Guanajuato Viejo in its Final Days at the Alhondiga

Anyone who has lived in Guanajuato a while, knows how disruptive street repairs can be, but did you ever stop to think of the Teatro Juarez as a construction site? Or that before the days of buses, Guanajuato had a horse-drawn trolley up Pastita and another to Cata?

Note that the benches in the Jardin have hardly changed 

The exhibit, Guanajuato Viejo, with Alejandro, a specialist who knows his Guanajuato history, on hand to answer questions, will be at the Alhondiga the rest of this week and possibly through April 5. The final segment will be up later this spring.

Mexican museography is impressive!

Maybe getting home from the train station then was easier than getting in from the camionera today

                   

Guanajuato Byways: Equinox Celebration at Orduna, Comonfort Pyramid Site

Twenty eight Amigos de la Alhondiga Museum left our city before sunrise so we would be in time for the Spring Equinox ceremony on March 21. What a day! Those who were awake saw the sun come up. By the time we reached the Casa de Cultura in Comonfort, we were in full sunlight.

Ceremony of an Otomi community that mainly speaks Spanish

In the patio, we could see the traditional stone metates and other utensils for which the region is famous. Then by bus to the bottom of the hill once topped by a pyramid.

On the long, steep climb, we were accompanied by staff members from the Casa de Cultura and three city policemen.

A time to rest and wait for the formal greeting

                                                 Nearly to the top, we listened to the formal greeting. For me this was the first summit of the day because in the way he spoke to us, he could have been from an Oregon tribe. You could say it was a confirmation of what I had shown in my dissertation -- even when the original language is not used, the structure and themes can and do remain constant. Besides that, the way this man spoke to us was a powerful demonstration of the culture shared by descendants of the first people in North and Mesoamerica.

Any remains of the pyramid are protected by concrete but it is still a popular destination throughout the year. There, the shaman, in modern clothing, spoke to us of being the original people, then explained that with Spanish blood too, his people had blood from the Romans, Visigoths and more running through them too.

Shaman with his staff  and the effigy attached to the cross

Afterward, we took in (literally) a long Mexican comida at a restaurant in what used to be an elegant marketplace in the center of Comonfort and then did some quick crafts shopping on our way out of the city..

Healthy appetites afterward. oiled by tequila 

I plan to return, spending more time in its plazas, going into the city museum, learning more about the region's agricultural history. Maybe I'll eat pizza prepared in a wood-fired oven in the cafe part of the restaurant, buy more pottery and go to one of the city's two active markets. Our state is definitely more than our capital city suggests . . .

Two Stars of Expressive Dance Shine at the Cervantes

Susanne Linke was born in Berlin, Lola Lince in Guadalajara. Where their paths first crossed I don't know but last night Lince performed The Human Animal, a dance the two choreographers created jointly.A rapt, predominantly young, audience turned out for the premiere event at the Cervantes Theater.

The photos above come from the internet. The one of Lola, a FONCA beneficiary whose house-studio overlooks Guanajuato, is fairly recent; the one of Susanne was taken some years ago.

What a pleasure to see Linke's easy grace as she came up to the stage to share in the applause and receive a bouquet. Lince's part of the evening was the strenuous one -- for over an hour she danced the animal part of humankind.

With both sound and light playing important roles in the evening, kudos also go to bouquet-less Cesar "Chacho" Guerra, the lighting designer and Marcos Garcia, the music designer

Bottom line: Contemporary dance lovers, keep your eye out for the next Lola Lince evening. She is our living cultural treasure. We are fortunate she chose Guanajuato.

Guanajuato Arts: Last Days for Japanese Prints Exhibit at the Diego Rivera

Hurry on over to the Diego Rivera house if you have time for this marvelous, varied exhibit of contemporary Japanese printmaking. Ends Sunday the 9th. Below are several examples to but I imagine you'll find your own favorites.

                                         The first print, a favorite of mine, is entitled "Musician's Son".:

"Musician's Son," a favorite of mine

I hope you can see past the reflections to "Transformation".

A whimsical new take on Master of Masters Hokosai

A Cozy, Colorful Room for Children in the Diego Rivera House

     Thanks to Mexico's Federal Government and the Guanajuato State Institute of Culture plus the work of several dedicated young local artists and their teacher, children now visit this breathtaking reading room where colorful wall designs surround the books. The books themselves, many of them from other countries by way of translations done in Spain, are breathtaking too.         The Sala de Lectura is mainly visited by school groups and children coming with parents (although the hours don't make the second option easy). You don't need to be with a child or a neighbor's child to take a peek here, Monday-Thursday, 9-2. More about this innovative project will be posted at.MEXIGUANA..