Better late than never

To excuse myself from not writing about last weekend until this weekend, I can only share with you all the same reason I've been exhausting my housemates with: essays. My professors here in lovely Mexico decided it would be muy bueno to assign 3 final essays for 2 classes. Thus, my writing attention has been focused elsewhere. Lo siento.

Guanajuato! I sing thy name from the forested mountaintops that surround you! I spin, arms spread wide, dizzy as your colors blur into a rainbow in front of my eyes. Jealous, Guadalajara? You should be.

Guanajuato is the quintessential microcosm of Mexico. Narrow cobblestone streets ask that you watch your step as flowers cascading from balconies tend to make you ignore that request. The American concept that all should be beige and sterile has not reached Guanajuato- pulling into the city was like having a vivid patchwork quilt thrown over you when sick. Every house has its own hue, its own personality. As the streets ebb and flow, one gets the sensation that they do so to account for the throngs of people that come from all over the world to see the sights.

The Teatro Juarez, adorned with marble muses and built by Porfirio Diaz, stands tall in front of el Jardin Union, where mariachi floats through the trees until it reaches your ears. El Mercado Hidalgo is a huge two-story complex housing a multitude of stalls selling everything from local sweets to raw chicken, from papier mache Don Quijotes to ceramic penis statues. (And surprise! I found nothing to buy there.) You can visit the house where Diego Rivera was born, explore a museum filled with Cervantes memorabilia, ride a squeaky tram to the top of a mountain and even take photos with mummies.

En fin, Guanajuato is a must-see. I was wooed, enchanted, enamored by its otherwordly charms. I look forward to seeing you all in... one short week!

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