MEXICAN KALEIDOSCOPE: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TONY BURTON

I recently had a chat with geographer and author Tony Burton about his latest book Mexican Kaleidoscope: myths, mysteries, and mystique (Sombrero Books, 2016, 165 pages), a wide-ranging collection of  informative and often surprising vignettes gathered from Mexico's rich history and culture. Tony's unique book brings to light many little-known facts about this fascinating country and its people. A copy belongs on the bookshelf of every serious Mexicophile. 




JM: You have been writing about Mexico for many years, what first got you interested in the country?

Tony: Necessity! I was teaching geography in the Caribbean and the examination syllabus required a study of Mexico. The Mexican chapters in Robert West and John P. Augelli's wonderful book Middle America: Its Lands and Peoples were familiar friends by the time I spent the summer of 1977 touring the southern half of Mexico. Two years later, I returned to teach geography in Mexico City. The complexity of Mexico's geography kept me hooked, which is why I jumped at the opportunity a few years ago to collaborate with Dr. Richard Rhoda to write Geo-Mexico, the Geography and Dynamics of Modern Mexico. Amazingly, that book (published to coincide with Mexico's bicentenary celebrations in 2010) turned out to be the first ever English-language, college-level book devoted to Mexico's geography. (For more details, see geo-mexico.com)

JM: What prompted you to write Mexican Kaleidoscope?

Tony: I'd been planning to write a book along these lines for a number of years but only got sufficiently organized to carry through on the plan last year! One of my main motivations was that (to the best of my knowledge) no similar book for the general reader had been published in the past forty years. An incredible amount of interesting academic research has been done on Mexico over that time, leading to reevaluations and reinterpretations of many former ideas and beliefs. I wanted to make readers aware of some of these extraordinary developments, which continually refuel my passionate interest in Mexico.

JM: How did you come up with the title?

Tony: The title Mexican Kaleidoscope is a nod to a British writer, Norman Pelham Wright, whose own collection of essays, with the same title, was published in 1948. That book was an eye-opener for me when I first began to get intimately acquainted with Mexico more than forty years ago. The subtitle Myths, Mysteries and Mystique came from a suggestion by one of my regular golfing partners (who had read an early draft of the book) as we played the 11^th hole at Cottonwood Golf Course.

JM: A lot of research must have gone into this book. How long did it take you to write it? What were some of the challenges?

Tony: The research was done sporadically over more than twenty years, in conjunction with other writing projects. The main challenge was that because Mexico is such a fascinating country it was hard to decide what to include and what to omit!

JM: Mexican Kaleidoscope has 30 chapters. Which ones are your favorites? Why?

Tony: That's a great question, but actually I prefer not to answer since I hope readers will find and enjoy their own favorites. What I can say is that each and every chapter has come to mean far more to me than is expressed by mere words on a page. I really hope some of my enthusiasm comes through to readers.

JM: The book is illustrated by Mexican artist Enrique Velázquez. What do you think his drawings add to the text?

Tony: I've known Enrique and his family for many, many years. He has a keen interest in the subject matter and an uncanny ability to portray ideas in just a few lines. I originally envisioned using small, inline drawings to break up the text, much in the manner of old-time illustrators, but his final drawings were far too good for that, so we changed track and gave them the prominence and space they merit.

JM: What do you hope readers will take away from Mexican Kaleidoscope?

Tony: That's a tough question since I think it depends on what readers bring to the process. At the very least I'd like the book to cause readers to stop and think, to be occasionally surprised, and perhaps question things that they may have previously thought or heard about Mexico. As I've written elsewhere, Mexico is not always an easy country to understand but any effort to do so always seems to bring rich reward!

JM: Do you have any other books about Mexico in the works?

Tony: Yes. I'm hoping to complete a companion volume to Mexican Kaleidoscope by the second half of this year. Whereas Mexican Kaleidoscope focuses primarily on history and culture, the next book (title still under wraps) focuses on Mexico’s astonishingly varied natural history (flora and fauna) and its cultural connections. I'm also actively researching material for books about the twentieth century history of the Lake Chapala region, and about the development of that area's literary and artistic community. For that last project, I've begun publishing short profiles of some of the key players at sombrerobooks.com.

JM: How can Mexico Premiere fans order a copy of Mexican Kaleidoscope?

