Category: Guanajuato

exploring the outskirts of san miguel de allende: santa rosa de lima, dolores hidalgo, mineral de pozos & the mine of santa brigida

wanderessence1025 May 7, 2025

Driving from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende. First stop: Santa Rosa de Lima

Tuesday, February 25, 2025: Tuesday morning, we left Guanajuato and drove over scrubby but scenic highlands to Santa Rosa de Lima, a small town known for its glazed majolica-style ceramics. We stopped at the Mayólica Santa Rosa and admired the colorful pottery and even bought a couple of small pieces. The workshop produces hand-painted urns, flowerpots, flatware, and tiles, often depicting plants, flowers, fruits and animals. They also produce clay figurines of animals.

Santa Rosa sits at 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) with mountains of pine trees surrounding it.

Mayólica Santa Rosa

Then we visited Conservas Santa Rosa, a women’s cooperative which makes jams and marmalades with locally-grown fruits. There we sampled a variety of jams, salsas and chili pepper/olive oil combos, and came away with some snacks to take to San Miguel de Allende.

Conservas Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa de Lima

We headed from there to Dolores Hidalgo, about a 40 minute drive.

Landscape on the way to Dolores Hidalgo

Dolores Hidalgo

We continued our trip to San Miguel with another stop in Dolores Hidalgo. We started by wandering haphazardly and came across the pink Iglesia de la Tercera Orden [Church of the Third Order], an 18th century church with Baroque architectural elements. The church was inaugurated in 1755. Its facade is partially covered with local tiles and it has a nice little courtyard on one side.

Iglesia de la Tercera Orden

Mike bought some fresh mangos from a street vendor and we walked to Plaza Principal and sat on a bench in the shade. It was such a beautiful, well-maintained square.

fresh mangoes

Mike enjoys fresh mangoes

Like many cities, the downtown district in Dolores Hidalgo is organized around a plaza principal (central square). The plaza is at the heart of the city’s busiest commercial zone, and it is a popular spot with local families. In the very center of the plaza, there is a bronze statue of the famous pastor Miguel Hidalgo, originally commissioned by President Benito Juárez.

The city was a small town known simply as Dolores when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla uttered his famous “Grito de Dolores” (Cry of Dolores) while standing in front of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church in the early hours of September 16, 1810. He called for the end of Spanish rule and encouraged the people to take up arms. This event marked the beginning of Mexico’s struggle for independence. After Mexico achieved independence, the town was renamed Dolores Hidalgo in his honor.

Dolores Hidalgo was named a Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) in 2002.

On the west side, the plaza is bordered by the Casa de Visitas (Plaza Principal 25), an 18th-century mansion. During the War of Independence, Dolores’s Spanish governor and his wife were held in the Casa de Visitas as prisoners of the rebel army.

A young man in the park was making small sandwiches with avocado, chicharrones, salsa & chilies. We had to sample one and it was delicious.

Plaza Principal

Dolores Hidalgo: Pueblo Magico

bronze statue of the famous pastor Miguel Hidalgo

young man making small sandwiches with avocado, chicharrones, salsa & chilies

small sandwiches with avocado, chicharrones, salsa & chilies

young man making small sandwiches with avocado, chicharrones, salsa & chilies

bronze statue of the famous pastor Miguel Hidalgo

me in Plaza Principal of Dolores Hidalgo

Mike in Plaza Principal of Dolores Hidalgo

One of the most famous churches in Mexico, the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Parish Church of Our Lady of Sorrows) is the jewel of Dolores Hidalgo’s central square. This impressive sandstone church has an elaborate churrigueresque facade, topped by two soaring bell towers. Inside, wood floors and rows of wood pews stand before a neoclassical altar.

In the left transept, there is an ornate, hand-carved baroque altar washed in gold leaf. On the right is a walnut altar which has been carefully carved in wood but left without gold leaf or paint. Not only is the untreated wood beautiful, it illustrates the craftsmanship behind many of Mexico’s baroque altarpieces.

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores

civic building in Dolores Hidalgo

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores

After leaving Dolores Hidalgo, we drove on another hour to San Miguel de Allende, where we would spend five nights.

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A day trip to Mineral de Pozos

Friday, February 28: Friday at lunchtime we arrived in the “ghost mining town” of Mineral de Pozos. This half-abandoned city, sitting on a hillside in the high desert chaparral, was a prosperous city during the 19th century, home to about 70,000 people and several prolific mineral mines. Over time, the town’s resources were depleted, the mines flooded and the population dwindled. The town has reawakened a bit, thanks to artists and expats settling down permanently away from the bustle of San Miguel de Allende.

We found a place to have lunch in a cute rooftop café, La Pila Seca de los Famosos de Pozos, where we shared enmoladas con pollo and an Aztec soup to the tunes of “Tanto la Queria” by Andy & Lucas, “Yo Quisiera” by Reik, and “Loba” by Shakira.

Mineral de Pozos

Iglesia San Pedro in Mineral de Pozos

Mineral de Pozos

Iglesia San Pedro in Mineral de Pozos

La Pila Seca in Mineral de Pozos

me at La Pila Seca

Mike at La Pila Seca

enmoladas con pollo at La Pila Seca

me at La Pila Seca

La Pila Seca in Mineral de Pozos

Mineral de Pozos

We took a short afternoon stroll around the weathered but charming little town. We wandered through the plaza principal and admired the Iglesia San Pedro; we had seen its dome from the rooftop cafe.

The town is full of mining history, traditions, architectural beauty, and ancient and modern festivities mostly held on weekends, when the town is apparently bustling.

Mineral de Pozos has a bohemian air, cobblestone streets, and traditional houses, located in the municipality of San Luis de la Paz, northeast of the state of Guanajuato. It was about an hour + 15 minute drive from San Miguel de Allende.

Mineral de Pozos

The ruined Mine of Santa Brigida

After visiting Mineral de Pozas, we drove about 15 minutes north of town on dirt roads that felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We were actually in route to the Mine of Santa Brigida. This is the mine responsible for the economic boom in the region as it had gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and mercury. It is also the oldest in the state becoming one of the emblems of the town.

dirt road to Mine of Santa Brigida

In the semi-desert area we parked near a large red-and-white building which once served as the mine’s former management offices, paid the minder 200 pesos, and walked around the ruins.

Santa Brigida was actually mined by indigenous people before it came under Spanish control. It was a pit mine, so it doesn’t have a traditional mine shaft. We walked along the large and deep crevice in the earth which is the mouth of the mine, unmarked and gravelly. In addition to the mine, there are several deep wells around the mining camp, with no danger signs to mark their existence.

Mine of Santa Brigida

me at Mine of Santa Brigida

Mine of Santa Brigida

We went into the Arcos Mágicos (Magic Arches of the Sun and the Moon), built in 1595 by the Jesuits. This building of narrow arches was the purifier of poisonous gases from the underground mine system, and also served to “air” the gold and silver at each of its doors. These arched ovens were also used for mercury amalgamation, which extracts metals from the rock.

It was also the astronomical and astrological observatory of the Jesuits, a site where two phenomena of lunar and solar light were manifested.

Arcos Mágicos (Magic Arches of the Sun and the Moon)

We also saw ruins of the three smelting ovens, Hornos Jesuitas, as well as the hull of what was the Hacienda de Beneficio de Santa Brígida.

This excursion reminded me of all my explorations of ruins with my friend Mario when I lived in Oman from 2011-2013.

