Guanajuato 2025

      We took Primera Plus back to Guanajuato in the morning.  The landscape between the two cities is surprisingly green.  High dessert in the US would be more barren with lots of sage brush and an occasional green spring area, but here there were large areas which had been farmed, mostly with what appeared to be corn crops, and an occasional rancho or settlement with an adobe house, a few chickens, a few cars, some in disrepair and a few cows, donkeys and horses. And lots and lots of cactus.  It was a rolling landscape with mountains in the background.      As we entered the outskirts of GTO, pardon the cliche, but it was really like coming home. Familiar buildings along the highway with the first floor completed in cinder blocks and the rebar sticking up into what was planned to be or imagined to be, someday when the "plata" was earned or garnered, the second floor.  There were several stands  already selling Christmas reindeer m...

      For our second day in San Miguel we wanted to walk from the city center out north to one of the suburbs to visit the "Fabrica La Aurora," a former textile mill converted into a center for the visual arts or fine arts. The factory was originally built in 1902 and became a thriving textile factory for nearly nine decades.  It was repurposed by a group of artists and reopened in 2004 where it now houses the galleries and workshops of over 50 artists. Many artists are working on site and there are workshops in progress for the public and emerging artists.  Paula and I met Lucas Rise, one of the working artists and saw not only his work (see photo) but that of his wife, Giuliana Vastarella.     After soaking in the amazing beauty of the place, we stopped at "Petit Four," a French cafe on the way back to our apt. where we enjoyed a latte and decadent pastry ("patisserie").  Afternoon naps have become mandatory, especially as we both are fighting t...

      Had breakfast at the nearby Embajadoras Hotel. It was a chilly morning by GTO standards, around 52.  So we huddled at our table (since the dining room doors to the patio were wide open) and ended up ordering French toast for me and an egg scramble for Paula. We were headed for the bus station after breakfast since this was our planned two-day excursion to San Miguel de Allende which is about an hour and fifteen minutes on the comfy Primera Plus bus. We had visited SMA before on our other GTO vacations so we knew the city somewhat and had specific places and things we wanted to re-visit.      This tale of two cities is interesting.  GTO is definitely more authentic Mexico since there are far fewer ex-pats there and hence, much less English spoken. It also has not been "gentrified," which seems to be the biggest knock against SMA.  But even though gentrification is definitely happening in SMA (prices of everything keep rising as more and ...

      Today both Paula and I are now sharing my cold bug, so our physical activity was less ambitious than previous days.  We walked up to the Presa de la Olla,  the main dam that provides the city's non-potable tap water.  It's surrounded by restaurants, many simply outdoor stalls, some government offices that are housed in mansions quite ornate leftover from the silver-mining barons, and homes that rise up steeply on three sides.  On the way to the dam is one of the city's most attractive parks, Florencio Antillon Park, where we sat and enjoyed the solitude.     Returning, we stopped at La Victoriana, a restored Victorian manor now a restaurant-cafe, for a latte and Burnt Basque cheesecake, putting back all the calories we had "burnt" on our walk.  After a nap and rest in our apt, we explored the nearby park Embajadoras, which has a large market and several food vendors, a fountain without water, tree-lined walkways and populated with ...

      We visited the Hacienda de San Gabriel Barrera this morning.  It's an amazing estate 10 minutes away from our apt. that was built in the late 1600's for Capt. Gabriel de la Barrera who was an heir to the incredibly productive Valenciana silver mine.   The mine at one time supplied 30% of the world's silver for over 250 years, reaching its peak production between 1768--1804. The Comstock Lode in Virginia City was incredibly rich but paled in comparison. Fifteen thousand tons of silver alone was extracted after the Mexican War of Independence ended in 1878.      The estate was the actual site for the extraction process. Mule carts and donkey carts brought the raw ore from the mine down to the estate and there, using mercury, water, salt, copper sulfate and other chemicals spread out over a stone-paved patio area, the ore would be kneaded for weeks until producing a silver paste.  The paste would be heated too vaporize the mercury, le...

      Today we were interested in watching the competition called "La Tapete de La Muerte."  Every year on November 2, various groups, such as schools, government groups, city offices, fraternal organizations and nonprofits spend the morning constructing  mosaics (tapetes) using all natural materials (such as, sand, saw dust, floral pieces, marble and rock dust, feathers, coffee ground and vegetation) to depict themes associated with Dia de los Muertos.  They can begin as early as 7 am but must finish by 1 pm when judging takes place. Then at 9 pm one of the classic "Catrina" characters wearing a very ornate costume, with ta similar appearance to many women in yesterday's parade, comes down each street and plaza where the mosaics have been meticulously and painstakingly constructed and destroys them symbolically by walking over them after which actual crews do remove them before the next day's tourists arrive.  Though seemingly bizarre to destroy such ...