San Miguel de Allende - Highlights

It seems long overdue that we put together a post about the highlights of our time in San Miguel de Allende.

For starters, we had fun adjusting to life without a car.  We were fortunate that we had lots of little shops nearby: tortilla shop next door, a handful of little corner shops, a paper supplies (papeleria) across the street, 2 bakeries within 5-10 minute walk, a fruit and veggie shop around the corner, as well as a butcher.  If we wanted organic and artisan goodies, there was a shop with farm to table café about 10 minutes away.  A big market and a neighboring premium butcher shop was closer to a 20-30 minute walk, but still manageable.  (For the whole month we were in SMA, we only visited a big box grocery store once, because it was next door to the movie theater, where we had gone to watch the latest Star Wars episode.)  Since this on foot lifestyle also meant carrying everything to feed 6+ back home on foot, we generally bought fresh every day (or near every day).  But it was also quite freeing to buy in smaller quantities, based on the day’s menu. 

Our choice to adopt a pedestrian lifestyle was also due to the fact that in a colonial city like San Miguel, traffic and parking can be an absolute nightmare, especially if one wants to go downtown.  And most cars that fit a big group like ours, don’t always squeeze nicely into small spaces.  So frankly, it was often faster to hike into downtown on foot (20-30 minutes, with kids in tow) and we didn’t have to waste any time getting to where we wanted to go.  The added bonus was that we could pop in to the many little shops and cafés along the way, as we explored our neighborhood.

One such place we’d discovered during our last trip to SMA and made a point to revisit, is the “Museo del Jugete Mexicano” or Mexican Toy Museum.  It is a wonderful museum full of artistic children’s toys from the various regions of Mexico.  They are made from whatever resources are prevalent in the area; whether clay, straw, wood, ceramic, recycled soda bottles, cloth, and so on.  Since children’s toys are also often a representation of the life they are living every day, they also serve as a wonderful opportunity to peek into the daily lives of children of different regions and different means.  Doll houses range from a traditional colonial style home to a one-room adobe home.  Cooking utensils often include a molcajete, metate, tortilla press, comal, and many other instruments that are much less common in a US kitchen.  The toy variations of fruits and vegetables include various chilis, chayotes, jicamas, papayas, mamay, guayavas, mangos, incredible variations of squash, corn and beans of all colors under the sun, tortillas, sweet bread conchas, and so on.  Again, not the things you find in your typical Michigan big-box grocery store, but the things that every child here would recognize from their own kitchen and neighborhood market.

Another place on our “must revisit” list was the local botanical garden, El Charco del Ingenio.  We came here several times to enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and the variety of flora and fauna.  It is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and just be.  The botanical garden includes a greenhouse that provides a more controlled environment for tiny succulents and water plants.  And the expansive outside areas include both sides of a dam that you can walk across.  There is also a ravine that we explored, with the kids and Alex’s parents, just because we could.  It was a really great place for the kids to run and play and explore.

Of course, downtown San Miguel de Allende is a playground in and of itself.  It is chock full of beautiful architecture.  What makes it incredibly special are it’s old buildings, cobble stone streets, parks and plazas. During the holiday season and weekends, more of the streets downtown are closed off to cars, and frankly it becomes much nicer for us pedestrians.  (If we lived here and had our say, we would work hard to develop a more robust non-motorized plan for the city, so that vehicle traffic and non-vehicle traffic can both flourish.)  There are some beautiful parks that extend multiple city blocks and are full of walking paths, playgrounds, basketball courts, fountains, and trees. 

And what colonial city would be complete without copious street vendors of food, toys, arts and crafts, and so on.  One of the kids’ favorites were the guys selling hats.  You could spot them from afar with dozens of hats stacked high upon their heads.  There were also the ladies making dried flower crowns.  This seems to be traditional and specific to San Miguel, as we’d seen them on our previous trip, and had not encountered them anywhere else.  San Miguel is also full of street musicians as well.  At every hour of the day or night, there was always music and entertainment to be found in the main square; whether an organized event or a more ad hoc performance.

 San Miguel is so full of artists and artisans that it is hard to get away without bringing something beautiful along.  Our home happened to also be across the street from Fabrica Aurora, an old textile factory which has been turned into a wide variety of artist galleries, studios, and shops.  Everything sold here is pretty high quality, and high end.  It is a wonderful place to browse (and drool). 