Santa Brigida Mine

Hornos Jesuitas

Santa Brigida Mine

Mike at Santa Brigida Mine

me at at Santa Brigida Mine

Hacienda de Beneficio de Santa Brígida

Santa Brigida Mine

Hacienda de Beneficio de Santa Brígida

Hornos Jesuitas at Santa Brigida Mine

After leaving the mine, we drove back about an hour + 20 minutes to San Miguel de Allende.

the colorful university town of guanajuato, mexico

wanderessence1025 April 23, 2025

A Challenging Drive from Mexico City to Guanajuato

Friday, February 21, 2025: On Friday morning, we took an Uber at 9:30 am to Alamo Car Rental at the Mexico City Airport. By the time we signed all the paperwork and left the airport, it was 11:00. We thought we had a 4 1/2 hour drive ahead to Guanajuato. We had asked for a transponder so we could use it to go through toll plazas seamlessly and then pay whatever tolls we accrued when we returned the car. Every country in which we’ve rented cars has operated this way.

We then made our way north 20 minutes when we reached a single-booth plaza to the autopista but the transponder registered “invalid;” the gate to the highway wouldn’t open and we were shuttled off to a busy local road. Mike looked at Waze and it seemed if we didn’t use the toll road, it would take us 7 hours to get to Guanajuato. We tried to call Alamo but got a US number and no human to speak to. Thus we did a U-turn and drove 30 minutes through heavy traffic back to Alamo.

Our rental car: Chevy Onix

The GPS to Guanajuato as we left Mexico City’s airport

There a woman who spoke English explained that we needed to put money on the transponder at a 7-11. She walked Mike to the terminal and helped him put 800 pesos on the card. One hour & 20 minutes later, at 12:20, we were on the road again.

We arrived back at the same toll plaza and the card still read invalid. We tried to pay with cash, but the man there said it was not possible to pay with cash. We were shuttled off once again to the same local road. This time we stopped at a gas station and Mike was told the cash balance normally takes 15-20 minutes to register. It had been a half hour since Mike had added the pesos.

Finally Google Maps led us on congested local roads to a large toll booth. The transponder still registered “invalid” but they did take cash. We finally got on the autopista and were on our way. It wasn’t until over an hour later that the transponder finally worked; however it didn’t work on all the highways.

So, between an auto accident where we were rerouted and between a huge traffic jam getting into Guanajuato and then getting lost in the city, the drive which was supposed to take 4 1/2 hours took us 7 hours.

Guanajuato: Hotel Terra Vista

We arrived at the amazing Hotel Terra Vista, where we had a beautiful apartment. It was huge, and actually slept 8 people including a fold-out couch.

Hotel Terra Vista

Master bedroom at Hotel Terra Vista

shower and bathroom at Hotel Terra Vista

spare bedroom at Hotel Terra Vista

dining room at Hotel Terra Vista

living room at Hotel Terra Vista

kitchen at Hotel Terra Vista

We headed off quickly to eat at a nearby seafood place as we were told it closed at 7:00 p.m.

Mexican restaurant near Hotel Terra Vista

Steps: 4,329; Miles 1.83. Weather Mexico City: Hi 70°, Lo 48°. Mostly Cloudy / Guanajuato: Hi 73°, Lo 50°. Cloudy with some rain.

Saturday, February 22: We enjoyed our first view of Guanajuato from our beautiful apartment in Hotel Terra Vista, owned by Canadians Susan and Endre Pataky. The workshop pictured is used extensively by the owner Endre; he builds custom furniture for people and has served as general contractor for the building of the property itself. We adored this place!

The owners kept chickens on the property and each morning put out fresh eggs which guests could buy and use. We had bought four the night before, so we whipped up scrambled eggs for breakfast.

morning view from Hotel Terra Vista

patio at Hotel Terra Vista

master bedroom at Hotel Terra Vista

living room at Hotel Terra Vista

patio at Hotel Terra Vista

Hotel Terra Vista

Endre’s woodworking shop at Hotel Terra Vista

After breakfast, we walked from the patio area of our Terra Vista Apartment down the road and then down 280 steps into the center of Guanajuato City, capital of the state of Guanajuato. The city was made prosperous in the late 18th century by silver mining; by 1780, Guanajuato was the world’s single biggest silver city, producing between a fifth and a quarter of all New Spain’s silver.

The city’s prosperity was abruptly curtailed when the Mexican War of Independence (Mexico’s war with Spain from 1810-1821) broke out in 1810, starting in nearby Dolores Hidalgo. The rebel army invaded Guanajuato when it refused to surrender on September 28, 1810, and the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, the public granary, was the site of one of the most important and bloodiest battles in the War of Independence.

While other silver mines went into decline after independence, Guanajuato’s silver mines continued to produce throughout the 19th century. In the late 1980s, Guanajuato began massive restoration projects on its many historic buildings. The historic center has numerous small plazas and colonial-era mansions, churches, and civil constructions built using pink or green sandstone. The city historic center and the adjacent mines were proclaimed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

The city of about 195,000 people (2020 census) is located in a narrow valley, which makes its streets narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides. Many of the city’s thoroughfares are partially or fully underground. We were told there are 28 tunnels that run under the city.

Our first encounter with a church in town was Iglesia San Francisco, a church and former convent, originally built in the 18th century by Franciscan friars as accompaniment to their school and orphanage. The church has a stunning pink sandstone churrigueresque entryway.

walking down the steps into Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Iglesia de San Francisco in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

We strolled through to the Jardín de la Unión & Teatro Juárez. The Jardín de la Unión is a lively square with square-clipped trees that sits in front of Teatro Juárez. It’s surrounded by shops and cafes and is a great place to sit in the shade and watch the bustle all around.

The Jardín de la Unión was once the atrium of a large San Diegan convent in the city center. It was converted to a public space during the post-independence Reformation of the early 19th century.

We climbed to a rooftop cafe where we shared a waffle, sipped coffee, and enjoyed the views of Teatro Juárez, accompanied by the songs “Farolito” by Gilberto Gil & Natalia Lafourcade and “Tú Sí Sabes Quererme (feat. Los Macorinos)” by Natalia Lafourcade.

Back at street level, I found two beautiful bracelets at a shop across from Teatro Juárez. Then we walked all around the lively Jardín de la Unión.

Teatro Juárez

cafe overlooking Teatro Juárez

mural in cafe

Teatro Juárez

Jardín de la Unión

me at a cute shop

Jardín de la Unión

Mike at Jardín de la Unión

me at Jardín de la Unión

What a colorful and lively city Guanajuato is! We continued our aimless wanderings, admiring the city’s sherbet-colored colonial buildings, its plethora of churches, Guanajuato University, & the triangle-shaped esplanade, Plaza de la Paz, with its striking yellow Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, the city’s first parish church. In 1957, the church was upgraded from parroquia (parish church) to the elevated title of basilica. Built in the 17th century with funds from the mines, the building’s brightly painted facade is largely original, though its churrigueresque bell tower was added in the 19th century. Each of the church’s three entryways is surrounded by a lovely hand-carved sandstone facade.

The basilica’s interior is a wash of subtle pastels, marble floors and shiny crystal. The walls are painted with delicate frescoes in pink, aqua and white.

We stopped for lunch at La Tasca de la Paz. We tried the traditional dish, Enchiladas de Minero Rico (Tortillas de maíz bañadas en salsa de chile guajillo acompañada de papas y zanahoria) and Consomé Casero: Apapacho de pollo con verduras. We enjoyed people-watching and listening to the tune of “Eternal Life” by Palaye Royale.

Later we walked by the university and saw the imposing Templo de la Compañia de Jesús, an exquisite pink sandstone church that was constructed 1747-1765 by Jesuit priests. Another boon of the silver trade, the large neoclassical cupola behind the main facade was added to the building during the 19th century, commissioned by the Jesuit brother of a mining magnate.