Tony: Both print and Kindle editions of Mexican Kaleidoscope are available via all Amazon sites - amazon.com, amazon.ca, etc. There are also ebook versions for Kobo and other ereaders via iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. Readers in the Lake Chapala area can find the book in local stores such as La Nueva Posada, Diane Pearl Collections, Mi México and in Enrique Velázquez's art gallery. I also have a limited number of copies that can be signed and personally dedicated for Mexico Premiere fans if they contact me via sales@sombrerobooks.com

PREVIOUS BOOKS BY TONY BURTON
Western Mexico,  A Traveler's Treasury (4th edition)
Chapala Through the Ages;  an anthology of travellers' tales (2008)
Co-author of Geo-Mexico, the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico

Merida 2014 Calendar

Earlier this year, I revisited the city of Mérida in the Mexican state of Yucátan. A lot has changed since I was first in Mérida back in 1987. What was once a relatively quiet provincial capital is now a cosmopolitan city of some one million souls. Still, Mérida turned our to be much as I remember it, especially the historical center, which has an eclectic mix of architecture, including handsome Spanish colonial buildings dating back to the 16th century. 

I was also pleased to discover that Mérida remains a colorful and inspiring place for photography. Fortunately, modernization (such as free public Wi-Fi in the lively main plaza) has not lessened the city's considerable charm. I've put together a 2014 Calender with a dozen favorite images from my Mérida trip. To get the most out of the calendar preview below, please click on the full screen icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Happy Birthday Diego Rivera

If the Mexican artist Diego Rivera were still alive, he would be turning 125 years young today. Born on December 8, 1886, in the Spanish colonial city of Guanajuato, Diego Rivera rose from relatively ordinary beginnings to become the most famous Mexican painter of the 20th century.

Rivera studied art first in Mexico City and then in Europe, where he was influenced by the likes of Picasso and Cézanne. However, his heart remained with the indigenous cultures, history, and landscapes of his homeland, to which he returned in 1921 and where he spent most of his working life.

Diego Rivera was a large man — standing over six feet tall and reportedly weighing in at more than 300 pounds — and his artistic and political visions matched his stature. In his art, Rivera never failed to champion the rights of the exploited and the oppressed peoples of his native Mexico. He is best known for the vast, often politically inspired murals featuring casts of thousands that cover the walls of public buildings in Mexico City and in other locales throughout the country. He also left his mark on edifices in New York City, Detroit and San Francisco.

Politically, Diego Rivera flirted with Communist ideology, and both he and his artist wife Frida Kahlo joined the Mexican Communist Party. Rivera's relationship with fellow Mexican Communists was a stormy one. Nonetheless, he was instrumental in helping the exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky gain political asylum in Mexico in 1936.

I discovered Diego Rivera's remarkable murals over 25 years ago during my first visit to Mexico City. They made such a deep impression on me that I continue to seek them out whenever I return to the Mexican capital. While Rivera has been criticized for his left-wing political views and idealism — which some claim were naive — his works endure as testaments to his boundless humanity and undeniable artistic genius. He was truly one of a kind.

Move the cursor over the screen of the slideshow below to view captions and locations (Mexico City, Cuernavaca, and Acapulco). Click on individual images to see larger versions and for information about ordering prints or downloading images for personal or editorial use.


Diego Rivera Murals - Images by John Mitchell

Mazatlan's Angela Peralta Theater

The Mexican resort of Mazatlán is best known for its sunshine, sandy beaches, and raucous nightlife fueled by locally brewed Pacifico beer. However, this vibrant city of some 500,000 souls also has a sophisticated cultural life, much of which centers around the beautifully restored 19th-century Teatro Angela Peralta.

This Neoclassical style opera house started life in 1874 as the Teatro Rubio. It was renamed the Teatro Angela Peralta after the world-renowned Mexican opera singer Angela Peralta and most of her troupe died of yellow fever during a visit to Mazatlán in 1883. Tragically, Angela Peralta never got to perform in the theater that is now dedicated to her memory. She was only 38 years old when she passed away.



The Teatro Angela Peralta thrived until 1964, staging operas, plays, and even boxing matches. The theater then fell into disuse and was all but abandoned. Adding insult to injury, it was eventually flooded by a hurricane in 1975 and was later used as a parking garage. Not until 1987 did the city decide to start restoring the Teatro Angelo Peralta as part of an ambitious plan to rejuvenate Mazatlan's extensive historical center, which includes 180 city blocks of handsome 19th-century and early 20th-century architecture.



Restoration of the dilapidated structure took five years, and it reopened in 1992. A gallery on the theater's second floor displays black and white photographs chronicling the reconstruction. One memorable image shows a roofless ruin with a large tree growing where the theater's main stage now stands. Today, the Teatro Angela Peralta has become the primary symbol of Old Mazatlan's revitalization. The theater attracts international talent and once again hosts concerts and theatrical presentations. It is also home to an acclaimed dance company and school.

The Teatro Angela Peralta is located on Avenida Carnaval just off Plazuela Machado, Old Mazatlan's lively main plaza. For 12 pesos (about $1.00), visitors can explore the theater's sumptuous interior and archival photo gallery. Opening hours are 8am until 3pm daily.

