Security in Mexico ... Interesting!

Seguridad

“Tenemos el Gobierno más grande y más caro de nuestra historia, y tenemos más violencia y más pobreza que nunca”.

Julián Lebarón

El crimen no nos deja solos ni un día. Este 3 de octubre fue asesinado José Eduardo Moreira, el hijo de 25 años del ex presidente nacional del PRI y ex gobernador de Coahuila, Humberto Moreira. Es sólo uno de los miles de homicidios que tienen lugar cada año en nuestro País, pero nos recuerda que todos los que vivimos en México estamos sometidos a la ley de la violencia.

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Weather

One of the things which attracted us to the city of Guanajuato, and indeed Central Mexico, was, and I know this sounds cliche, The Weather.

It has been a wonderful weather ride here in Mexico's Crown Jewel with the Eternal Springtime one reads of in the guidebooks. It is consistently warm, fair weather that makes life far more enjoyable than where we came from in the States, Kansas City, where the icy winters can freeze the power lines cause you to go without heat for two weeks, or longer, at a time. We definitely do not miss that.

As I write these words, it is 10/21/2012, 4:30pm, and it is a warm Sunday afternoon and very much like Springtime outside. Believe it or not, I am running a fan in my room right now.

The Guanajuato weather is not always as agreeable as it is this afternoon. Though having the nickname, Eternal Springtime, it can get nasty with flash-flood rains, freezing-cold January days, and humidity enough to straighten anyone's hair in the rainy season. But, it all seems to me to be short-lived when the weather becomes a little contrary.

Afterall, Eternal Springtime has to has to take a vacation sometime.

Where Have You Been?

My last post, shamefully, was on July 2012. Though I promised to post at least weekly, I have been a miserable failure. Sigh.

I don't know why, exactly, it has been so hard to find the time to post. Could it be my attention is diverted to a seemingly endless list of other things I have to do? My classes for my doctorate seem eternal, I am on a quest to take control of my health (I was recently diagnosed with Diabetes-Oh joy!), and trying to fit some semblance of exercising into my daily routine (ha!) all conspire to tell me I do not have time (the energy?) to blog.

Yet, there have been plenty of stuff about which to blog. Well...not really (more sighing!). I am simply not on the streets as often as I used to be since moving out into the boondocks and also since we ride the bus even more to get to where we need to go. In this place, if you are on the streets and in the small out-of-the.way places you get to see a glimpse of Mexican behavior that sticking just to the tourist traps will never reveal.

This is really the root of all the writing I have done over the years. You don't see "real Mexico" by staying in hotels in El Centro, nor if you hang out in the place that coddle the Gringos. It is also, I cautiously say, the root of all the criticism that have been heaped my way like so much doggie caca by the Gringos (Gringos = Gringolandians); criticism in which the Lord of the Flies ( Lord of the Flies = Gringolandians Mafioso, Mexican Branch) accuse you of fabricating everything in your prose from start to finish.

These are people who, I suppose, forgot how to walk, and drive everywhere in Guanajuato. They send their maids to shop and for all practically purposes never "mix" with anyone but their fellow flies. This might be mainly because most, not all, cannot string enough words in Spanish to form a complete sentence, and that they like "being with their own kind." (A Gringo lady, and a prominent one I might add, told this to me years ago.)

Just how, if they cannot communicate in the language, know anything about anyone in the country in which they have invaded (infected)?

Again, I sigh.

Anyway, more next week (I hope).

Something Curious

I am asked, from time to time, just what my experience has been as an expat living in Mexico. I actual have written and published three books about our lives in Mexico. However, no one reads them: sigh.

But, if you can understand Spanish here is a link to a couple living in Madrid, Spain that pretty much sums up, almost exactly, my experience as an expat here.

LINK HERE

Siamese Update

We got the cat, who was in an uncharacteristically laid-back mode (go figure), to the vet for his rabies shot. He will get his other vaccinations (respiratory stuff) in six months.

