Susticacán

Susticacán is a tiny mountain town west of Jerez and the seat of one of the smallest municipalities in Zacatecas, almost entirely inside the Sierra de Cardos, a rugged range on the edge of the Sierra Madre Occidental with elevations between about 2,000 and 2,900 meters. The town was officially founded in 1562 as Santo Tomás de Etsosticacán; its name is usually explained as "place of the strong ravine."

Its main church, the Templo de la Virgen del Rayo, was built between 1697 and 1703 by the town's Indigenous residents, who paid for the materials themselves. The image is linked to a miracle story: struck by lightning during a procession, it was left with a darkened face that later returned to normal. Her feast, around August 15, brings a novena of masses, processions, dances, music and fireworks, followed by the town fair. The older and much plainer Templo de San Pedro dates back to the town's founding.

Susticacán also has a small museum, Museo Los Cardos, with everyday objects from the past, and a silver workshop, Sustiplata, making pieces of original design. The surrounding sierra is good for hiking, horseback riding and birdwatching, and it is part of a Wixárika (Huichol) sacred landscape whose rock formations are considered petrified ancestors.