Behind its expansive terrain, is another pedestrian walk that extends well over half a mile, filled with little stands of “artesanias”.  You can find a treasure trove of silver jewelry, Huichol style beaded jewelry, wool rugs, talavera style pottery, colorful hand painted alebrijes, blown glass dishes, embroidered clothing, wall hangings, tablecloths, and anything else one could imagine.  It was fun to watch as the artisans created their handiwork and hawked their wares. And it was good that each kid had their own money to spend on those beautiful items they just couldn’t resist.

Mummies and more: A visit to Guanajuato

One of my favorite cities in Mexico has to be Guanajuato! The capital of the state, by the same name, is home to a fantastic mix of aesthetic beauty, history, and intrigue.

Silver Riches and the War for Independence

Guanajuato, established in the mid-1500's, is located in a valley, and was an important silver mining town during the colonial era.  While it was originally less profitable than some of it's nearby neighbors, during the early 1700's, two mines of the city discovered very large sliver veins, and the city quickly became the largest producer of silver in the world.  It produced 20-25% of Spain's silver.  Guanajuato was located along the Camino Real, or Royal Road, built by the Spanish to help quickly and safely transport precious metal ore to foundries and then to Mexico City or the coast, for proper accounting and control of the precious metals.  The great wealth that came to Guanajuato through the mines, resulted in the construction of beautiful mansions, churches, theaters, which give the city it's colonial charm we still enjoy today.

Political changes in the later 1700s and early 1800's brought significant changes to prosperous Guanajuato.  Calls for independence and the seeds of change were being sown in the nearby towns of Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende.  With the uprisings in this newly beginning war for independence, it was demanded that the crown-imposed head of Guanajuato step down.  He declined and the insurgents brought the battle to Guanajuato.  The forces of the crown and the town's wealthy criollo families (full blood Spaniards, born on the American continent) retreated to the town's granary, La Alhóndiga, while waiting for reinforcements from the crown.  They believed that the massive structure would serve as an impenetrable fortress and the crown's troops fired at the roughly 20,000 insurgents (and those they'd drafted into their company en route) coming over the nearby hill.  

Since the crown closely controlled the availability of gunpowder and arms, the insurgents were armed primarily with slingshots and stones, and a lone firearm here and there. So while they were great in number, the insurgents were at a severe disadvantage when it came to weaponry, especially with the crown's troops safely behind massive walls.  (The damage inflicted to the structures walls by the insurgent's stones is still visible on the building's facade today.) The only way in was to get through the massive wooden doors into the inside of the stone structure.  From here stems the story of Pípila, a hero of Guanajuato.  An indigenous miner known for his tremendous strength, he volunteered to approach the fortress and under fire, light up the doors.  He tied a massive stone to his back to act as a shield and under a shower of bullets, he took a torch to the doors of the granary.  

With the doors burning, the insurgents stormed the granary and a brutal massacre took place.  At the end of the battle, most of Guanajuato's wealthy criollo families had either been killed or had fled.  The brutality of the battle led to a schism within the ranks of the insurgents seeking independence, as some like Ignacio Allende, belonged to the criollo ranks.  The result being that many criollo families who had initially supported the insurgency turned away from it.  Roughly a year later, leaders of this battle, including Juan Aldama, Mariana Jimenez , Ignacio Allende, and later Miguel Hidalgo were captured and sentenced to death.  As a warning to the locals and a deterrent to further uprisings against the crown, their decapitated heads were hung in cages at the four corners of the granary.  The hooks on the corners remain today, and the names of each of these four heroes of Mexican Independence have been inscribed into the corners of the building.

Tunnels and Guanajuato Today

Today, Guanajuato's mines are mostly closed.  However a beautiful colonial town with a large university remains.  We attempted to explore the interior of the most famous building on campus, but it was closed for the holidays.  So instead we took a requisite photo on the iconic steps.  We visited several of the city's impressive churches on our trek through town.  One thing we found interesting, is that on the spire of the churches of Guanajuato, the cross has a double set of arms. 

We also enjoyed a return visit to the beautifully ornate Teatro Juárez, one of the crown jewels of the town's center, which has hosted many important performances and dignitaries.  The theater was originally opened in 1903 and was built in an opulent neoclassical style, typical under the long presidency of Porfirio Díaz.  Díaz himself was present at the theater's opening.  On the exterior of the theater, there are statues signifying the different artistic muses.

