Clik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 1- Ex-Hacienda La Herencia
Templo Virgen del Favor overlooks Hostotipaquillo's Plaza. Hostotipaquillo is pronounced hos-toti-pak-ee-o. It comes from the Nahuatl word "Ostotipac", which means "above the cave". It is the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 2: Ex-Hacienda de Santa Maria
A row of columns bisects the ruins of the old hacienda. The column in the foreground has fallen from its base. Ex-Hacienda de Santa Maria is one of numerous haciendas that dot the former Real (mining...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 3: Ex-Hacienda Labor de Guadalupe
The Casa Grande and Capilla overlook a small but attractive Plaza. The bell on the roof is rung by the rope hanging down from it. A mural of the Virgen de Guadalupe can be seen through the arch of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 4: Ex-Hacienda Mochitiltic (main...
Two Hacienda Hunters walk away from some ruined arches. Jim B and Catherine are two of my fellow hacienda addicts. The arches are the first clear indication that you have reached Ex-Hacienda...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 5: Ex-Hacienda Mochitiltic (the...
A view toward the mountains through the arches next to the refining operation. In this posting, I will continue with my exploration of the ruins of Ex-Hacienda Mochitiltic. Last time I focused on the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 6 of 10: Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomás...
High walls and bastions with gun slits surround this silver refining hacienda. Defenders inside the blockhouse shown above could fire through its gun slits at any attackers. Their shots could cover a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 7 of 10: Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomás...
View of the casa grande, courtyard, and a large pond. This section of Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomás is the most intact. In the previous posting (Part 6 of the series) we looked at the fortifications...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 8 of 10: Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomás...
The administrator's house is mostly in ruins but still photogenic. The two story house stands on the southern edge of the courtyard, facing the casa grande (see Part 7). Immediately in front of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 9 of 10: Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomás...
Water cascades from the aqueduct sluice down into the waterwheel structure. A still-functioning aqueduct provides water to Hacienda Santo Tomás. The non-functioning waterwheel once powered machinery...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Silver Mines of Hostotipaquillo Part 10 of 10: Ex-Hacienda Santo Tomas...
The patio where the crushed silver ore was mixed with mercury. The large metal door just to the right of center is the entrance to the zaguan (entrance hall) which leads to the casa grande's courtyard....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 1: The Magic Pueblo of Jalpan de Serra
Padre JuniperoSerra oversaw the construction of Jalpan's church. The word Jalpan comes from the Nahuatl language and means "place over sand". Serra was added in 1976 in honor of Padre Junipero Serra....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 2: The baroque exterior of Misión Jalpan
Jalpan's Franciscan mission church, viewed over its atrium wall. This was the first of five churches constructed between 1750-60, under the direction of Junipero Serra. He was a Franciscan friar who...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 3: The interior of the church at Misón Jalpan
The interior style of Misión Jalpan de Santiago is different than its facade. The church facade is New Mexican Baroque, sometimes called mestizo Baroque. In contrast, the interior is Neo-Classic, a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 4: The ancient Huastec people
This head of a Huastec boy is part of a full-sized statue. The ears have large holes intended to contain jade spools for personal decoration. The skull was sculpted to show a deliberate deformity....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 5: The Ancient Huastec City of Tancama and its Plaza de...
Edificio de las Mariposas de Cobre is the largest and most important structure. The name means "Building of the Copper Butterflies". This pyramid looms over the Plaza de Mirador ("Lookout Plaza"). It...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 6: Tancama's Ball Court and Temple/Palaces in Plaza el Mirador
The pre-hispanic juego de pelota (ball game) was played throughout Mesoamerica. The inhabitants of the region called the Huasteca may have adopted the juego de pelota during their early contacts with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 7: Tancama's Plaza Santiago
The structure bordering the east side of Plaza Santiago contains two huastecos. The circular shape of these structures relates to Ehecatl, the Wind God, who was probably the most important deity at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 8: Tancama's Plaza de la Promesa
Plaza de la Promesa, looking southeast. Three of the circular structures called huastecos surround this plaza. None of them have names, but the large one above the photo's center was designated...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 9: The Franciscan Mission in Landa de Matamoros
Church of the Mission, seen through the main entrance gate of its atrium . Mission de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción Purisima (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) is located in the town of Landa...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 10: Misión San Francisco de Tilaco (Atrium and Facade)
Carole stands at the atrium gate of Mission San Francisco de Tilaco. Through the gate, you can see the facade and bell tower of the church. The mission's cloister is attached to the right side of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part. 11: Tilaco's mission church interior and its cloister
The apse and main altar inside Tilaco's church . The inside of the church is relatively spartan compared to the exuberant facade on its front, seen in Part 10. Mission of San Francisco de Asis del...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 12: Tancoyal's Franciscan Mission (exterior features)
A statue of San Francisco de Asis stands beside the atrium gate . The two flower-shaped finials on either side of the statue are among several that are spaced along the low wall surrounding the atrium....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 13: Misión San Miguel Concá
Atrium, church, and cloister of Misión San Miguel Concá. The original mission in Concá was established by the Augustinians. However, in 1739 Spanish Col. José Escandon y Helguera reported its poor...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sierra Gorda Part 14: The Misión San Miguel Concá church interior
Carole views the mission church at Concá. Previously, in Part 13, I showed and explained the fascinating details of the steeple and facade. I also described the mission's location and history. This...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lake Chapala's South Shore revisited - Tizapan el Alto and Mismaloya
A Great White Egret perches at the top of a spindly tree at the water's edge. Great Whites abound along Lake Chapala's shoreline. They are one of two species regularly encountered, the other being the...
View Article