The cat, Nicolae,  for some reason, known only to him, cooperated and is now happy as cane be killing small mammals, murdering songbirds, and breaking and entering neighbor's homes and stealing children's toys and bringing them home to us.

All is well once again on the cat front.

The Siamese Terror(ist)

Siamese cats can be one of sweetest breeds until you have to demand something of  them like take a worming pill or a vaccination. Or, for that matter, to get into a crate and ride to the vet without plotting and implementing that plot to escape and perhaps kill you in a mindless  fit of Siamese cat rage.

It is de-worming and vaccination time once again in our household.

So, we had to create a carefully constructed strategy to trick this sleek but sharp toothed and clawed creature into the crate and then walk him one block away to the vet clinic. Thank God a taxi ride was not required since we had no idea what the cat had planned as our punishment for taking him to the vet.

Our plan was to put some wet food on a plate and lure him into the crate. On  the count of three I scooped him up from the bed while the wife waved a small portion of Salmon flavored stench under the cat's open and growling maw. This distracted him enough to forget killing me and we actually got him into the crate and off we went.

But, a pause in the action for a bit of back story.

Two days prior to this was our first attempt at getting him to the vet's. I got his more than five kilo body into a weak and worthless crate that popped open right in front of the vet clinic with the cat hightailing it for the hills. He took off with a tail only a Fuller Brush distributor would be proud of, and disappeared  over a wall and was gone.

We walked rapidly back to our house only to find the cat already upstairs and on a bed and acting as though nothing had transpired. I had to wonder if this was the same cat and not a stunt double.

I wasn't mad or even the slightest bit upset: I WAS ASTONISHED.

Back to the present: The plate of cat food lure worked and we got him to the clinic. The vet, apologizing profusely, had the worming pill but not the vaccinations.

AUGH!

We will have to wait for a phone call and then come up with a new plan to trick the cat into letting us take him back to the vet for his rabies vaccine with a minimum of collateral damage.
***

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Why Not Enable Open Comments on Blogger?

Here is a great little abstract by another author who thinks along the same lines as I do about "Reader's Comments":

Do We Need To Ban Comments On Blog Sites? Some Think We Do

by Ron Schenone on 04/19/2010

In a very interesting article from the WSJ, the issues of a lack of civility when it comes to comments on blog sites, is coming under fire. According to some, Internet users who surf using the anonymous moniker feel impervious in the way they comment on topics posted on blog sites. It seems that a small number are leaving comments that attack other posters and add nothing at all to the conversation. But in what seems like an obvious way to control unsavory comments is to have all comments moderated.

In the WSJ article it also states that:

Part of the problem is that people who conceal their names seem to feel free to say things they never would if their identities were known. There are obvious cases—dissidents living in authoritarian countries—where anonymity is needed. But as Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. wrote recently, message boards dominated by anonymous comments often become “havens for a level of crudity, bigotry, meanness and plain nastiness that shocks the tattered remnants of our propriety.” .....Read Entire Article

This is the very reasons why I do not allow Gringolandians to comment on my blog.

San Miguel de Allende Crime

Now I don't live in SMA but I've written plenty about that Gringolandia and for my efforts have often had their Gringo community actually threaten my life. They take huge umbrage against anyone even suggesting that their little enclave is anything other than a "Heaven on Earth."

The Gringos in Guanajuato, where we live, are pretty much on the same delusional track as the SMA Gringos. They will plot your demise, and try to carry out their threats, should you cross them with the truth.

Here is a quote from an Internet forum that my wife found for me. It speaks to the false sense of security Gringolandians live with in Mexico's Gringolandians.