Another claim to fame in Guanajuato, is that city is the birthplace of Diego Rivera.  You can visit the home, which has now been turned into a museum.

Guanajuato also had it's own Romeo and Juliet story.  What remains as a point of pilgrimage is the Callejón del Beso (the Alley of the Kiss).  This is a narrow alley way where the buildings are roughly 2 feet apart.  The story goes that Ana, was a well to do young lady who lived in the house on one said of the alley way.  Carlos, a young man of humble means, rented a room in the house across the alley, with the room facing Ana's balcony.  As their love blossomed, Ana's father learned of the affair and prohibited his daughter from seeing Carlos.  The love ended tragically.  Today, tourists line up to see the houses and to give each other a kiss for good luck.  

Another one of the intriguing characteristics of Guanajuato is that many of the city roads are built underground.  Under the city, you find a rat maze of traffic tunnels, full of one-way streets, and intersections.  For the uninitiated, it is a little nerve-wracking, as you loose all sense of direction without any queues from the outside world.  Tunnels curve, intersect at odd angles, and signage is virtually non-existent (or at least not obvious to the untrained eye). I was glad not to be driving!  And I enjoyed the thrill of diving underground in one place and re-emerging in another.  Interestingly, the tunnels also have sidewalks beside the road, and it is not uncommon for pedestrians to be walking right along side the vehicles rushing through the dark.  Again, not sure this is the route I'd feel comfortable taking on foot, but there were plenty of men and women doing so.

Mummies

Another intriguing characteristic of Guanajuato are the mummies; including "modern day" mummies, which you can see at the famous Mummy Museum.  Unlike stereotypical mummies of Egypt, the mummies are not embalmed or wrapped in any way with the intent that they be preserved.  In Guanajuato, the natural mummification of the deceased was discovered by accident in the 19th century when several bodies were disinterred in the Santa Paula cemetery.  

The mummification here here is a result of the natural characteristics of the mineral content of the soil soil and dry climate where these individuals were buried, and it occurs regularly and quickly in the town's municipal cemetery.  When an individual is laid to rest, the family has 5 years to finish paying for their plot.  If the family is unable to do so, the body becomes a "cuerpo perdido" (lost body), and becomes the property of the government.  When space became an issue in this cemetery, these "cuerpos perdidos" were exhumed, in order to make room for new "paying customers".  Upon doing so, it was discovered, that the bodies had not decomposed, but rather had been dehydrated so quickly that they had become mummified.  Skin, hair, and clothing are still generally intact.  Mouths are often open, not as a sign of suffering, but rather as part of the natural process of facial muscles having relaxed completely (not unlike someone sleeping on their back with their mouth open).  

In our visit to the mummy museum, it was helpful to have a guide give us these explanations, because without them, the experience of the mummies would have been much more gruesome.  Even so, the visit provoked quite a mix of feelings: curiosity and fear about the generally unknown or unseen and simultaneous sadness and respect for the individuals' bodies and the circumstances of their families that would result in the a body of a loved one being abandoned to the state.  This was particularly poignant when seeing the mummies of babies and young children, or recently exhumed mummies, where it stands to reason, that there still may be close family nearby. 

Christmas Greetings from San Miguel de Allende

I sit here on Christmas Eve morning, enjoying my cup of hot coffee, reflecting on all the joys and blessings bestowed upon us this year, and listening to 3 of the kids playing Minecraft together in the next room.  Alex and Juliana are enjoying the opportunity to sleep in, and I am enjoying the leisurely pace that this morning brings.


We arrived in San Miguel de Allende about a week ago and are quickly getting to know our new adopted neighborhood.  We are staying in a lovely historic building, which used to house the workers of former textile mill across the street.  That factory has since been turned into an artistic center, home to a wide variety of artist studios and galleries.  It's a place you can easily spend days wandering and enjoying the art and the people.  It's difficult to get out of there without spending a few (or a lot) of pesos on very beautiful items.

We have been taking it slow this week: our first night here, all four kids got incredibly sick and we spent all night in the restroom, mopping and re-mopping floors and changing sheets.  Thankful for the washing machine and that we aren't washing sheets by hand (as I did during my college semester abroad).  Little things make a big difference!

After we nursed everyone back to health, we celebrated Miriam's 7th birthday!  To be safe, we spread it across two days - actual birthday for presents and next day for cake (to be extra safe on the recovery of all stomachs).  In the end, it was fun!  And Miriam, the only of our kids who doesn't have a summer birthday, finally got a chance to wear short sleeves outside on her special day!

