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Queretaro

2007-06-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

children are never scolded for playing in the fountains

There is always some cultural, musical, or artistic happening in this city.
Here is video of these dancers enjoying the state orchestra playing in the Plaza Independencia, everyone was having a wonderful time!

More Querétaro, why I could live here...

2007-06-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

This city has a crew of the most detailed aware and conscientious street cleaners imaginable. They even pick out the tiniest bit of trash from the landscaped trees and flowers. Each morning they wash and rinse the streets, and this is in addition to each shopkeeper who keeps the space in front of his store clean and also washes down the sidewalk each day. But even more than this there is a consciousness that garbage is a blot on the beauty of the landscape. Queretaro is the only city where I have seen parents admonish their children when they see them throw trash and make them put the garbage can. Sadly, this is not the case in most parts of Mexico, I have been sitting in many second class buses and seen children and adults finish a bottle of water or soft drink and throw it up the window without a thought, and it is obvious from looking at the side of the road that this is part of the routine. Queretaro gives me hope that this lack of concern can change.

Without exception the people are relaxed and friendly. There are fewer foreign tourists here, and much fewer Americans here than Guanajuato, so strolling through the streets, from one plaza to another, it is unusual to hear anything other than Spanish or see many obviously foreign visitors. Even on weekends the broad plazas with fountains, flowers and trees are tranquil and not crowded. There is always space to sit on a bench and watch the children playing in the fountains. The city is extremely safe, I could walk through the plazas anytime day or night with absolute certainly that I was secure.

I have always eaten extremely well in Queretaro. Lots of restaurants small ones like the one on the corner of Jardin Guerra, and larger ones in the in some of the city's plazas: Plaza de Armas and Plaza de la Constitucion. I really like Cuitlacoche, and this city is one of the places I can always find it. I have never had a bad or even mediocre meal in Queretaro, the variety, sophistication, and quality of preparation is always excellent.

Queretaro, back in my favorite(so far) Mexican city

2007-05-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

there was an orchestra that combined traditional instruments with Mexican/Caribbean instruments and a dance group with dances from all over Mexico(the dancer is balencing a glass of water on her head, this is part of a dance from Veracruz)
Having just come down from the Sierra Gorda, I was pleased to find that there was a celebration going on in Queretaro with people from the towns in the Sierra Gorda. There was food, artisianas, music and plays all to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of the Bio Reserve to Mexico and the world.
Video of the dancers! /short clips from google video
Traditional Jalisco dance

Traditional dance from Veracurz

taking the high road

2007-05-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

the sierra gorda

the semi desert , ocotillo and cactus

The bus ride from Xilitla to Jalpan and then on to Queretaro was amazing and exciting. Exciting and a little scary because of the mountainous, curvy road. I am sure that the ride was not as dangerous as it seemed at times to be. After all, buses go up and down this road many times daily and I did not see any evidence of buses lying at the bottoms of the canyons. A little old lady got on the bus with me in Xilitla, she seemed to like sitting next to me because she was obviously scared of the curves and the views. By little old lady, I mean little, very literally. At few inches more than 5 feet I am short by US standards, but I tower over the older ladies; they are so tiny, but far from delicate. The current young adult generation of Mexicans are so much taller then the grandmothers and grandfathers, and sad to say, the incidence of obesity, is dramatically up. I can tell a difference in even the past few years. I guess I am going to have to stop making unkind remarks about fat Americans, wherever there is fast food, snack food, and soft drinks, obesity seems to be inevitable.
Sorry, I digress, back to the bus ride. I decided that I was on the bus, and there was I was nothing to do but to enjoy the ride, in this case being fatalistic was the only option.
Leaving Xilitla, you pass through very tropical, shade grown coffee country, reminds me of Veracruz, indeed we not very far from the border of Veracurz. Steep jungle covered mountains and lush vegetation. However as soon as we passed El Lobo, on the Queretaro side of the mountain range, we were in the Sierra Gorda, the change in vegetation was so sudden it was a curtain closing on one act and rising for another, very different act. The vegetation was now pine and many different kinds of oak, with broader valleys. The oak and pine were intensely green and everything looked well watered and in full flush of late spring. However all is not as healthy as it seems from the bus.(more info. at end of post)Arriving in Jalpan, the surrounding mountains of the Sierra Gorda, were brilliant against the clear blue sky. I had been to Jalpan a few years ago, and I was impressed by the changes I saw there. When I was there a few years ago, Jalpan seemed a little scruffy, untidy and not particularly well cared for. Now it seemed as though every building near the center has been freshly painted, the Zocolo has been spruced up with new plantings and the city in general seemed to be proud of itself. I talked briefly to a tourist development guy, and he confirmed that Jalpan has been working very hard on making the city more attractive to tourists, in particular marketing the city as a center for ecotourism for the Sierra Gorda Reserva.
Then on to Queretaro, passing through more of the beautiful Sierra Gorda, until the next scene change, just as dramatic, we reached the semi desert where the bones of the dry hills are exposed and I could see lots ocotillo(not a cactus Ocotillo can grow to a height of 30 feet and may live up to two centuries) cholla cacti and many other different kinds of cactus.

