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| Mexican Fieldtrip - Hacienda Tour 2006! | |
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02/12/06 - San Miguel, MX (Photos) The Brookses take their first field trip to 3 historic Mexican haciendas |
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Deciding that it was high time we took advantage of the day trips on offer in the San Miguel area, we went on our first organized tourist expedition since moving here in September (well, sort of...you know). Every Saturday, the famed Instituto Allende offers various guided tours around the area for any visitors or residents who are interested (and who speak English and have the $55usd per person fee). So yesterday we got up early and boarded the giant tour bus with a bunch of other San Miguel folks (who mostly had grey hair and bi-focals, I might add) to see some hacienda history.
The bus transported us to three privately owned Spanish colonial haciendas, all in the middle of nowhere. The first two were built in the 16th century and the first one, Hacienda La Quemada, and the last one Hacienda La Ventilla are still used as weekend houses by the owners. At the once grand La Quemada, we wouldn't have believed it, if it weren't for the for the cheap, modern-day dishes in the sink, as the place looked none too comfortable and the kitchen was down-right creepy. (In case you were wondering, they did have modern-day bathrooms installed, probably in the 1960s, from the looks of them.) Based upon our observations, the Mexican people, it seems, are not known for requiring comfortable surroundings. Although it was fascinating to see the conditions in which some people are willing to live, Caroline was not particularly impressed with the first hacienda. The bus moved on to Hacienda #2.
The second hacienda on our itinerary, Hacienda Jaral de Berrio, is now used as a mezcal (sort of like tequila) distillery, as evidenced by the large barrels lining the perimeter of the interior courtyard. Now this was a hacienda! None of the rooms were furnished but the grand stone staircase off the main courtyard led to elaborately painted and wallpapered rooms with high ceilings and large windows opening to stunning views of the local cathedral and beautiful countryside beyond. The place was huge! There were three huge interior courtyards, all surrounded by room after room of faded opulence (and rat and pigeon poop). Incidentally, this hacienda was used as a location for the Johnny Depp/Antonio Banderas movie, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (the Mexicans, however, never mention that Caroline's boy Johnny was the star of this film...), among others. After the tour, we gathered in the courtyard, where we got to sample the mezcal. It was surprisingly smooth, but it was a little stiff for Caroline to finish, especially before lunch!
After a 3-course Mexican lunch of salad, bean soup with hotdog slices(???) and arrachera (a tasty thin steak) at a thermal pool and campground complex, we headed over to the final hacienda on our tour, Hacienda La Ventilla. This place, located in San Luis Potosi state, was much newer (only around 200 years old) and in far better condition than the first two. Like the first hacienda, La Ventilla is also used by its owners as a weekend retreat. It was interesting to see, but we were so tired by this time, that we can't remember anything of interest about it, except for the amazingly uncomfortable and old-fashioned-looking furniture and 1970s era TV in the family/recreation room, which apparently had been used quite recently, judging from the empty beer bottles and full ashtray sitting around. I guess the caretaker/housekeeper who let us in hadn't gotten around to cleaning up before our visit.
After a Pemex-gas-station-parking-lot-margarita-stop (so Mexican!), we drove for two more hours in the dark back to San Miguel (where we then treated ourselves to a cab ride home).
It was definitely an interesting and worthwhile trip, especially since these haciendas are privately owned and not open to the public (our tour guide's family owns the famous Instituto de Allende and is acquainted with the families who own the haciendas we toured). A couple of observations: considering the state of disrepair of Jaral de Berrio, tours would never would have been permitted if it were located in the US (for fear of lawsuits, of course). Also, if these haciendas were located in the US, the government or some historical society would have purchased/taken over, restored them and charged massive entrance fees to tour them. While this has its obvious benefits, it was interesting to have the opportunity to see the way that the same families who have owned these compounds for centuries and who lost much of their wealth in the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, continue to enjoy what remains of their own little piece of history. |
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