Blogs from Guanajuato, Mexico, North America - page 15

It's my second year of having Thanksgiving away from my family. Last year I was in New Jersey with Ronnie's folks. This year, I am in the middle of Mexico. But to say that I was away from family doesn't feel right either. Last year I was with Ronnie's wonderful family who always treat me like one of their own. This year, I was with my new international family. The magic of the holiday and the feeling of a family that goes beyond blood relations was one of the most powerful emotions I have experienced in my time here. Ronnie and I were invited to go to the annual Thanksgiving Celebration out at Rancho Casa Luna by Dianne. We instantly said yes and asked if we were allowed to invite others. "The more the merrier!" Dianne ... read more

Every year in October, the city of Guanajuato hosts the International Cervantes Culture Festival, named after the epic Spanish author. At venues throughout the city, residents and visitors alike can soak up the arts; ranging from music and theater to visual art. Even on a normal day, the city of Guanajuato is a very artsy place. In a way it seems like a strange divulgence for a city whose sole purpose was once mining. The silver-rich hills surrounding the city allowed it to thrive both during Spanish occupation and after Mexican independence. Today, Guanajuato is a lively university town, with over 25,000 students enrolled at the school. Another large draw for the city is tourism, as its beautifully well-preserved colonial “old town” is ranked as a UNESCO world heritage site. Interestingly enough, it is an ... read more

I did try to get a second class bus instead of a first to get from Puerto Escondido following the taxi driver in Oaxaca telling me that the ticket was expensive, but despite hiking around one mile up a hill from the first class terminal to the second class one, I ended up with a ticket with a first class company that went from the second class terminal. Although, Mexico is not as cheap as SE Asia I seem to be spending a lot more money than I did on my last trip. Guanajuato was supposed to be the destination after Mexico City before Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido came highly recommended. It is an a silver mining city that dates back to 1548 when the Spanish started mining here and sending the proceeds back home. The ... read more

or from the Mummy Museum to Dia de los Muertos. Finally, to be spending a day off my aching feet! The Mummy Museum is on the opposite side of town, actually underneath the cemetery. So, to scope it out before the Muertos celebrations, we caught the bus, at the bottom of the hill. It was half empty, as is the city now that the Cervantino is over. It (the bus) groaned through the tiny streets and lurched up the hill atop of which the cemetery sits. The Mummy Museum contains the dried, leathery remains of about fifty folk, adults and children. Perhaps gruesome isn't the right word, but certainly the mind goes "tilt" after a while. Maybe part of the oddness of it all is that the text that accompanies each body is written in the ... read more

What a blessing, that there are people and cultures that are not afraid of color! Not just rich, saturated hues, but delirious combinations: red & blue, yellow & purple, green & orange. All on one house! Multiply that by a hillside collection of dwellings, and you get the sublime. These little neighborhoods and serpentine streets are awesome, a waking dream. Giotto-esque, not only for the color, but the jack-straw hodge-podge organic building of one structure upon another, nary a parallel line. A short walk down the hill there is a tree filled median where fruit and vegetable vendors set up there stands. Luscious produce grown on nearby farms. There is a lady there who has a table on which sits twenty or so plastic one-gallon containers. Each holds a different sauce (mole) or salsa. She also ... read more