Finding the Real Spirit of Old Colonial Mexico in the Highland Silver Mining Cities...
Feb 04 '05
The Bottom Line History comes alive in the scenic, quaint, colonial silver cities of Central Mexico. Here's my opinion on the BEST places to go....
Mention the word "Mexico" and most folks will see their thoughts wander off to visions of quaint, quiet old colonial era towns where time has stood still for hundreds of years and where the ghosts of Spanish conquerors and Franciscan missionaries still haunt the cobblestone alleys of bygone days. Today, most of that kind of vision is illusion, but there are still places in the old highland cities of central Mexico where that kind of feel and spirit lives on, and where walking through the old town is not unlike a visit to historic Williamsburg or Charleston or Annapolis would be to an American.
In this review, I'll tell you about the best old colonial cities in Mexico, but before I get into that, let me just say that these are significant places. They are places where history was written, and they are places that really chronicle three very distinct periods and concepts in Mexican history:
* Silver Mining: The source of much of Spain's wealth and power during its empire days of the late 16th through late 18th centuries came from silver and gold from its New World colonies. Most of the colonial era cities of Central Mexico were known for their rich silver mines.
* Colonial Empire Building: Conquest of natives, slavery, building missions and forts to extend the reach of European control, these are all part and parcel of building up a new nation, and they are part and parcel of the attraction of central Mexico where you can find opulent churches, rustic monasteries, armored forts, dungeons, haciendas of the rich and famous, trappings of royalty, and yokes of slavery, all lying next to each other in restless co-existence.
* Revolution: In the U.S., the colonists spurned motherland control in 1776. It would take the Mexicans about 50 years more before they'd do to the Spanish what Americans did to the British. But like their British counterparts, the Spanish government wasn't thrilled with the idea of "independence", setting the stage for conflict and tales of heroism and patriotism. Nowhere in Mexico was the conflict as sharp and as focused as it was in the colonial mining cities --- which is why Mexicans now sometimes refer to this area as "the cradle of independence."
There's lots of other factors that make this region so rich in history, but if I get into all of 'em, I'd start sounding more like an egghead professor than a curious traveler, and we can't have that, so let's just hop on the bus and see the best that central Mexico has to offer...
The Three "Must See" Central Colonial Cities...
If you really want to get to the heart of the matter and see the best, most significant stuff first, then there are three places that I'd recommend visiting first. Use these as your starting point, and you can't go wrong.
Guanajuato
Picture the picture-perfect Mexican city, with a majestic setting, surrounded by rugged mountains, with twisty alleys and manicured topiary gardens in spacious plazas all around a beautifully romantic central old town. The beauty isn't just skin deep in Guanajuato --- it runs back to the mid 16th century when Spanish conquerors built the first silver mines. It was a home to Franciscans, Jesuits, and other religious orders who established grand churches and monasteries in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Like other towns in this region, it was also a hotbed of dissent and revolt in the 19th century, when Mexicans threw off the colonial yoke through open revolution against Spain. In the 20th century, it seemed to take on a more cerebral, intellectual air, with a strong focus on the arts, and the growth of its hometown university.
Visit Guanajuato and you can see a working silver mine. Haciendas of the once landed gentry. Galleries filled with visionary art works. The home where Diego Rivera was born. The granary where the fathers of Mexican independence were executed. And of course, one of the world's most macabre museums, the Museo de Momias --- better known as "the mummy museum".
I recommend 3 days in Guanajuato. You could hit the major sites in a day, but that wouldn't leave much time for exploring the environs or just strolling the alleys, listening to street musicians and relaxing in a plaza with a cool bottle of Indio beer...life is too short to rush a colonial town.
Queretaro
Queretaro isn't quite as dramatic looking as Guanajuato, but it is definitely a place that takes its history seriously. It is also one of the best places to visit if you want to get more than your fill of opulent churrigueresque churches, since I don't believe that you can go anywhere in town and be more than oh, maybe a block from a magnificent church that would dwarf most U.S. cathedrals. I don't know how one town every supported so many churches, but there they are...
The one church that stands out from the rest is the Convento de Santa Cruz --- do the tour thang here! This is a still a working church and monastery, where roughly 30 monks live and work, but it's also an historic church that was home-base for missionaries during the 18th century, and its the place where Emperor Maximilian Hapsburg sought refuge and spent his last night before getting executed by firing squad on a nearby hill.
History buffs will also want to check out the Casa de Corregidora, which to a Mexican, would be like visiting the home of Paul Revere. It's where revolutionary history was written...
I recommend 2 days in Queretaro (more or less), then move on to San Miguel...
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel bustles with a serene sense of laid-back importance. It's an odd city, small enough to be homey and quaint, but big enough that the locals have to work pretty hard to keep it that way. It is really a very beautiful place, with an absolutely magnificent odd-looking church that reminds me of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Spain more than it does of a typical Mexican colonial-era church.
San Miguel de Allende has developed something of a cult status among U.S. senior citizens, hundreds of whom have picked up lock, stock, and barrel, and bought some of the older colonial era homes that line the narrow cobblestone streets that torturously twist their way up and over the rolling hills on which the town is built. As a result, San Miguel has far more good quality boutique shops, cafes, coffee houses, art galleries and English-speaking inhabitants than one could ever expect in a town of its size.
Best thing to see here? The Parroquia, and right next door, the Casa de Allende, where one of Mexico's most beloved revolutionary heroes was born and raised.