Mundo Maya 2012 Celebrations

The ancient Maya viewed time as cyclical, and on December 21, 2012, the Maya Long Count calendar will reset itself to zero like a cosmic odometer, thus completing a cycle of 5,125 years. This portentous date may or may not herald a new age of enlightenment for mankind or signal the end of the world as various self-proclaimed prophets and doomsayers predict. But one thing is certain: there are going to be celebrations of all things Maya held throughout 2012 in the region known as the Mundo Maya.

To help travelers plan for these diverse events, Avalon Travel has just released MOON MAYA 2012: A Guide to Celebrations in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize & Honduras. The guide's author Joshua Berman manages to pack an impressive amount of information into this slim volume's 115 pages. There are chapters devoted to all four countries comprising the Mundo Maya. Included are descriptions of Maya archaeological sites, maps and directions, plus sections on 2012 tours, community tourism, and hotel packages. Each of these chapters begins with a first-person narrative -- something seldom found in today's guidebooks -- based on Joshua Berman's extensive travels in the region.

Sprinkled throughout the guide are interviews with archaeologists, authors, and other experts on the Maya. A concluding chapter supplies background on history and the Maya Long Count, as well as lists of relevant books, websites and films. There are even glossaries of words and common expressions in Yucatec and Tzotzil, two of the most widely spoken Maya languages. In short, this innovative and useful guide belongs in the backpack of anyone heading off to experience the Mundo Maya in 2012.

Also check out my post on Ten Places to visit in the Mundo Maya Before December 2012

Back from the Riviera Maya and Sacred Mayan Journey

As mentioned in my last post, I was invited to attend the annual Sacred Mayan Journey event (May 19-21, 2011) on the Riviera Maya in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. This event brings back to life an ancient Mayan religious pilgrimage to the island of Cutzamil (modern-day Cozumel) back to life. It involves about 300 men and women volunteers from the Riviera Maya communities of Xcaret, Cozumel and Playa del Carmen who train for months in order to make the grueling 100-kilometer (60-mile) round trip to Cozumel in up to 30 traditional Mayan dugout canoes. The crossing takes at least five hours each way on the rough waters of the Cozumel channel.

This year, the Riviera Maya marked the fifth anniversary of the Sacred Mayan Journey event. The event began at Xcaret with the re-creation of an ancient Mayan market or Kii’wik. Before entering the market, our small group of travel journalists were told to put our pesos and dollars away. Each of us was then given a bag of cacao beans (most other visitors had to pay for theirs), which were used as currency by the Maya in pre-Hispanic times. Once inside the bustling outdoor marketplace, we were immersed in a world of exotic sights, sounds, and smells.

The pungent odor of copal incense wafted through the air, and the local Mayan dialect replaced Spanish as vendors dressed in traditional costumes hawked their wares. Offered for sale in a maze of wooden stalls were honey, seashell jewelry, herbs and spices, fresh produce, plus a host of other earthy delights. Craftspeople were hard at work making baskets and wooden carvings, while others cooked tortillas and roasted cacao beans in huge ceramic bowls. The market was obviously theater. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was upbeat and proceeds from sales went to help local Maya communities.



Leaving the market, we joined the throng heading towards the seaside village of Polé to watch the opening ceremonies. En route, we were purified by clouds of copal incense pouring from chalices held high by dancers clad in white gowns. The path wound through lush forest past a voluptuous effigy of Ixchel surrounded by offerings of flowers, ears of corn, and squash. Soon we arrived at the beach where there was a palpable air of anticipation as the spectators awaited the arrival of warriors with Guerrero Gonzalez, a shipwrecked Spanish sailor who had been captured and enslaved by the Maya.

What followed was a program of traditional music, colorful purification rituals and dances that stretched into the night. Our small group eventually headed back to our comfy hotel, the Hacienda Tres Rios, for a few hours of shuteye before returning to Polé to witness the departure of the boats. At the first light of dawn, we were back at the cove with some 3000 people watching the hardy paddlers climb into their canoes and sail off into the choppy water under a pink-tinged sky. Shamans, along with baritone blasts from conch-shell horns and cheers from the crowd, bid the seafarers farewell. Once at Cutzamil, the oarsmen would present the slave Guerrero Gonzalez and other offerings to Ixchel and then ask the goddess for her blessings, which they would take back to the mainland.

On the following afternoon, we gathered on the beach at Xamanhá, now the resort city of Playa del Carmen, to await the pilgrims’ return. The crowd eagerly scanned the horizon for signs of the canoes. Suddenly they appeared from around a rocky point, accompanied by two Mexican naval vessels. Bravos rang out as the first canoes hit the sandy shore, and a wave of people ran to greet and hug the paddlers.

