An arched walkway surrounds the courtyard of San Sebastián Mártir Church in Bernal, Querétaro. In the center of the atrium stands a beautiful cross of carved quarry stone. © Jane Ammeson 2009

The magic of Bernal, Queretaro: wine, opals and historic charm

Sometimes in the evenings, after the sun has set behind the monolith that towers over the small village of San Sebastián Bernal, ánimas, or restless souls who sleep in the small graveyard near the old chapel, rise up and move silently through the quiet streets. The ánimas mean no harm. They are just continuing their daily round – what […]

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Cobblestone walkway that leads to the mine

La Valencia – one of Guanajuato’s richest silver mines

The stairs that take me down hug the curves of the mine as it twists and turns. The walls are coarse with cut stone. I have followed the narrow Carretera Panoramica (Panoramic Highway) that winds up from the Colonial city of Guanajuato to La Valencia, a charming village that overlooks the broad valley where the […]

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The splendid church in Guadalupe, Zacatecas has three chapels -- the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Dark Chapel and the Chapel of Naples -- each seemingly more ornate than the next. This is the Capilla de Nápoles, or Chapel of Naples. © Jane Ammeson, 2009

Guadalupe in Zacatecas: masterpieces of colonial art

Located just east of Zacatecas city, Guadalupe’s palm-fringed Jardín Juárez has the special charm found in so many Mexican towns. Here vendors sell the local crafts that this colonial town, founded in 1578, is famous for – including tooled leather belts and soft, pliant jackets along with large carved rustic furniture and wall hangings, newly woven […]

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Independence parade, Dolores Hidalgo

Colonial charm, Talavera and shrimp ice cream in Dolores Hidalgo

Someone has mistakenly put shrimp into the ice cream or else I’m reading the sign incorrectly — always a possibility as my Spanish certainly needs some work. But then again, when I order camarones at restaurants, I get shrimp and so camarón must be shrimp, right? But then what is it doing in the ice cream? The answer, according […]

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