Guanajuato 5: notes Sunday morning.

Somos en Mexico.

Somos en nuestra casa azul en el Calle San Roque.

Es la mañana de domingo.

Un milagro de la vida!


Last night, Saturday night.

EXTRA fiestas, EXTRA mariachis.

click on any image to enlarge all

This wonderful house has entry at ground, then bed and bath first (non-USA counting) floor, living, kitchen and dining on second floor, then big flat roof. See the blue arrow and blob I've put on this map.

at the other end of town
people know this
casa azul

The house is on a corner. Saturday night the mariachis and their gatherings of singing and dancing folk come down past windows of bedroom or living room and round the corner to windows of bathroom and kitchen,

See on the map the green line with arrows of the mariachi route. Down past us and round our corner.

And down 50 metres to the Plaza San Roque from which their continuing performances for swelling crowds lift to our room. Some of it sounds like girls at Beatles concerts in the 1960s. Wonderful sounds, dwindling from 10.30pm to 11.30pm.

In the night, little reminders that indeed we are in Mexico: the occasional fireworks, the occasional dog-on-a-veranda. Helen observes that Guanajuato dogs all smile, a smile she has not seen elsewhere.

At 6.30 this morning, the bells of San Roque began. A serious local church summoning the faithful. Repeatedly... as did other churches nearby.

I write now at 8.15am. They are fine bells, again.

Some people who move to the country in Australia complain about cows and calves calling each other in the night, or roosters calling the dawn.

seguramente usted entiende que
solo yo guao cortésmente

These are all sounds of place.

Our neighbouring dogs, just across the lane, right in front of our living room window, are not barking, they are very civilised, seldom aroused, gentle and loved.

The barks in this moment are from perhaps dogs living above busier streets far off.

we've never seen a dog bark in the street

Birds tweet.

Today we must go and see a polling place for the elections, probably at a school.

Yesterday in the afternoon we went down the hill, into the Templo San Roque, on down to the Jardin Reforms, along to the Mercado Hidalgo and westward into less touristy places on Avenida Benito Juarez.

the baroque is everywhere, with Mexican colour

inside San Roque
a serious, local working church, off the big-tourist-church map

outside, on the church steps, a private-as-you-can-find space

It needs to be appreciated that in Mexico this is not 'fringe' or 'Goth'
In the spiritual life of Mexicans the dead are with us and their existence celebrated,
and they are not lost.
These are big characters
CHULO = pimp    BONITA = beauty

peaceful afternoon in the Jardin Reforma

from the Jardin to Avenida Juarez

and the grand entrance to the Mercado Hidalgo

where there is more food shopping downstairs, some artesanal things upstairs

Also upstairs, four month old Fernando and his proud dad.
We see a lot of men in charge of babies and young children.

Such a grand art deco cinema! It could be in California... if it wasn't so colourful.

a multicultural, multiethnic world, so many people with such strength of character

la cocina cinese

this is such a wonderful 'corner shop'
... its awning like a dancer's skirt
... and it's roof? Well, as Helen noted, suitable for one pigeon only please.

I am a public telephone, listen to me, speak to me.

I am just an everyday wall in Mexico.

Here you can learn to dance, romantically

here we organise your deaths, dramatically, one by one

I am an Oxxo
 I am rather beautiful

thank you for seeing us

beauty in many things

the man was packing away his market stall which had stood before a remarkable wall

with grins, they initiated a slow, subtle Mexican wave to the camera
sometimes things are so exciting I don't take the shot

Almost home. No rain this afternoon.
Slow day in the umbrella shop.
Alhondiga to the right.