More of Mexico, into Guatemala
March 9 – 16th, 2010
March 9 – 16th, 2010
The flight to Guadalajara from Puerto Vallarta in a single engine prop was surprisingly delightful – flying low over the jungle-covered mountains (Sierra Madre) was breathtaking. (The private airports here are gems – obviously built for the rich gringos, complete with excellent art and ultra modern/high tech bathrooms that would be the envy of any US art museum.) We weren’t quite low enough to see the creatures that roam there – jaguars among them – but could certainly appreciate how rural and inaccessible much of Mexico still is. (Electricity did not come to Puerto Vallarta until the late 1950’, an example of the slow spread of some of the better aspects of urbanity.)
In addition to the circular mountain tops of extinct volcanoes, we also could see the fertile valleys neatly divided by farmers – for crops mostly of bluish agave for tequila (a major product of Mexico) and sugar cane as well as for the ranching of cattle.
Guadalajara is a booming city – 2nd in population after Mexico City – and one that its residents are clearly proud of. Litter which had been so noticeable in the places we visited a month or so ago was minimal – especially in the old colonial town. Architectural examples from the era of New Spain abounded but so did handsome structures (and monuments) from after Independence was declared and won (1810-1821) and the major Revolution (1910). A city rich in the history of both pivotal events. (Mexico is going to go crazy with celebrations this year – as 2010 marks the bicentennial of independence and the centennial of the revolution.)
In addition to the sculptures celebrating the involvement of the population in the revolution and independence battles, and the ever-present amazing church facades and rooflines, we viewed the angry murals painted by one of Mexico’s most famous artists, J. Orozco. We have had a couple of superb lectures that mentioned him but mostly focused on better known Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera (and the movie Frida was shown as well); the dominant point being that post-revolution art promoted not just land reform, a secular (rather than Catholic) ideology and the new Mexican identity (Mestizo as opposed to Spanish heritage) but also Communist (cap C) ideas and faces…what got Rivera in so much trouble with Rockefeller. M
urals were a popular form because of their ability to tell a story to viewers who were not literate.
urals were a popular form because of their ability to tell a story to viewers who were not literate.We had lunch in the outdoor courtyard of a restaurant vouched as safe for visiting tummies (I certainly hope so) in the arts and crafts town of Tlaquepaque (the same name as its younger version in Sedona AZ).
The trip back to Puerto Vallarta was a visual treat – the Mexican sunsets are famous for their beauty but from an airborne perspective even more so. We could also see rows of fires in the fields set by the farmers who use the resulting ash as fertilizer for the next planting. We were late getting back and Bill was in a tizzy…convinced the little plane had gone down. He was also upset because his scooter has ceased to function and a cure will depend on getting a new battery (unlikely until we reach FTL).
After another sea day, we arrived on Bill’s b’day in a little town that Bill had visited 3 decades ago when it was truly a quaint fishing village. He loves to say the name: Zihuatanejo (zee-what-a-nay-ho). No longer a sleepy place! The new Wal-Mart (under a different name down here) has just opened. However, the place still is well off the beaten track and the crescent-shaped harbor is too small for the big ships…even we had to tender (seeing speckled rays swimming around in the quiet harbor as we went). Our excursion started with a beach visit where the last, stunningly lovely scene of the Shawshank Redemption was filmed. The beaches here are glorious: many still unspoiled and empty…thus far. 
Then on to a coconut plantation to see all phases of the operation (nothing is wasted – this is a v poor country). As we drove we saw cultivated mango, banana, papaya fields along with fruits less familiar to us (such as noni which looked to us too much like a caterpillar – dimply and yellow and squishy – to consider taking a bite of it despite its prodigious health claims). We also learned that the coconut tree was brought here from the Philippines. Then to an indigenous terracotta tile “factory” (none of it is mechanized from the digging of the clay to the sun drying and then firing of the tiles, using coconut husks as the fuel for the kiln). This is a cottage industry of the Indians who largely refuse to work in the tourist business (don’t like to take orders) and are nomadic, moving on when the clay deposit runs out; they pay the landowner 35% of their sales – for which they get roughly 1$US for every 5 tiles. This is beyond a hard life. The next stop was for cold drinks in a village on the ocean and a lagoon – which looked like paradise and is of course in the process of being discovered; lovely warm breeze and the salty scent of the surf. Hard to ask for more and since it was Bill’s 92nd b’day, a gd treat. Zihuatanejo has proved to be such a hit with ex-pats/visitors that a nearby town – Ixtapa - was planned and created as a modern resort and is rapidly filling up…and we could see the high rises as we sailed out!
