Rancho Conchita

Xilitla, in the State of San Luis Potosí, is situated some 84km/52mi from Jalpan. From here it is another 4km/2.5mi along the road to Ciudad Valles where a path turns off to the left across fields to Rancho Conchita. Edward James' jungle castle, never completed, can be visited here. This eccentric English millionaire and art collector, who died in 1984, built his bizarre refuge in a luxuriant tropical setting. Since his death the castle has remained uninhabited and has become dilapidated; the jungle is steadily regaining the upper hand and vegetation is slowly enveloping the building.