Guanajuato

me in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Plaza de la Paz

Guanajuato

La Tasca de la Paz

Enchiladas de Minero Rico (Tortillas de maíz bañadas en salsa de chile guajillo acompañada de papas y zanahoria) at La Tasca de la Paz

Consomé Casero: Apapacho de pollo con verduras at La Tasca de la Paz

Plaza de la Paz

Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Templo de la Compañia de Jesús

Guanajuato University (the tall white building)

Guanajuato

Jardin de la Union in Guanajuato

A girl in a quinceañera dress walks past Teatro Juárez

Teatro Juárez

Teatro Juárez is a historical 19th century theater located in Guanajuato. It was built from 1872 to 1903 from a design by architect José Noriega and by order of General Florencio Antillón. The building was completed by architect Antonio Rivas Mercado and engineer Alberto Malo, who implemented refurbishments that significantly changed the exterior and interior.

The building has an opulent neoclassical facade emblematic of the Porfiriato, the period of rule of President Porfirio Díaz, which ended with the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The theater was inaugurated in 1903 with a performance of Verdi’s Aida. The building eventually fell into disrepair; attempts to restore the building began in the 1950s and went through 1973. Now it is a prominent performing arts venue.

Looking out over the Jardín de la Unión, Teatro Juárez has 12 Doric columns supporting a cornice topped by a row of black stone muses. Inside, the Gran Salón Auditorio, influenced by Moorish design, is decorated with hand-cut wood-and-stucco relief painted in brilliant reds, blues and golds.

Teatro Juárez

Funicular Panorámico & El Pípila

After our visit to Teatro Juárez, we took the Funicular Panorámico, just behind the theater, up the hillside to the rose-colored El Pípila statue. From the public esplanade, we found magnificent views of Guanajuato in the ravine below.

view from the top of the Funicular Panorámico

Mike at the top of the Funicular Panorámico

me at the top of the Funicular Panorámico

Mike with a new friend

El Pípila statue

Hotel Terra Vista

We took a short walk back to our apartment, relaxed, sipped cold cervezas, & chatted with a British couple and a couple from Brooklyn, Scott & Alexandra. We talked a lot about the horrors that our new president is bringing to the world. Scott & Alexandra are very active in Democratic politics in Brooklyn. Of course as New Yorkers, they have a long-standing hatred of the 🍊 💩.

Hotel Terra Vista

chickens at Hotel Terra Vista

patio at Hotel Terra Vista

After our long and lively discussion, Mike and I walked to a little hole-in-the-wall taco 🌮 place where we brought back delicious taco makings: mine was champignons & veggies & Mike’s was a unknown combo of meats and veggies. We set up the tacos in our apartment and enjoyed a delicious local meal.

dinnertime

our meal in our apartment

Steps: 11,357; Miles 4.81. Weather: Hi 78°, Lo 48°. Mostly sunny.

Universidad de Guanajuato

Sunday, February 23: On Sunday, after breakfast in our apartment, we walked down to the town center to see the Universidad de Guanajuato (University of Guanajuato), a university based in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, made up of about 47,108 students in programs ranging from high school level to the doctorate level. Over 30,893 of those are pursuing undergraduate, masters, and doctorate degrees and 16,215 are in high school. The university offers 215 academic programs, including 117 postgraduate programs, and 90 bachelor’s degrees. The university has schools in fourteen cities throughout the state of Guanajuato.

We had read you could climb to the roof of the massive building for fabulous views of the town, but when we arrived eager to climb, we were told it was closed on Sunday and we should come back Monday through Friday.

breakfast

Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Templo de la Compañia

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

We headed instead to the Diego Rivera Museum. The Museo Casa Diego Rivera is a museum founded in the birthplace of the artist Diego Rivera (1886 – 1957) in September 1975 with the aim of disseminating the works of the painter and prominent Mexican muralist who captured his communist ideals in building murals.

Within the museum itself there are six temporary rooms where exhibitions of Mexican and foreign artists are held. One hundred two works by Diego are on display, including sketches, illustrations, projects and paintings.

There was a special exhibit by renowned Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, titled “Structured Universe.” In this exhibit the curators showed us on a human scale how everything is organized here on earth down to the smallest sized animal recognizable to the naked eye, the insect.

“The artist specialized in woodcuts and lithographs, but his mezzotints have also been acknowledged as masterpieces in the medium. His work ranges from postal stamps, to tiling or tessellated geometric arrangements, and, most fascinatingly, analysis of self-reference, conscience, and paradoxes of logic and perspective.” (from the museum exhibition).

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

“Puddle” by M.C. Escher at Museo Casa Diego Rivera

“Rippled Surface” by M. C. Escher at Museo Casa Diego Rivera

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

“Drawing Hands” by M.C. Escher at Museo Casa Diego Rivera

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

It was disappointing that no photos could be taken of Rivera’s works. I thought his studio in San Ángel, Mexico City was more interesting than his birthplace home, although the home was quite nice with its central courtyard.

According to the museum: “From his stance as a militant, activist and agitator, Diego Rivera championed art with ideological content and the post-revolutionary social struggle to constitute the Mexican nation, with the muralist movement at the center of his socialist art designed to reach the masses.”

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

statue of Diego Rivera near the Museo Casa Diego Rivera

For me, the most interesting part of the museum included black & white photos of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo

Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo

We finished our visit at the Museo Casa Diego Rivera in the courtyard of the house and then continued our wanders through the colorful town. We happened upon the Templo y Plaza de San Roque. The Templo San Roque is an old 18th century chapel overlooking a plaza of the same name. Originally built in 1726 by Father Don Juan José de Sopeño y Cevera, the building served as a santa escuela (Jesuit school) 1746-1794. The pink sandstone exterior has a simple stone entryway and three stone saints embedded into a wall of sandstone bricks.

Guanajuato

me in Guanajuato

Templo San Roque in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Parroquia de Belen

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

The Alhóndiga de Granaditas (public grain exchange), now the Regional Museum of Guanajuato, is an old grain storage building in Guanajuato City. This historic building, designed in a spare neoclassical style, was created to replace an old grain exchange near the city’s river. The giant boxy building resembles a fortress from the outside. Inside, a spacious patio is framed by heavy green sandstone columns. It is equivalent to the regional grain exchange. Its construction lasted from 1798 to 1809, by orders of Juan Antonio de Riaño y Bárcena, a Spaniard who was the quartermaster of the city during the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his insurgent army stormed the building during the first battle of the Mexican War of Independence in September 1810, leading to the legend of El Pípila. El Pípila (the turkey) was a cripple who had an unusual way of walking. The Spaniards had hunkered down into the granary waiting for reinforcements. El Pípila, not fearing for his safety, strapped a large stone on his back, picked up a bucket of tar, grabbed a flaming torch and ran at the only weak point of the structure, the wooden door. The stone on his back protected him from the Spanish arrows that came at him. Once at the door, he coated it in tar and set fire to it with his torch. The solid wood door was weakened and the smoke blinded the Spaniards as the rebels rushed into the Alhondigas.

After the battle, the Alhóndiga was cleared out and served as a military barracks and warehouse. During the 19th century, it was a city jail for several decades. The building became a museum in 1949.

The building received World Heritage listing as part of the Historic Town of Guanajuato in 1988.

The walls of the building’s staircases are painted with dramatic murals about the independence movement by celebrated early-20th-century artist José Chávez Morado.

In the final salon, a collection of vintage photographs shows Guanajuato as it was in the early 1900s.

