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Published: April 20th 2009
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Alright, so it's been a week or so since I last updated, and I need to finish my Semana Santa excursions. I have had a couple of tests and homeworks that have been taking up my time, because remember, I have classes here too, it's not just play. Now this entry is about my 4th day of my break, 2nd day in the state of Guanajuato.
So we started Thursday off early. We got ready and started to head out for the day when we were stopped by some stomach pains in my partner. So as she rested, I went out and enjoyed the morning air. At ten thirty we met up with our tour group to go along the Route of Independence. This tour included a trip to a cemetery of a famous singer, trip to Dolores Hidalgo (famous independence city), a Sanctuary in Atotonilco, and San Miguel de Allende.
We rode in a bus for about thirty minutes until we got to the Cemetery. Along the way we passed by so many things, such as the Castle of Guanajuato and beautiful scenery. When we got to the cemetery I first thought "This is just going to be
a regular cemetery, why are we here", however I was wrong and right at the same time. This was a normal cemetery, but a normal Mexican cemetery. What's the difference? In mexican cemeteries the burial sites don't have headstones, instead they have very beautiful tombs and elegantly carved marble statues carved on top. Now the reason for this stop was to visit the monument built for José Alfredo Jiménez, a famous Ranchera singer-songwriter. José composed over 1000 songs without ever playing an instrument or even knowing the Spanish terms for "waltz" and "key". None the less José Alfredo Jiménez was a very successful and well-known artist. Most of his songs were sang about his home state of Guanajuato, and some about his home town Dolores Hidalgo, where he was buried. The tomb is just outside of Dolores Hidalgo and is a beautiful monument that has become a very popular tourist attraction. The city Dolores Hidalgo, also known as Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional, is the site of the church, in front of which, that Father Miguel Hidalgo made the Grito de Dolores (or Grito de Independencia) - The Shout of Independence. Miguel Hidalgo, at dawn of Sept. 15,
1810, had the church bells rung to gather his congregation to encourage them to revolt against the Spanish Government. Father Hidalgo had been involved with a group of educated colonials in earlier revolt meetings, but this was the signal of the beginning of the revolution. In the Center of the City there is also the Miguel Hidalgo Monument. After going around to different historic sites, we rested in the center of the city and there we got some most delicious ice cream. This ice cream was the most savory treat I ever had, and it came in literally hundreds of flavors including: Vanilla with nuts and fruits, triple chocolate, even tequila and cervesa.
So after our treat break, our next stop was the Sanctuary of Atotonilco. This Shrine is about 7 miles outside of San Miguel de Allende and is a beautiful monumental church that is currently under restoration. This is the church to which Father Hidalgo led his army of congregation members to, to grab the banner of the Virgin of Guadeloupe to use as their fighting standard against the Spaniards. Started in 1740, construction of El Sanctuario de Atotonilco took more than 35 years to complete. The
finished product included a bell-shaped, pink and gold dome and big stone walls. Entering through the Giant carved-wooden doors was like entering into another world, another dimension of dream and reality. The inside of the Sanctuary was covered with murals and paintings from the local artist, Miguel Antonio Martinez. Painted and sculpted in the folk baroque style, the walls and ceilings were covered with pictures and sculptures of pained saints, suffering Jesus', and gilded baroque virgins. This shrine is dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth, and while the father and Sr Martinez preferred the bloodier events in the Savior's life, many of the "frescoes", related wall and ceiling paintings like murals, show more tranquil scenes in the life of christ. Plated with gold and silver, El Santuario is not without it's fair share of religious monuments and shrines. The name Atotonilco, rooting back to pre-Hispanic time, means "Place of the Hot Waters" referring to the many hot-water springs covering the immediate areas. These springs were thought to have healing powers, thus many healing ceremonies were held in this area.
After El Sanctuario we rode the remaining 10 minutes to San Miguel de Allende. This city, named for General Ignacio Allende,
was a very important landmark for the Independence of Mexico. It is the birth-city of General Allende, who was a member of the New Spanish army, but took part in conspiracy meetings and even after being found out, in 1809, continued his support. The Spanish revolt was actually supposed to be led by Allende and Captain Juan Aldama, however the conspiratorial plans were discovered, so then started Padre Miguel Hidalgo and his Grito de Dolores. San Miguel is a rather small city with one main church in the Centro. This city is very similar to Guanajuato, Guanajuato, it's as if someone had taken a snapshot of Guanajuato, shrunk it a bit, and placed is about an hour away. The main difference i noticed besides the size of the cities was the people. Guanajuato is a big touristic city for Mexican tourists, while San Miguel de Allende is a touristic city for USA tourists not to mention the rather sizely and growing USA and Canadian expatriate community. On this trip we had met some really cool people from the Canary Islands. We ate lunch with them here and then spent a little time roaming the city. When we got back later that night we had meant to meet up with them at a Karaoke Bar but got caught up in dinner and getting Amy ready to leave the next morning around 5:30/6 am.
So, Day 4 of 4 done for Amy and Day 4 of 5 done for me. Man this trip had been awesome and it wasn't even over yet for me! Still to Come: Day 5 of 5 and Guanajuato Gallery.
Until Next Tine,
Live Life to the Fullest and Without Regrets
Rob
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MoM
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ROBERTO!
Hey Darlin, Just a few more weeks and you'll be back! Glad you are having just an adventure. Finish Strong! Blessings, MoM