Walled property does not guarantee safety

My friend and art teacher here in San Miguel let her walls give her a false
sense of security. She was brutally beaten with a wrench and sexually
assaulted, ending up in hospital. In a robbery attempt gone wrong he entered
her unlocked door at 7:30 am while she was still in bed. She was not raped, but
could have been or worse, killed. Once when I locked myself out I asked one of
the workmen to borrow a ladder and open remote garage door for me, where I had
an extra set of keys hidden in the garden. He scaled the stoned walls like a
monkey in a few seconds, anchoring his feet on the protusions in the stones. I
have two dogs, but am thinking of a third. Unfortunately large glass sliding
doors don't allow for screens so during the day I keep mine open for the cross
breezes. My friend does not live in a gated community that's patrolled like
mine, still even that does not call for extra caution. I keep my car keys
bedside because they have a panic button. One of my dogs would go for the
jugular. It's my feeling that any woman - or couple living in Mexico should have
a good guard dog.

Linda W.

Source: Comadres Forum http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comadresdemexico/message/27910

I am telling you that so entrenched is the the Lord of the Flies delusion in Gringolandia that they will read this quote and accuse me of making it up, lying.

Here's What I Mean...

As I have said over and over again, when we first moved to GTO, we often would walk home in the dark from sort of nighttime event like a concert or theater. We do not do this any longer. It is not safe as this article from Periodico A.M. demonstrates: click here.

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Crimes and misdemeanors: Staying safe in San Miguel
Is SMA still safe, or falling prey to drug dealers and thugs?

By Anne Nicolai
August 11, 2009


Knowledge is power: Spanish-speaking residents are safer

Across the board, every official interviewed for this article agreed that one of the best ways for foreigners to provide for our personal safety is to learn the language of the country that we’re living in. They point out that Spanish speakers have an easier time getting to know their neighbors and the local police. Knowing the language also helps when calling for help or reporting a crime.

In fact, the author’s calls to the various emergency telephone numbers prove this point: on two different days, at two different times of day,...there were no English-speaking operators.


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Guanajuato, Mexico - Violence and Dangerous

In an 8/06/2010 article in the Periodico A.M. newspaper, Alejandro Garcia Arenas, Director of Public Safety for the city of Guanajuato, said,

" “Son cinco grupos de vándalos que nos están dando peligro en la ciudad y están operando a través de la comisión de faltas administrativas y asaltos en colonias como Cerro de los Leones, Cerro del Cuarto, Cerro del Gallo, Las Teresas y Pastita”, sostuvo el Director de Seguridad Ciudadana de esta ciudad."

Translation: There are five groups of vandals which are "giving us danger" (a literal rendering) in barrios such as Cerro de los Leones, Cerro del Cuarto, Ceror del Galla, Las Teresas, and Pastita.

In fact, go to the website, http://www.am.com.mx/Nota.aspx?ID=418297, and notice the little graphic map with, "Danger Zones of the City."

Mexican Television

I have this very unique friend who shall go unnamed since Gringos have the habit of attacking anyone who bursts their Gringolandian Bubble. So, to protect my friend I will not name him.

Anyway, he has lived in Mexico for more than 50 years. He is a 77-year-old American who moved To Mexico when not many Americans were doing so. Gringolandians didn't exist. Only genuine expats and my pal most certainly qualifies as a real expatriate.

He is, for all practical purposes, a Mexican in an American wrapper. We got his college education in Mexico City and developed his Spanish fluency. He went on to work in Mexican television in Mexico City and Guadalajara. He knows Mexico and this culture better than a lot of Mexicans I know.

I met up with him recently for coffee and laughs and finally remembered to ask him why Mexican television is run like no one knows what to do. I've written of this in this blog before.

Mexican television is an adventure. They will cut to a commercial in mid-dialog, play 35 advertisements, then will often come back in the middle of another television program all together. What I mean, and in all sincerity, is that you could be watching Dr. House, cut to ten minutes of meaningless ads, then come back to the middle of CSI: NY.

So, I asked my friend just why this happens. His reply is sure to make Gringolandians seethe:

NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT PROGRAMMING.

These were the words my friend uttered which is why my wife I have assumed for the last seven years we've lived here.

He went on to elaborate that they, the ones responsible to cut at the appropriate place in the program you're watching, will sleep in the control room, leave for an extended bathroom break, be on the phone, when suddenly, out of the blue, it occurs to them they are suppose to run some commercials. Then, they have no sense of drama or scene and will just cut the program off in mid sentence or action. Then they will run commercials for ten minutes making it impossible for you to figure out what program you were watching much less where it left off.

