunnels.
8 km northwest of Álamos
Directions from Álamos on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Minas Nuevas
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Weather warm
Minas Nuevas shares the climate of Álamos, 8 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov.
Make Álamos your base
Minas Nuevas is an easy trip from Álamos, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Álamos
-
Parque La Colorada
· Nature reserve · 2 km away
A residents' nature reserve on the edge of Álamos, with marked trails through dry forest and a short climb to El Tecolote lookout. -
La Aduana
· Town · 7 km away
A half-empty silver-mining village west of Álamos, with the Balvanera church and a cactus growing out of its wall. -
Sierra de Álamos–Río Cuchujaqui
· Nature reserve · 19 km away
A huge protected area east of Álamos: dry tropical forest, pine-oak peaks, and the clear, cypress-lined Cuchujaqui River.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.