A closing ceremony ensued with more music, dancing and theater, this time featuring a reborn Guerrero Gonzalez, who had been granted his freedom while on Cutzamil and was about to elope with an alluring Mayan princess. Most moving of all, though, was the presentation of awards to the paddlers, who looked tired and sunburned but were obviously in high spirits. The glowing looks on the participants' faces as they received medals and certificates spoke of their sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that will no doubt ensure the continuation of this demanding journey in years to come.

Here is a slideshow of some of my photos taken at this year's Sacred Mayan Journey event. Move the cursor over the screen to view captions. Click on individual images to see larger versions and for information on ordering prints or downloading photos.


Sacred Mayan Journey 2011 - Images by John Mitchell

Off on a Sacred Mayan Journey

Next week, I will be heading off to the Riviera Maya to attend the Sacred Mayan Journey event (May 19-21). This annual ceremony is the recreation of an ancient Mayan pilgrimage in seagoing canoes to the Island of Cozumel, where the Maya used to worship the moon goddess Ixchel. I shall also be visiting the archaeological sites of Tulum and Cobá. After my return, I will be posting reports of this trip (including lots of photos). So please check back later...

Mexico City's Museums

When it comes to Mexico City's museums, most people have probably heard of the world-famous National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park and the Frida Kahlo Museum in Coyoacan. But how many know about the likes of the Antique Toy Museum, the Watercolor Museum, or the National Museum of Interventions?

The fact is that Mexico City claims to have more museums than any other city in the world -- at least 150 according to some sources -- and exploring them all could easily become a lifelong project. Over the years, I've visited as many of Mexico City's museums as time has allowed, but I still have an awfully long way to go. Here is a slide-show of some of the museums that I've managed to poke my camera into so far.

Move the cursor over the screen to view captions. Click on individual images for information on ordering prints or on downloading files for personal or editorial use.


Mexico City Museums - Images by John Mitchell


 

Puebla's Talavera Tiles

When I think of Puebla, what always come to mind first are the brightly colored Talavera tiles that turn the domes and facades of this Mexican city's many churches and other handsome Spanish colonial buildings into geometric fantasies. These mesmerizing azulejos (tiles) date back to the 16th century, when tile-makers from Talavera, Spain, settled in Mexico and began producing the durable Talavera pottery and tiles for which Puebla has become famous. Puebla's artisans eventually added Italian, Chinese and indigenous designs to the original Moorish ones, creating what has become a truly Mexican ceramic tradition.

Below is a slide-show featuring some of my photos of Puebla's Talavera tiles. Move the cursor over the screen to read captions. Click on individual images for information about ordering prints or leasing photos for personal, editorial, or commercial use.


Puebla's Talavera Tiles - Images by John Mitchell

Copan Sculpture Museum: A Journey Through the Maya Universe

The ancient Maya city of Copan has been called the "Athens of the New World," mainly because of the remarkable stone sculptures that define these famous ruins in western Honduras. In order to preserve Copan's artistic treasures from the ravages of time, many sculptures have been replaced with on-site replicas and the originals moved to the spacious Copan Sculpture Museum next to the archaeological zone.

Visitors enter the partially buried museum through the toothy jaws of a Maya Earth monster and then proceed along a twisting tunnel that represents the path to the Maya underworld. Once inside the museum's vast atrium, they are confronted by a full-scale replica of Rosalila (Rose-Lilac), an impressive 1400-year-old temple that was discovered in 1989 beneath one of Copan's main structures.

Natural light from a huge opening in the museum's roof washes over Rosalila, bringing to life colorful stucco friezes depicting sacred ears of corn, birds, and two-headed monsters. Surrounding the two-story temple are hundreds of the finest stone carvings in the Maya world. They have been arranged to mirror Maya cosmology, which divided the universe into three levels: the underworld, the surface world, and the heavens.



Underworld denizens such as giant killer bats and wide-eyed demons populate the museum's lower floor, while heavenly beings and likenesses of Copan's nobles decked out in finery can be found on the upper level. Sections of intricately carved building facades are also on display, and the main gallery's ceiling has been decorated with Maya astronomical glyphs representing stars and planets.

Below is a slide-show of photos that I have taken on three visits (1996, 2006, and  2010) to the Copan Sculpture Museum. Move the cursor over the screen to read captions. Click on the images to see larger views and for information about ordering prints or leasing photos for personal or editorial use.


Copan Sculpture Museum - Images by John Mitchell

Fabrica La Aurora: Shop 'Til You Drop in San Miguel de Allende

With its many boutiques and galleries, San Miguel de Allende has long been one of the most popular shopping towns in Mexico. Now this charming Spanish colonial city has yet another "shop 'til you drop" option to add to its credentials: Fabrica La Aurora Art and Design Center, which is located only a short walk or taxi ride from downtown San Miguel.