Basically, my friend who worked in Mexican television for decades, said they have no sense of time, time means nothing to Mexicans, and it is reflected in how they run the control booth in a television station.

Bus Travel Safety - Is there nothing sacred left?

What used to be a wonderful means to see country, bus travel, is now falling prey to the dastardly and cowardly organized crime.

In recent months robberies began to happen with alarming frequency. Some of the bus lines actually stepped up to the plate with safety procedures and policies. This is shocking to see in Mexico--private companies implementing security plans.

I suppose that the criminals are now adapting to this. If they can't rob the whole bus with the new security policies, they will do it more surreptitious by slipping a mickey in the drink of a passenger and then robbing him blind.

This happened to a young man at one o'clock, Saturday. Bound for Irapuato, Guanajuato, someone slipped him a sedative rendering him unconscious. The thieves took his belonging, made off into the afternoon, leaving the poor kid for the bus driver to deal with him. An ambulance was summoned.

The lesson? Don't have open drinks in the cup holders while you visit the bus' restroom or accept drinks from strangers.

One didn't used to have to think about things like this.

Now we do.

Things have changed. A lot!

Having Mexican Friends or Not?

Here is a forum post I read and to which I would like to respond:

"I always have to smile when a NOB American, who's planning to move to Mexico, says she wants to come down and live in a Mexican pueblo and not near any gringos so she can bond with the Mexicans. They are a very tight-knit group! As stated, they will be very polite, but they don't want you for their new-best friend unless there is money involved, and even then they will pretty much interact with you only on an employee-employer level. Without my gringa friends, I would be very lonely and sad. I would never think of moving anywhere that I could not have access to my gringas!"

This quote is true to an extent. Throughout the 7 years we've lived in Guanajuato we've found ourselves on both sides of this issue.

When we moved to Mexico we had absolutely no desire to mix with Gringos. Why, we reasoned, would we want to be a part of a Gringolandia when we went through all the trials and tribulations of moving to Mexico? If we had wanted to be a part of an American enclave, a.k.a. a Gringolandia, why move to another country? We could have stayed in America if that had been what we wanted to do.

We found ourselves Mexican friendless based on the degree of our Spanish fluency. The more and more we increased our Spanish fluency the more and more we began to develop Mexican friendships. And, what I mean by Mexican friendships is being invited into their homes to dine but mostly just to chat. Never once did these who invited us into their homes and with whom we've had friendships ask us for money.

Mexicans are, as the forum poster stated above, "a very tight-knit group." They are that. And it is not easy to win your way into their hearts. Some do befriend you based on their preconceived notion that ALL Americans are rich and exist to take advantage of financially. it is just a way of life here. Not ALL Mexicans will do this. Some actually have a work ethic and an ethic that teaches they should work for their money instead of relying on the rich American patron. Some don't, unfortunately.

We are friends with two groups of Mexicans. One is a group of Christians. We attend church with them each Sunday (protestants) who have taken us into their lives. We've been in their homes many times. Never once have any of them asked us for money (as if we had any extra dollars laying around going unused).

The other group of Mexicans have no particular church or Christian leanings (other than Catholicism) and still invite us into their homes to eat or just to have a cup of coffee and lots of chatting. Neither have they begged money.

Though the poster, in her mass generalizations, did not indicate whether or not she can carry on a meaningful and in-depth conversation in Spanish with anyone, I just wonder whether she can or not.

My best friend is a Mexican guy in our church. We've sat and held he and his wife's hands through family tragedy and would not have been able to had we not had the Spanish fluency we have.

So, consider that when reading posts like the one I quoted above.

You might note that 96% - 97% of Americans cannot speak a foreign language. This carrys over when they move to Mexico expecting the Mexican to fall at their feet and become fast friends for life.