Murals in Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Murals in Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Some of the exhibits in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas showed old photographs of Guanajuato’s history. One exhibit was titled “Cartonería (cardboard),” which shows Mexican folk art such as folk toys, masks, catrinas and alebrijes.

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Retrato de Benito Juárez by Francoise Aubert (ca 1870)

“Guillermo Prieto y Benito Juárez” (1970) by Ramón Casas

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Romualdo y familia, ca. 1905, by Romualdo Garcia

Romualdo García

“Joven con sombrero y silla, de la Serie “Mujeres” by Romualdo García

Fochoda del Teatro Juárez, Guanajuato (ca. 1908) by Winfield Scott

“Porfirio Díaz en la hacienda de beneficiio La Valenciana, Guanajuato,” 28 de octubre de 1903

“Cartonería” at Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon lunch break in a pretty square at El Cerro de Las Ranas where Mike had Pollo con mole, and I had a chile relleno. We listened to “Secreto de Amor” by Joan Sebastian.

Guanajuato

chile relleno at El Cerro de Las Ranas

Mike and Pollo con mole at El Cerro de Las Ranas

me at El Cerro de Las Ranas

We took at taxi back to our hotel and enjoyed wonderful afternoon views of Gunajuato from the terrace of Terra Vista.

Views of Gunajuato from the terrace of Terra Vista

An evening in Guanajuato

We took a break from Mexican food on Sunday evening, taking a taxi from our place on the ridge into town and having sushi at Delica Mitsu. Caravan Palace serenaded us with “Lone Digger.”

Delica Mitsu

Taking a stroll after dinner we saw the Museo Iconografico Don Quixote, which seems strange to find in Mexico.

Guanajuato

Iglesia de San Francisco in Guanajuato

Don Quixote Museum

Then we wandered down to Teatro Juárez where musicians were serenading people sitting on the front steps.

Teatro Juárez

Musicians at Teatro Juárez

In the evenings, the streets of Guanajuato come alive with a cacophony of music from different bands. Around the Jardín de la Unión and around Teatro Juárez different bands play different tunes to people sitting on steps or in cafes. What results is a cantankerous brew of noise and one-upmanship. It’s a wild scene.

Steps: 12,390; Miles 5.25. Weather: Hi 79°, Lo 50°. Sunny.

Last day in Guanajuato

Monday, February 24: Monday morning we walked down to the town again for our last time, as we would leave on Tuesday for San Miguel del Allende.

Terra Vista

me at Terra Vista

We saw the Teatro Principal, another important theater in town.

Guanajuato

Teatro Principal

Guanajuato

café in Guanajuato

We still wanted to go up on the roof of the University of Guanajuato to see the views. This time the university was open, but we weren’t allowed access because we weren’t students. The guard told us we could come back at 7:00 pm, but by then it would be dark. Finally, after our third visit, we had to give up!

University of Guanajuato

We then wandered to Callejón del Beso, (Alley of the Kiss), where two balconies across from each other on a narrow street are so close that a couple can kiss each other from the two balconies. According to a local legend, two lovers from different social classes lived in houses on opposite sides of the alley. Their families were opposed to the romance. Doña Ana was a rich young woman, while her lover, Don Carlos, was a poor miner. At night they would lean over their adjoining balconies for evening kisses.

Callejón del Beso

Mercado Hidalgo

We wrapped up our last day in Guanajuato by visiting the Mercado Hidalgo, one of the nicest examples of turn-of-the-20th-century architecture in the city.It was inaugurated on September 16, 1910, by President Porfirio Díaz. It was a gift to the city in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence. It was originally designed as a train depot. The covered market today holds a jumble of fruit and vegetable stands, taco joints, juice bars and stands selling dulces tipicos (traditional Mexican candies). The second floor holds crafts and souvenirs, mostly inexpensive trinkets.

We wandered around the 2-story market and then had lunch at a small joint called Mariscos Del Mar. Usually the portions of Mexican food are huge, so I was happy to find a light salad-like camarones tostada. Mike’s lunch, on the other hand, was huge as usual.

Mercado Hidalgo

Mariscos Del Mar at Mercado Hidalgo

Mike at Mariscos Del Mar

camarones tostada at Mariscos Del Mar

Mariscos Del Mar

Mike at Mariscos Del Mar

Mercado Hidalgo

Last night in Guanjuato: Hotel Terra Vista

We took a taxi to Terra Vista, relaxed a bit, then took beers out to the terrace where we continued our political discussions with Scott and Alexandra, as well as Endre, the owner of Terra Vista, who is a Canadian from Calgary and was playing a bit of a devil’s advocate but not in a bad way. He was challenging us to explain our points of view especially regarding both Biden’s and Trump’s use of Executive Orders. It was a good discussion and it was fun to talk to smart well-informed people, but honestly part of the reason we were in Mexico was to escape our vitriolic politics. We did feel a common bond with this group over our beliefs in human rights, support for Ukraine, limited presidential powers, the dangers of fascism, 47 (I refuse to say his name) and Elon Musk.

Hotel Terra Vista

patio where our discussions took place at Terra Vista

Steps: 7,669; Miles 3.25. Weather: Hi 73°, Lo 50°.

Tuesday, February 25: We ate breakfast and said goodbye to Endre after he gave us a piece of bark from his woodworking shop where he wrote a number of recommendations for San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro. Before we left, he also gave us a tour of a house he’s building on the property which he intends to sell, for an asking price of $280,000. The design of it wasn’t especially to my liking, but the price sure seemed good.

breakfast at our Terra Vista apartment

Endre and Mike at Terra Vista

Endre’s recommendations for San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro

On our way out of town, heading on a northerly route toward San Miguel de Allende, with stops planned in Santa Rosa de Lima and Dolores Hidalgo, we saw a colorful but strange building. We had no idea what it was, possibly a church repurposed into a restaurant?

a colorful place just north of Guanajuato

We drove on to Santa Rosa de Lima, our first stop of the day.

a belated february cocktail hour: nicaragua & mexico

wanderessence1025 March 12, 2025

February 28, 2025: Welcome to our belated February cocktail hour. We managed to escape 28 out of the first 40 days of our despicable current regime’s term by leaving the country. Of course our escaping didn’t stop things from happening, horrible things, but at least we felt a step removed from it all. We spent 8 days of the month in Nicaragua visiting Adam and his family. The remainder of February we spent in Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende (our time there spilled over slightly into March).

Let’s have a Michelada today in celebration of our time in Mexico, which we loved. A Michelada is made with tomato juice, beer, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and hot sauce. And lots of spices around the rim of the glass. 🙂

I also have a variety of beers, soda or seltzer water if you are extending dry January into February. Or if you are generally dry.

How did your February go? Did you have a happy Groundhog Day/Valentine’s Day/President’s Day? Have you welcomed any new additions to your family? Have you read any good books that can inform your worldview, seen any good movies, binge-watched any television series? Have you planned any adventures or had any winter getaways? Have you dreamed any dreams? Have you gone to any exotic restaurants, cooked any new dishes? Have you been surprised by anything in life? Have you learned anything new, taken any classes or just kept up with the news? Have you sung along with any new songs? Have you undertaken any new exercise routines? Have you marched or otherwise participated in political protests? Have you been battered, or alternately, uplifted by any news?

We were only in the U.S. for five days before we took off for Nicaragua on the 6th of the month. Before leaving, we were busy preparing for our month-long trip. I had pack and to wrap presents for Adam’s kids, as we planned give them their belated Christmas gifts.