Fabrica La Aurora occupies a historical building that for most of the 20th century was a large textile factory. La Aurora, as the factory was known, began operating in 1902 and became the biggest employer in San Miguel de Allende as well as an integral part of the community. Free trade agreements forced the family who owned the factory to close it in 1991 after Mexico was flooded with cotton imports.



La Aurora started coming back to life in 2001 as a new art and design center. Today the rambling structure is a labyrinth of interior design stores, fabric and handicrafts boutiques, art galleries, plus functioning artists' studios. There is also a well-stocked bookstore with a good selection of English-language books. The complex has three restaurants, including a pleasant open-air café that serves espresso drinks and what could be the tastiest banana bread in Mexico.

Old textile machines and other pieces of idle equipment languish among the shops and studios as reminders of the building's past. There are also attractive architectural details such as ornate wrought-iron gates, skylights, and towering brick archways. Even for non-shoppers, Fabrica La Aurora is a rewarding place to spend an afternoon exploring a slice of San Miguel's recent history and enjoying some of the most innovative artwork that the town has to offer.

For more information, visit the Fabrica La Aurora website.

Move  the cursor over the slide-show below to view captions. Click on images for information about ordering prints or leasing photos for personal or editorial use.


Fabrica la Aurora, San Miguel de Allende - Images by John Mitchell

Guanajuato's Independence Route

During 2010, Mexico is commemorating both the bicentennial of its War of Independence against Spain and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. As part of the celebrations, a number of specially marked historical routes along the nation's highways have been established.

Mexico's struggle for independence began on September 15, 1810, when a parish priest named Miguel Hidalgo issued his famous call to arms or "Grito de Dolores" in the town of Dolores Hidalgo. On the following day, Hidalgo and his ragtag army of some 20,000 rebels marched to the city of Guanajuato where they stormed the Alhondiga de Granaditas. Barricaded inside this former granary's massive walls were Spanish troops and wealthy loyalists. With the help a local miner nicknamed "El Pipila," who managed to set the Alhondiga's wooden doors on fire, the rebels entered the Alhondiga after a long siege and killed almost everyone inside, thereby winning the first battle of the war.

One of the "Ruta 2010" road trips that I can highly recommend is the Ruta de la Independencia (Independence Route) in the state of Guanajuato. This tour begins in Dolores Hidalgo and ends in the city of Guanajuato. The itinerary includes stops at ten of the historical locales visted by Miguel Hidalgo and his insurgents on their march to Guanajuato.

Below is a slide-show of some of the places along the Independence Route that I have explored. Mouse over the images to view captions. Please click on individual slides for more information.


Guanajuato - Independence Route - Images by John Mitchell

So many World Heritage Sites, so little time...

When I first started traveling to Mexico in the 1980's, one of my goals was to eventually visit all of that country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The list was considerably shorter back then, but it was still an ambitious project.

Mexico now has 31 properties (27 Cultural and four Natural) inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which is more than any other nation in the Americas. I've managed to explore 25 of these sites over the years, and I hope to be around long enough to complete my plans. However, this may not be as easy as it sounds. Mexico has a lineup of places waiting to be added to the World Heritage List, so it promises to keep getting longer.

Some of the most recent sites in Mexico to have been submitted to UNESCO for consideration are the Spanish colonial city of San Luis Potosi, Ria Celestun and Izamal in the Yucatan, as well as the surrealist sculpture garden of Las Pozas in the state of San Luis Potosi.

Here is a slide-show of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mexico that I've been lucky enough to visit. Please mouse over the screen to view the captions. Click on individual images for information about licensing or ordering prints.


Mexico's World Heritage Sites - Images by John Mitchell

The Jardin del Arte in Mexico City

You don't have to look very hard to find artwork in Mexico City. The city brims with murals, sculptures, and galleries. One of my favorite places to check out the work of both professional and amateur artists is the Jardín del Arte, an outdoor art show held every Sunday in Sullivan Park. Artists of all kinds and abilities display and sell their creations in this tranquil park located near the busy intersection of Avenida Insurgentes and the Paseo de la Reforma. Lining the tree-shaded pathways are exhibits of everything from traditional landscape paintings and miniatures of Spanish colonial architecture to modern sculptures and lively abstract canvases the size of doors.

Click on the images below to see larger views.

The San Miguel de Allende Historical Museum

Sagging American and Canadian retirees aren’t the only ones getting facelifts in San Miguel de Allende these days. The Museo Historico de San Miguel de Allende has been remodeled by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) as part of Mexico’s Independence Bicentennial celebrations.

This compact museum – often overlooked by foreign tourists – is housed in a handsome colonial-era building next to the Gothic-style Parroquia (parish church) on San Miguel’s main square. The museum has two patios surrounded by arcades and two floors of displays chronicling the history of San Miguel de Allende and the Mexican Independence War that began in 1810. Highlighted is the role of Ignacio Allende, a hero of Mexico’s independence movement who was born in San Miguel in 1779. There are also documentary videos plus a replica of a Spanish colonial pharmacy with original medicines and fittings.