Quote from CNN article Mexico probably will surpass the United States in obesity rates for the first time next year as the nation adopts the fast food and sedentary lifestyles of its neighbor to the north.
"Obese and overweight adults went from nowhere in 1990 to 62 percent in 2000," said Barry Popkin, an economist and nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, citing a Mexican government study. "You are talking about an astronomical increase coming at a very fast rate and it's continuing."
Quote from CNN article

External links: Interesting account of nature walk through the semi desert of Queretaro

All is not well in the Sierra Gorda read more here

Tequisquiapan and beautiful trees

2007-05-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

This town is about 45 minutes away from Queretaro. I walked down by the river and saw these beautiful trees, they look like they are related to cypress. One person I asked said they were called sabinas, but they look like the tree that grows in Oaxaca called a tule tree. These were very large and I was told very old trees. The horse gives some idea of the size of these trees.

around Xilitla

2007-05-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

the kitchen in the home/hotel in Xilitla, notice that one wall is the limestone karst(cave) formation.

princess for a day

2007-05-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

dresses for the aspiring princess

and for the costume party you can go traditional, or global media inspired.

Xilitla

2007-05-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

From Aquismon I went to Xilitla, which is in the mountains where coffee is grown. The bus trip to Xilitla was fascinating, seeing the landscape change to very lush, tropical vegetation with lots of coffee growing under the canopy. The town itself is not very large, and it is probably best known as being the location of Los Pozos, the incredible surrealist sculpture garden creation of an eccentric Englishman who was said to be the illegitimate son of King Edward. From his mother he inherited a huge fortune and hung out with the surrealists in Paris with artists as Cocteau and Salvador Dali in the 1930s. Apparently his own poetry and art were not appreciated, to put it kindly. But he did help other artists and also helped to save the Watts Tower in California. He began to travel in Mexico where he heard about a canyon filled with orchids. He bought the canyon and added paths and more orchid varieties. Returning to England, he got word that a "white ash" had fallen and "burned everything" a very rare snow with disastrous results for his orchids. So for the next thirty years he built surrealistic structures and sculptures and created a garden that blends surrealism and the lushness of this jungle setting.

I spent the night in Xilitla at a house centered around a garden that was converted into a small hotel. The next morning sitting in the garden, drinking some local coffee, I was watching two kinds of hummingbirds battle over the territory of the hummingbird feeder. One type, the smaller species appeared to be the same kind we have in NC, the ruby throated, but the other was at least twice or three times as large. However the smaller hummingbird was much more aggressive and an aerial battle ensued. They got so involved in the battle they ignored me, and a few times actually flew and tumbled, brushing the tip of my nose with their wings.
The day was bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and the walk was not that far, so I did not bring my raincoat. But I should have remembered this is a jungle.
I was close to Los Pozos when the rain began, so I took shelter under the palapa of a coffee finca (farm), asking permission from the coffee workers, of course. I waited for about 20 minutes, during which time the workers brought me some lichee nuts, and then went on the gardens.I spent most of the day there, saw incredible butterflies; my favorites were the iridescent blues. The combination of the surreal sculpture and lush jungle was mysterious, beautiful, and strangely compelling.

