thru my lens lightly

Inspired

While it's not unusual for me to change my my website banner...it's like redecorating my home.  I love to change the "look" to match my mood or the season...this time I've also changed the name. 

Inspired...

...that's my new blog name and the change has been brewing here for some time now.  "thru my lens lightly" was a good entry point for me as photography and digital scrapbooking were my main focus 3 years ago. For the last year or two it's just felt too limiting.  I still obviously love photography but my scope and interest has expanded beyond that.

It just feels right.

I wasn't able to keep this blog and change the address as it would have resulted in lost links to photographs etc., so I've created a new blog with a link from here.  This will be the last post on this particular site but this blog will remain here for awhile.  If you'd like to update your feeds to Inspired, the new URL is:

http://kateiredale.typepad.com/inspired/

I hope you'll visit my new home!

Mineral de Pozos

We spent the day on Monday, walking through the ruins of a once large and grand silver mining operation in the small town of Mineral de Pozos, about an hours drive east of San Miguel.  We were here several years ago but the energy of the place drew me back. 

Silver has been mined here from long before the Spanish arrived in Central America and in it's hey day, over 50,000 people lived and worked here.  When the Spanish came to Mexico and discovered it's wealth, they began shipping the silver back to Spain, through the port at Veracruz.  It's interesting to think of all the antique jewelry that's floating around Europe right now that may be made from Pozos silver!

While mining, the Spanish broke through to an underground river which was full of arsenic and resulted in the closure of the mine.  The French took over the rule of Mexico in the mid 1800's and when they arrived in Pozos and found the mine unworkable, they blew up and destroyed all the buildings.  The bullet holes are still visible in a large and once beautiful school that was modeled after European schools of the time.

The buildings above were the living quarters for the family who owned the mine called The Cinco Senores.  It too was once opulent with large rooms and beautiful courtyards.

The serenity and peace of this place is almost palpable.  The last time I was here, I was awed by the silence in the hills.  This time I felt it again but realized that it wasn't so much the silence but the sound of the gentle wind blowing through an otherwise silent landscape.  I don't think I've ever felt such an amazing sense of peace in a place...and this comes from a die hard ocean lover.

 

This is the original mine entrance.  Built in a pre-explosive era, it was mined completely by chisel and hammer.  Both men and women worked in this mine, carrying the ore out on their backs...men carrying 180 lb. sacks of ore and women, 125 lbs.  I was talked into going down into this tunnel to see an alter that had been placed there in the late 1600's and is still looked after today by the current caretakers. 

All I could think of was "Kate, you crazy lady!  This country is literally crawling with rattlesnakes and you're going down into this hole?"  Just to be on the safe side, I sent WW, (the Winged Wonder), in first!  My hero!

These are some of the family members who look after the historic mine site.  They also sell pieces of ore, crystals and geodes that they find on the site. Rock lover that I am, I'm happy to say that I'm packing a few choice crystals home in my suitcase.  I'll have to throw something away to make room for them, but most of the clothes I brought with me are so ratty from wearing them non stop for the last 2 months, that it will give me great pleasure to toss them when I leave!

This cute little guy wasn't going to be happy until he had shown us his goats!  We told the ladies that I'd be putting their picture on my website and that people from all around the world would know about them...they thought this was very cool so if you ever get to Pozos, tell them you saw their picture on the internet!

The town of Pozoz is growing once again.  Many North Americans have discovered this serene little town and it's recently come to the attention of some artists who prefer it to San Miguel. There are a couple of small, luxury boutique hotels here and we stopped for lunch at one of them.

This is the sink in the ladies bathroom of the hotel and was hand carved from stone by a well know Guanajuato carver!  Unique to say the least.

At an altitude of 8,000 ft., Mineral de Pozos is well off the beaten path so most visitors to San Miguel never make it there.  It's a haven for mountain bikers, photographers, artists and rock hounds as well as for those who want to experience some of Mexico's intriguing history.  There's really not a lot there but for some, that's what draws them.

