Mineral de Pozos and another parade

        We took a day trip to the town, ghost town actually, of Mineral de Pozos, a little more than 1 hour away.  The first adventure was driving there, as we rented a car for the first time. The roads were surprisingly good. The challenging thing was the topes, or speed bumps. Every time you come to a new town there is a line of sticking up stones cemented in place across the road, with very little notice. You have to get about 5mph to have a hope of not destroying your car. And there’s not just one tope, but one after another after another. But I was vigilant and none caught me by surprise.

During its heyday as a silver mining town it had around 60,000 people, but now has a population of less than 1000.  The guidebooks and the owner of our house both recommended this town, but I was rather under whelmed. I guess I neglected to really think what the word ghost town meant. It was extremely quiet and sleepy, which I guess some people like after the bustle of most places in Mexico. Unlike in San Miguel where everything is colorful, Pozos is a place of muted colors of stone, of old unpainted walls of concrete. We did find some surprisingly sophisticated restaurants, hotels, and art galleries though. Some people say it will be the next San Miguel, but I can’t see it.

You can drive out of town to the hills around Pozos (which means well) in either direction and see several ruins of mines. One called Los 5 Senores we were able to go in and look around. Make sure you know the word “peligro” – danger, before you go, because the word spray painted on the side of walls is the only protection against falling down a deep well. 

Looking down the well or "pozos"

It was spooky, romantic, creepy, and interesting walking around amongst stairs that go nowhere, elaborate archways, and fields of wildflowers. On the roads leading back to town vendors sold chunks of quartz and other minerals that are found nearby.

Besides the mines, the other thing the town is known for is artisans making pre-Columbian style musical instruments. We went to several workshop / stores and heard some amazing sounds come out of whistles, ocarinas, and marimba type instruments. I really liked the whistles that are shaped like animals, moons, stars etc, so was happy to buy a few and support these struggling craftspeople.

An interesting place for a day visit, but we’re all happy to get back to San Miguel. We’re more bustle and activity people, I suppose.

We happened on another special parade last night. The patron saint, San Miguel, is being celebrated this weekend in the biggest fiesta of the year. During the weekdays leading to the big event,, his image or statue is paraded around the various neighborhoods of San Miguel. Last night was our neighborhood’s turn. The street was decorated in all in red and white with streamers, crepe paper, balloons, and flowers. It was a beautiful sight. 

Along came a wonderful parade, unfortunately for my picture taking, it took place at dusk. Girls dressed as angels solemnly bore along the statue of San Miguel. There were drummers, native dancers, and a flatbed truck with small girls dressed all in white angel costumes. But my favorite was the wonderful stars made of paper and lit in the middle. These are held aloft by gyrating dancers. Very beautiful.  Looked like a major block party with tequila and huge vats of soup going to be served, but it began to rain harder and harder and we had to go in. Oh yeah, and of course, lots of fireworks. What a beautiful tradition and celebration and there’s more to come this weekend.

Viva México!

Nataly's costume for Independence day

Nataly's classmates dress up for the celebration

We celebrated Mexican Independence weekend Sept 16-17 with the throngs of celebrants that descend on San Miguel, aka the cradle of Independence (la cuna de la independenica). It would have been twice the fun with half the crowds, but it was still wonderful to see.

The runners take off with the torch and message

On Sat morning teams of runners in sports attire came to the central square for a ceremony. The ceremony was a short speech commemorating the historic message that was sent from Josefa Ortez in Queretero to Allende and Hidalgo in San Miguel. The message revealed that the plot to overthrow Spain had been discovered and that the insurgents needed to act quickly. The speech concluded with the crowd chanting “viva Mexico” after each time the speaker named the heroes of the revolution. Each team of runners got an eternal flame and a rolled scroll. They circled the jardin several times running and then took off to various cities to deliver the historic message that initiated the independence.

The central square was completely stuffed that day with sellers of every possible thing in the colors of the Mexican flag, as well as every junk food and cheap toy known to Mexico. There were musicians, dancers, and groups of riders on horseback. 

The famous El Grito (the cry for independence) is replicated in every city and town in Mexico at 11pm. Apparently the exact wording of Hidalgo speech to the citizens of Dolores isn’t known, but it was short and rabble rousing and contains the famous line “Viva Mexico”.