Mexican stories

2007-05-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

I was fascinated by the hair of this Huasteca woman, lots and lots of beatiful and intricately wrapped yarn, which is the typical dress of those who still wear the indigenous costume
an image from the Tenek culture (Huasteca)

Stories from the ¨real ¨Mexico. Resides helping me practice reading in Spanish, and finding out what interesting events are happening where I happen to be, local news is fascinating.
For example, I read a story several days ago when I was in San Luis Potosi.
The local police were called to break up two 80 plus year olds who were hitting each other. It seems that one elderly gentleman was visiting the town where he spent his youth and encountered the other elderly gentleman who had lived there his entire life. Well it seems that cause of the mano a mano was that 30 years ago, these two were rivals for the same women (now dead 30 years!) and as soon as they saw each other, old blood ran hot with the memory of the rivalry.
Another story, this time from C. Valles.
The Polica Preventiva Municipal (local police) was called to let out a man who had fallen asleep on the tomb of his mother, and thus was locked in the cemetery when it closed for the night. The article said the man was borracho (drunk) which also led to his falling asleep. Apparently all this made him confused that the police where there to arrest him when all they were going to do was let him out. He ran back into the cemetery saying ¨a los vivos son a los que tengo miedo, los muertos no hacen daño¨ which translates as it is the living that I fear the dead can do no harm. The police laughed and left him to spend the rest of the night in the cemetery.
The newspapers that cover lots of very small towns in an area report in great detail about the good and bad in these small towns. I was impressed at the willingness of the people in the town to make complaints or give compliments to the mayors of these villages. It would appear that is a lot of personal participatory democracy going on with some good and bad results.

Aquismon, and sótano de las golondrinas(swallows)

2007-05-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

From Taninul I went to Aquismón, a very small town between C. Valles and Xilitla. It was EXTREMELY hot, even the locals were suffering. My hotel had air conditioning, but even so it was warm. I spent some time in the local library reading the magazine Mexican Archaeology, very interesting and well written and researched magazine. The librarians were interested to hear that I was a retired librarian. I made arrangements with a guide to take me to sótano de las golondrinas the next morning at 5am. This is a huge sinkhole, one of the deepest in the world, which is home to thousands of swallows and parrots which exit the sinkhole every morning and return each evening.
Ok, then, my impressions..... I have a short video clip, which I will try to upload to Google Video, at some point.
My guide came by right on time at 5:00 am still dark of course, a very polite and very careful driver. We drove for a short distance on pavement and then for about 45 minutes or so up rough dirt and rock road. It was still dark when we got to the sinkhole where a family that acts as guides and caretakers of the entrance to the sinkhole greeted us. Had some cafe de olla and chatted and then took a short walk (although it seemed longer in the dark) to the sinkhole. I did not get any closer to the edge than a few feet, of course we could not see the bottom, but could hear what sounded like a large waterfall running somewhere very deep. However, what I was hearing was the sound of the swallows and the green parrots. At first light the exodus started a few swallows and then lots of very talky green parrots. Then lots more swallows and parrots. I was expecting all the birds to exit, but the guide said that the birds enter and exit all day long, with the birds that left early returning with food for the young birds in the nests deep inside the sinkhole. The structure of the sinkhole was such that the birds circled repeatedly, each time getting slightly closer to the surface, finally to burst forth and fly close over our heads. However, the returning birds dropped like a rocket heading for the bottom, I could hear the whistle of their wings as they plummeted.
The young man who took me to the sinkhole was in absolutely no hurry, I got the impression that he would have waited as long as I wanted and my driver, was sleeping in his truck, so he was not concerned about the time. We stayed for about 2 and half hours and then walked back to the entrance. The young man took the time to show me all the plants that could hurt you and all the plants and flowers that could cure you.
The trip back down the mountain was beautiful, saw a family herding sheep and goats and a few very small, isolated settlements, but for the most part the jungle seems to be relatively intact.
This was an experience that was well worth getting up early for, I got the impression from my driver that except for Easter week and a few other times, this site is very little visited, and certainly my experience as the only visitor to this incredible site was a high point for me.

hot sulpher springs at Taninul

2007-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

A VERY well endowed mermaid mural in the hotel. Obvious question, how could she stay underwater?

Every night parrots are sacrifaced to the local cave gods. I kept hearing some chanting that sounded like ¨he me du ran ti¨, not sure of the significance of this.

you can bliss out in hammocks or under the falling hot water.

view of the hot sulpher pool, deepest part was over 400 meters.

