Day two of our stay in San Miguel Allende.
The days have been beautiful, the sun is shining and we wake to a cool, crisp morning.
I slept well despite my hand and arm aching. I did something to it when lugging my cases. The case thing is an occupational hazard and normally not a problem but I do remember a sharp pain at one stage, so it might be more than just a pulled muscle.
Our first stop was to the pharmacy for some strapping and then on to the craft market. We have a smallish bus and a local guide, Gregory. He is knowledgeable and very helpful, I’ve been here many times before, but the others are getting a wonderful explanation of this amazing city.
The roads are so narrow and steep a larger bus won’t negotiate the twists, turns or cope with the cobblestones.
We still have to stop to let a taxi or local vehicle past us in the town so the trip takes just a little longer… (then again its great for photo ops)in many of the sh
The images below were at the craft market and you can purchase these colorful textiles in lots of places in Mexico. They are generally mass produced. Indeed there are others that are made by hand… and I love, love, love the colors but I’m always looking for something different or the unusual. I love collecting folk art and there is certainly plenty to choose from here.
The days have been beautiful, the sun is shining and we wake to a cool, crisp morning.
I slept well despite my hand and arm aching. I did something to it when lugging my cases. The case thing is an occupational hazard and normally not a problem but I do remember a sharp pain at one stage, so it might be more than just a pulled muscle.
Our first stop was to the pharmacy for some strapping and then on to the craft market. We have a smallish bus and a local guide, Gregory. He is knowledgeable and very helpful, I’ve been here many times before, but the others are getting a wonderful explanation of this amazing city.
The roads are so narrow and steep a larger bus won’t negotiate the twists, turns or cope with the cobblestones.
We still have to stop to let a taxi or local vehicle past us in the town so the trip takes just a little longer… (then again its great for photo ops)in many of the sh
The images below were at the craft market and you can purchase these colorful textiles in lots of places in Mexico. They are generally mass produced. Indeed there are others that are made by hand… and I love, love, love the colors but I’m always looking for something different or the unusual. I love collecting folk art and there is certainly plenty to choose from here.
With the ladies (and gentleman) rounded up we visited another amazing craft complex. La Aurora.
Before its renaissance as an art and design center, Negociacion Fabril de la Aurora, known as La Aurora, was a leading manufacturer of premium cotton “manta” and textiles for almost a century. The construction of the factory was completed in 1902 and is typical of textile plants in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Its façade, with twelve stone-carved arches and the impressive wrought iron gates that open onto a gracious patio, offers a sharp contrast to the functional design of the interior spaces. Its one of my favorite places to visit here in SMA.
Before its renaissance as an art and design center, Negociacion Fabril de la Aurora, known as La Aurora, was a leading manufacturer of premium cotton “manta” and textiles for almost a century. The construction of the factory was completed in 1902 and is typical of textile plants in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Its façade, with twelve stone-carved arches and the impressive wrought iron gates that open onto a gracious patio, offers a sharp contrast to the functional design of the interior spaces. Its one of my favorite places to visit here in SMA.
I love the antique stores at La Aurora Votive paintings in Mexico go by several names, I’ve known them as Milagros (miracles) which refer to their purpose. The painting of religious images to give thanks for a miracle or favored received in this country is part of a long tradition of such in the world. As in Europe, votive paintings began as static images of saints or other religious figures which were then donated to a church. Later, narrative images, telling the personal story of a miracle or favor received appeared. These paintings were first produced by the wealthy and often on canvas; however, as sheets of tin became affordable, lower classes began to have these painted on this medium. The narrative version on metal sheets is now the traditional and representative form of votive paintings, although modern works can be done on paper or any other medium.
I have 3 of the at home, but the price gets higher each time I come here.
I have 3 of the at home, but the price gets higher each time I come here.
The images above are of the things I loved at La Aurora.
An hour away from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the quiet town of Mineral de Pozos is undergoing its own art-fueled transformation.
When people buzz about this or that newly “discovered” colonial Mexican town as “the next San Miguel,” they usually mean the pre-malls and pre-traffic city of 10, 20, or 30 years ago. In recent years, the buzz has hovered over the central highlands pueblo fantasma (ghost town) of Mineral de Pozos an hour’s drive from San Miguel itself. Pozos (the locals’ shorthand) was nearly lost to history until the 1990’s, when a handful of artists fled here from the urban overgrowth of its famous neighbor. They opened their own galleries and restaurants and were followed by other solitude and spaciousness seekers, including discerning store owners and hoteliers. By the 2000’s, the inevitable weekend visitors had arrived, and for good reason: the town was charming, small, and had far more Mexican residents than newcomers. The spectral ruins of mines strewn over cactus-thick hillsides nearby deepened the atmosphere. Pozos was still very sleepy.
We took over a restaurant and ate delicious food cooked for us as we waited.
We visited a 15th Century church. The walls were painted and the image below is of the tiles the floor.
When people buzz about this or that newly “discovered” colonial Mexican town as “the next San Miguel,” they usually mean the pre-malls and pre-traffic city of 10, 20, or 30 years ago. In recent years, the buzz has hovered over the central highlands pueblo fantasma (ghost town) of Mineral de Pozos an hour’s drive from San Miguel itself. Pozos (the locals’ shorthand) was nearly lost to history until the 1990’s, when a handful of artists fled here from the urban overgrowth of its famous neighbor. They opened their own galleries and restaurants and were followed by other solitude and spaciousness seekers, including discerning store owners and hoteliers. By the 2000’s, the inevitable weekend visitors had arrived, and for good reason: the town was charming, small, and had far more Mexican residents than newcomers. The spectral ruins of mines strewn over cactus-thick hillsides nearby deepened the atmosphere. Pozos was still very sleepy.
We took over a restaurant and ate delicious food cooked for us as we waited.
We visited a 15th Century church. The walls were painted and the image below is of the tiles the floor.
We visited a 15th Century church. The walls were painted and the image below is of the tiles the floor.
With more than four centuries of history, Mineral de Pozos has a great architectural heritage for you to visit. Its remains tell the story of the mining boom this place went through, the fortune its inhabitants were able to gather and its gradual abandonment. Guanjuato’s arid landscape camouflages the walls of forbidding haciendas, such as the walls of Santa Brigida, of the Cinco Señores and of the Triangulo, where up to one thousand people used to work.
Nice blog..