Mayor (in red) giving the scrolls to the runners

We woke Nataly up and went on down to the square. It was full to bursting. At first we aimed to get up close and then were nearly suffocated by the crowds, so we moved to a less close spot, that contained more air to breathe. Allende’s familial house borders the square and a huge roar went through the crowd when the mayor (a woman) of San Miguel came out (along with the beauty queen and other dignitaries) on Allende’s 2^nd story balcony.  Then along came the runners  (maybe the same one’s from earlier) with their flames and messages. Behind them trotted about 100 horses with men and women in traditional clothes riding on horseback. 

At 11pm the mayor re-enacted the Grito, a short but stirring call to arms that featured many call and response chants of Viva Mexico. It was very stirring. There were lots of kids up on shoulders near us excitedly calling Viva Mexico. After the speech everyone sang the Mexico National anthem.  We’ve been practicing the chorus (every Monday Nataly’s school starts off the week with a ceremony that involves singing this song).

Many more songs were song and then the fireworks began. These were the wildest fireworks ever and went on and off for at least an hour. Unfortunately because of the crowds and the ring of trees circling the square we only had a limited view. Los pyretecnicos had set up these huge scaffold towers. Parts of the towers spin around and shoot off rockets in a blazing circle. When one part finished another part would begin spinning and firing. Since we couldn’t see that well we eventually moved to the back of the square. Here we ended up getting a front row view of the next set of fireworks that were set off from the roof of the building across the way as well as banks of fireworks set off right in front of us, with a small (and insufficient) sized area roped off. Thankfully in the past year Nataly has grown and is now is a big fan of fireworks. This town would be an unending nightmare for anyone afraid of them. Walked home with the crowds after midnight.

The Parade

The next day we went to see the parade. I guess it makes sense, given the occasion, but we were surprised by the solemnity and show of military might of this parade.  First came the marchers from all the schools in the area, wearing their uniforms. 

Apparently only the boys can be the drummers. Next came the fire fighters, all with full sirens blasting. We were all covering our ears in pain. Does everyone in Mexico have hearing loss from all the noises? We seemed to be the only people bothered.  The last chunk of the parade was the military. Lots of tanks and vehicles with women holding the rocket propelled launchers towards the sky, in a rather freudian way. The best thing about the parade was the people watching. Every San Miguelense with any entrepreneurial spirit was out there selling stuff (often out of a ratty cardboard box or cooler. Unfortunately we’re too wary to buy anything off the street these days, but it was tempting.

Have you ever seen a daytime firecracker type thing? Along the parade route they would shoot out these rockets that exploded and sent sparkly paper billowing out in to the sky. Beautiful, but an environmental hazard.

Hidalgo (bald costume) and Allende

The restaurants were packed so we decided this was a good time to try this Chinese restaurant we had seen. Turns out it is a branch of a Pittsburgh restaurant that we’d been to in Shadyside when we lived there. Small world. The food was great, best Asian we’ve tried so far. All in all a very special weekend and thank goodness we got Monday off to catch up on all the missed sleep.

Our visitor learns a lot about Mexican history

Another Oregonian, Jeanie Bean, aka Doña Frijola, came to visit us for a week in early Sept.  We visited the churches, the dogs (perhaps a new book is in the works ((of the same form of the Doors of SMA)), the Starbucks, the local pyramid, the Cañada de la Virgen, y mucho mas. I’ve already posted about the wrestling event she and I attended. One of the highlights of her trip :>

These giant puppets were out to celebrate a wedding at the Parroquia

Finally getting to visit the pyramid was fabulous. We had a Spanish speaking guided tour, which would have been quite challenging, but fortunately another couple was with us. They were Mexicans who live outside of San Francisco and so were bilingual and super helpful. The woman was extremely outgoing and full of opinions and of love for her home country. Talking with her alone was worth the admission price. 