Restoration of the museum took two years to complete and included the installation of better lighting, a new security system, plus new drain and electrical systems. The museum was re-inaugurated by Felipe Calderon, the current president of Mexico, on April 4th, 2009.

The San Miguel de Allende Historical Museum is located at 1 Cuna de Allende Street. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is about US$3.00.

Move the cursor over the slide-show below to view captions. Click on images to see larger views and for information about ordering prints or leasing photos for personal or editorial use.


San Miguel de Allende History Museum - Images by John Mitchell

Old Quito, Ecuador

With a population estimated at close to two million, Quito is Ecuador’s capital and second largest city. It also claims to be the second highest capital in the world after La Paz, Bolivia.

Quito’s air may be thin, but the city is thick with history. Quito sits on the ruins of an Incan city that the Incas burned to the ground rather than have it fall into Spanish clutches. The Spanish Conquistadors established the city of San Francisco de Quito in 1534. They proceeded to Christianize local Indians and use them as laborers to build splendid churches, convents, and monasteries. Most of these architectural treasures are still around. In fact, downtown Quito is so well preserved that it was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978.

I felt protected by an angel while wandering through old Quito’s plazas and labyrinthine streets. Wherever I went, I could see the winged Virgin of Quito, hovering above the low-rise colonial architecture like a guardian angel. This huge statue stands on a hill called El Panecillo or “Little Bread Loaf” to the south of the old town. It is said to be the only depiction of a winged Virgin in the Americas. The monument was apparently modeled after an apocalyptic vision from the biblical book of Revelations. Quito’s unusual Virgin wears a crown of stars, and she balances on top of a chained dragon and a large globe of the world.



The heart of Quito’s Old Town is the Plaza de la Independencia, which locals usually call the Plaza Grande. This large square dates back to the 16th century and is flanked by some of the city’s most important buildings, including Quito’s austere-looking cathedral, and the white presidential palace or Palacio de Gobierno with its handsome colonnades. Looking like a wallflower on the north side of Plaza Grande is a nondescript modern administration building that was built to replace a crumbling colonial structure. Tall marble columns surmounted by a bronze statue of Liberty marks the center of the plaza.

The Plaza Grande is one of the best places for people-watching in old Quito. I visited the plaza on a Sunday when it was packed with Quiteños – as people from Quito are called – relaxing and chatting on wrought-iron benches. Quito is a conservative place, and most of the older people were dressed in their Sunday best. Some ladies had brought parasols to protect themselves from the strong equatorial sun. Children were running about dipping their hands in the splashing baroque fountains, chasing flocks of pigeons, and dodging people strolling to and from the area’s numerous churches.

I soon discovered that it was difficult to walk more than two blocks in old Quito without bumping into a church. Quito’s churches tend to be plain and formal on the outside. However, I found a notable exception one block west of the Plaza Grande. La Compañia de Jésus church has the most ornate baroque facade in Ecuador. It reportedly took 160 over years to build La Compañia and carve the collage of cherubs, sacred hearts and other icons ringing its stone entranceway.

The church’s gilded nave and towering altar smothered in gold leaf are truly a Conquistador’s dream come true. Tourism brochures often refer to La Compañia as “Quito’s Sistine Chapel.” Peering up at the church’s vaulted ceiling, I could see why: Moorish geometric designs inlaid with gold glittered in the diffuse light, and dozens of somber paintings depicting saints and religious scenes hung from the sweeping arches.

If Plaza Grande is the heart of Quito, then the Plaza San Francisco is the city’s soul. This vast cobblestone square is ringed by colonial buildings and bordered on its west side by the high white walls and twin spires of the San Francisco Church and Monastery. The plaza was built on the site of the original Inca city’s marketplace, which buzzed with traders from all over the northern Andes.

When I was there, Indian women wearing their signature narrow-brimmed fedoras approached me hawking multicolored weavings, and men bent double under enormous loads strapped to their backs plodded by. I joined the Sunday crowds filing into San Francisco Church. Once inside the church’s dark interior, I found myself engulfed by a sea of glinting baroque carvings and the echoes of hundreds of feet shuffling across creaking wooden floors as they have for centuries.

IF YOU GO

Quito’s Old Town has few services for travelers. Most stay in the Mariscal Sucre district in new Quito. This compact neighborhood northeast of the old town is full of budget hotels, restaurants, and stores catering to tourists. The best way to get to old Quito from Mariscal Sucre is on the efficient and inexpensive (fare $0.30) trolley bus system. The trolleys have their own lanes and can zip right through Quito’s frequent traffic jams. Taxis are also cheap and plentiful. Most of old Quito’s museums are closed on Mondays. The tourism information office on the Plaza de la Independencia supplies a good map of Quito and brochures.

