HACIENDA SANTA MARIA REGLA

Founded in 1760 by the wealthy and terrible Pedro Romero de Terreros (Count of Regla), Santa Maria Regla is considered one of the most important constructions in Mexico at the time. It is installed below the canyon of the Prismas Basalticos, and supplied with water by the waters of the San Antonio dam, which have since covered the hacienda of the same name. The remains are really impressive, and cover more than a century of architectural and industrial history, from the colonial period until the English took over and built new furnaces in 1854. The whole complex is a maze of thick walls: the surrounding wall was riddled with obsidian spikes, so that the workers could not escape (dungeons were also waiting for them)... The transformation of the ores that came from Real del Monte required the control of the hydraulic flow in the whole of the installations: canals and basins abound, around an incalculable number of tunnels and subterranean corridors, large vaulted rooms, dungeons, bridge, mill, and immense Spanish furnaces of implacable size. Behind them, don't forget to take the path to the La Rosa waterfall, where the canyon of the Basaltic Prisms begins. Take the time to discover its nooks and crannies with the help of a friendly guide, who will show you the dungeons where smallpox and measles patients used to end their days.