Silver queens

Taxco, a town in southern Mexico, is a silversmith's hub, with narrow, cobbled streets crammed with silver shops and workshops and surrounded by mines. The annual National Silver Fair, held from Dec 3-10, was inaugurated in 1973 when the government launched a competition to present a National Silversmith Award. A fiesta filled with music and dance performances takes place in Taxco's main square and streets, and local beauties compete to win the crown of Silver Queen. Details on www.feriaplata.mx (in Spanish).