Below is a slide-show featuring some of my Quito photos. Move the cursor over the screen to view captions. Click on images to see larger views and for information about ordering prints or leasing for personal or editorial use.


Old Quito, Ecuador - Images by John Mitchell

Tepotzotlan's Colonial Treasures

The first thing that catches your eye when you step off the bus in downtown Tepotzotlan is the Iglesia de San Francisco Javier with its soaring three-tiered bell tower and richly decorated façade. This extravagant 17th-century church is considered to be one of the finest examples of Churrigueresque (Mexican baroque) architecture in Mexico.

Tepotzotlan is a pleasant colonial town on the northern edge of Mexico City’s urban sprawl. A lively outdoor handicrafts market held in the main square and streets lined with outdoor restaurants make Tepotzotlan a popular weekend retreat among people from the capital. However, the main reason for visiting the town is the Museo Nacional de Virreinato (National Museum of the Viceroyalty) that occupies a former Jesuit monastery adjacent to the San Francisco Javier church.

The monastery originally housed two schools, one for indigenous children and another for novice priests. During the early 1960’s, the building was extensively restored and turned into a museum displaying religious art and other artifacts from Mexico’s colonial period. The San Francisco Javier church and Jesuit monastery were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Behind the monastery’s walls lies a maze of corridors and rooms surrounding two main courtyards. The larger courtyard, the Patio of the Reservoirs, gets its name from cisterns that are still used to collect rainwater. This space was reserved for the Jesuit priests and school children. Fronting the patio is an apothecary room with 17th-century murals documenting the medicine-related work of several Catholic saints.



Smaller and more intimate, the second courtyard is called the Patio of the Oranges, after the scented orange trees growing in it. Novice priests apparently used this area for rest and recreation, amusing themselves with worldly pastimes such as bowling and billiards. The cloister’s upper floor harbors religious murals and the students’ library, whose shelves are stocked with some 4000 antique books in Latin, Greek, Spanish, and French.

Hidden away in another corner of the monastery, the lavishly decorated Chapel of the Novices or Capilla Domestica has a towering gilded altar festooned with mirrors, portraits of saints, statuettes, and reliquaries. Here, the novice monks prayed and no doubt did their best to look pious under a vaulted ceiling ringed with the crests of the various religious orders that came to Christianize the peoples of New Spain.

Most of the museum’s exhibits can be found in a series of large rooms once occupied by Jesuit fathers. On display are important paintings, furniture, carvings, textiles and countless other colonial treasures from Mexico’s viceregal period, which lasted from the Spanish Conquest in 1521 to the beginning of the 19th century. There are also some haunting pre-Columbian artifacts plus a fascinating “diagram of the castes,” an 18th-century painting depicting the various racial mixes that resulted from interbreeding during the colonization of Mexico.

From the monastery, a narrow staircase leads to the San Francisco Xavier church. It becomes obvious upon entering this opulent building that the Jesuits were neither short on missionary zeal nor strapped for cash. During the 18th century, they commissioned some of New Spain’s finest architects and artists to create the church’s sumptuous baroque altarpieces, all of which were fashioned from polychromed wood and covered in gold leaf, statues, and paintings.



The church’s resplendent main altar is dedicated San Francisco Xavier, patron saint of the monastery. Other altars include one devoted to San Ignacio de Loyola, principal founder of the Jesuit order, plus another honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. Equally impressive are the jewel-box-like Relicario de San Jose, a glittering room built to store valuable relics, and an octagonal chamber known as the Camarin de la Virgen, which has celestial scenes painted on its ceiling.

All this gold and glitter can get a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, the museum offers visitors a quiet refuge. Its pleasant open-air restaurant is an ideal place to relax over regional specialties such as tortilla soup or huitlacoche crepes while contemplating a peaceful courtyard filled with flowering bougainvillea and ghosts from Mexico’s colonial past.

GETTING THERE

The easiest way to get to Tepotzotlan from downtown Mexico City is to take the metro (subway) to the El Rosario station and then catch a minibus, which will let you off beside the Iglesia de San Francisco Javier. The trip from El Rosario to Tepotzotlan costs 10 Mexican pesos (abiut US$1.00) and takes about 75 minutes. The Museo Nacional de Virreinato (Plaza Hidalgo 99) is open from Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6 pm. Admission is 43 pesos (about US$4.25).


Tepotzotlan, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

Preserving Las Pozas in San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Las Pozas is truly one of the hidden wonders of 20th-century Mexico. Located in the lush rain forest of the isolated Huasteca Potosina region of San Luis Potosi state, this remarkable surrealistic sculpture garden was created by Edward James, an eccentric British poet, nature lover, and art patron. Between 1949 and 1984, James built 36 fantastical concrete sculptures in an 80-acre parcel of jungle near the mountain town of Xilitla.

