Mexico Road Trips: Hacienda El Carmen

A Retreat to Another Century

The evening shadows start to lengthen along the brick walls of the inner courtyard at the Hacienda El Carmen; the sound of the splashing fountain now competing with the ring as china is set upon the long wooden table that sits under the arched loggia. Besides the rustle of the wind and the screech of parrots, there are very little sounds now as the heat of the day fades into a warm, enveloping sultry night. It is the 21st century, but these walls and the courtyard have existed for more than 300 years and it is easy to imagine, in the dusky light, that the ghosts of the caballeros, the grandees, their ladies as well as the nuns and the revolutionaries who also at one time stayed here, still walk along the tiled walkway, past the bougainvillea climbing up the sides of the walls and amongst the jaracunda trees.

At first, this Colonial style structure, a long colonnaded porch, a gracious two story entranceway leading into connecting dining, sitting and kitchen areas that front one part of the courtyard and then bedrooms comprising the surrounding three sides, all with views of the flower filled courtyard, was known as the Hacienda de Santa Maria de Miraflores.

Haciendas were once a central part of agricultural life, which included ranching, farming, tequila production and sugar milling, in Mexico Many just disappeared with time, but in 1722, Miraflores became the Convento Del Carmen. But though a convent, Hacienda El Carmen didn’t necessarily guarantee a quiet life. Legend has it that the famed revolutionary, Pancho Villa was welcomed here as Mexico struggled to gain independence. Now a hotel and seemingly isolated, the hacienda is just a short drive from bustling Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico. Located on the road that connects Guadalajara to the tequila area which has made the Jalisco state famous, the hacienda is located next to Ahualulco, a sleepy but charming little town with dirt streets, an old church and brightly painted houses and stores. But the feel of being nowhere doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to do. Early morning, horses arrive from nearby stables for those who want to ride. There is golfing, swimming, luxuriating at the spa and classes to learn about cooking. There are even the occasional tequila tasting seminars.

The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and within a short time, a guest feels part of the hacienda family, allowed access into the inner workings of the place including peeks into the old fashioned Mexican styled kitchen with its elaborately decorated tiled floors and counters and its up to date modern appliances. Here Chef Ambrosio Saavedra Ramirez prepares traditional Mexican dishes such as pollo con mole (chicken in mole sauce), filete a los 7 chiles (filet with seven different kinds of chiles) and chile rellenos (stuffed chiles) accompanied by large pitches of Sangria and ice tea made from hibiscus flowers.

Hacienda El Carmen is one of about 40 or haciendas in Mexico that have been restored and converted into hotels. For more information, visit http://www.hdaelcarmen.com/

Others include:

Quinta Las Acacias (www.mexicoboutiquehotels.com/lasacacias/) Formerly a 19th century summer home located in the historic city of Guanajuato.

San Miguel Regla (www.sanmiguelregla.com) built in the 18th century by wealthy mining mogul Count Pedro Romero de Terreros.

Santa Maria Regla, also built in the 18th century, served as Count Romero's residence and was the first hacienda dedicated to mining silver and making pulque. Today, the hacienda is a tourist center where visitors explore its numerous underground tunnels. Hacienda Soltepec (http://www.haciendasoltepec.com/), located only 45 minutes away from the city of Tlaxcala, this 13-room hacienda is one of the first established in the region, dedicated to pulque production.

Hotel Hacienda los Laureles (http://www.hotelhaciendaloslaureles.com/) offers stunning views of the Sierra Madre mountains.

Mexico Road Trips: Guanajuato

Traditions in a Colonial City



From the moment I stand in front of the Templo de San Diego listening to the sweet sounds of the callejoneadas as they perform in front of this 17th century church as dusk is settling over the cobbled streets of Guanajuato, I know that I have found what to me is the essence of Mexico—tradition, beauty and conviviality.