On Saturday, February 1, Mike and I went to dinner at Ariake; this was another of our daughter Sarah’s gift certificates to us for Christmas.

me at Ariake

Mike at Ariake

Virginia > Managua > Ometepe > Managua

We spread our trip to Ometepe over two days this time, leaving home late in the afternoon on Thursday the 6th, arriving in Managua at 10:30 p.m., and then traveling the next day, Friday, with a driver from Managua to Rivas, a ferry to Ometepe and a rental car to Balgüe. This was easier than our usual method of leaving at 3:00 a.m and arriving at 6 p.m. all on the same day.

The biggest highlight was of course meeting our newest grandson, Michael Christopher Dutchak Hernandez. We call him “Little Mikey” to differentiate him from his grandfather. Mikey turned 9 months old the day after we left, on February 15. He was a joy to meet; he looks just like Adam did when he was a baby. We spent the first afternoon bringing Andrea and Mia to the pool at Totoco to swim. Later the whole family had dinner together there, while we watched little Mike scoot across the cool tile floor chasing after his toys.

Little Mike & Adam at Adam’s casa

Andrea & Mia at Totoco’s pool

Dido with Andrea & Mia at Totoco

Maria and Little Man at Totoco

Cristy, Mike and Mia at Totoco

me with Adam at Totoco

On Saturday morning, we gave Christmas presents to the girls and Mikey at their casa. Last time we didn’t bring anything and took them to a used clothing store to buy things. This time I was happy to give them brand new clothes from the U.S. Luckily everything fit except Andrea’s shoes, which she’ll grow into. After our gift-giving, we took the girls to the Saturday market where we bought them each a piece of jewelry and some ice cream.

I was included in the Saturday afternoon Texas Hold’em poker game at Cafe Campestre. It was a blast with lots of joking around. I was happy to be part of it and to get to know some of Adam’s expat friends. After the poker game, Maria and the kids joined us for dinner there.

Andrea upwraps a Christmas present

Andrea, Mia and Cristy at the Farmer’s Market 2025

Helado time for the girls: Andrea, Mia and Cristy

Adam and me playing poker at Cafe Campestre

the poker crowd at Cafe Campestre

me, Adam, Maria & little Mike at Cafe Campestre

Cristy, Mia, Mike and Andrea at Cafe Campestre

Totoco has built a new yoga pavilion overlooking the lake so Mike and I did a yoga class with Robin from Montreal on Sunday. Despite it being the dry season, the lake was still high because of the previous rainy season and some unusual rain during the dry season. It actually was much cooler than it’s ever been in Nicaragua during our visits; we hardly felt the need to swim in the pool at all. One day we had downpours off and on all day.

We had a set of bunkbeds in our room, so we had all three girls over to our room for a sleepover Sunday night. Before bed, we played about 5 rounds of Kings-around-the corner in the Totoco lodge. Of course competitive Andrea won the most games.

Mike & I after our yoga class at the new Totoco pavilion 2025

Cristy, Andrea and Mia at Totoco for a sleepover

Mia, Cristy and Andrea at the Totoco yoga pavilion after the sleepover

We took the family to Ojo de Agua on Monday for a fun day outing. It was Mikey’s first time in a swimming pool, and he loved it. Mike, Adam, Andrea and even Cristy jumped off the Tarzan swing, while Mia hung out on the more sedate swings. I swam around, got stung by a wasp and dropped my phone into the water when I slipped on the wet pavement.

Little Mike fast asleep in the hammock

Maria, Mike and Adam at Ojo de Agua

Maria and Mike at Ojo de Agua

Andrea & Mia at Ojo de Agua

Cristy at Ojo de Agua

Mia on the swings at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua

the family at Ojo de Agua

Mike in front, Adam and Maria in back, at Ojo de Agua 2025

me with Mike drinking Coco locos at Ojo de Agua

The family got a little stressed out by us being around and we went Tuesday and Wednesday without seeing them at all. We were supposed to celebrate Maria’s birthday on the 12th, but she got angry at Adam for something and wasn’t speaking to him so we left them alone. Mike and I managed to entertain ourselves, as we always do. We went to a special healing session with biofield tuning forks led by Crissie at the Totoco yoga pavilion. I fell asleep and starting snoring so Mike had to nudge me awake. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon despite high winds and rain coming sideways into the pavilion.

Mike and I drove to Moyogalpa on Wednesday to try to buy some furniture for the family, but sadly we couldn’t find anything. We did buy Maria a couple of dresses, as well as some toys for Mikey.

me at Totoco

sunset view from Totoco over Volcán Concepcion 2025

sunset view from Totoco over Volcán Concepcion

The most helpful thing we did, or I should say Mike and Adam did, was to disassemble and reassemble a playpen/crib which their midwife had given them, to fit their needs. I did my part dusting off the cobwebs, no small feat because of all the slats. Adam introduced us to the cow he and Ben own together; they keep her on Ben’s property at Finca Campestre. Later, we brought Andrea and Mia to the pool again, where they had fun splashing around with Papacito.

Dido & little Mike

Mike tries crawling over the rough stone porch

Mia off to school

Cristy, Mia and Mike in his new crib/playpen 2025

Adam and Ben’s cow 2025

Andrea & Mia at the Totoco pool

Our last night going to dinner at Pizzeria Mediterranea was ruined because as soon as we arrived, little Mike started throwing up all over the place and Maria felt she should take him home. Thus we had our final dinner with Adam and the girls, all of whom were fidgety because they were worried about their mom and little brother.

Maria in one new dress we bought her, Mikey and Adam 2025

Mike & Adam at Pizzeria Mediterranea

Cristy, Mia & Andrea at Pizzeria Mediterranea

When it was time to leave on Friday the 14th, we drove the car an hour to Moyogalpa, took the ferry for an hour, and had our driver Dani drive two hours to Managua on Valentine’s day. All the seats in the dining room were booked for Valentine’s Day at the Best Western, so we ate dinner outside by the pool. The next day, Saturday the 15th, we were up at 3:00 to catch an early flight to San Salvador and on to Mexico City.

dinner by the pool in Managua’s Best Western

flying into Mexico City

Mexico City

We loved our stay in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City for six nights. We spent Sunday doing a self-guided walking tour of Roma Norte. What a colorful and charming neighborhood.

Mike at Tr3s Tonalá

Roma Norte

me in Roma Norte

Mike in Roma Norte

Mike in the Modo Museo Del Objeto

Golden Goose in Roma Norte

me at Plaza Rio de Janeiro

Edificio Rio de Janeiro

lunch at Cafe Toscano

me at Cafe Toscano

Bob Dylan mural

mural in Roma Norte

We spent Monday, when most museums in the city were closed, taking an excursion to Teotihuacán, once the largest city in ancient Mexico known for its impressive pyramids and mosaics, and capital of a pre-Hispanic empire.

balloons over Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

Mike on the backside of Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán

Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

Mike in front of Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

me at Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán

view down the Avenue of the Dead to Pyramid of the Sun

Palacio de Quetzalpapálotl

Mike at Counterculture Cafe for lunch

me back at Tr3s Tonalá for dinner

On Tuesday, we spent the day in Centro Histórico, visiting the Catedral Metropolitana and Templo Mayor, a temple complex that was the center of the universe, according to Aztec cosmology. We also visited the Palacio de Correos de México (Postal Palace), the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), the Casa de los Azulejos (House of Tiles), and finally the Museo Nacional de Arte. We topped off our day with dinner at Páramo, a “hip” restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood. We were by far the oldest ones there.