I had looking been forward to Taninul because I really like the thermal waters of Mexico, and I actually prefer the sulphur springs. Once you get past the smell of sulphur, which I personally do not find offensive, the hot sulphur waters are very therapeutic for the skin and induce a wonderful relaxed feeling. No matter how long you soak in the water, your skin never gets dry, only silky smooth. This water was about 42 centigrade, slightly hotter near where the thermal waters bubbled up. The hotel was tranquil with some Mexican families on Sunday when I arrived, but was almost empty on Monday. No music, no loud noise of any kind, parrots flying overhead was the loudest noise that I heard. I spent the days soaking, taking walks around the grounds and talking to the Mexican families.

Huasteca (San Luis Potosi state)

2007-05-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

Shaman(?) in the market, and mountain coffee for sale.

different fruits and flowers for sale, these ladies probably came a long way to sell their products and were already tired as the market began

From San Luis Potosi, I went to Ciudad Valles which is in the altiplano, and this is the first time I have been uncomfortably hot. I would guess it was in the high 90´s at least so this was also the first time I thought I needed a hotel with AC. The people here are friendly, the town is rather unremarkable, but the next morning was Sunday, and there was a market where the indigenous come to sell and buy. They are called tinanguis and this type of market is my favourite kind, so I spent some there before heading on to the hot sulfer springs at Tanninul.
This area is called the Huasteca potosina. the indigenous people here wear very different clothes from the Náhuatl or the Otomi. I was told they speak Tenek and that it is related to the Mayan languages spoken further south and east in Mexico but I did not hear any native speakers.
From Wikipedia:The Huastecs were unusual as one of the few cultures that attained civilization and built cities, yet usually wore no clothing. They were admired for their abilities as musicians by other Mesoamerican peoples.
About 1450, the Huastecs were defeated by the Aztecs. ; the Huastecs henceforth paid tribute to the Aztec Empire but retained a large degree of local self government.
The Huastecs were conquered by the Spanish between 1519 and the 1530s. With the imposition of the Roman Catholic faith, they were required to don clothing.

San Luis Potosi

2007-05-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

totally sauve..

dancers...

1, video of the dancers

2.watch the fancy footwork here

church girls, I assume the first confirmation..

even the water storage was elegantly designed

San Luis Potsi the capital of the state of the same name has some of the most extensive and impressive colonial architecture of any of the colonial silver cites that I have been in. Here is a brief history of the city. It also has many impressive pedestrian only plazas with a grand scale that shows how grand and important this city was to this region. Zaragoza Street is the longest pedestrian only street according to what I have read, and after walking in it, I believe this to be true. Zaragoza Street runs from the train station at one end to the Gardens at the other end. The streets and historic center are very clean and well kept, second only to Queretaro in cleanliness... (No city beats Queretaro for cleanliness!)
I walked for a long time and I think I saw all the beautiful architecture that I wanted to see, the temperature was perfect and the people seemed relaxed and prosperous. I saw evidence of this in the number of status breed dogs, and the only sign I have ever seen in Mexico, asking people to pick up after their dogs. However, on one short block, I also saw the only prostitutes that I have ever seen on a public street, this was about 2 pm in the afternoon, and the street did not appear to be different in any other way.
The tourist office is friendly and efficient and they give out lots of information and great maps. I found out here that was going to be a ¨danza¨ in one of the public squares. Lots of people watching and lots of people dancing, it was beautiful. Most of the dancers were elegantly dressed, and the dancing was superb. Of course, I did not dance; white girls don’t have rhythm, por menos esta gringa no tengo ritmo nada!

Zacatlan de las manzanas

2007-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

which means¨Zacatlan of the apples
They have wonderful fruit wines here which I can drink without getting a migraine and the food is wonderful in general. My favorite restaurant also has the best view in town.

view from La Miradora, my favorite resturant

another view from the garden below the restaurant

The flower clock in the main square

waiting for a government office to open
(notice how small the ladies are, a result I would imagine of poor nutrition when they were growing up)

