I have a new love!! Or is it an old one revisited? I went to Guanajuato to see another dream fulfilled. I always wanted to be in a movie and I have a small singing role in Moronga, a black comedy that had its premiere at the Guanajuato Film Festival on July 26, 2018 in the magnificent Teatro Juarez. There I had my red carpet moment and am thrilled to be part of this wonderful photograph of the whole crew.
I wrote the following article after a brief city tour in 2016 . The city center was pretty much like it was when I first went there around 1963 and as it is now. But it was different for me this time because I have friends there now..I got to feel the city and know it more intimately on this special occasion which I shard with my .
The first stop was the impressive Monumento al El Pipila. The view is spectacular. The gigantic mustard and brick red cathedral is front and center. The silver mines that have made this town rich are in the back, and the white buildings of the University shimmer and glow.Guanajuato is at your feet. It occurred to me that the scene captured here would make a great jigsaw puzzle!
El Pipila was a hero of the War of Independence which was launched by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla a few miles away in what is now, Dolores Hidalgo, when he gave the grito, or call for Independence on September,16, 1810.With the insurgents on the move the landed and mine-rich Spanish gentry sought refuge in a huge grainery , now known as the Alhóndiga de Granaditas , with thick walls and a heavy wooden door which was to be their downfall. The story is that El Pípila, a tall well-built indigenous miner put a large flat stone on his back and went down the mountain armed with all sorts of flammable materials, set fire to the door, and those Spaniards not overcome by smoke, exited the building and were promptly shot.It’s not clear to me what happened to the women and children but they must have lived. Practically everyone in this area claims to be of Spanish blood! We do know that the hero lived to the ripe old age of 83.
The city has not changed much. Oh, the walkways s are smoother and the Centro Historico, the historic district, is closed to automobile traffic for easy strolling. The shopping is great, and the streets are full of beautiful and interesting young (and old) people. There is an air of sophistication mixed with a throwback hippie, maybe even beatnik, feeling.. It looks more like Spain than the rest of Mexico. The Zocalo with its manicured tress and pretty kiosk where the state band, visiting musicians, and the roving minstrels or troubadours play almost on a daily basis is inviting.
Guanajuato is a major cultural center. The Festival Cervantino takes place every year during the month of October. This year there are 178 events scheduled ranging from concerts of Beethoven sonatas, to Vicente Fernandez’s farewell concert, lectures, poetry readings, and exhibitions held in some of the spectacular buildings to be found all over the city, such as the grand Teatro Juarez, , the iconoclastic Quijote museum Templo de la Valenciana,etc.. You name it! You can find the program and buy tickets through Ticketmaster.
Teatro Juarez
Two lions guard the theater
The Quixote museum
I was not there at night this time but everyone reports that night is day here, and there are street dances, callejonadas or strolls through the many alleys and narrow streets following an estudiantina, a troupe of troubadours, playing their particular brand of music. My friend Lazaro, music critic for the Reforma newspaper in Mexico City is there now to report on performances and is himself giving presentations and lectures. I will ask him for some night shots but, in the mean time here are some photographs I took of some of the charming street scenes of the Centro Historico during my brief visit this time. There is so much to see and do in Guanajuato so please click on the links for full information on the possibilities.
But I will be back! This is definitely the place where I will rent my next vacation home. I loved it more than ever! And they have some good restaurants now. See article on Las Mercedes for one.