         Back to the pyramids. They are located in a spectacular canyon, but aren’t well known yet, so it was just our small group. I learned it was named (recently) for the canyon (cañada) and for a miraculous appearance of the Virgen that was found in a piece of quartz nearby (now kept at a nearby church.  The pyramid was occupied from about 500 – 1000 AD and served as a ceremonial site for people living in the canyon, as well as, like other pyramids, used for astronomical purposes. The structures are aligned with the setting sun.  Only the religious figures lived on site, in 12 chambers that you can see the remains of.  Until recently it was thought that pyramids and this level of civilization did not occur this far north, so their discovery  (within the last 15 years) has challenged that concept. 

The pottery fragments excavated are displayed in a beautiful garden onsite

One of the most interesting things at this pyramid is the presence of a founder (the “decapitated” man), whose remains were buried at the top, most sacred part of the pyramid. DNA testing showed that the founder was 500 years older than the pyramid itself. It is thought that he perhaps originated the idea of building the structures. When eventually the structures were built he was honored by being place inside.  One thing you learn about all the pyramids I’ve seen is they were built and enlarged over time. Here we saw evidence of 3 different building periods in which each new addition encases the previous pyramid. Cantera is a beautiful, multi- colored stone, which is widely used in the city of SMA and was also used as the finish stone over the whole structure. Much of the cantera is now gone (carried off for other people’s projects probably), but what remains is stunningly beautiful. It was a great day outing from SMA and I hope more people learn about it, as they could use the funding for more research.

Looking down from the top

Jeanie and I also visited some more modern structures, like the iglesias, merely 300 hundred years old. 

San Francisco Church

We also went to see some of the modern murals of the Mexican artist David Leonardo (I’m guessing not his given name?). I love his art, some of which details pre-hispanic myths and religion.

We had another good trip to Guanajuato. This time we visited the Alhondiga, a famous site in the Mexican revolution. Some advice - this museum is huge, don’t go on an empty stomach the way we did., as it takes a long time to see everything.  The Alhondiga was built as a very fancy granary (where the town stored its grains). 

Outside of the Alhondiga

Inside of the Alhondiga (granary)

     Why is it so elaborate? I guess because Guanajuato was so wealthy due to the silver mines nearby.  When the revolution began in 1810 many of the wealthy Spanish who were not in support of the uprising, were taking refuge inside here along with their possessions. Here is where el Pipila comes in (if you read my earlier posts you know about him).  He was the miner who (supposedly) single handedly stormed la Alhondiga building under a shower of bullets, using a massive stone as a shield. Once inside, he opened the doors to the mob, which brutally killed all inside. This turned many people against the uprising, and Allende (from SMA and one of the heroes) actually disavowed the slaughter.  Revenge was had, though.

Monument to the co-leader of the independence movement (from San Miguel)

 One year later when many of the founding insurgents, including Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama, and Morelos were captured down south and killed, their heads were brought to Guanajuato and stuck on posts on the corners of the Alhondiga as a warning to the populace. Gruesome but fascinating.  The war took 10 more years before the tides turned and Mexico gained independence in 1821. Now the museum has monuments to all the heroes and an eternal flame. As well, it has a huge collection of pre-hispanic artificacts, which Nataly didn’t let us get too good a look at.

     We walked up the hill to the huge Univ. of Guanajuato’s signature building. It was a great view, but the building was closed. 

Univ. of Guanajuato

     We walked all around the downtown and even found a Starbucks offering 2 for 1 to celebrate 10 years in Mexico. Michael and Jeanie enjoyed their frappacinos, while Nataly and a walked around listening to Mariachi bands serenading people. 

     Another great day. Michael and I really like the feeling of Guanajuato, partly because it’s a bigger city. Maybe next time (if there were to be such a thing) we’d come here. Jeanie wasn’t as impressed as us though.

     Jeanie’s final night we finally managed to get down to the restaurant called Churros y Chocolate. And had a delicious treat of, you guessed it, C y C. Mmmmm! More visitors need to come so we can have the excuse of eating something so decadent.

Casa de las Estrellas

Living room with awesome boveda (curved brick) ceiling

At the end of August we had to move to a new house. We knew from the beginning that the owners of Casa del Alma were returning and though we hated to leave this art filled house with the amazing garden, it did allow us to move to a place within a reasonable walk of Nataly’s school. 