The next day we were in Acapulco – an important port for the Spanish as it was from here that ships laden with gold and silver set sail for Manila to bring back spices and silks (and the coconut tree). Consequently, it was also a favorite spot for the pirates and privateers (the terrorists of earlier times, the former were free agents, the latter authorized by their countries – notably England) who preyed on the outgoing traffic. It is a huge place (about 2 million people) and getting ready for the weekend; the traffic was horrific and involved a fair amt of terrifying spontaneity by drivers. Leaving Bill happily sleeping and not wanting really to see the cliff divers (Bill had seen them many years prior), I took an excursion off in the mts to Tehuacalco, an archeological site from about 750 AD and newly opened. This was a very sacred place for the Aztecs, dedicated to the water and mountain cult. The “ball game” was held here, with the winners sacrificed afterwards (what an incentive, but apparently it was considered a high honor). The priest would cut open the chest, remove the still thumping heart
and carry it up another flight of steep stairs where it was shown to the east, west, south and north in clear sight of the sacred mountain. The ball game had some recreational element but was also a ceremonial rebirth, the court resembling the birth canal.
Then on to a coconut plantation to see all phases of the operation (nothing is wasted – this is a v poor country). As we drove we saw cultivated mango, banana, papaya fields along with fruits less familiar to us (such as noni which looked to us too much like a caterpillar – dimply and yellow and squishy – to consider taking a bite of it despite its prodigious health claims). We also learned that the coconut tree was brought here from the Philippines. Then to an indigenous terracotta tile “factory” (none of it is mechanized from the digging of the clay to the sun drying and then firing of the tiles, using coconut husks as the fuel for the kiln). This is a cottage industry of the Indians who largely refuse to work in the tourist business (don’t like to take orders) and are nomadic, moving on when the clay deposit runs out; they pay the landowner 35% of their sales – for which they get roughly 1$US for every 5 tiles. This is beyond a hard life. The next stop was for cold drinks in a village on the ocean and a lagoon – which looked like paradise and is of course in the process of being discovered; lovely warm breeze and the salty scent of the surf. Hard to ask for more and since it was Bill’s 92nd b’day, a gd treat. Zihuatanejo has proved to be such a hit with ex-pats/visitors that a nearby town – Ixtapa - was planned and created as a modern resort and is rapidly filling up…and we could see the high rises as we sailed out!
The next day we were in Acapulco – an important port for the Spanish as it was from here that ships laden with gold and silver set sail for Manila to bring back spices and silks (and the coconut tree). Consequently, it was also a favorite spot for the pirates and privateers (the terrorists of earlier times, the former were free agents, the latter authorized by their countries – notably England) who preyed on the outgoing traffic. It is a huge place (about 2 million people) and getting ready for the weekend; the traffic was horrific and involved a fair amt of terrifying spontaneity by drivers. Leaving Bill happily sleeping and not wanting really to see the cliff divers (Bill had seen them many years prior), I took an excursion off in the mts to Tehuacalco, an archeological site from about 750 AD and newly opened. This was a very sacred place for the Aztecs, dedicated to the water and mountain cult. The “ball game” was held here, with the winners sacrificed afterwards (what an incentive, but apparently it was considered a high honor). The priest would cut open the chest, remove the still thumping heart
and carry it up another flight of steep stairs where it was shown to the east, west, south and north in clear sight of the sacred mountain. The ball game had some recreational element but was also a ceremonial rebirth, the court resembling the birth canal.What locals there are, are Aztec descendants, and we saw women doing laundry in the river at the base of the mt, beating the wash on the large rocks. (The women’s movement is hardly even nascent in the rural and indigenous areas.) Another hard life in spite of the beautiful and lush scenery (this was the location for the film Rambo as well as the riginal Tarzan movies). It was ungodly hot and the furnace-like air bounced back up at us as we walked along the dirt paths. Additionally, the steps at the site were not only steep but v narrow and it was amazing none of us fell; tourists in the US would NEVER have been allowed to scramble over a site like this and certainly not without railings and probably a signed release waiver. (Chris – this reminded me of the questionably safe park trail by the waterfall we traversed in Costa Rica.)