It took us seven years and this, we are convinced, directly related to our Spanish fluency!

Guanajuato Choice of Neighborhoods

The "Cerro del Cuarto" neighborhood, or barrio, always seems to list cheap apartments and houses in The Chopper classifieds. It is not the choicest part of Guanajuato to choose to land in your Guanajuato Expat Adventure. Here is one of many reasons:

Correo reporter, Ruth Elizarraraz, reported, Thursday, July 15, 2010, that five robberies occurred mostly taking place on a Friday night. Only one of the victims reported to the police.

This is common in Mexico generally and in Guanajuato specifically: Not to involved the police.

Watch for this in the listings that show lots of rentals and even houses to buy. It is not a good area of town. We have friends, Mexican nationals, who have moved from this barrio for that very reason.

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Those Loving Mexicans

I really do feel there are some Mexicans who are not just loving but kind, caring, helpful, and salt-of-the-Earth people. But, I would say this regarding just about any culture on the planet. The Mexican nationals in our little protestant church here in Guanajuato I would trust with my life.

However, and there's always a "however," on the other hand I feel there are some Mexicans that hold anti-American sentiments. I reported on this years ago in my blogging and article writing and earned the title to which I am still the exclusive record holder:

THE MOST HATED GRINGO IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

I used to interview Mexicans in Guanajuato, and other cities, and was able to extract from them some pretty strong feelings about Gringolandians. The Gringos don't believe it. They call me a liar.

So, here's a guest post from a lady writing about the Ajijic and Chapala area and their deteriorating Gringolandia...

Since I don't post here usually, and only pop in to read every couple of weeks
I wanted to let you all know about friends who are moving away from Chapala.

We have had two sets of couple friends who have returned NoB because they
didn't enjoy Mexico. One set said they just no longer, after 2 years, felt welcome in their primarily Mexican neighborhood in CHapala and didn't want to move toward Ajijic and they were discouraged from moving to Jocotepec, or any of the other primarily Mexican villages to the east and west. We were surprised to hear
this, but they were very "into" being quasi-Mexican, so they were hurt by the
attitude change they had been feeling from their neighbors.

Then lo-and-behold a couple months later another single friend mentioned she
was moving from Chapala back to Ajijic because she no longer felt welcome in
Chapala. She is ignored in eateries and stores, spoken rudely to on the Malecon
and is cheated regularly at the market.

And then a couple, who had lived in Ajijic for 18 months and moved to CHapala
because they liked the atmosphere there better and have been there 3 years
called me just 3 weeks ago asking if I would alert them to any houses from San
Antonio to La Cristina as they were moving back from Chapala. When we went out to dinner they said that their beautiful downtown Chapala 2 story house with
pool and fab garden that they willing paid $1000 US per month, had become a
jail of sorts because they no longer were welcomed in their neighborhood as they
previously had been. That where they had shopped for the last 3 years and at
the main market they were slowly paying more for food and had realized they
were now victims of a "gringo tax" whereas they had not been before and that young shop persons who had been chatty and willing to talk in Spanish at their level now virtually sped thru anything and when asked to speak slower the young
people were rude and wouldn't make the effort.

What does this all mean. Well, this couple has been talking with other expats
in Chapala and they have come to the conclusion that the citizens of Chapala
have seen their town grow and improve and there is a movement afoot to make it
uncomfortable for expats so that Chapala does not become Ajijic with its
unaffordable housing and high living prices for its locals.

This is also the case in Jocotepec, but that has always been that way.

Mexican friends tell us that many men who left the area to work in the US are
returning and they are angry for lots of reasons and they are relating stories
about the US and they are telling family and friends that the expats don't
deserve to live better in Mexico than they could in the US because that means
that Mexicans can't live in their towns and villages. They would be right.

It had to happen, and whether its as prevalent as these people seem to think it
is, it still is obviously making Chapala uncomfortable for some expats, enough so that they are leaving or moving out.

