As the lights twinkle on in the city below, the sun sets directly behind the statue of Christ the King on a distant mountain. This statue marks the geographic center of Mexico. When we chose Guanajuato as our Mexico “home,” we had no idea that we would literally be living the heart of Mexico.
We’ve now been here for 18 days, and are getting a sense of the city. Initially, I was less than impressed because of the economic decline that I mentioned in the last post. However, my feelings are becoming more positive.
Despite the lack of funds (or political will?) to maintain the buildings, the city is full of vitality. Every night, the main plazas are full of people having a meal or a drink at a sidewalk café, or just sitting and watching the world go by. (The weather is so good that people don’t have to “hole up” at home to stay warm or cool. And I guess that TV is not good enough to keep people at home either.)
There is a wide range of dining choices, from street food to typical greasy spoon places to quite nice restaurants. One night, we ate in the plaza outside a tiny restaurant owned by a woman from the Languedoc province of France. The food was arrayed buffet style, and your plate was weighed each time you passed the cash register. In addition to excellent food, we had interesting juice drinks, including one made from cucumbers. After the main course, dessert, and coffee, the tab came to $13 for the two of us.
In another post, I’ll tell you about a very different meal – one that we will remember for a long time.
There is so much to see here that we have barely scratched the surface. There are at least a dozen museums, ranging from a mummy museum to the birthplace of the famous Mexican muralist (and husband of Frida Kahlo), Diego Rivera. Barbara really enjoyed this museum. The permanent collection allows one to see him struggling to find himself as an artist, with early works as well as works in the style for which he is famous. In addition, the collection includes a series that he did portraying the Mayan creation legend.
Another day, we visited the former hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera. The hacienda originally belonged to a family that became very wealthy from the local mines, but lost the property due to their support of the independence movement. The grounds include 17 different gardens, each designed to represent the style of gardens from a different country. Although not terribly well-maintained, the gardens are impressive, and often quite lovely.
Despite the lack of funds (or political will?) to maintain the buildings, the city is full of vitality. Every night, the main plazas are full of people having a meal or a drink at a sidewalk café, or just sitting and watching the world go by. (The weather is so good that people don’t have to “hole up” at home to stay warm or cool. And I guess that TV is not good enough to keep people at home either.)
There is a wide range of dining choices, from street food to typical greasy spoon places to quite nice restaurants. One night, we ate in the plaza outside a tiny restaurant owned by a woman from the Languedoc province of France. The food was arrayed buffet style, and your plate was weighed each time you passed the cash register. In addition to excellent food, we had interesting juice drinks, including one made from cucumbers. After the main course, dessert, and coffee, the tab came to $13 for the two of us.
In another post, I’ll tell you about a very different meal – one that we will remember for a long time.
There is so much to see here that we have barely scratched the surface. There are at least a dozen museums, ranging from a mummy museum to the birthplace of the famous Mexican muralist (and husband of Frida Kahlo), Diego Rivera. Barbara really enjoyed this museum. The permanent collection allows one to see him struggling to find himself as an artist, with early works as well as works in the style for which he is famous. In addition, the collection includes a series that he did portraying the Mayan creation legend.
Another day, we visited the former hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera. The hacienda originally belonged to a family that became very wealthy from the local mines, but lost the property due to their support of the independence movement. The grounds include 17 different gardens, each designed to represent the style of gardens from a different country. Although not terribly well-maintained, the gardens are impressive, and often quite lovely.
For me, the most interesting aspect of the property was the house. There is a constant interplay between interior and exterior that provides a wonderful example of architecture responding to climate.
And the hacienda has a gorgeous private chapel, with mucho gold decoration.
Barbara is making a video and will eventually get it posted to vimeo.com for you to watch. Her video on the city of Morelia is posted there, if you haven’t seen it. (You have to create an account at vimeo.com in order to view the video.)
But the best part of Guanajuato has been the new friends. We’ve met several new acquaintances at the Spanish language school we attended last week. And we’ve met a few Americanos that either live here or are in the process of moving here. One who has contributed importantly to our enjoyment of the city is Greg, who owns and runs Café Tal, which provides excellent site-roasted coffee.
And we feel extremely lucky to have met Stanley and Alice Winborne. Former potters (although Stanley did a long tour of duty as a successful commercial real estate broker and developer), Stanley and Alice are true artists-at-heart, would fit right in with the “Brandywine” group. They have curious and open minds, and are a real joy to be with.
In summary, Guanajuato is a great place to visit, and we are having a terrific time!
But the best part of Guanajuato has been the new friends. We’ve met several new acquaintances at the Spanish language school we attended last week. And we’ve met a few Americanos that either live here or are in the process of moving here. One who has contributed importantly to our enjoyment of the city is Greg, who owns and runs Café Tal, which provides excellent site-roasted coffee.
And we feel extremely lucky to have met Stanley and Alice Winborne. Former potters (although Stanley did a long tour of duty as a successful commercial real estate broker and developer), Stanley and Alice are true artists-at-heart, would fit right in with the “Brandywine” group. They have curious and open minds, and are a real joy to be with.
In summary, Guanajuato is a great place to visit, and we are having a terrific time!
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