La gringa, photographer of the ladies of the mercado

2007-05-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Note: this time the pictures are links, so you will have to click on the link to see.
This is my second day in Zacatlan, a town that serves as a center for the remote mountain towns in the area. Some of the towns are Totonac, some are Nahuatl and some are Otomi, (but who refer to themselves as Hñähñu ) each speaking a different language* and with different cultural traditions. Unfortunately, they all have one thing in common, they are all terribly poor.
Zacatlan sits on the edge of a narrow, steep valley so there are beautiful views all around the city. The main square is beautiful and well kept and has a unique flower clock with the correct time. The people are friendly and the indigenous ladies do not have the same reluctance to talk and even to have their picture taken, (unlike in Chiapas where it even be dangerous to take pictures of the local Maya) indeed they seemed flattered that someone is interested. I always ask if I can take a picture and if they are selling anything I will buy a small item. I also tell them how beautiful their traditional dress is and that they are beautiful too, which is absolutely true. I think the older ladies are especially beautiful; their lined faces have a grace that endures.
I arrived on Sunday from an early morning bus from Pauhuatlan and it was a market day. On a market day in Mexico a section of the city is converted into a Mercado with tarps covering the streets with venders of everything imaginable. One can find the best fruits and vegetables here along with all kinds of street food, probably some of the best food around, but I have a self-imposed rule about eating street food. Plunging into a traditional Mercado is like diving into an underworld of sights, sounds, smells, people all coming into the consciousness at once. I find it utterly fascinating. these are too heavy for my backpack
So back to the title of my post. La gringa, photographer of the ladies of the Mercado
I asked to take a picture of a lady selling some herbs she said yes, and when I showed her the picture in my camera, she got so excited to see herself, looked into the camera as if it were magic. It seemed clear to me that had never seem her image this way before. So without saying anything, I decided to see if I could get a color print made and return a print to her. Finished my walk through the Mercado, and was able to find a cyber place that could make a quality color print and returned to give the picture to her. To say she was excited is an understatement and it made me feel good to. However, all the ladies selling fruits and vegetables next to her now wanted their pictures taken too. How could I say no? I ended up taking, and printing, retuning 5 more pictures before I had to say that my camera needed recharging, because I could see where this was headed. I thought it was touching that if they knew they were posing for a picture they would remove the sweater and apron so that there traditional clothing could be seen and usually would strike a very serious pose.

Brujos on the bus

2007-05-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Pauhualtlan, high in the sierra norte, very indigenous town, friendly but shy. I wanted to stay in the San Carlos Hotel, which was quite nice, but it had been booked by a group of dentists from Cuernevaca, so I had to stay in the much less beautiful El Jardin, but it was relatively clean, and quite secure. On the way to Pauhuatlan we were "entertained" by a brujo from Catemaco, card carrying member of the brujos association, and he had the card to prove it!He did a spell binding 45 minute spiel that had everyone on the bus (except me) totally believing in the amulets that he was selling. The final sell was when he took a glass of water and put something in the glass that made it look brown and nasty looking but "magically" instantly turned clear and pure when he dropped in his amulet. I think most of the people on the bus bought one, and then got a blessing with the holy water that he had created. One never knows what kind of entertainment can be found on a second class bus.
"Spell bindingly" beautiful vegetables, squash blossum quesidillas are wonderful!

(A brujo is a term for a witch or a someone who can perform cures or spiritual cleansing. Lake Catemaco, a large freshwater lake in Veracruz state is know as a center for this type of "profession". The brujo usually has a mix of Catholic and the enduring native beliefs)

off the map

2007-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Links to photos for this post:
papel amate bark
Step 2 fibers are soaked and put in place
Step 3 pounding and stretching
Step 4 designs are added
Just a few of my "guides"
From Pauhuatlan I wanted to go to an even smaller town called San Pablito, if I was “off the map before even more so now. San Pablito is even higer in altitude and more remote than Pauhuatlan. However, I think I have found the North Carolina connection here in this remote corner of the world. The combi driver spent 15 years in Durham and several people in this little town knew about Washington, North Carolina. This is a very poor, very traditional Otomi town. (the Otomi are one of the oldest native groups in Mexico). I wanted to see the making of paper amate and also visit a very traditional town. As soon as I arrived, I created a parade of children who wanted to meet me and of course guide me to their homes where the paper was being made. This fiber paper made from the bark of a fig tree, this very ancient process, as I understand the codices of the Aztecs was painted on this kind of paper.
I was lead into a warren of rooms within rooms, huge cooking pots, big enough to render a pig, which is of course what they are used for. All generations living together and all speaking in Otomi. This was amazing to me, because I had read that this language was dead or dying. What is encouraging is that all the children spoke this language and it was evident that it was being taught and spoken as the primary language in the home. Strange and exotic to my ears, very different from the Nahuatl (Aztec) language that I had heard before, it almost had a Chinese sound, in fact one of the people in town who spoke some English (learned in Chapel Hill, NC) told me that some linguists see some connection in Otomi and Chinese, although this sounds quite incredible to me, and I do not know if this is true. I felt and was completely safe deep inside the hidden rooms of the houses, before long, there was a parade of sorts with children who were just curious about me and followed along. I bought some papel amate, of course, some sheets of beautifully textured paper dyed with coffee, some with bougainvillea blossoms integrated into the paper and some with colors or tints. I was fascinated by the ancient language I heard all around me and fascinated by this way of living. Despite the poverty, there must be sense of security to have all generations living and working together. Unlike the US, I am virtually certain none of the old people will die alone in a nursing home.