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A Guide to Shopping in the City of Guanajuato

Guest Blogger: Cindi Bower


The city of Guanajuato is known for its history, architecture and music but is not thought of as an especially great place to shop. While Guanajuato is not full of shopping malls and exclusive boutiques, it has enough shops to satisfy even an inveterate shopper. The historic center of Guanajuato is where you'll find the best shopping opportunities.

Many shops can be found along the main street that runs through the center of the city. The street is called Sopeña on the south side of the Jardín de la Unión, then changes to Obregón from the Jardín to the Plaza de la Paz and finally to Juárez from there until past Mercado Hidalgo. Since Guanajuato's streets are not built in a grid formation and are not always clearly marked, most people use landmarks as points of reference when giving directions.

The best place to start your shopping adventure is in the Jardín de la Unión, Guanajuato's main plaza. There is a small shop, Arte de México, just across from the newsstand. It carries some jewelry, souvenirs and a small selection of regional candies.

With your back to the Jardín, face Teatro Juárez and the San Diego Church. Turn left and walk past the steps leading to the theatre. Now you are on Sopeña. This is mainly a pedestrian street, but watch out for delivery and trash trucks that also use the street from time to time. At Sopeña #5, you will find Rincón Artesanal, a small shop with ceramics, some religious art and carved wood items. A few doors further up the street is La Florecita, a shop with cloth bags, scarves, shawls and embroidered blouses and dresses.

Around the corner from La Florecita at Sopeña #17 is an upscale store called La Casa del Quijote with several rooms of jewelry, pottery, sculpture, ceramics and more. The displays are nicely done and the employees are very attentive and helpful.

Turn around and go back toward the Jardín. La Catrina Dulcería (candy store), just across from the theatre steps at Sopeña #4, is a sweet tooth's dream. The store offers a wide variety of typical candies from different parts of Mexico as well as nuts, jams, cajeta (sweetened caramelized goat's milk), vanilla extract and much more. Be sure to climb to the second floor for more delicious treats and the various Catrina figurines for sale.

Continue past the Jardín on Obregón Street. On the left just past a travel agency is La Casa del Sol. The shop is jam-packed with all manner of items: jewelry, dolls, religious objects, purses, dishes and much more. Though the items look antique, they are reproductions made in workshops around Guanajuato.

Cross Obregón Street, go through the small plaza and you'll be on Calle Truco. La Casa de la Abuela, at Truco #5, offers handmade, unique items such as puppets, children's toys, fountains, picture frames, candles, metal sculptures and more. A few doors further is Galeria del Arte Nautilus Calli, which offers art, home décor and gifts.

Go back to the intersection of Truco and Obregón Streets and turn right. There are a number of handicraft, gift and souvenir shops around Plaza de la Paz (dominated by the Basilica, the large yellow church) and along both sides of Juárez Street all the way to the Comercial Mexicana supermarket.

For silver jewelry, visit Plata y Artesanias at Avenida Juárez #34. The store offers bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces, both in plain silver and silver with various semi-precious stones. It also offers handmade Mexican home décor.

Mercado Hidalgo has some souvenirs, candy and handicrafts on the second-level mezzanine as well as in some booths outside the building. It is more a market where residents buy food and household supplies or stop for a quick snack or meal than a place to buy handicrafts.

Across Avenida Juárez from Mercado Hidalgo is a steep street called Mendízábal that leads to the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a large building on the left that was used as a granary. There is a bookstore inside that offers literature, books about history, art, science and more.

Calle Mendízábal ends at Pocitos Street. Turn right on Pocitos and walk away from the Alhóndiga. There are a few shops of interest along this street. El Viejo Zaguán, at Pocitos #64, offers candles, shawls, religious art, candy and knick-knacks. Donkey Jote, at Pocitos #30, is an English-language bookstore. La Rana, at Pocitos #7, has handicrafts, glass, and colorful Mexican folk art animals (alebrije).