Catedral Metropolitana

Templo Mayor

Mike at Templo Mayor

me at Templo Mayor

Palacio de Correos de México

Palacio de Bellas Artes

Casa de los Azulejos

Museo Nacional de Arte

Páramo

Mike at Páramo

me at Páramo

On Wednesday, we ventured to Polanco to see the Museo Jumex and Museo Soumaya. We went from there to the expansive Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which took us several hours. In the beautiful Condessa barrio, we walked a circular route around the leafy Avenida Amsterdam which took us around peaceful Parque México, the oval shape of which reflects its earlier use as a hippodromo (horse-racing track). We stopped at Butcher & Sons for happy hour drinks.

Museo Soumaya

Museo Jumex

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Santas Conchas Lonchería

me at Santas Conchas Lonchería

Avenida Amsterdam in Condessa

On Thursday, we visited the southern neighborhoods of the city, San Ángel and Coyoacán, visiting the Templo & Museo del Carmen and the Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo. Sadly we didn’t buy tickets far enough in advance to see the Frida Kahlo Museum; they were sold out until mid-March. What poor planning on my part, especially considering it was the primary place I wanted to visit in Mexico City. In Coyoacán, we visited the interesting Museo Casa de León Trotsky. Finally, we dropped into Romita, a small colorful plaza in the midst of Roma Norte; we walked home, stopping at a sidewalk cafe along the way for cold cervezas. We later had a delicious dinner at La Chicha Roma.

me at Templo & Museo del Carmen

Templo & Museo del Carmen

San Ángel

me in San Ángel

San Ángel

me shopping in San Ángel

Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo

Maque Café

me at Maque Café

Museo Casa de León Trotsky

The room where Trotsky was assassinated in Museo Casa de León Trotsky

Museo Casa de León Trotsky

Romita

Roma Norte

Mike in Roma Norte

cafe in Roma Norte

Roma Norte

Tr3s Tonala

Mike at La Chicha Roma

wrapped jalapeño chilies in ham at La Chicha Roma

On Friday, the 21st, we rented a car and drove 7 hours (it was supposed to be 4 1/2 but more on that in another post) to Guanajuato, where we stayed for four nights. We stayed in the most wonderful apartment, Hotel Terra Vista, on a ridge overlooking the colorful city. Guanajuato sits in a valley with a network of 28 tunnels running underneath it.

Hotel Terra Vista

bedroom in Hotel Terra Vista

living area in Hotel Terra Vista

On Saturday, the 22nd, we strolled through the Jardín de la Unión, went inside the Teatro Juárez, ate lunch near Plaza de la Paz, and then walked aimlessly around the colorful and charming town. To get back to our apartment, we took the Funicular Panorámico up the hillside to the rose-colored El Pípila statute.

terrace at Hotel Terra Vista

Hotel Terra Vista

walking down the steps into town

the long walk down

Guanajuato

Teatro Juárez

Jardín de la Unión in Guanajuato

Mike in Jardín de la Unión

Guanajuato

me in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Plaza de la Paz in Guanajuato

Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Guanajuato

inside Teatro Juárez

at the top of the funicular looking down on Guanajuato

view of Guanajuato from the ridge

Mike above Guanajuato

chickens at Hotel Terra Vista

terrace at Hotel Terra Vista

getting dinner near our hotel in Guanajuato

our assembled meal

On Sunday, the 23rd, we tried for the second time to climb to the top of the Universidad de Guanajuato but we were told it was closed until Monday. Instead, we visited the Museo Casa Diego Rivera, the birthplace of the famous muralist. We also visited the Alhóndiga de Granaditas (public grain exchange), now the regional museum of Guanajuato City. It is important for its role in the Mexican War of Independence.

Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

Guanajuato

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

view of Guanajuato

chickens at Terra Vista

Teatro Juárez

musicians in front of Teatro Juárez

On Monday, our last day in Guanajuato, we wandered around to the kissing street, where two balconies across a narrow lane from each other are so close that a couple can kiss each other from the two balconies. Finally, we visited the Mercado Hidalgo and had lunch at a small joint called Mariscos del Mar.

We had many political discussions with other guests and the Canadian owners of Terra Vista, and luckily, since none of them were Trumpers, we found we were mostly on the same page in our disgust with the current administration. And it had only just begun!

church in Guanajuato

Universidad de Guanajuato

the kissing street

Mercado Hidalgo

Mike at Mercado Hidalgo

On Tuesday the 25th, we drove over scrubby high chaparral to San Miguel de Allende, making stops at Santa Rosa de Lima, known for its pottery and majolica, and for its jams and salsas sold at Conservas Santa Rosa.

Endre and Mike: farewell to Terra Vista

Mayólica Santa Rosa in Santa Rosa de Lima

Conservas Santa Rosa in Santa Rosa de Lima

We also stopped in Dolores Hidalgo, named a Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) in 2002. The town’s hero, Father Miguel Hidalgo, led the charge in 1810 from the town’s church, Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church, for Mexico’s independence from Spain.

Iglesia de la Tercera Orden in Dolores Hidalgo

Mike gets fresh mango in Dolores Hidalgo

Plaza Principal in Dolores Hidalgo

Nuestra Señora de los Dolores parish church

We arrived in San Miguel de Allende on the evening of the 25th, tossed our bags into our Airbnb, and promptly went out to eat at La Doña San Miguel.

our Airbnb in San Miguel de Allende

dinner at La Doña San Miguel

view of San Miguel at sunset

Mike’s 71st birthday was Wednesday, February 26, so I asked him to choose the day’s itinerary. We went on a day-long excursion where we soaked at La Gruta hot springs, enjoyed lunch at Nirvana, visited Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco to see its fantastic murals, and then went to Tres Raíces Winery. The only negative to the day was the hour-long wait to get back into San Miguel due to major road construction.

La Gruta hot springs

Mike at La Gruta hot springs

me at La Gruta

La Gruta

Mike has a Michelada at La Gruta

the birthday boy at Nirvana

Nirvana

view from our table at Nirvana

Nirvana

Atotonilco

Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco

Tres Raíces Winery

Mike at Tres Raíces Winery

me on our rooftop patio in San Miguel de Allende

On Thursday, the 27th, we wandered around San Miguel de Allende, visiting its plethora of churches: Templo de San Francisco, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the Templo de la Immaculada Concepción & Oratorio San Felipe Neri, with a lunch at Los Burritos (a hole in the wall with no expats in it). San Miguel is overrun with retired, white-haired expats, and even though we were certainly as old as most of them, we weren’t that enamored of the sheer numbers of them.

Templo de San Francisco

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

me with a pretty lady

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

a shop in San Miguel

San Miguel de Allende

me in San Miguel de Allende

Templo de la Immaculada Concepción

me at Los Burritos for lunch

me in San Miguel de Allende

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

park in San Miguel

San Miguel de Allende

me with a Michelada on the rooftop of Baja Fish Taquito

view from rooftop of Baja Fish Taquito

On Friday the 28th, we had another out-of-town excursion, this time to El Charco del Ingenio, a beautiful botanical garden set near a reservoir just out of town. Then we drove over an hour northeast to the “ghost mining town” of Mineral de Pozos. After a pleasant rooftop lunch in the town, we drove about 15 minutes north on dirt roads that felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. We were in route to the Mine of Santa Brigida, the mine responsible for the economic boon in the region as it had gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and mercury. The excursion reminded me of all my explorations of ruins with my friend Mario when I lived in Oman from 2011-2013. We enjoyed dinner at Hank’s, a New Orleans-style restaurant that was all decked out for Mardis Gras.

