Last week, our friends, Tiffany and Tom, invited us to go with them to Dolores Hidalgo. They were heading out there to look at possible tiles for their new home. They had been there before and knew that it was a center for ceramics. Since I don’t work on Fridays, I had a free day.
Lyn and I hadn’t been to DH before. It isn’t far — about 45 minutes on the other side of San Miguel de Allende. Neither of us knew anything about it other than it is one of those quaint Mexican towns.
After stopping to look at tiles, we ventured into the town, parked the car and headed out to the plaza. The town itself looks like a lot of towns — colorful stucco homes, lots of churches and plazas, and street vendors occupying many streets. Apparently, there was some type of festival going on. There were many vendors selling unusual flavors of ice cream. Things like mole or shrimp and octopus. Ick.
There was one vendor selling huaraches. They were really beautiful! I was so tempted to try on a pair, but I didn’t. I’m still trying hard not to spend too much money.
After looking around the plaza and the marketplace, we went to see some of the churches. They were amazing! The first one we visited was done in a Baroque style. Very ornate! In two of the apses, there were these incredibly carved walls. Of course, there were also life-sized statues of Jesus, Mary and others. One of the chapels was extremely simple. The room was reserved for quiet contemplation and prayer with plain white walls, a simple alter and flowers.
Another stop on the tour was the Wine Museum. Very interesting! While it wasn’t a huge exhibit, it did have interactive displays and a really fun map of Mexico made out of wine bottles. The building where the museum is housed is a former hospital. The grounds were lovely, and included a terrific Italian restaurant.
I’m not sure the name of the second small town we visited. There wasn’t a lot there, but the quaintly cobblestoned street was lined with vendors. Again, we stopped mainly to look at the church. Apparently, it is referred to as the Sistine Chapel of Mexico. Once you walk inside, it is clear just why.
The ride back to Queretaro was quiet. I was falling prey to a bad cold and drifted off every now and then. Needless to say, the next few days were spent sipping tea and trying to cough up a long. Yuck. All better now.
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