Continue on Pocitos (now called Lascurian de Retana) past the steps leading to the main building of the University of Guanajuato. At the bottom of the hill, there is a small plaza on the right. Around the corner, at Ponciano Aguilar #25, you will see the Capelo gallery and café. The famous local artist, Javier de Jesús Hernández, goes by the name Capelo. The gallery offers art and ceramics. Capelo owns several horses and often uses them as subjects in his work.

Go back to the small plaza outside Capelo and face the post office. A large church, La Compañía de Jesus, will be on your left. Walk toward the post office on the sidewalk in front of the church. There is a street to the left of the post office that will lead you to Plaza Baratillo (turn right at the tortilla shop). Plaza Baratillo has several food shops as well as a shop on the corner next to the street that sells a variety of regional candies, nuts, jams, salsa and liqueurs.

Cross the street and go through the large indoor patio (there is a coffee shop/restaurant inside called "Café Atrio"). The narrow end of the Jardín de la Unión is just outside. There is a jewelry store and a shoe store just across the sidewalk from Café Atrio. Around the corner from the shoe store, you'll find a small shop with pottery.



You've made a large circle and ended up back where you started at the Jardín de la Unión. While you haven't seen every handicraft, jewelry or artisan shop in Guanajuato, you've discovered the vast majority.

American Unversities Canceling Language Programs in Mexico

In May, 2010, Texas Universities their Mexico study-abroad Spanish programs due to increasing violence. The University of Kansas followed suit in June, 2010.

Increasing violence from Mexico's drug and gang problems are cited as reasons for the language program cancellations.

The University of Kansas has, in the past, lost students to violent deaths in other countries which is a consideration in the strict policy governing the decision to cancel the Mexican language problems.

Source 1

Source 2


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Travel Destinations: Guanajuato, Mexico

Guest Blogger: Cindi Bower

Guanajuato, the capital of the state of Guanajuato, is located in the mountains of central Mexico. It's not a place that immediately comes to mind when people consider vacationing in Mexico. Many are familiar with Mexico's lovely beaches and the attractions in Mexico City, but few discover the treasures in the colonial cities of central Mexico.

Guanajuato is often referred to as "The Jewel of the Americas" and "The Crown Jewel of Mexico's Colonial Cities." It's come a long way from the days when the semi-nomadic indigenous people called it "Quanx-huato" or "Hill of Frogs" because it was so barren that only frogs would live in the area.

The area probably would have remained little more than a place for ranchers to graze their cattle if not for one important discovery in the mid-1550's. Silver and lots of it. Some of the world's richest silver veins were buried in the mountains surrounding the modern-day city of Guanajuato.

Silver made many of the Spanish settlers very rich. They built huge haciendas outside the city and fabulous mansions in town, some of which remain today. Some made generous donations to build and adorn Guanajuato's numerous churches. One man, the owner of the Valenciana mine, single-handedly provided the money to build the San Cayetano Church, otherwise known as the Templo la Valenciana.

Shopping for silver is just one of the many activities one can do in Guanajuato. There are a number of shops with silver jewelry for sale along the main street that passes from the San Francisco church, past Teatro Juarez and the Jardin de la Union to Mercado Hidalgo. You can even let the jewelry come to you if you prefer. Just sit on one of the shady benches in the Jardin and wait. Before long, women with silver jewelry in black cases will approach you and proffer their wares.

While you search for an unoccupied bench, take a look at the buildings surrounding the Jardin. Though most are hotels, restaurants and shops, they were originally the homes of some of Guanajuato's wealthiest residents. The interior of the building that houses Starbucks is particularly beautiful. If you walk in the large, center door, the passage leads to an interior patio topped by an impressive stained glass window. The railings and pillars that line the passageways on the second and third floors that overlook the patio give you a glimpse of how opulent the home once was.

Visiting the churches will show you the results of the money donated by the wealthy mine owners. The San Diego Church, across the street from the Jardin, had to be raised 20 feet and rebuilt between 1782 and 1784 due to extensive flooding. The second Marques de Rayas, owner of the Rayas mine, donated much of the money needed to rebuild the church. He and his family are buried in the elaborate El Senor del Burgos chapel to the side of the sanctuary.

