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Published: January 28th 2009
Before arriving in Mexico, I had been a little apprehensive when it came to in-country transportation. After a couple of months on the road I was feeling pretty burnt out, and hardly in the mood to battle tooth and claw through another cramped bus station and spend hours on a rickety contraption that may or may not arrive at its final destination in one piece. Thankfully, my ignorance was quickly laid to rest. Mexico’s buses are by far the nicest I have ever seen, by far more comfortable and reliable than those in my own country. Almost all long-distance buses are run by private companies, and the competition insures quality, well-priced service. Of course, I am sure this quality varies greatly throughout Mexico, but we took the very sleek ETN luxury buses (“la linea mas comoda!”), complete with plush reclining seats, air-con, tons of leg room, and lunch thrown in as well. In fact, I usually hated to finally get off the bus.
At first glance, Central Mexico seems pretty bleak: miles of flat, shrubby desert punctuated by small, dusty towns. Being from the lush, green Northwest, my favorite scenery of choice usually involves the crashing ocean, and plenty of
old-growth forest. However, upon further observation, it becomes very easy to see the beauty in the desert. It is like appreciating minimalism. Watching the desert roll by outside of the bus was like looking at a postcard. There were huge, thorny cactus mingled with the shrubs, and occasionally a “cowboy” riding along on a tired horse or donkey, eyes shielded from the sun by the wide brim of his sombrero. To complete our circuit of Central Mexico, we visited three very interesting cities.
San Miguel de Allende : Lonely Planet describes San Miguel as “ a sort of Disneyland for foreign tourists and retirees”. I suppose I can see the connection, since not only does it have a large population of North American retirees, but the colorful cobbled streets and striking pink spires of the cathedral almost seem to perfect to be believed as real. Later, one of the proprietors of our B and B in Querétaro humorously referred to it as “San Miguel de Gringolandia”. Rumor has it that the expatriates make up nearly half the towns citizens, and judging from the number of foreigners I saw there, I wouldn’t be surprised if this were true. Allegedly,
Painter
Queretaroforeigners first began arriving after World War II, when American soldiers realized that they could get even more value for their GI bill in Mexico, studying at San Miguel’s school of fine art. It wasn’t long before the word got out, and the cities gorgeous colonial architecture and excellent weather began attracting more foreigners.
Normally, hearing statistics like these would be discouraging for many travelers who want a real “cultural experience”, and for good reason. Still, I would argue that San Miguel is still an excellent place to visit, especially for anyone who really wants to relax and recharge. I came went to spend my birthday, and booked a room at one of San Miguel’s exceptionally popular boutique B and B’s, complete with lush, sunny garden and pack of overly friendly cats. I spent most of my time lounging in the sun and admiring the gorgeous flowers, but we also walked into town to explore a bit.
San Miguel’s dining options range from very fine and expensive to the non-descript taco stand in the park. We haunted a very casual café down the street from the cathedral and drank a bottle of cheap wine, while watching other tourists
desperately try to fit themselves into the same frame as the cathedral’s towering spires. The downtown of San Miguel is very compact, and at the center of a web of narrow streets is the impressive Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel, the 1730 gothic cathedral. Directly in front is a park, surrounded on all sides by cafes and art galleries. And yes, there is a Starbucks.
Querétaro : My former university runs a very popular study abroad program in this city, and I can see why so many of my friends have enjoyed coming here to study Spanish. It’s a very laid back town, unassuming and yet packed with beautiful colonial buildings and great nightlife. We stayed at yet another B and B, this one run by a very friendly Canadian expat. I both love and loath staying at Bed and Breakfasts. For one, they are extremely affordable, and yet generally very clean and charming. For the overtly sociable, it is also a great way to meet people. Still, I have to admit that sometimes the prospect of staggering out of bed to go speak rusty Spanish with strangers is a bit daunting. In Queretaro, our hostess invited
her neighbors over, a family originally from Mexico city. The parents and daughter were currently residing in Queretaro, while the son had been working in Canada. It was a great chance to hear their perspective on the region, especially the father, who had been born in a hacienda not far from the city and lived to see many changes in the country.
While in Queretaro we strolled around the many plazas, and also visited the art museum. It was housed in a gorgeous baroque building, and while most of the exhibits were comprised of very old and dour 17th century religious paintings they did have an interesting temporary exhibit on the “art of bullfighting”, which included prints from Picasso and Dali.
Morelia : Aside from Guanajuato, Morelia was the other favorite city we visited in Mexico. It is located in the state of Michoacán, about four hours by bus southeast of Guadalajara. Morelia, formerly known under the Spanish colonials in Valladolid, was later re-named in honor of Jose Morelos, who was a compatriot of Miguel Hidalgo in the battle for Mexican Independence. The general was born in the city in 1765, and today his presence is
till strongly felt.
The old city is a UNESCO world heritage sight, and stepping into the historic center is like being instantly transported to Spain. In contrast, the city also has a reputation for drug trafficking. On 9/15/08, eight people were killed and over a hundred more injured when grenades were detonated amongst the crowd during Independence Day celebrations. Driving through the outskirts, the city’s rougher edge was also apparent in the forms of dilapidated houses, stores with thickly barred windows, and scrawled graffiti.
We stayed in the historic center, and spent most of our time there. Given the close proximity to the holidays, the streets were packed with Christmas shoppers. Stores overflowed with crowds of people vying for assorted colored ornaments and bright green, felt Christmas trees. The old town center is dominated by the impressive cathedral and its twin spires, which is flanked by two bustling plazas. The historic city is very accessible and easy to walk around, and we spent most of our time gawking at old, colonial buildings. We also went to the convent of San Francisco, which now houses an artisans market and small museum displaying indigenous art from all over Mexico. It
is worth it just to go and admire the beautifully carved furniture. We also went to the “Sweets Market” to try some traditional desert. Michoacán is famous for its regional sweets, and the market is overflowing with vendors eager to sell. Ours waited patiently while we tested a range of cavity-inducing deserts, ranging from soft, tequila flavored candies to crunchy squares of almonds and honey. Delicious.
While it seems that every night is occasion to celebrate in Mexico, Saturday is exceptionally lively. That night, the street in front of the cathedral was closed to traffic and a stage was set up. People gathered around to watch a variety of regional dancers, all in bright costumes, perform enthusiastically. Along the periphery, young men parked their muscle cars with the hoods up to advertise for an upcoming auto show. Every outdoor café table was packed, and we passed gaggles of people; everyone from elderly grandparents to heavily-made up college students ready for a night on the town. All around the plazas there were other performances happening simultaneously, and in a relatively short amount of time we were able to observe a drum circle, a mime, singers, and break-dancers. Later that night,
Se Vende
San Miguel the festivities continued as bright fireworks erupted over the cathedral. No special occasion…just celebrating Saturday. I think in the end, this is what I will take away from Mexico the most: the incredible vitality of a culture that knows how to have a good time.
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