Born in 1907 into extreme wealth, young Edward James lived a life of privilege. He was brought up on 6000-acre West Dean Estate in West Essex and attended Eton and Oxford. James later mingled with London high-society and embraced the literary and art worlds of his time. After a failed marriage to dancer Tilly Losch, James moved to Europe where he befriended Salvador Dali, Magritte and other members of the nascent surrealist movement. Knowing a good thing when he saw it, Edward James amassed a large collection of surrealist paintings, which he later sold to finance the construction of his own artistic fantasies at Las Pozas.

Today, a visit to Las Pozas offers a walk through a fairytale world of giant bamboo-shaped columns surmounted by concrete flowers, and half-finished cement towers sprouting leafy motifs and tentacles of rusted rebar. Precarious spiral staircases ascend to the open sky, and narrow bridges lead to pristine waterfalls tumbling through the trees. Surprises await at each turn in the winding path: faded yellow and blue Gothic arches clinging to weathered facades, stone walls with eye-shaped peepholes surveying the greenery, and giant fleurs de lys sculptures blooming in the tangled undergrowth.

Edward James died in 1984, leaving Las Pozas in the care of his longtime friend and construction supervisor Plutarco Gastelum. In 2007, the Gastelum family sold Las Pozas to Fondo Xilitla, a nonprofit organization established to preserve and repair Las Pozas' sculptures, which are slowly being devoured by the jungle. Like a true surrealist, Edward James felt that his home should never be finished, so it is only fitting that Fondo Xilitla is planning to pick up where James left off.

GETTING THERE: Xilitla is situated about 350 kms (220 miles) southeast of the city of San Luis Potosi. There is frequent first-class bus service from San Luis Potosi (via Ciudad Valles) to Xilitla. The most interesting place to stay in Xilitla is the Posada El Castillo, Edward James' former home and something of a surrealist fantasy itself. An attractive alternative is the Hostal del Cafe, a welcoming small hotel set in a patch of tropical jungle only a few minutes walk from downtown Xilitla. Las Pozas lies three km (two miles) north of Xilita. Admission is about US$3.00. Opening hours are daily from 9am until 6pm. For more information about Fondo Xilitla, visit the organization's website.

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Las Pozas Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

UNESCO World Heritage Status Likely for San Luis Potosi

San Luis Potosi has never received as much attention as its famous neighbors, Guanajuato and Zacatecas, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. But this situation could change in 2010, when it is likely that San Luis Potosi will also be added to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.

True, San Luis Potosi doesn't overwhelm your senses with spectacular architecture the way some of Mexico's Spanish colonial cities do, rather its beauty lies in the details: ornate iron balconies, neoclassical doorways, and understated facades decorated with intricate crests and scrollwork reveal themselves as you wander its orderly grid of streets.

The Spanish founded San Luis Potosi in 1592 after they discovered gold and silver at Cerro de San Pedro in the nearby mountains. San Luis soon became one of the most important and wealthiest cities in New Spain and a major stop on the Camino Real or Royal Road, along which silver and gold were transported from Zacatecas south to coffers in Mexico City.

San Luis Potosi is organized around six plazas, each with its own personality and unique blend of architectural styles representing four centuries of building sprees. At the heart of the historical center lies the sprawling Plaza de Armas with its 17th-century baroque cathedral, and somber-looking Palacio Municipal and Palacio de Gobierno, both dating back to the 19th century.

The 17th-century Edifico de la Antigua Caja Real or Old Royal Treasury Building near the Plaza de Armas is currently being restored to help meet part of the requirements outlined by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee during its 33rd session that was held in Seville, Spain, in June 2009. It is now anticipated that the UNESCO committee will inscribe San Luis Potosi on the World Heritage list during its 34th session in 2010.

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San Luis Potosi - Images by John Mitchell

For more details, visit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's website

Teotihuacan Exhibition in Mexico City

At its peak in around 500 A.D., Teotihuacan was home to between 100,000 and 200,000 people, making it the largest and most influential urban state in Mesoamerica. Teotihuacan's wide avenues lined with temples and ceremonial platforms stretched some five kilometres through the sun-baked Valley of Mexico, and its massive stone pyramids rivaled those of ancient Egypt. This immense city mysteriously fell into sudden decline during the eighth century and was eventually sacked and burned by looters.

Fortunately, many of the exquisite objects created by Teotihuacan's artisans have survived. Over 400 of these precious artifacts -- including masks, sculptures, obsidian knives, braziers, jewelry, ceramics, and mural fragments -- are currently on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City's Chapultepec Park. This temporary exhibit, which is entitled "Teotihuacan City of Gods," will run until August 16, 2009. Admission is free and the opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

For more information, visit the exhibition's Website.