El Cafe Quemado

Yes, Cafe Azul has moved across the street since this photo was taken for USA Today, but here is an article about driving to Mexico and a mention of Real:

Featuring cobblestone streets and colonial buildings, the town is a good option for those looking for a taste of Old Mexico but without hordes of tourists. Here, the stillness of a crisp morning is often broken by the chirping of birds and the braying of donkeys… Swiss, German, American and Italians opened hotels, coffee shops, art galleries and restaurants, where gourmet food and pastries are served…

usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2007-03-20-mexico-without-a-passport_N.htm

You’ve just been invited to the upcoming Tunel Ogarrio festival. Complete with antique cars, music and dancing in the streets, and Burros Adornados. We are waiting for you, come and enjoy!

From the New York Times Travel section:
“A Ghost Town Comes Back”

Published: January 12, 1997

…about an hour from Catorce, the bus careered onto a road surface so rough it felt like we’d suddenly developed square wheels. A Mexican sitting near me explained excitedly in Spanish: ”We’re almost there now. This road used to be the bed of the mining train that served all the mines of Real de Catorce.”

I peered through the gloom and made out a cobblestone surface, barely wide enough to keep the bus’s wheels from skittering over the considerable drop at the road’s edge.

”Soon we will go through the tunnel,” the man yelled over the bus’s roar and clatter…

There are many caballerangos in town, but Jose Abraham is one of the best. He is a excellent guide; he treats his horses well, and his guests, too. For trips and prices, see his listing in the forums under Renta de caballos. If you don’t see him out front, just ask, and we will help track him down for you.

Local artist Charlie Tomorrow stops by for a chat. His work is exhibited in the Galeria Vega m57 on Calle Zaragoza. Visit their webpage for more pictures and info. vega.m57.googlepages.com/

One of the interesting activities during Semana Santa; a chance to speak with elders of the town, as they told about their lives, and their legends.

Each year the Passion passes through the streets of Real. Here, on his way to our ceremonial Golgotha, Jesús passes the cafe. Photo by Aaron Tabares Rodriguez, who helps out here at the cafe.

Here are links to a few travel articles about Real, and Matehuala, from the MexicoFile.com website:

“The battered Willys jeep lurched up the steep cobblestone grade, inches from the road’s edge. We stared at the 200-foot drop that awaited us should the driver fail to cut the truck’s wheels in time as we doglegged to hug the mountainside…”
www.mexicofile.com/realdecatorceenchantment.htm

Real de Catorce, The Incredible City
www.mexicofile.com/realdecatorcetheincrediblecity.htm

Matehuala and Real de Catorce: The Mexico That Was
www.mexicofile.com/matehualaandrealdecatorce.htm

Matehuala – Not Just a Highway Stop
www.mexicofile.com/matehuala.htm

Cockfights in the Palenque de gallos this Sunday, March 23, 2008. Festivities are to begin in the afternoon, around 3pm.

We have just instituted the El Café Quemado Forums, where you ask the questions and we send the answers direct from Real de Catorce! Post your questions and discussions about all things Catorceño at forums.elcafequemado.com