San Miguel de Allende has, for decades, been one of the shining jewels of Colonial Mexico, a mecca for painters, writers, musicians or anyone with artistic sensibilities who has been touched by its ancient cobblestone streets, by the way the light and shadows fall across the distant hills or by the adobe walls painted the […]
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It is late afternoon in Mexico, two days before Palm Sunday, and it is the day that honours Nuestra Señora de los Dolores — Our Lady of Sorrows. All over town, San Miguel de Allende’s families and business owners have constructed altars dedicated to sadness: the sorrow of the Virgin Mary for the loss of her […]
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“Camino de Guanajuato que pasas por tanto pueblo” (“Way of Guanajuato, you pass through so many towns”) Thus sang José Alfredo Jiménez in his song “Camino de Guanajuato”. And the roads of his homeland, the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, do indeed pass through cities, towns and landscapes worthy of exploration. The standard version of the song […]
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The biggest event of its kind in Latin America, the International Balloon Festival in Leon, Guanajuato, takes place in the middle of November. Attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors over the four-day festival, and some two hundred hot air balloon teams from all over the world, it is a spectacle that justifies the early morning […]
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Celebrations for El Señor de La Conquista (The Lord of the Conquest) completely filled the Jardin Principal of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Hundreds of colourful conchero or “Chichimeca” dancers dressed in pre-Hispanic style outfits arrived from the surrounding towns, representing different styles of dance and dress. Flashes of colour. Hypnotic drum beats. The shake, shake, shake […]
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Almost every community of any consequence in Mexico has an annual day or week set aside when a saint or revered person is honored with some type of celebration. If, for example, a town’s name honors San Patricio or San José or San Francisco, then on those Saint’s Days there will usually be fireworks, parades, […]
Continue ReadingThe Through Line: A Journey from Darkness into Life By Jay Koppelman. CreateSpace, 2010 Available from Amazon Books: Paperback Popular Ajijic photographer Jay Koppelman has two things to celebrate this winter: one, the recent opening of Studio 18, on Colón 18 in Ajijic, which features exclusively his photographs; and two, the recent publication of the first […]
Continue ReadingBrown, arid hillsides barely visible in a distant haze. Isolated green cacti with contorted, knotted arms, coarse, spiny fingers and bright red, seemingly nailpolished fruits set against an endless tanned landscape. This may not seem like an area likely to guard tourist treasures, but beneath the surface lie hidden surprises. For hundreds of years, chunks […]
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Interactive Map of Guanajuato The land-locked state of Guanajuato is in the Central Highlands region of Mexico, along with the states of Querétaro, Hidalgo, México, Mexico City, Morelos, Tlaxcala and Puebla. The state of Guanajuato has an area of about 30,600 square kilometers and a population of 5.8 million (2015 estimate). The state’s capital city […]
Continue ReadingMiguel Hidalgo y Costilla was born at the Corralejo Hacienda in Pénjamo, Guanajuato, on May 8, 1753. He was sent to Valladolid (now Morelia) to study at the San Nicolás Obispo College, where he later taught theology, philosophy and ethics. He eventually became college Rector. In 1792, he was ordained as a priest and, after […]
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