Activities in Central Mexico!

One thing I've really enjoyed in San Miguel is the interesting door knockers and door pulls. I will post more photos on Flickr and hope to do some prints or note cards.
One day we hired Rafael Tovar, of Rafa Tours to take us on a full-day tour of the colonial city of Guanajuato. This is one of 3 gilded altars at the Valenciana Church in Guanajuato.
Guanajuato was developed by the Spanish during colonial times because of the rich veins of silver and gold in the area. The wealth was lavished on the many churches in the region. This church, completed in 1788, is the most elaborate, with a highly decorated Baroque facade. It commands a view of the entire area, standing high on a mountain overlooking the valley.
Another highlight of our tour of Guanajuato included the Callejon del Beso, or Alley of the Kiss. The houses are so close together here that two lovers could reach across the alley from their balconies and make plans for their future. Unfortunately, the girl's father didn't approve of this match, and stabbed his daughter on the balcony. The young man was only able to kiss his dying love's hand before she passed away. Legend has it that couples coming here have to stand on the steps and kiss so that they continue their good relationship. Of course, all the couples in the group had to do this, while we snapped photos of each other! (Not for publication...)
The largest monument in Guanajuato is El Pipila, the statue comemmorating one of the first battles of the Mexican Revolution in 1810. It is visible from many places in the city and is simply huge. Pipila is the nickname of a simple miner from San Miguel who strapped a huge flagstone block on his back as a shield so that he could crawl to the door of the Corn Exchange to set it on fire. Inside the Corn Exchange were the governor and soldiers preparing for battle against the revolutionaries, as well as supplies, weapons and silver ingots that the rebels wanted. The rebels were able to take the building after a bloody (and fiery) battle, thanks to the bravery of Pipila and others. This gave the rebels a tremendous advantage at the start of the revolution. Independence from Spain wasn't won until 1821.
As September 15 (Mexican Independence Day) was drawing near, patriotic banners and flags were being put up all over the towns. We saw many stalls and vendors with lots of patriotic gear for sale. In addition, buildings and roads are being spruced up and improved. With the bicentennial of Mexican Independence in 2010 approaching, this area will be very busy in the next year!
We also visited the Diego Rivera House and Museum, several other churches, the Teatro Juarez, the Plaza Principal, the University of Guanajuato. It was a long day, and Rafael made it fun and interesting! He also took us underground, where the city has a network of tunnels, originally built for flood control, now developed for traffic control, to protect the inner part of the city. That is very interesting.


Back in San Miguel, we took a "Mexican Fusion"cooking class led by San Miguel restaurant owner Kris Rudolph (see her site). We made guacamole with pomegranate seeds, chili rellenos with goat cheese and vegetable filling, mango/chipotle salsa, and had a nice meal with margaritas. That was fun and a good time. Kris is a good teacher and has lots of interesting techniques.

On another day, we took a taxi about 30 minutes outside of town (the guidebooks said it was about 15 minutes outside of town, but the traffic is terrible and the roads are under construction) to the thermal springs called "La Gruta." There are beautiful landscaped grounds and a series of pools with warmer or cooler temperatures. This photo is of the wamer pool, and there is a tunnel that leads to a brick-ceilinged grotto where the really warm water soothes the joints. Think steam room and hot tub in a large darkened space. We lounged in the water for a good long while, then had margaritas and guacamole on the patio. A relaxing way to spend half a day.

San Miguel is a great place to spend some time. The weather when we went was warm in the day, cool in the evening, with a shower almost every afternoon! We definitely want to go back!

Hola San Miguel de Allende!

We're enjoying a week in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, staying at a beautiful house that we won in a charity silent auction. We're with two other couples so we're able to share expenses. San Miguel is known for its artists and artisans in a beautiful Spanish colonial town. The weather is mild, due to the location: southwest of Mexico City in the central highlands. This time of the year it's warm in the day, cool at night, with chance of daily showers. We've been lucky not to get rained on so far.
One of the main sites is the parish church, La Parroquia de San Miguel de Allende. It has amazing spires and lots of baroque details. It is in the center of town, in El Jardin, the garden square. Great for people watching. At night on Friday, many mariachi bands stroll the park, anxious to play for the tourists. Cafes and stores surround the garden, as well as government offices (there's even a discreet Starbucks), so there's always a lot of action here. Since it's near Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16), the buildings and streets are getting decorated with special banners and medallions in red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.
We went to the covered market and down a street with many artisans working in their stalls to produce silver jewelry or painted pots or sculptures. There were also fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, grilled corn on the cob, women making tortillas and sweet breads.
We stopped in at the Biblioteca Publica and had a coffee at the outdoor cafe. The library is the center of the American community and, since it was Saturday, we saw many kids taking classes in reading, music, and art, spread throughout the buildings.
The streets of San Miguel are cobblestoned, with high narrow sidewalks and mucho traffic. Every street is more picturesque than the last, with colorful buildings, interesting doors and windows, and a view of a church steeple or valley. It's also very hilly, and it seems we're always walking uphill. We rented an ATV to zip around the streets and that was fun, but a little scary -- those things can go pretty fast.

We enjoyed a delicious roof-top dinner at La Posadita and lunch at Torta Mundo.
We arranged with Rafa Tours (scroll down)for transportation to and from the airport and to take us on a day trip to Guanajuato later in the week.

Stay tuned for possible updates! Thanks!