FEBRUARY 20, 2012: We had a relaxing night at Best Western Inn in Queretaro, after a two hour very long drive from Mexico City. We arrived at downtown Queretaro last night close to 0100H and the place was dead like the ones I saw in "The Walking Dead Series" in AMC Channel, but minus the zombies. Hehehe.
We're the only one driving around last night on the wee hours of the morning because we were looking for a hotel. It seems that all of the bed and breakfast hotels around downtown were close so we decided to go back to the highway and checked in at Best Western Inn Hotel where I spotted during our entrance to the downtown.
Before that Ricky was driving me around the dead town and showed me some of the key places we will be roaming in the morning. He showed me the aqueduct which is famous for this place built by the Indians to provide water for the town which once was a desert place, now a booming city because of the big industrial companies that invested here like Samsung, Volkswagen, Modelo Beer Co., Siemens Labs, etc.
Today, we woke up at 0900H still nursing our soreness and fatigue from the long drive, but when we started taking our warm shower we immediately perked up and was ready to start our trekking.
We first took our stuff down to the car parked at the basement then went up to the lobby to take our continental breakfast which consisted of bread, jams, coffee, orange juice, scrambled egg and ham, mashed pinto beans and picadillo tomatoes. After our breakfast we checked out then drove to the downtown area.
When we got near the downtown we looked for a parking place which was abundant to the place. We spotted an underground parking then we started to roam around. I've noticed that the downtown appears colonial. I then remembered the colonial place in Maine, USA when I went there but this place has a Spanish twist. The establishments were all painted in white and is usually one storey and they're all adjacent if not close to each other. We seldom see a two-storey building here.
This place appears different from the other places I've been in Mexico. A very unique place on it's own. It seems that each state or city in Mexico had established their uniqueness from each other.
There were establishments with columns and pillars which is reminiscent of a colonial era and also a mixed of a Teotihuacan culture which thrived in this place long time ago. Agriculture and mining were the primary source of income as well as industry from the industrial companies that mushroomed from the outskirts of the city. No wonder Queretaro has the highest GDP of all states of Mexico.
We continued our walk at the plaza near the San Francisco Church and started clicking my camera for pictures to collect for my online albums. We checked if the church is open but apparently that time it was close so we decided to roam around first within the downtown area then take the Turibus after.
We started our journey from the church going south. After one block we saw a small chapel which was open. It was the Church of Santa Ana. When we get in a beautiful altar had captivated us. Actually it was not the main altar. There were several altars built on all sides of the chapel lined adjacent to each other. The altar was made of hard wood and are painted in gold which was shimmering from the rays of the sun that crept from the smoked stained colorful windows.
There was an old man, a janitor I think, mopping the marbled white and brick-red tiled floors and we said our "Saluds!" and "Holas!" to him. We then continued to check the different altars that we saw earlier. Facing North, I started to check the one at the right side going to the altar and did it counterclockwise. There were six big altars placed together to fit along the walls of the North side and each altar appears elegant because it was gilded all over it.
Each structure has it's own theme from Jesus, to Mother Mary, To the Lady of Guadalupe, and the tree important male Angels that guards the heavens. The carvings were very intricate and meticulous and I can't stop my "Oohs!" and my "Aahs!" upon inspecting each altar. I also prayed a little bit for my intentions that day and also included my intentions for my friend I am trying to help through prayers.
After were done inside the church we decided to roam the streets of Queretaro and took a lot of pictures for the beautiful structures and buildings we saw. We also visited a lot of churches within the downtown area. It seems that there were churches in each block we trekked. It was very fascinating!
When were tired walking we decided to take the Turibus for an hour. The guy in the bus had explained extensively the history of the place and the important buildings every time we stopped. I was listening intently to the guide but I can't catch some of the words he was explaining because he was talking very fast in Spanish.
The ones that fascinated me during the tour was when we stopped at the Aqueducts. It looks so magnificent from the hill we were at. According to history the aqueducts were built by the Indians to supply water for the agricultural lands that had sprawled in this city before. Now the aqueducts still supplies water but for residential use only.
The tour ended at 1300H and we have to leave in an hour going to San Miguel de Allende to spend the night there. But before that we decided to eat at a restaurant that served a very authentic "gorditas", which was staple in this place.
The "gorditas" were very delicious and tasty. I finished three of them and I enjoyed the pickled carrots, jalapeno peppers, and yellow onions also. We were so full when we left the restaurant.
After a hearty lunch we went to where we parked the car and left Queretaro after a very nice day's walk around colonial downtown. We headed to Highway 57 and continued driving south going to San Miguel de Allende.
Another unforgettable adventure and memorable experiences had been spent and so far my stay in Queretaro had surpassed my expectations. I never expected seeing a colonial place in Mexico such as Queretaro and it surprised me a lot to see how clean and organized the place.
I learned how to say the expression "Via con Dios." and "Gracias! Muy amable." I like it so far because I am learning a new culture everyday although it is in one country but every state has it's different and distinct culture to pinpoint at.
Even food and languages or I may say dialect has it's distinct characteristics in each place I've been in Mexico. But no matter where I am at, I am enjoying a lot as well as learning a lot from my observations, sojourns, and every day experiences.
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