El Charco del Ingenio

Mike at El Charco del Ingenio

me at El Charco del Ingenio

Mineral de Pozos

me at the Mine of Santa Brigida

Mine of Santa Brigida

Arcos Mágicos at the Mine of Santa Brigida

“Hornos Jesuitas” (smelting ovens) at the Mine of Santa Brigida

Mine of Santa Brigida

me in San Miguel de Allende

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

Mike at the entrance to Hank’s

Hank’s – all decked out for Mardi Gras

Hank’s

San Miguel de Allende

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

Overall, we had a busy and fun month as we tried hard to ignore what was happening in the U.S. In March, we continued our time in San Miguel de Allende and then went for three nights to Querétaro, returning home on March 5-6.

While traveling, we read of the complete and utter chaos of the FOTUS/Elon administration: dismantling government agencies, including USAID; threatening our allies with high tariffs or annexation (or war??); treating Ukraine’s President and war hero Zelensky with utter disdain and rudeness; handing the U.S. and its long-term interests over to Putin; and threatening all the alliances we have built up over decades. It made me sick to have to return to the U.S. Upon our return, we hope to set in motion long-term moves out of the U.S. We are utterly and completely disgusted with what is happening in our hijacked country.

I finished two books in February, bringing my total to 7/48. My favorite was Berlin Poplars by Anne B. Ragde. We didn’t watch any movies since we were traveling, but we started watching several series including The Åre Murders, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Thank You, Next. We finished watching Maestro in Blue (we were so sad to end that one!) and we continued watching Pachinko, Lincoln Lawyer, Nobody Wants This, Unforgotten, Virgin River, Paradise and Modern Family.

I hope you’ll share how the year is panning out for you, and what plans you have for the spring and the rest of this year.

anticipation & preparation: family time in nicaragua & a return to mexico

wanderessence1025 February 6, 2025

February 2025: It’s that time for us to be on the move again. We’re heading out for a month: we’ll spend a little over a week in Ometepe, Nicaragua and nearly three weeks in the highlands of Mexico: Mexico City, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Querétaro.

Isla de Ometepe

Anticipation: Ometepe, Nicaragua

We’re heading to Nicaragua for about a week to visit our youngest son Adam, who currently makes Ometepe Island in Nicaragua his home. He got married in May of 2023 to María, a Nicaraguan woman who already had 4 children: three girls – Cristy (13), Andrea (11) and Mia (8) – and one an adult young man (Johnny), who I’ve never met. María and Adam had a baby boy, Michael Christopher, on May 15 of 2024, but when we visited last March, he hadn’t yet been born. When we visited last year, we wanted a chance to meet María and the girls BEFORE the baby arrived. Now we’ll be meeting little Mike when he is almost 9 months old; hopefully he’ll be able to interact with us more than he would have if we had gone in May.

Little Michael Christopher soon after he was born on May 15, 2024

Mike and Adam

Little Mike

María and Mike

Mike

Adam holding Mike and Mia

Maria holding Mike

Mike

Little Man

Mike with Cristy’s hair over him

Mia and Mike

Maria and Mike

Adam’s new cows

Adam and Mike

Maria and Mike with the chickens

little Mike

Andrea, Mia and Cristy

Mike

the whole family

Andrea and Mike

Mike eats a watermelon

We plan to stay at Totoco Eco Resort, the same place we stayed last March when we visited. It is one of the few places on Ometepe that has a swimming pool. The only drawback is that some of the rooms only have compost toilets, and because we waited until the end of December to reserve the room, only one room was available: one with a compost toilet. I’m not sure how I’ll handle that. It seems most every place we’ve gone in Latin America requires one to put toilet paper in a waste basket strategically placed near the toilet. I hate all of that, but I guess I have to face the fact I’ll be roughing it a bit. It will be especially rough after having spent a month in Japan in September and October of 2024, where toilets are aplenty and most of them are modern and squeaky clean bidets.

March of 2024 with the whole family

our lodge at Totoco in 2024

pool at Totoco

Volcán Concepcion

the girls do a folkloric dance

our visit in March 2024

Maria & Mia at Ojo de Agua

Christy, Maria, Andrea, Adam and Mia at Ojo de Agua

Ojo de Agua in March 2024

Volcan Concepcion

Mia, Maria, Cristy and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

me with Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

Mia at Punta de Jesús Maria

Punta de Jesús Maria

Mia, Andrea, Cristy, Adam and Maria at Punta de Jesús Maria

Adam and Mike at Punta de Jesús Maria

Adam and me at Finca de Magdalena

Maria, Mia, Andrea and Cristy

The little girls will be in school during the week we’re there, so it will be a disruption for the family as they’ll want to skip school. Adam assures us they won’t be missing anything because the education system is so bad. The family will also be busy with their various businesses. I hope we’ll have time to go to Ojo de Agua, a public swimming pool. The waters come from the volcanoes and are supposedly rich in minerals. We’ll also be celebrating María’s birthday while we’re there on February 12.

Anticipation: Mexico

I went to Mexico for a study-abroad program in 2007 while I was enrolled in my courses for a Master’s in International Commerce & Policy through George Mason University. The group went to Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Teotihuacan, and Taxco. Sadly, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing or relaxing as we were in lectures most of the time.

performance at the Zócolo in Mexico City

Zócolo

me with classmates at the Zócolo in Mexico City

Zócolo in Mexico City

one of many murals in Mexico

my class at Teotihuacán

Teotihuacán in 2007

me at Teotihuacán in 2007

me with a mariachi band

Taxco

Julia and me in Cuernavaca May, 2007

me in Cuernavaca with my young classmates

Thus I’m looking forward to exploring more around Mexico City and then venturing into some places in the highlands: Guanajuato (a colorful and vibrant university town and the capital of Guanajuato State with a population of about 195,000), San Miguel de Allende (a small colonial town – about 175,000 people – known for its charming atmosphere and arty expatriate community), and Querétaro (a larger city – about 2 million people – that was one of the first settlements in New Spain).

Our main goal in Mexico is to settle in to each place and explore in a leisurely fashion, with an eye to possibly moving there for a year or so during the next four years. It’s basically a scoping-out expedition.

Spanish studies

I’ve continued studying Spanish on Duolingo, accumulating 275,000 XP in Spanish, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually able to speak Spanish. I hope more Spanish has sunk in over the last two years of studying, as María and the girls only speak Spanish, and it was really a struggle for me last year. I hope our language studies will help us navigate Mexico and other Latin American countries in the years ahead.

Music

I’ve created a playlist of Latin American music on Spotify, including famous Colombian singers Juanes, Karol G, and Fanny Lu; Mexican singers Julieta Venegas & Lhasa de Sela; and French-Spanish singer Manu Chao: Latin American & Spanish beats.

Books

Of course, I always try to read books set in my destination countries. I’ve been currently reading about Mexico since I read a lot last year to learn about Nicaragua. The books I’ve read are indicated with stars and ratings. I own the books in green and will try to read them sometime during the year.