Acaxochitlan

2007-05-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

Note: this time the pictures are links, so you will have to click on the link to see.
Everyone in town is working on making designs in the streets with colored sawdust, quite beautiful, for the procession that will walk on these designs later this evening. This is a very big deal for this small town and everyone is excited, lots of nautal speaking people from the mountains surrounding here. Most of the streets have been covered with designs.
Acaxochiltlan (remember in the Aztec language the x is an sho.) is a small town about 30 miles or so away from Tulancingo which you might be able to find on the map. This is the last day of week-long fair culminating in the procession of the Christ statue which usually hangs in the church. This a very sacred day for the town which is evident by the huge amount of labor that everyone puts into making the designs in the streets, everyone is excited, lots of Nahuatl speaking people from the mountains surrounding here. There is something quite moving to me to hear these native languages; it seems such a direct link to the ancient cultures Nahuatl (Aztec) has a lot of clicking and uses more of the tongue and teeth than Spanish. Waiting for the procession, these guys were pleased to have me take this picture, I could not resist the pose,
And at last JC has left the building!

Real del monte

2007-05-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

cooking the pasties, this happens all day long

Real de Monte is a beautiful high above Pachuca that has a strange history that has left a food tradition that is only found is this area. Like the other cities in this region, the cities were original founded to exploit the silver and other metals. Sometime in the late 19th century an English company bought the mines and brought Cornish miners to live in the town and work in the mines. They brought the tradition of pasties, rolled dough stuffed with meat and or vegetables or fruit which are baked instead of fried like empanadas. These were convenient food to take down into the mines. The city has the feel of a Cornish town, with red tin roofs and is clean and neat. There is a cemetery with the graves of the Cornish miners who died here. I stayed at a hotel right above the most authentic and tastiest pasties in town, a dangerous place to stay; you can smell those wonderful pasties cooking right below you and every time you go in and out!
It is wonderful up here perfect temperature, I was getting kind of warm down in the lower altitudes. Since the pasties are so cheap 7 pesos for one it costs almost nothing to eat.

Ixmilquilpan

2007-05-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

the garden in the church in this town

I had planned to go to the hot springs at the bottom of a river about 2 hours away by combi, but I had forgotten that May 10 is mother’s day in Mexico, and as you imagine that is a very big day. So the collectivos were not going to the hot springs (or so I was told) and a taxi was rather expensive, but my real concern was that I would get there and have a difficult time returning. So, I am believer in paying attention to the way things unfold, not I mind the effort and research to get to a place that I am interesting in, but traveling solo, I have to be sure that I am in charge of when I go and return and that I have a secure place to spend the night.
So…on the Real del Monte about the capital city of Pachuca.

Entering the high plains of Hidalgo state

2007-05-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

One of the many parks and fountains in Queretaro.

Yesterday, May 8, I went to one of my favorite cities in Mexico, Queretaro. Queretaro is the cleanest city that I have ever seen anywhere. Each day the streets in the central historic district and washed and rinsed. There are public squares with fountains, trees, and restaurant with wonderful food. One can stroll from one garden square to another stopping to watch the children play in the fountains or to have a cappuccino.

I stayed at my favorite hotel, Hotel Posada de Matamoros, the price (20 UDS) is a great value and the location has only been improved since my last visit by a new internet café next door run by a very pleasant guy from Liverpool, England.

The next morning I left for a town in the state of Hidalgo, called Ixmilquilpan a traditional town in the high valley. Passing through the courntrisde on the bus, I saw cultivated fields interspersed by areas with cactus, Joshua trees and mesquite trees. The cacti are beginning to bloom! Lots of red, orange and yellow flowers just starting to open.

