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.

Silver Mining in Guanajuato

During the colonial times, Guanajuato was the number one silver mining town in Mexico.  The Spaniards required local natives to work the mines, which then shipped the silver treasures back to the mother country.  It was hard work, and the average laborer worked in the mines for six to eight years, before he was no longer physically able to do the work.  Women typically worked sorting the ore on the surface, separating the rock from the metals, so that it could be processed into the finished products. 

We had the opportunity to enter an old silver mine, "El Nopal" that was used in the 1800s, and which has been taken over by the local University as a laboratory for its mining engineering students.  (The mine will soon be closed to the public, so we were fortunate to be able to tour it.)  We walked down the mining entrance and were shown the different types of tools that were used to loosen the rock.  We saw tunnels that led back to the main Hacienda, where the rocks were sorted and the ore extracted.  We could still see some of the veins of the different metals, which continue in the rock.

In one location, we saw the carving of a little face in the rock; these were used by the miners to identify their location by touch, when light was not available.  It was quite impactful to imagine the lifestyle and the hard work that went into the extraction of silver, so important to the relationship between colonial Mexico and her mother country.

A Day in Guanajuato

A few days after arriving in San Miguel de Allende, we headed over to the city of Guanajuato, which is the capital of the state by the same name. 

Our first impressions of Guanajuato were of its extensive tunnel systems, where main city arteries travel below the town.  Some tunnels had two-way traffic, while others were one-way.  Some tunnels allowed residents living above, to park along the side of the road.  There were long subway-style stairways linking some the tunnel sidewalks to the fresh air above.

Guanajuato is home to the Teatro Juarez, which is an intimate theater, considered the second best in all of Mexico.  It is absolutely lovely inside, decorated in a Moorish style.  When the theater was opened, it catered exclusively to the local elite, evidenced by the attendance of Mexico's president, Porfirio Diaz, at its opening.

Guanajuato is also a university town, and grows significantly in population during the time the students are in town.  We learned that students live in exclusively local apartments and/or with family, and not do not have US-style dormitories available.  We took a group picture on the same steps, where university graduates take their graduation class picture.

During one particularly prolific rain shower, we ducked into the Diego Rivera museum.  Guanajuato was the birthplace of the famous painter Diego Rivera.  His home has been turned into a museum, where you can see how the family lived when he was young, and also where you can see many of Diego's sketches, drawings, and paintings as he developed his artistic skill and found his own style.

While in Guanajuato, we also visited some of the old churches, enjoyed the many plazas, and even saw the "Callejon del Beso", a narrow alleyway, where the houses are so close that lovers could clandestinely kiss from balcony to balcony.  This is the setting of a Mexican instance of a real life Romeo and Juliet story from years back.  And it is said that if a couple kisses in this spot today, they will have many years of good luck.

Toy Museum

During one of the downpours of rain, we ducked into the Museo del Juguete Popular Mexicano, or the local Toy Museum in San Miguel de Allende.

Walking through the toys evoked all sorts of emotions - desires to reach into the display cases and play for the younger viewers, memories and nostalgia for the older viewers, as well as simply wonder at the ingenuity of the creators of the toys, and the love put into each one.

The materials used were just as fascinating.  We ran into everything including straw, paper maché, wood, clay, cardboard, recycled aluminum cans, gourds, mango pits, coconut shells and husks, etc.  Depending on what materials were most common for any given region or population, the toys were crafted and painstakingly adorned and made beautiful. 


The doll houses, their furniture, and cooking utensils were particularly interesting to the kids, as they reflected a very different architecture and lifestyle from what the kids are accustomed to, and at the same time, the kids saw miniature versions of many of the items they'd seen here in the markets during previous visits. 

By the time we made it through the museum and gift store, the kids found a few mini items to with which to remember Mexico by, and which they could add to their own doll house and toy box back home.

Back to Mexico - Welcome to San Miguel

Right after Christmas, we headed back to Mexico. 

This time, we flew into Mexico City and from there, we took a van ride to San Miguel de Allende, about a four hour ride to the north of the airport. 

It was interesting to drive through the outskirts of the megacity, and then through the countryside, past various villages, all the way to the town of San Miguel. 

It was evening by the time we found our house, a beautiful older home with lots of windows and traditional charm.  The only thing it lacked was some form of heat, to take the chill out of the unseasonably cold evenings. 

For our first two days, we encountered a lot of rain, again not typical for this time of year.  Apparently it was the first December in 35 years that it had rained in San Miguel. 


During the breaks of the rain, we braved the cobblestone streets that had been turned into little rivers, and walked into town. 

All was great, until the rain started up again and everyone's shoes were soaked by the time we got home.  We found a little electric heater and lined up the essential items (especially the shoes) to slowly dry out in the 40 degree house.

 Despite the cold rain, the downtown of San Miguel was beautiful! 

The plazas were welcoming, and all of the churches were open.  It seemed there was one wedding or Quinceaños (15th birthday coming out for girls) celebration mass after another.  Each church still had up all of its Christmas decorations, so there was quite a lot to see in each one.

Fall Camping - Bruin Lake

As the fall came, we decided to squeeze in one last camping trip before winterizing the trailer. 

This time, we headed to Bruin Lake State Park. 

We camped side by side with Mike and Irm and were even joined by cousin Tim and Edan for a night. 

The October weather was chilly and we had rain in the evenings (which gave us a chance to try out our new screen house), but even so, we had a wonderful time. 

The kids made fairy houses at the campsite and all sorts of other creations at the edge of the lake. 
We even had the opportunity to enjoy some of the fall colors by canoe. 
And in the evenings, we ended the day by making popcorn over the fire!

August Trip to Fort Malden, Ontario, Canada

For Juliana's birthday, she requested a trip to Canada. 

Fort Malden was close and we'd been their once before in late fall, so going on a warm summer day was much more enjoyable! 

We were lucky to arrive during a festival, where the kids got to watch historical battle reenactments, listen to historical music, and hear explanations about life in times past.  They even got to try on period outfits.

Outside the Fort's walls, the kids got to see and try on chain mail, see some Viking cookware replicas and many other interesting items. 

Before we left, everyone had to sit on the big cannon!