The lights from the streetlamps cast interesting shadows across the elaborate façade of Templo de San Diego, built in 1662, in a Spanish style characterized by elaborate engravings and known as Churrigueresque similar, at least in my mind, to the complexities of Baroque style art. Crowds gather around me and I am swept up in their quiet movement as we begin to follow the callejoneadas (traveling musicians) along the twisting callejones (alleyways) and streets, past houses with faded pastel fronts, some of which date back to the 1600s, and jewels of public plazas dotted with flowering bushes of fragrant gardenias and jasmine. The houses, accented with wrought iron baloneys, window boxes and intricately carved wooden doors, appear to have been perfectly preserved through the centuries.. The callejoneadas play every night, in what is one of the many rich traditions of Guanajuato, a Colonial city located some 220 miles northwest of Mexico City and named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, made rich by the silver and gold mines in the nearby hills.

I entered Guanajuato the day before through a series of tunnels burrowed into the mountains that surround the city. My first stop was lunch at La Tasca de la Paz on the Plaza de la Paz, one of the many plazas that dot the city. Sitting outside in the warm noon day sun, sipping hibiscus tea and dining on chicken in an almond and cream sauce, I watch as a religious procession including a band and several men carrying the figure of the Senora de Guanajuato made its way down the street towards the nearby Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato, which like so many churches in the city was built back in the 1600s. Hurriedly paying my bill, I follow the procession into the baroque style church, resplendent with gilt and stained glass, where the oldest Christian statue in Mexico—the 8th century statue of the Virgin Mary—has resided since being given the city in 1557 by King Philip II.

Coming back out into the bright sunshine, I head to the Mercado Hidalgo on Avenida Juarez, a large two story indoor market where for almost a 100 years vendors have sold fruits, meats, cheeses, chilies and food on the first floor and pottery, clothing, baskets and local handicrafts on the second. Though I have just eaten, I am tempted to try the small tortillas, filled with a variety of meats that are for sale at the many food stands, but instead opt for tiny little plums, that are freshly picked, and about the size of quarters.

It is time to rest at one of the many benches that line the streets and learn more about the city. My guide book tells me that Guanajauto was founded in 1552 and that at one time, in the 1700s, at least 70% of the world’s silver came from this area. Though the city is serene, well preserved and filled with friendly inhabitants, it’s history is bloody as it was here that Mexico struck its blow for independence against the Spaniards who exploited the mine workers and shipped so much of the wealth back to Europe. Now, Guanajauto is the capitol of the state (which has the same name) and attracts students from around the world to its three universities. Diego Rivera, probably Mexico’s best known artist, was born here in 1886 and though the family moved to Mexico City shortly afterwards, his house is now the Museo Casa Diego Rivera, filled with his paintings, murals and furniture original to the home.
My next stop is Jardin de la Union. Bordered by thick trueno trees that have been pruned into rectangular tops, this plaza is filled with people strolling and dining in the cafes that surround the band shell and splashing fountain. Just across the street is the ornate turn of the last century Teatro Juarez, magnificent theater whose elaborate neo classical outside is matched by its elegant interior, with a star shaped chandelier and a drop curtain painted by a Parisian comic opera scenographer, The stairs leading to the entranceway are thronged with people when I am there and a mime performs for the congregated group. Next door is the Templo de Santa Diego where the callejoneadas play.

Dinner that night is at El Jardin del la Milagros, where I dine in the courtyard of a home that dates back to 1670. Here, chef/owner Bricio Dominquez Aquilar, fuses the cuisines of Mexico, Spain and the Mediterranean, to create such sophisticated but immensely enjoyable fare as steak with cheese and shrimp in cilantro sauce and empanadas stuffed with cheese and marlin. While eating, I plan my schedule for the next day.

Though it sounds somewhat odd, I am told that the most popular tourist attraction in Guanajuato is the Museo de las Momias Museum or Museum of the Mummies. Located on the foothill of El Trozado, the museum now consists of 119 mummified bodies displayed in glass showcases (this is a fairly recent modification—old photos of the museum show the bodies leaning against the walls and were, I gather from the tour guide, to much of a temptation for those who wanted a finger or bit of clothing as a souvenir).

Leaving the macabre behind, I make my way to another square, the Jardin de la Reform Plaza San Roque. Here I sit, watching young boys play an impromptu soccer game. A curving alleyway winds its way up a hill. I will rest and then pursue another journey into the loveliness of Guanajuato.