Tomorrow I head for a river flows from a cave. Some parts of the river are hot from thermal heat and the other parts are cool. This afternoon I found the place where the combis (vans with seats for local transport) leave for Las Grutas Tolantongo,

Zacatecas Part 2

2007-05-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to finish posting about my time in Zacatecas. The highlights of my second day were the mask museum and La mina Eden. The mask museum is one that I have wanted to visit for many years and I was not disappointed. Thousands of masks from all over Mexico. They are very well displayed, most of them not even behind glass so that you could see them closely. The diversity of design and the creativity of the people who made them are astonishing. The display was organized by regions of Mexico and each area has its own very different traditions and ways of expressing them in this art form. Of course, for the people who made these masks, it is not only an art but a link to the way they view the universe and the powers that need to be feared or celebrated.

The trip to Zacatecas is worthwhile for this museum along, but the city itself is wonderful, lively, safe and beautiful.

I also went to La mina Eden (Eden Mine) I was hesitant to go because I was afraid it would be cheesy and much too touristy, but it was actually very well done. You ride a miniature train down into the mine, and once down in the mine you get a guided tour in Spanish of course, telling not only the history of this particular mine but the history of mining in this part of Mexico. Of course much of the story is tragic and brutal for the people who where forced to work in the mine. The lower levels of the mine are flooded and it was a slightly creepy feeling to walk over areas that were grated so that one could look deep into the water depths of the mine.

Zacatecas part 1

2007-05-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

sunset over the cathedral and Lara the hostel dog and her master, both very friendly

sunset over the bluff

front of the cathedral

the jacaranda trees are still in bloom in Zacatecas

I arrived in Zacatecas on Friday afternoon. I had forgotten what a lovely city Zacatecas is. (John and Liz and I were there several years ago)
It is famous for the warm golden-rose colored sandstone than all the churches and public buildings are constructed from. Like the other colonial silver cities Zac had great wealth with which to construct these grand edifices. This is the highest city in altitude that I will go to, 7,700 feet, but I do not seem to have any effects from this, even when I am walking up the frequents stair stepped streets. I am staying at a very friendly hostel, lots of international travelers. Two retired teachers from New Zealand on a round the world trip that will include after Mexico, England, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, then China, Malaysia. Another group of round the world travelers, 2 married couples from Israel, are riding their bikes around the world. They started in Chicago rode through the states and then down to Mexico, going to Guatemala, and all the way to Tierra Del Fuego then on to other continents. here is the link to their blog, if you would like to read it. All charming and interesting people. Only one other American here, an older guy from Oregon who has also been all over the world.
When I got here there was a gathering of the ELZN (the group from Chiapas which has broadened its campaigns to protest human rights violations all over Mexico and especially advocate for the rights of the native peoples) This protest took the form of speeches and protest music. Che lives!
In the other plaza was a presentation for the people who sell Herba Life in Mexico. All was totally relaxed and tranquil.
Last night I went to a tango performance in the Theatre with local performers but if one did not know that, you would have thought they were straight from Argentina, 24 dances, all different, showcasing the many different styles of tango. Quite beautiful! Then I exited into the plaza to find a very lively callejonda in process. A Callejonda is a procession led by a band that dances through the streets. All the participants pay a small feel to get a small cup with a string through the lip to make it easier to keep track off. An important person in this procession is the guy who carries a very large container of Mezcal for the frequent refills that are requested. All certain points the procession stops and everyone dances. I find this great fun to follow along; however I know better than to participate in the Mezcal drinking, I am sure that I would have the mother of all migraines the next day. This was more of a mariachi type band that was leading the callejonda, unlike the ones in Queretaro and Gto. I lurked in the procession for a while until I just had to go back to my room and sleep. Just of example of what I tell folks back home, that is more culture (and more fun) in a weekend of a medium size Mexican city than in many months of a similar size city in the US.

