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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 1: A jewel among Yucatan's treasures
Statue on the central fountain of Parque Principal Francisco Cantón Rosado. She is called "La Mestiza"(meaning mixed Spanish and Maya) and wears an embroidered huipil, the traditional garb women in...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 2: Parque Principal, the center of the city's life
A young Yucateca studies her smartphone at the west entrance to the Parque Principal. Like the rest of the world, Mexicans are addicted to their smartphones. From very young children to the elderly,...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 3: Fiesta in the Parque Principal
Dancers with tambourines entertain the crowd at a fiesta. We wandered through Valladolid's Parque Principal one day and found ourselves engulfed by a large, colorful celebration. We were somewhat...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 4: Handicrafts at the Fiesta
A pair of smiling Yucatecas display their wares. They wear the traditional Maya huipil (pronounced "weepeel" and sometimes spelled hipil). More of these garments hang behind them, including some in...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 5: Templo San Servacio
Valladolid's Templo San Servacio is one of the city's most recognizable features. Photos and paintings of the church appear everywhere. There are other colonial-era churches in Valladolid that are as...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 6: Mesón de Marqués, once a Spanish colonial...
Entrance to Hotel Mesón de Marques. A mesón is a colonial-era mansion. Marqués refers to a rank within the Spanish nobility, second only to a duque (duke). The mansion, built in the 17th century, once...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 7: Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman
A two-wheeled carreta stands in front of the hacienda's casa grande. Carretas were the "pickup trucks" of Mexico from the colonial period well into the 20th century. They were usually pulled by a pair...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 8: Cenote Oxman at Hacienda San Lorenzo
Swimmers frolic in the cool waters of Cenote Oxman. A cenote ("sen-oh-tay") is a freshwater sinkhole in the limestone crust that forms the base of the Yucatan Peninsula. This is one of many cenotes in...
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Valladolid Adventures Part 9: The Walkway of the Friars
The Calzada de los Frailes begins at Los Cinco Calles. A "V" is formed by the intersection between Highway 180 and the Calzada de los Frailes (Walkway of the Friars). This intersection is known locally...
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