I recommend 2 days in San Miguel, unless you're just about ready for those pension checks to roll in, in which case you might want to spend 20 or 30 years (though personally, I'd prefer Guanajuato).
Hard Core History Buffs Delve Deeper, Drive Further...
You could spend years exploring the history of central Mexico. Just like in the U.S., historic sites are often off the beaten path and you have to get out of the cities to see some of the important places. If you're in the central highland region, here are a couple of places that will be harder to get to, that won't cater to gringo tourists, but that might be up your alley if you have a stronger than normal sense of history...
Dolores Hidalgo
Just in case you ever wondered about that image I've been using as my Epinions "photo" for the last couple years, it's a Jose Clemente Orozco mural of Father Miguel Hidalgo, a priest who is the unlikely "father of the nation" to Mexicans. South of the border, Hidalgo is as common a street name or elementary school name as "Washington" is north of the border. Hidalgo is one of the most revered figures in Mexican history. It was his call for independence that is memorialized every year on Independence Day as the Mexican president stands on his balcony and shouts the infamous grito that is a symbol of national pride.
Mexicans visit Dolores Hidalgo for the same reason that Americans visit Mount Vernon.
What to see and do in Dolores Hidalgo? Not much, other than visit Hidalgo's home (which is open to the public as a historic museum) and visit the church and main square to see the place where Hidalgo incited a nation to revolution.
Dolores Hidalgo is an easy day-trip from either Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende (no more than an hour ride by car or bus, but no first-class buses run the route, to my knowledge, so you'll either have to do the local second-class buses, or hire a car for a day).
On the Trail of Franciscan Missionaries
The Franciscan priests were busy little beavers back in the 17th and 18th centuries. They built this long string of missions stretching all the way from Mexico City, on up the spine of the Sierra Madres and into Texas and up along the California coast. In the central colonial region, there are string of remote mountain retreats that are collectively known as the Sierra Gorda missions. There are five of these 18th century missions stretching along the road between Queretaro and Jalpan. The missions are at Jalpan, Landa, Tilaco, Tancoyo, and Conca. You'll need to either rent a car to see them, or pay someone with a car to take you. This is definitely "off the beaten path" for most gringos, and I haven't gotten around to doing the drive yet. It's been recommended to me several times though, as much for the scenic drive as for the historic missions, so maybe next trip...
Striking Out for More Places of Interest...
There are many colonial towns throughout this region that I'm not even going to try to touch on, partly out of personal ignorance, partly out of a desire to keep this long review mercifully short enough to still be useful in an Epinions kind of way.
If you head northwest a few hours, you'll find Zacatecas --- another outstanding colonial era mining city, where you can ride a cable car over the city. Then there's San Luis Potosi a little more to the northeast --- lots of classic colonial era architecture there, a story of gold mining, and a fantastic new art museum for a relatively unknown outside Mexico artist, Federico Silva.
Of course there's lots of colonial era cities to the south of Mexico City too. Like the infamous silver city of Taxco, the historic and posh spa retreates of Cuernavaca, and the scenic cities of Puebla and Morelia. All these places could hold wonderful gems in store for you....but I'll leave those reviews for another day or another Epinionator...
How to Get To the Central Highland Colonial Cities...
Colonial cities can be found almost everywhere in Mexico, but the historic silver mining towns tend to be within a few hours drive of Mexico City. The three that I highlight here are to the northwest of the capital and an easy 3 or 4 hour bus ride from the capital. If you are arriving in Mexico City, there is a bus station inside the main airport terminal. Direct buses leave from here for Guanajuato, Queretaro, and San Miguel de Allende, as well as Puebla, Cuernavaca, and other cities. Primera Plus seems to run the most buses, ETN the most comfortable. If you are staying over in Mexico City, most buses into the colonial mining cities will leave from the north bus station (tell the taxi driver you want to go to Terminal Autobuses del Norte). From the north terminal, buses will leave for Guanajuato and Queretaro about every 15-20 minutes, considerably less often for San Miguel de Allende, though you can always catch the bus to Queretaro then switch over to the Flecha Amarilla bus that leaves from Queretaro to San Miguel every 40 minutes.
Alternatively, you can fly from the U.S. direct to Leon (BJX), which is a 20-minute taxi ride to Guanajuato, or book your flights on Continental and fly direct into Queretaro (QRO). Queretaro is a small airport with minimal services and the flight will be on Embraer regional jets (until just recently, the only flights into Queretaro were commuter flights, like Aeromar ATRs, out of Mexico City), Leon is a large city and the flights going there will be on 737s (Continental) or MD-80s (American).
Closely Related Reviews...
Got your travel appetite salivating? Here are a few reviews that delve deeper into the warm, inviting colonial cities of Mexico's central highlands...
* Guanajuato
* Queretaro
* San Miguel de Allende
* San Luis Potosi
* Zacatecas
* Riding the Buses in Mexico
* Tips on Eating in Mexico
* Hotel Luna in Guanajuato
* Radisson Camelinas Hotel in Queretaro
* Flamingo Inn in Queretaro
* Westin San Luis Potosi Hotel
* Hotel Real Plaza in San Luis Potosi
Some Other Types of Suggested Itineraries for a Great Mexico Vacation...
Maybe quaint historical places aren't your bag. Here are some suggested itineraries for folks whose interests go in different directions...
* The Great Beach Resorts of the Pacific and Caribbean Coasts
* In Search of Ancient Civilizations: Mayan or Aztec
* Green Mexico: Places for Eco-Travelers
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