Guanjuato

2007-05-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

All of these photos can be viewed larger and in more detail by clicking on them, they will appear in a another window, feel free to download if you like.
Looking down into Guanajuato with one of the many public garden squares and the many churches

This mural speaks for itself, although if you thought the guy being burned in the middle bottom is a KKK member, well, you are wrong. The hat and robe are what the church decided those convicted of hearsy should wear and thus are symbols of the inquisition. The guy at bottom right is Morelos, a hero of the independence, which was in part about the abuses of the rich and the history of opression as shown in this mural. This part of Mexico which has many of the colonial silver cities has a really terrible history of maltreatment of the Indians who died by the millions (that is those who had not already died of the diseases brought by the conquest) working in the silver mines.

OK let´s see what you know about Mexican history, the real history not the American propoganda that you learned in school. The gentlemen in white sleeping is the dictator Portofia Diaz, who ruled with an iron hand for decades, he is sleeping while the church gets more powerful and corrupt. Now you do know of course,that the US stole part of California, and later New Mexico and part of Arizona, partly with the trumped up excuse to chase Paucha Villa across the then border? And of course there was another period when the French had some adventures in Mexico by installling the hapsburg puppet ruler, Maximillan. The holiday cinco de mayo, which most Americans mistake for the Mexican independence day actually celebrates only one important victory over the French in Puebla, and in Mexico is only celebrated in that area.

Breakfast (not mine!) in the mercado, raw quail eggs blended with fresh fruit.

Moon setting over Guanajuato

Guanajuato is still the almost medieval town that I remember from 2 years ago. The narrow streets that amble up the hillside and disappear from sight around a corner still seem as ancient and mysterious as ever. I am being romantic; of course, lots of folks live up those narrow alleys and probably do not find them romantic after the first few times they have to carry bags of groceries up those streets. Nevertheless the people who live here are very proud of their city and its place in Mexican history. This region was a hotbed of revolution and Benito Juarez spent of his time here when he was the president but not in control of his country. One could compare Benito to Abraham Lincoln in the sense that he drafted the first constitution that was democratic and actually gave power and land to the people of Mexico, including the indigenous. That’s the good news, the bad news is the reforms he instituted still have not been fully implemented and the descendants of the native Indians are still the poorest, least educated, and suffer much discrimination.
You can still get a menu del dia for 47 pesos, about $4.70. One of my favorite restaurants is Truco 7. Today I had the 47 pesos meal, beginning with a wonderful onion soup (yes restaurants here make their own broth from real animals, and they know how to use more than just a lot of salt, unlike most in the US). After the soup, is a nopale (cactus leaf) tortilla, followed by the most tender and flavorful pork in a sauce with garlic, sweet peppers and spinach. This comes with the agua fresca of the day which is a drink made of water and fresh fruit of some kind, today is tamarindo. The service is always prefect, you finish one course and the next one is served immediately.
The lady I am staying with is wonderful, but like the best (in my opinion) of the retired or escaping from a repressive US that they no longer recognize, lives in the neighborhood. Not to deny that there are lots of gringos living here in Mexico living in gated communities shopping in the local Costo or Sam´s, speak little or no Spanish and only mix with other gringos. However the lady that I am staying with is not one of those. She lives in a middle class neighborhood, with no other gringos around, speaks Spanish fluently, and tries to give back to the country that she has made her home. So far, to my knowledge, she volunteers at several local agencies such as the animal protection organization and a shelter for women victims of domestic violence.
I am leaving for Zacatecas tomorrow for a long weekend; I will probably post with pictures and stories from there.

Swan Lake (aka Pungo Wildlife refuge)

2007-01-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

bear tracks on walk down to the water

distance from my house: 45 min.
Tundra Swans, near the proposed site of the Navy's practice landing field (OLF)..local residents strongly oppose.

a good day for coots

2006-12-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

The coots are members of the rail family and unlike ducks have lobed toes. I think that when they are walking around on land they look rather like kiwis in posture and stance. We counted about 4o that hang out for the winter in the shallow pond next to the boardwalk along the waterfront.

I read that the expression crazy as a coot comes from "... their method of taking flight. Because their wings are stubby, coots can't get aloft efficiently. So, like another similarly impaired bird called the booby, they run along the surface of the water, flapping and squawking and generally raising a ruckus long before they rise into the air. For short flights of 100 yards or so, they may not even get airborne. They just run across the water. Crazy? Not likely, but it sure looks that way. One thing is certain: Because coots are the most social members of the rail family, gathering in loose flocks, they warn one another about incoming predators—which means there are always likely to be a few old coots around." Source: Di Silvestro, Roger. National Wildlife Federation,"Animal Cliches".