Mexico ↓

Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis
Night of the Radishes by Sandra Benítez ***
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
A Stranger at My Door: Finding My Humanity on the U.S. Mexico Border by Peg Bowden
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros *****
Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros ***
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent into Darkness by Alfredo Corchado
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins *****
In the Casa Azul: A Novel of Revolution and Betrayal by Meaghan Delahunt ***
Stones for Ibarra by Harriet Doerr
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel ****
Feathered Serpent by Colin Falconer
The Years with Laura Díaz by Carlos Fuentes (currently reading)
The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes
God’s Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant
The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo by F. G. Haghenbeck
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez ****
Several Ways to Die in Mexico City: An Autobiography of Death in Mexico City by Kurt Hollander
Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico, Photos by Melba Levick, Text by Gina Hyams
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (also North Carolina and D.C.)
To Find – The Search for Meaning in Life on the Gringo Trail by J.R. Klein
The Happy Hammock: How to Escape the Cold and Live in Mexico by Kathrin Lake
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
Loop by Brenda Lozano
The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
Costalegre by Courtney Maum
All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy #1) by Cormac McCarthy ****
The Crossing (The Border Trilogy #2) by Cormac McCarthy
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Lost in Oaxaca by Jessica Winters Mireles ****
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone by Mary Morris
Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz
Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir by Alberto Alvaro Rio
Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together by Andrew Selee
Landing in the Heart of Mexico: A Gringa’s Story by Collette Sommers
Everyone Knows You Go Home by Natalia Sylvester
On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul Theroux
Mexican: A Journey Through Design by Newell Turner
The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
The Devil’s Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea
Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Quesadillas by Juan Pablo Villalobos
Bad Karma: The True Story of a Mexican Surf Trip from Hell by Paul Wilson
Lotería by Mario Alberto Zambrano
Lonely Planet Mexico
Lonely Planet San Miguel de Allende with Guanajuato & Querétaro by Julie Meade (currently reading)
Moon Oaxaca by Cody Copeland

Movies set in Mexico

Here are some movies set in Mexico. The latest one we just saw was Emilia Pérez, which was fabulous.

Mexico

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
The Professionals (1966)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Up in Smoke (1978)
El Norte (1983)
Three Amigos (1986)
El Mariachi (1992)
From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Solo Con Tu Pareja (1991)
Traffic (2000)
Amores Perros (2000)
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Frida (2002)
And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
Nacho Libre (2006)
Apocalypto (2006)
Sin Nombre (2009)
Alamar (To the Sea) (2009)
Monsters (2010)
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Güeros (2014)
Sicario (2015)
Roma (2018) (Netflix) ***
The House of Flowers (TV series) 2020
Noise (2022)
Radical (2023)
Thursday’s Widows (Limited TV series) (2023)
Triptych (TV series (2023)
All the Places (2023)
Familia. (2023)
Griselda (Limited Series) (2024)
Lucca’s World (2024)
The Manny (TV series) (2024)
The Secret of the River (TV series) (2024)
Emilia Pérez (2024) *****
Celda 211 (Prison Cell 211) (TV Mini Series) (2025)

Travel Journal

I’ve prepared a travel journal for both Nicaragua and Mexico.

Nicaragua journal & Mexico journal

Warnings

After signing up for the Smart Traveler notifications with the State Department, we got the following travel warning.

In Mexico City:

Exercise increased caution due to crime.

Both violent and non-violent crime occur throughout Mexico City. Use additional caution, particularly at night, outside of the frequented tourist areas where police and security patrol more routinely. Petty crime occurs frequently in both tourist and non-tourist areas.

In Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro:

Reconsider travel due to crime.

Gang violence, often associated with the theft of petroleum and natural gas from the state oil company and other suppliers, occurs in Guanajuato, primarily in the south and central areas of the state. Of particular concern is the high number of murders in the southern region of the state associated with cartel-related violence. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping.

There are no other restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Guanajuato state, which includes tourist areas in: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato City, and surrounding areas.

As with anything, it’s just bad luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we will have to be vigilant, especially in Mexico City.

Our Itinerary

Nicaragua (9 nights)

Our main goal in Nicaragua is to visit Adam and his family on Ometepe Island. We’ll be on Ometepe for 7 nights, with an additional 2 nights in Managua after flying in and before flying out. There, we plan to mostly hang out with the family, although I hope we can go to Punta Jesus María and Ojo de Agua with the family. I also wouldn’t mind kayaking again down the Río Istian, or hiking on one of the two volcanoes, Volcán Concepción or Volcán Maderas.

Mexico (18 nights)

Mexico City: 6 nights
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Zócolo
  2. Templo Mayor
  3. Museo Nacional de Arte
  4. Catedral Metroplitana
  5. Palacio Nacional: Diego Rivera murals
2. Alameda Central
  1. Monumento a la Revolución
  2. Palacio de Bellas Artas
  3. Museo Mural Diego Rivera
3. Roma
  1. Museo del Objeto de Objeto
  2. Mercado Roma: gourmet food hall (weekends)
  3. Plaza La Romita
4. Condesa
  1. Parque México: Trendy restaurants, hip boutiques
5. Polanco & Bosque de Chapultepec
  1. Museo Tamayo
  2. Castillo de Chapultepec
  3. Museo Nacional de Antropologia
  4. Museo Soumaya
  5. Museo Jumex
6. San Ángel
  1. Templo & Museo de El Carmen (monastery)
  2. Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo
7. Coyoacán
  1. Museo Frida Kahlo
  2. Museo Casa de León Trotsky
  3. Mercado de Coyoacán
  4. Xochimilco (Canals and floating gardens 19km south of Coyoacán)
8. AROUND MEXICO CITY:
  1. Teotihuacán (once the largest city in Ancient Mexico)
  2. Cuernavaca: “City of Eternal Spring” & colonial town center & Ancient Xochicalco; also Taxco
  3. Puebla (walking tour p. 152) & Cholula (Pirámide Tepanapa)
  4. Malinalco (small Aztec temple complex)
Guanajuato: 4 nights
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Teatro Juárez
  2. Templo de San Diego Alcantará
  3. Universidad de Guanajuato
  4. Mercado Hidalgo
  5. Alhóndiga de Granaditas
  6. Museo Casa Diego Rivera
  7. El Pípila and the Funicular Panorámico
2. North of the Centro
  1. Templo de San Cayetano
3. Vicinity of Guanajuato
  1. Santa Rosa
San Miguel de Allende (5 nights)
1. Centro Histórico:
  1. Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
  2. Iglesia de San Rafael
  3. El Jardín
  4. Casa de Allende
  5. Casa del Mayorazgo de la Canal
  6. Oratorio San Filipe Neri
  7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Salud
  8. More….
2. North of the Centro
  1. Fábrica La Aurora
3. East of the Centro
  1. El Mirador
  2. El Charco del Ingenio (botanical garden)
4. Vicinity of San Miguel de Allende
  1. Atotonilco
    1. Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
  2. La Gruta Hot Springs
  3. Cañada de la Virgen
  4. Mineral de Pozos
  5. Delores Hidalgo
    1. Wineries
Querétaro (3 nights)
1. Plaza de Armas
2. Museo de Arte de Querétaro (housed in former Argentinian convent)
3. Temple y Ex-Convento de Santa Rosa de Viterbo (unique former convent & temple)
4. Mercado de la Cruz
5. Peña de Bernal
6. northeast of town: Jalpan de Serra (tiny mountain town)

See you again in mid-March. At that time we’ll be looking into moving to Costa Rica for a year, hopefully beginning in June.

Driving from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende. First stop: Santa Rosa de Lima

Dolores Hidalgo

A day trip to Mineral de Pozos

The ruined Mine of Santa Brigida

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A Challenging Drive from Mexico City to Guanajuato

Guanajuato: Hotel Terra Vista

Teatro Juárez

Funicular Panorámico & El Pípila

Hotel Terra Vista

Universidad de Guanajuato

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

An evening in Guanajuato

Last day in Guanajuato

Mercado Hidalgo

Last night in Guanjuato: Hotel Terra Vista

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Virginia > Managua > Ometepe > Managua

Mexico City

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Anticipation: Ometepe, Nicaragua

Anticipation: Mexico

Spanish studies

Music

Books

Movies set in Mexico

Travel Journal

Warnings

Our Itinerary

Nicaragua (9 nights)

Mexico (18 nights)

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