Church on the corner (Santo Domingo)

We searched high and low and confirmed that our old house was really amazing. Our new house Casa de Estrellas (our name) is growing on us, though. At first we had many problems, such as an every growing number of outlets and lights not functioning.  After a second team of electricians were called out, the number of things not working shrunk.  Hopefully we got all our bad house mojo out of the way.  Our new garden is small but beautiful and I can see the angel statue while lying in bed! 

next door neighbors

We also have a great patio for dining, so I can still eat all my meals outdoors.  

Nataly in her sports uniform on our new house's patio

This house also uses many of the locally produced stars for ceiling light. I just love them!

Lucha libre

Hulky good guy

The bullfighting ring, before the action

Well, much to my own surprise and probably yours too, I’ve now been to my first ever Lucha libre (Mexican wrestling) event. Even more surprising, it was super entertaining!

 My friend Jeanie and I went to simply check out the Plaza de Toros one day and found a poster for the wrestling match taking place that same night.  She’s seen it before on TV, but I never had. Ok, I thought, when in Mexico do like the Mexicans.  When we were home having dinner beforehand Michael freaked me out a little. He was sure that the audience would be all guys, similar to the cantina scene, with lots of drunken singing and brawling. Jeanie thought he was dead wrong and she called it.  Turns out we would have been in the majority if we’d brought along Nataly (but we didn’t and I don’t think it was appropriate by my standards). It was quite the family event, with babes in arms. Lots of hair gel and proud papas y mamas. We accidentally bought the seats right at the floor level. 

We soon learned why these were the coveted seats. The action comes right out of the ring and into the audience. Then we all jumped up and followed the fight and tried not to get trampled on. 

The acrobatics were great. Lots of flips and trips and bouncing off the ropes.  Were these guys gymnasts in a former life? There were 4 different matches.  The women match was boring and slow, mostly just striking sexy poses and getting spanked. Another round had creepy clowns/ skeletons things that I think were the good guys. As the night wore on the action became more and more about ball bashing. When one fighter was down the other would take a chair, arrange it between his legs and then use another chair to drive in the blow. I could do without this part, over and over, but heh, the rest was actually great fun. Jeanie bought a mask for a friend (the Silver King – it’s red not silver) and wore it the whole night. As she pointed out she was the only adult wearing one.  She hopped up in the ring between rounds with the other kids (and kids at heart). 

My friend Jeanie and a friend she made

Lots of chanting and audience participation. So will this become my new passion? Probably not, but I’d definitely go again. Hopefully Michael will get a chance to go next time too. 

creepy skeleton

Friends from Oregon

We had a great couple of days visit with our old friends from Portland -Scott, Karen, and Fiona, until all the grownups got sick with something muy mal, requiring antibiotics from the doc. Nataly and Fiona did a fabulous job entertaining themselves and letting us recover.

But lets focus on the positive. We had a great afternoon up at the botanical garden, which has transformed itself into a green oasis and full reservoir, since our previous visit. This really is a special place. Every time we go we find a new area to explore, though we always have to make time for the slide! They have an extensive collection of cacti and other succulents. I appreciate them and find them interesting, but I love the green, and the wildflowers that are blooming in this short rainy season.  

caterpillars that like to clump together

 Karen and Fiona have great eyes for spotting wildlife, from clumping caterpillars, anthills, and soaring birds, to beetles and we thank for them sharing their interest and knowledge with us.  We all loved hopping around on the huge boulders below the dam.

We also had a great day at the hot springs La Gruta.  There are many pools of different temperatures. For the grownups the highlight is the Gruta (or cave) itself. You approach it via a long, narrow, dark, and steamy tunnel. The water progressively gets hotter and hotter as you near the cave. 

The cave is made of natural stone with an arched ceiling. There are 2 small holes in the ceiling in which a ray of light may shine in.  It was most beautiful, serene, and wonderful.  The hot water rises as steam and precipitates back down as droplets.  At certain time there is a gusher of high pressure water which you can line up to stand under for the ultimate back massage. The food was delicious here too.  We enjoyed seeing the local Mexican families enjoying themselves and having the sounds of Spanish wash over us. When you can't understand, its like a lovely, white noise. At the end of their visit we all recovered enough to enjoy a meal out, with Michael and Scott putting their stomachs to the test (successfully) with the “volcano” (a meat extravaganza).