Dolores Hidalgo and alleyway masses

Yesterday was one of the best days so far. My family and I went for a day trip, around the perimeter of Guanajuato and up into Dolores Hidalgo. Not only did I see a lot of amazing things, but I also felt I made some sort of leap in my connection with my family. Firstly, I found out that my sister isn´t 20 but 24. This explains a lot of the reasons why she doesn´t seem to set on making friends with me and also works non stop. However, we talked a lot more, which was particularly enjoyable because she´s one of the only Mexican youths I have talked to extensively.

Dolores Hidalgo and the surrounding towns have incredible art work, and are filled with streets upon streets of stores selling beautiful crucifixes, ceramics, and plants. Although some things here are not so cheap (I´ve paid $5 for a mixed drink), the art work was incredibly inexpensive. I bought numerous hand painted ceramic boxes, upon other things, that cost in all $7. One of the downsides of traveling with a native family is that they have seen everything a million times and don´t always linger in places as long as I´d like. Luckily, because this is such a relatively small city, I can more or less return to every place I´ve been on my own.

In Dolores Hidalgo, we also visited the church were Miguel Hidalgo preached of uprising and independence, and from where the people marched to Guanajuato to fight the Mexican War of Independence. On a funny note, Dolores Hidalgo is known for these insane snacks of ice. They have them all around the world, including in New York, where the ice is flavored, typically coconut, chocolate, etc. But in Dolores Hidalgo they have ice flavored with tequila, rum, elotes (corn dish), nuts, cheese, avocado, and a million more. I personally tried to cheese and avocade and it was delicious.

On the way to Dolores Hidalgo and back, my mother read a passage from the bible, which I´ve never seen before. Religious practices are so different here than in Argentina. Before I left I was told that Mexicans have tons of their own celebrations and rituals, and it really does appear to be the case. Of the Latin American countries I´ve been to, Mexico has much more religious iconography, and as many of you know seem much more attached to the Virgin of Guadalupe. In a taste of this unique religious fervor, when we returned from our trip there was a mass being held on our callejon. There is no equivalent for the word callejon in English, but the closest it gets is alleyway. There are a million callejons all over Guanajuato, and they are what you take from the main streets to get to your house. They are winding twisting passageways that lead up the sides of the mountains. Sometimes they become very narrow, and other times much wider, to the size of a one way street. My house is at the part of the callejon where it becomes too narrow for cars to pass. So, as we pulled in front of our house yesterday, my mom explained to me that every Sunday there is a mass on the street in which the priest comes along with people from surrounding neighborhoods. Everyone brings their own little stools or just sits on the sidewalk or ground, and so the ceremony begins. The street is lit by a string of lights and everyone is dressed in their everyday clothes, coming and going as they see fit. The priest was very friendly and interacted with everyone, often making jokes and consistently smiling. The mass was a little more than 30 minutes and at the end, a donation basket was passed around as we all gathered around the priest in a circle to say a final prayer.

It was a beautiful experience and I attempted to take a few pictures from my room after we left while the crowd still remained. I will have to upload those as soon as I get the chance. Pictures really will add so much texture to everything I´ve written and continue to write, but unfortunately it is also where I reencounter the problem with the lack of internet...