I'd go just for the amazing sense of peace I felt...sitting on the rocks and listening to sound of the breeze drifting through the cactus and mesquite.  In the hills of Pozos it's easy to believe that all is right with the world.

Ancient Rituals

Last weekend the Jardin, or central square in San Miguel de Allende was filled with dancers from the local indigenous tribe... both in the streets and in front of the Parroquia, the town's main church. 

There were guitars made of armadillo shells and rattles made from large seed pods that were wrapped around the ankles.

The dancing went on from early in the morning until after sunset, right through the heat of mid day.

I was told that the dancing was part of a very old (Pre-Hispanic) ritual to determine if it is the right time for planting.  Although the dancing took place close to the entrance to the church, the symbols of the sun and the burning incense told a story of spiritual practices that have been closely tied to the worship of the earth and sun for millennia.

Inside the Parroquia, there is a figure of Christ made from corn.  In the "heart" of this figure has been placed several pieces of ancient spiritual artifacts, signifying that this is the heart of their spirituality.

I greatly admire the way these people have integrated their ceremonies and beliefs into their current spiritual life...and also that the church is tolerant and accepting of this.

As I stood listening to the steady beat of the drums and the shaking of rattles made with each step, I was touched to see such a meaningful example of tolerance and cooperation.  In a time when the media tells us of nothing but the fighting and anger that's caused by intolerance, I felt blessed to be a witness to this reaffirming ceremony.

San Miguel Rooftops

We bid a fond farewell to Jaltemba Bay with it's beautiful beaches, early Sunday morning, and made our way to San Miguel de Allende via Guadalajara.

the Guadalajara bus depot

We boarded the bus at 8 am and other than a 2 hour wait to transfer buses in Guadalajara, there we sat until 8 pm that night.  I was beginning to doubt my ability to stand up straight when we finally arrived in San Miguel but it's really a great way to travel in Mexico.

 

our street...Los Animales

We have a tiny (but cute) apartment in a residential area near the market.  It's handy for shopping as nearly everything and anything edible, can be found at or near the market.  We're slowing making the altitude adjustment...from sea level to 6500 feet...and from tropical humidity to bone dry desert air (8 % humidity!). Although the day time temperatures are similar to those on the coast, the night time temp's are much cooler...they're actually past cool and venturing into cold!!  The first night we were here it dropped to 5 degrees C, but I'm happy to say we're on a warming trend.  We're also adjusting from small, beach town life (and very nearly living in my bathing suit), to a cosmopolitan and very culturally oriented town/city.  

San Miguel is such a beautiful place with hidden courtyard gems behind every other doorway.  We've taken it slow for the first few days, reacquainting and reorienting ourselves, as it's been 4 years since we were last here. Although much of the Centro is still the same, there's been an explosion of restaurants and intriguing shops and gallery's, in fact ladies, this is shopping heaven!  Oh, how I wish I had a vehicle here with me to take more home...as it is, my suitcase is already bordering very closely on overweight!  (I'm sure I heard Bob mutter a few choice words under his breath as he carted my very heavy suitcase up 2 flights of a narrow, metal spiral staircase, when we first arrived at our apartment).

There's so much to see here...it's a photographers dream.  Every corner turned brings another sight worthy of a photograph.  I'd forgotten how much it reminds me of the picturesque towns of Italy and although I've not been to Spain, I'm sure there's even more similarity there.

We're enjoying our small rooftop patio and the views and vista's that it provides us of San Miguel and the surrounding hills.  It's also the only place I can get the internet to connect.  It's a challenge carrying the computer, sunglasses, and a cup of coffee up to the roof on a very, very narrow (1 ft wide) metal spiral staircase!  It's more like climbing a ladder than stairs and it's done very gingerly and very carefully. Lol!

The rooftops here are as varied as the population.  On our left is the "working" rooftop of a Mexican family, complete with workshop and laundry.

 

And on our right is a rooftop patio obviously meant for relaxing...however I've not seen anyone enjoying it so far.

Posting will likely continue to be sporadic as the internet continues to challenge me.  You'll know if you see another post that I'll have managed to scale the circular staircase without dropping the computer!