There is a museum under the church that contains an excavated portion of the convent (monastery) that was attached to the original church. The museum has drawings of what the convent looked like when it was functioning. Unfortunately, the rest of the convent cannot be excavated as Teatro Juarez was built on the site.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, the large yellow church a block from the Jardin, is a favorite venue for weddings, baptisms and confirmations. The interior is quite impressive. Above the altar is a statue of Our Lady of Guanajuato, a gift from King Charles I of Spain in gratitude for the vast amount of silver that poured into his coffers from the mines of Guanajuato.

Plaza de la Paz, the location of the Basilica, is surrounded by several mansions built by more of Guanajuato's wealthy mine owners. One of the several homes built by the Count of Rul y Valencia, the owner of the Valenciana mine, now houses the Superior Court. If you ask the guards at the door, they will allow you to go as far as the interior, enclosed patio and get a taste of the way the rich lived in the 18th century.

The San Cayetano Church in Valenciana, built by the aforementioned Count of Rul y Valencia, is small but contains richly carved and gilded altarpieces. Several concerts during the three-week-long International Cervantes Festival in October are performed in this church.

There are a couple of shops on the plaza in front of the church, one of which, Ojo de Venado (deer's eye) sells folk art from all over Mexico. To the right of the church, there is a street that leads to the Bocamina San Ramon mine and hacienda. The Bocamina is the entrance to the mine, and while visitors cannot go into the mine itself for safety reasons, they can get a feeling for how difficult the life of a miner was. There is a small museum with mining equipment and artifacts from the mine's heyday.

A trip to Guanajuato wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Mummy Museum. It's rather ghoulish, but is very popular nonetheless. Between 1865 and 1958, the law required that if the deceased's relatives stopped paying upkeep on the deceased's crypt, the body would be disinterred. Cemetery workers found a percentage of these disinterred bodies had been naturally mummified due to Guanajuato's dry climate. The mummies were housed in a building, which was later converted into a museum when people began showing an interest in seeing the mummies.

Guanajuato offers plenty to do and see. Spend a couple of days, a week or longer enjoying the architecture, the art, the music and the culture in Guanajuato, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It will be an unforgettable experience.

Guanajuato, Mexico - 2010 Rainy Season

It seems the 2010 rainy season is here initiated by Hurricane Alex. last year's rainy season was strange. For all practical purposes it was not a rainy season at all. It rained here and there but certainly not in the tradition of Guanajuato's normal rainy season.

In January of 2010 is when the rains, in earnest, hit the town. It was screwy.

It is anyone's guess, I suppose, what this season will bring. I just hope it is a normal rainy season so water rationing can be avoided.

In our old neighborhood we had rationing for months because the 2009 rains didn't come.

I hope this year normalcy will reign.

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Guanajuato, Mex - Safety: GRAVE

Points from Ruth Elizarraraz's, Thursday, July 1, 2010, article: Es grave la inseguridad en la ciudad: líder de Canaco (It is serious insecurity in the city: leader of Canaco) referring to the safety of the capital city of Guanajuato. Here's the link to verify the facts yourself.

The story made these points:

1. Roberto Serrano Chirino, the local leader of the National Chamber of Commerce, said that the lack of an operational and growth strategy to reduce crime rate is at the root of the rising crime rate in the city of Guanajuato.

2. The statistics show, says Chirino, that law enforcement officials are NOT doing their job.

3. The criminals know the police are not doing their job: "this is something that the criminals know and that's why more and more robberies, assaults and other crimes that damage the heritage of the families."

4. The mayor, says Chirino, has private police security as well as all council members and top level officials have surveillance in their homes whereas the people, the citizen of Guanajuato do not enjoy that privilege.

5. The story concludes with "Guanajuato is no longer the safe and peaceful city...now the theft and robbery are everyday things, "something they prefer to ignore, this is a turning point where they must act in a timely manner because otherwise the situation can become uncontrollable levels."

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ROCKET SPANISH

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