We got to sleep a little later yesterday, leaving Guanajuato around 9. Our bus retraced the roads that we had taken into the city, largely—descending west and south out of the steeply rocky environs of Guanajuato and down into the more gently rolling hills of the plain below. The land was largely a sort of pale tan from dried grass, with squat trees and shrubs dotting the landscape with dark green. Various fences delineated the grazing grounds for sheep, cattle, and a few chestnut-colored horses, as the road twisted through small towns and villages en route. The terrain reminded me of nothing so much as the glimpse of central Spain that I caught on our last Glee Club tour, when we, having arrived in Madrid on our red-eye flight, immediately embarked on a 5 hour bus ride to Bilbao. New Spain, indeed.
We arrived in late morning to San Miguel de Allende. Because of its position along the road linking the mines of the north and west to Mexico City, the town flourished in colonial times—as we learned, it was larger than either New York or Boston in the mid-18th century. After end of colonial rule, however, San Miguel declined in both wealth and population, coincidentally preserving the late Baroque splendor of the town’s apogee. In the mid-20th century, though, the town was “discovered” by American beatniks, bohemians, and hippies, the beginning of a large expat community that remains today. We walked into one hip-looking coffeeshop on a corner, only to find that the staff and customers were entirely American—a bit of a surprise. San Miguel’s sights were wonderful, from the eccentric Parroquia, mixing the Baroque and the Neo-Gothic, to the various artisanal markets around town. The largely pedestrian core reminded us of the charms of a city built for people, and not for cars. One of my own favorite scenes was the view down one of the steep cobblestone streets, looking down onto the central plaza and the plains beyond.
After lunch, we boarded the bus again to head for Santiago de Querétaro (though I took a little siesta and didn’t wake up until we arrived at our hotel). Dinner was at a restaurant in town that we had fully reserved, situated in the courtyard of a beautiful colonial mansion. A few others and I wandered off to explore further after dinner— chancing upon the best tacos I’ve had in my life at a little hole-in-the-wall (the mini-fries in each taco added crunch and delicious substance). When we got back to the hotel before midnight, we were healthy, happy, and quite full.
Tajin Rogers ‘20
Photos courtesy of Tajin Rogers ‘20