Zacatecas Mine, Mexico

Mexican clubbers now have a new venue in which to ‘rock out’. The history of the Zacatecas Mine in Mexico goes back to the 16th and 17th centuries when pre glo-stick miners went in search of shiny metal. In 1975 the mine became a nightclub, but in 2004 the club closed in preparation for a substantial remodelling project that was completed in June 2005.

Most refurbs require knocking out a wall and a lick of paint, but all that’s a little tame for the Zacatecas Mine. Instead, 27 carefully calculated detonations of high and low explosives removed 1200 tonnes of rock, raising the capacity from 220 to 400.

To enter the club, a small train with 30 people aboard travels 520 metres through a tunnel into the hillside. At the end of this journey you find yourself 315 metres underground.

José and Edson conceived the design of the mine project. It was essential that the illumination not become too overbearing and ruin the essence of the cave atmosphere.

The creative team chose to illuminate the whole periphery with Pulsar LED ChromaStrips. Meanwhile, 60 ChromaStrip 900s illuminate the entire vault and give the bar an incredible atmosphere. In the central area a circular glass floor is illuminated with 30 more Pulsar ChromaStrip 900s.

The tricky job of integrating and installing the lighting and audio fell to Adisma. In the main chamber hangs a truss that supports moving head fixtures as well as a RGB laser. A specially constructed water screen from Mirage Waterworks is used for projection, while there are also plasma screens.

The PA is composed entirely of Bose speakers and the room has acoustic panelling added to absorb some of the sound.

The Zacatecas Mine is a must-see for underground music lovers. Next time you head to Latin America pack a hard hat and a canary in a cage.