After birthday celebrations passed, we moved on into our Christmas mode! One of the things we really wanted the kids to experience in Mexico, was how the Christmas season is celebrated.  There are things Alex experienced growing up here, that simply don't lend themselves to the Michigan climate in December: specifically the Posadas.

Posadas occur nightly from December 16 through Christmas Eve and are essentially a parade of people revisiting of the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph into Bethlehem and their search for a place to stay.  Some Posadas are private events, held by a specific church parrish or neighborhood.  And there are also centrally sponsored public Posadas, which are held in different parts of the city center.  Here, the place (usually a church) where any given Posada ends one night, is the place where it will begin the next night.

We participated in a Posada that began in the block behind our house and ended at one of the churches downtown.  Leading the parade was the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe (patron saint of Mexico), young people dressed as María (riding a donkey) and José (Mary and Joseph), a group of children dressed as pilgrims and shepherds, and a group of musicians who led the rest of the public in song.  Lyrics were handed out so we could all participate.  Then our procession wound through the city streets, with traffic cops managing the cars along the way.  In different places, the crowds along the route threw candy or goody bags to the participants in the Posada, called aguinaldo.  The Posada ended at the door of the church, where María and José and ask for posada (a place to stay).  After it is eventually granted, the crowd celebrates with a "ponche", a hot Christmas punch and song.  In many cases, the end also includes the breaking of a piñata, filled with sweets, fruit, and baby jicamas.  More bags of aguinaldo are handed out to all participants. Of course the kids found this to be fantastic fun, as they were loaded up with bags of goodies, and we proceeded to the main city square, which was crowded with families enjoying the music, food, and fun.


Another tradition we have had the opportunity to enjoy are the Pastorelas.  This is a Christmas pageant which includes a high degree of Mexican humor and often some sort of twist.  You can attend many and they will all be different.  Even with limited Spanish, the kids were doubled over laughing the whole time!  We found one by accident, as we were wandering the streets and found an angle peeking out of a door in the wall around a church.  We asked if they were going to do a Pastorela, and were immediately invited in.  The kids concluded that if we find another, we are definitely going!


So today we will continue our explorations to see what we find... We will go to a mass at one of the many beautiful churches in our downtown.  And we will see what other exciting events we discover downtown. Merry Christmas to all! May we all bring peace and joy to those around us in this year ahead!

Botanical Gardens - El Charco del Ingenio

With a welcome bit of sunshine, we headed for the botanical garden and nature preserve just outside of San Miguel de Allende; el Charco del Ingenio.

El Charco is a wonderful place full of walking paths, scenic lookouts, and of course a wide variety of plants native to the region. 

They are particularly well known for their efforts to preserve and restore a variety of cacti on the verge of extinction. 


We had a great fun exploring the greenhouses, where we were able to enjoy an immense number of lovingly planted and cared for cacti of all shapes and sizes. 

Each one was labeled and displayed such that it could be appreciated and enjoyed.

The preserve is full of paths which provide all sorts of opportunities to explore. 

Crossing the dam that runs over the river, we were able to view some of the old ruins that were once part of the mill and hacienda that were on the property.

We had fun exploring and getting our hands dirty. 

The kids found a wide variety of flowers among the cacti, as well as grasshoppers, butterflies, and all sorts of other insects.

They also discovered a wide variety of sparkly stones to collect and play with.

It was a great place to simply enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, and relax a bit in nature. 

There were all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore from large grassy areas, to deep canyon like cliffs, and even areas to play in "plant caves".

Talavera Making in Dolores Hidalgo

Talavera is the traditional pottery style, typical in Mexico.  Talavera originated in the city of Puebla in the 1500s, and the tradition has been continued in other towns in the center of the country. 

We stopped in the town of Dolores Hidalgo, known for its high quality and fair priced Talavera-style products, to see how the pottery is made today.

We saw how everything from tiles and flower pots to stoneware are made.  While originally, the pieces were all thrown by hand, today consistency is achieved by using molds. 

We saw pieces in all stages of the process.  Some that had been recently poured into their molds and were drying.  Some that had been taken from their molds and were being prepared for their first firing in the large kilns.  Yet others had made it through the first firing and had their white coat of slip.  We also saw many pieces which had been painted with glaze and were awaiting their final firing. 

Finally, we got to see a lot of final product pieces in the factory store.