Mexico Road Trips: Dolores Hidalgo

The Flavors of a Small Town

Someone has gotten carried away with the ice cream flavors.

“Pulpa?” asks one of the many vendors, each with a stand in the four corners of the zocolo or town square of Dolores Hidalgo, a small city tucked away in the Guanajuato Mountains north of Mexico City.

Dolores Hidalgo is famed for their nieves or ice creams, all homemade and sold from carts that come out every day and set up in the town square which is bordered, on one side, by the magnificent Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, an amazingly Churrigueresque style church with an elaborate façade of intricately carved pink figures and rose stucco walls that was built in the 1700s. My Spanish is not great but I know enough to understand that the flavor he is offering is octopus. I shake my head no.

“Camorones?” he asks pointing to a container of pink colored ice cream with flecks of minced shrimp.

Oh what the heck. It’s only five pesos, about a nickel in American money, and so I order the shrimp ice cream which he scoops up generously and places in a paper cup. I pick up a small wooden paddle spoon and take a taste. Not bad, but I don’t think it’s going to become a big hit in the U.S. I look at the other containers, some 25 in all, and then at the list, written haphazardly on a piece of cardboard that is tacked on to the side of the cart. My choices are many, from the typical—vanilla, strawberry, pecan and chocolate to the more exotic such as mango, papaya, tequila and avocado, to the fairly obscure— elote (corncob), fried pork skin and pulque, a popular fermented drink. More flavors are frequently added as the vendors compete with each other to come up with unique flavors. A visit to a stand at the northwest corner of the zocolo confirms this as one of the offerings today is seafood mixture containing shrimp, octopus and other creatures of the deep. Dairy Queen aficionados would not be happy with this selection.


Loading up on several flavors, including chili, an interesting looking orange brown nieve that has a hint of heat, I walked towards the Nuestra Senora de los Dolores where a crowd is forming. Today is September 16th and 195 years ago, the Priest Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla delivered El Grito, an impassioned, spur of the moment cry for independence that started the Mexican revolution against Spanish rule. Every year, El Grito is re-enacted in this historic square whose buildings date back almost 300 years that intrigue with their style-- including the Visitor’s House, with its faded pinkish stone and five ground level arches topped by second story stone balconies and the nearby Museo de la Independencia, filled with artifacts from the historic struggle, which is lit up at night creating an appealing glow across the zocolo.

Like many small Mexican towns, downtown of Dolores Hidalgo is centered around a square where musicians play on Sundays and families gather to visit and to sit on wrought iron benches, enjoying the trueno and palm trees which shade the walkways. Because it is not a tourist destination for those across the border, it retains much of the charm of old Mexico. During my stay there, people stared at me while I was taking photos as I became just as much of interest as the sights I was seeing and three caballeros rode down the cobbled streets on horseback, making their way to the courtyard restaurant of Hotel de Posada Los Campanas which serves such traditional Mexican fare as chiles rellenos d’queso, sopas (little baskets of fried masa topped with a variety of fillings including chorizo (a spicy Mexican sausage), chicken and pork or flan (a custard like pudding) topped with caramel sauce.

But there’s more to Dolores Hidalgo besides history, Baroque style architecture and fanciful flavored ice creams. Just blocks off of the zocolo, tucked away on quiet side streets are stores selling Talavera, a Mexican variation of the Spanish majolica pottery made in just a few cities. In an interesting aside, Father Hidalgo, an intellectual who was also considered a man of the people, introduced Talavera pottery techniques to the people of Dolores Hidalgo during the years he lived there as well as silk worm raising, harness making, blacksmithing, weaving leather tooling and wine and olive oil production. The stores, such as Talavera Cortés, La Casa de las Artesanias and Talavera Vázquez, overflow with brightly patterned and colored Talavera products ranging from soap dishes, light switches, small vases and tiles to large—mosaics and bird baths to the too large to even think about taking home on the airplane--pedestals and bathtubs and bathroom sinks.

The Talavera, no matter what the size, can be shipped home. Unfortunately, after developing a taste for papaya ice cream, the nieves cannot.