The spectacle of hooded men on the steep stone alleyways, the scent of incense heavy in the air, conjures images of a time long past. The mood lightens in late May for the Jornadas Alarconianas, a festival of plays, literary readings and dances celebrating writer Juan Ruiz de Alarcon, a 17th-century Taxco son. In November, the city honors its source of wealth with the Feria de La Plata, or Silver Fair, when silversmiths put their finest pieces on show and the national prize is awarded to the best silver artist. The art of silver work had died in Taxco during Mexico's 19th-century war for independence, when Spanish barons destroyed their mines rather than lose them to the rebels. Spratling recruited goldsmiths to teach local men.
Taxco residents continue to pay homage to their adopted son.
A silver bust of Spratling sits in the town's silver museum, longside images of De la Borda and Ruiz de Alarcon. A museum behind the Santa Prisca holds Spratling's collection of silver art and pre-Columbian figures. Religious artifacts from the Santa Prisca enhance the sensation of Taxco's living past. History is only part of the flavor enjoyed in Taxco. Lucky diners can enjoy the view of the central plaza from upstairs balconies.