Another day at sea learning about our next stop: Guatemala (House of Fire in the local dialect)…lots of volcanoes, a violent land in politics as well. Taken over by the Spanish in 1523, dictators followed; there was a bloody civil way from 1976-96 with the US bolstering the right wing dictator and the reign of terror rather than having the country go left. Stability seems to have arrived and tourists are being sought. While US dollars are just fine to use in the urban/tourist spots, the quetzal is the local currency – named after the colorful, long plumed tail national bird…seldom seen.
While I rather wanted to visit the huge Mayan ruins at Tikal (close to the border with Belize), Bill was not keen about my going on another even longer jungle flight so we chose the colonial city of Antigua (a UNESCO World Heritage site), up in the (slightly) cooler highland of the country as opposed to the mosquito laden and hot commercial port.
While I rather wanted to visit the huge Mayan ruins at Tikal (close to the border with Belize), Bill was not keen about my going on another even longer jungle flight so we chose the colonial city of Antigua (a UNESCO World Heritage site), up in the (slightly) cooler highland of the country as opposed to the mosquito laden and hot commercial port.
We really liked what we saw of this little and v poor country (even by Central American standards), in spite of the wilting heat. The old city of Antigua was largely wiped out by an earthquake (tho
surrounded by volcanoes, those were not the cause of the devastation) but the ruins are impressive. In addition to going thru a jade factory (jade comes in a host of colors!), we spent most of the day in and around the Casa Santo Domingo – a large Dominican community that has been brough
t back to life as a small, high end hotel with the buildings and grounds lovingly restored and featuring a church, several museums (one with an exhibit showing the universality of form and function by comparing modern art with that of the Mayans), gardens and restful niches (inc a pleasantly cool crypt). The people looked incredibly Guatemalan – by which we probably mean Mayan; the blood lines here are far purer than in Mexico in terms of Indian (Mayan) heritage and Spanish is spoken as the primary language by only 60% of the population. The clothing was also more traditional than modern (the area is known for its bright weavings). We had a wonderful meal in the gardens – plantain, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), tortillas, guacamole, etc. – in the shade of course – with cold cerveza (or diet Pepsi).
t back to life as a small, high end hotel with the buildings and grounds lovingly restored and featuring a church, several museums (one with an exhibit showing the universality of form and function by comparing modern art with that of the Mayans), gardens and restful niches (inc a pleasantly cool crypt). The people looked incredibly Guatemalan – by which we probably mean Mayan; the blood lines here are far purer than in Mexico in terms of Indian (Mayan) heritage and Spanish is spoken as the primary language by only 60% of the population. The clothing was also more traditional than modern (the area is known for its bright weavings). We had a wonderful meal in the gardens – plantain, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), tortillas, guacamole, etc. – in the shade of course – with cold cerveza (or diet Pepsi).We should have given more money to this lovely yg woman...who was multitasking: breast feeding while selling to the tourists. The little girl - somewhere between 2 or 3 - c
ould already say "You buy?" and looked healthy and happy. The mother looked ok, if tired.
We are now headed for Panama and the Canal, and have been exposed to many lectures on this amazing engineering feat…and a stellar documentary based on the book (and narrated) by David McCullough – well worth viewing! We had visited the Caribbean side of the Canal some years back but have been really immersed this time around. Even Tarquin has been taking notes – so beware of the next installment from us.
ould already say "You buy?" and looked healthy and happy. The mother looked ok, if tired.We are now headed for Panama and the Canal, and have been exposed to many lectures on this amazing engineering feat…and a stellar documentary based on the book (and narrated) by David McCullough – well worth viewing! We had visited the Caribbean side of the Canal some years back but have been really immersed this time around. Even Tarquin has been taking notes – so beware of the next installment from us.
