Zacatecas y Real de Catorce

Hi! I'm gonna go ahead and skip the apologies this time. Get to the good stuff. Which is belated of course, but ni modo (meaning oh well, if I haven't already explained that one.) For some reason I'm not really feeling wordy today, so I'll probably mostly just put up pictures.

Ummm the first big adventure of the semester was in January to the city of Zacatecas in the state of the same name and Real de Catorce in San Luís Potosí, with Edgar and Megan.

On the way to Zacatecas we stopped at these ruins called La Quemada...or the burned lady? We did a LOT of climbing and, ironically, a lot of getting burnt. I got some reeeally unfortunate tan lines that I'm still trying to get rid of. Here's what it looked like:


Then we headed to Zacatecas, a colonial city that is, in my opinion, really similar to Guanajuato. But that doesn't mean it wasn't gorgeous! Like I said...not feeling wordy. So, more pictures.

This is what the city looks like at night. Check out the light in the top right corner. There's a big hill that we took a little cable car up to the next day.


Some art museum we also visited the following day and another church behind it. We went hunting for a lot of prettily-lit buildings that night. Oh. And it was COLD. Even though it was just January, it was already warm in Guadalajara, so it didn't occur to me to bring any warm clothes. Thankfully, Megan lent me a sweatshirt. :)


Sketch sketch sketch sketch sketch


The church (cathedral?) there. It was chock full of saint designs, and then across the street there was like a little replica with the saints labeled so you could look at this little plaque and look at the church and know Who's Who in Zacatecas.


Thennnnnnn we went to Real de Catorce, an ex-mining town. The only way to get in is like a 2 mile long tunnel (Mom, let's go there!). Only one row of cars fits, so there are guys with walkie talkies on either side directing traffic.


This is what the town looks like once you actually get in it. It's where The Mexican was filmed. I guess this picture doesn't really show it much though.


We ate delicious food, like the gorditas ("fatties"-- little corn dough thingies filled with potato, sausage, whatever your little heart might desire) Edgar and Megan are devouring here. Fortunately, you can buy these in GDL.


We also stayed in a reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally sketchy hotel. For example, there was a drive-though window separating the bedroom and the bathroom. We stopped in one hotel to ask if there was room, and a lobbyfull of rowdy guys drinking and watching the Superbowl offered that Megan and I stay in their rooms. Mexicans live up to the stereotype of being hospitable.


On the other side of town, we walked to a super super super old church. It was super super super interesting because it had the Virgin of Guadalupe (The Virgin Mary as she appeared to a Mexican...basically a national symbol and can turn into what seems to be a religion of its own) up front, and the crucifix on the wing.


When you turn around from where the last shot was taken, this is the view.


Then we went horseback riding! We chose this over a desert walk in search of a hallucinogenic plant that a group of Jalisco Indians called the Huicholes (wee-chole-ays) come on a pilgrimage for. Said plant, peyote (pay-oh-tay), is illegal in the town but not if you go find it yourself in the desert. But despite the fact that it was January, I had no desire to go for a stroll in any desert.


Here's the town from afar-- what we saw when we were horseback riding.


We went up to the top of this mountain (involved some walking..boo) where the Huicholes have a little ceremonial place. Except they walk the entire way we went on horseback. Here are the inside and the outside of the ceremonial hut.

It was so neat to see everything that was inside that people had brought on the pilgrimage with them. I suggest clicking on this picture to enlarge it and see for yourself. My favorite part was the "God's eyes" that you make in art class or Sunday school.


More coming soon! I am stuck at home because my school canceled classes till today and then teachers got lazy and made classes this week optional, or canceled them. This swine flu has made me realize I have been spelling canceled wrong all my life. Apparently there is only one l. I could be writing an essay I'm supposed to turn in for a final next week, but yuck. Anyways, more stories about the swine flu...sorry...human flu coming soon.