I'm down Mexico way, in Guadalajara on business. Took some time today to see the area, check out some archeology. Wanna ride along? Come on, let's GO!

The area is volcanic in nature, with dormant volcanos all around. I was delighted to see formations that for all the world look like Deadman's Summit tuff in California. These are about 50 feet tall on average, pocketed and I could see loads of route possibilities. Also appeared to be private property.


My friends took me on a drive west out of Guadalajara to the small Mexican town of Teuchitlan, on the edge of a natural lake.


http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=map+of+guadalajara&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guadalajara,+Jalisco,+Mexico&ei=bhnvS4OzKsHflgeXl6y1CA&ved=0CBoQ8gEwAA&ll=20.693498,-103.84655&spn=0.130717,0.308647&t=h&z=12

Classic... Truck tire advetisement, Pemex station and a volcano.


That there is Tequila Volcano.


And you can see the fields of blue agave, nectar of the Aztec gods. I did not know but if its not made in this region, its not Tequilla. And it only comes frmo Blue Agave. Mescal comes from some other evil version of agave, hehe.


So we drove through Teuchitlan on the way to see some 'pyramids' and by god they were having a parade! The Queen of the parade is perched on the back of that convertible there. She had to be 60, lol!


There she goes!


They bring out the bulls for these parades! Hah! I loved it.


This town is COOL!


Now THAT is Old School.


So these pyramids are round. And fairly recently discovered too. They are still unearthing them. Quite different from the Mayan pyramids I saw last year. This terrain could not be more different than the Yucatan and Quintana Roo, if it tried!


I imagined what it must have been like in 800 AD when this place was on the shore of the now dimuitive lake down below.


A dry but wonderful and beautiful place. The monsoon starts in a few weeks they tell me.


Tequila Volcano.


I really enjoy these sort of places.


Climbed up the highest pile of rocks for a nice view of the valley.


In the cold period a thousand years ago this must have been paradise!


Some locals dress up as Aztecs and do some cool dances. They acknowledge to the gathered tour bus crowds that they are not 'culture appropriate' for these ruins. But they simply don't know enough about the culture that built this city, to understand what they would have looked like. Interestingly enough, many locals still speak a language that decends from these people. Spanish is a foreign tongue to them!


Hidalgo! Downtown Guadalajara. Didn't get any other shots of the city though, I was tired and had a headache. Wah!


See ya!

http://wikimapia.org/6813182/Guachimont ... Teuchitlan

DMT

awesome stuff dm.

Spent the afternoon in Guadalajara today, starting at the original old town Plaza built by slaves, for the Spanish Conquistadors. (Never Forget!) What a wonderful experience!

This Circle celebrates the Independence. They fought the yoke by god, just as the US did and all other free breathing peoples of the world.


And the Cathedrals! Well, I never tire of looking at them, explore their architecture and marveling at their Faithful. From Mission San Juan Bautista to Berlin, Valladolid in Quintana Roo to Guadalajara, I never tire of exploring these magnificent creations.


Mine is not a wonder born of faith however, it is a wonder, rather, of the Faithful themselves. I took no inside photos this day, being Sabbath. I have respect you see and did not wish to disturb. But inside this cathedral is a 300 year old pipe organ toward which even the Angels themselves must harbor some tiny bit of jealousy.


Used to be the offices of Spanish Bastards, now a museum.


The stone in all the old buildings was hewn from the same volcanic stone comprising the cliffs in my previous post. This stuff looks for all the world like Bishop Tuff. I saw miles of it. Its fascinating.


Old downtown Guadalajara. A timeless city, old and new side by side.


Stunningly beautiful architecture and more of those same stone blocks.


The bronze mural down there at the foot of the building commemorates the Independencia.


But truthfully and sadly (at first) miles of Guadalajara look more like this than it does previous images. But that too is an honest look at Old Mexico.


Calle Independencia, Tlaquepaque (Cha lack eh pack eh), the Artists' District, world renowned for fine ceramics and pottery going back 400 years. They were firing clay pots here before the Spanish arrived!


This one is COOL, a ceramic of an artist making ceramics!


I am not educated enough in these fine arts to offer anything but the buffoon's observation, so I will let the camera speak for my admiration of this high art.






This one was notable... unadorned clay on the outside, highly decorated on the inside. The Opposita!


This was a rich man's house. Classic Spanish Colonial, with a central courtyard. 300 years old someone told us.


Stunningly beautiful tiles.


Witness the richness and attention to detail! I could have stayed in this house for hours.


The old colonial kitchen has been reworked into a Kitchen Art Museum all to itself. Around stone hearths and fire rings, and in kitchens too, just like this, the taco was born.


Simple, stunning beauty. It waters my eyes.




Can you guess what it is?


More cathedrals. This plaza sported 2 of them. Now I grew up in the U.S. South, the renowned Bible Belt and am well used to several old churches on the Town Square. Mine was a protestant upbringing and I loved savoring the similarities and differences alike. I love them both but have a particular fondness for La Plaza of the Mexican Catholics.




I fell in love with this Beauty.


Again Mass was in progress so I stayed outside. No use getting someone else killed for a bolt meant for me! Hah!


Up close. You can see the chisel marks of the quarrymen and masons, as well as the careful insertion of stones to save on concrete. It was pointed out to me Aztecs knew about concrete long before Europeans brought the Roman version here.


This statue is very cool.


And at its base, a photo I took in particular for Joann. I was thinking of you Joann when Pablo told me what it read - "I believe in my Culture." Amen brah.


Another shot of reality.


And just to remind you we are not in America anymore. Check out both advertisements with equal attention to detail, lol.


And more delightful architecture.


This one is a hotel. Wish we'd stayed THERE!






And back to the Plaza where we started. Pablo wanted to do more and I declined. So he helped me catch a cab and the last I saw my Chilean friend he was headed off in search of more Guadalajaran wonders.


Adios! Via con Dios.

DMT

that was very cool indeed!

I loved that pottery - and the tiles!

In one house, the one you said was Bishop Tuff, close to the roof there were pipes with rods in them. You know what they were for? water? Flat roof?

Well, you might be surprised at the adverts on taxis and billboards in Vegas...

OK, what censor shortened the middle branch!??

DMT,

Gracias por compartir. Sus fotos son magnificos.

If this had an I like button I'd push it. Too bad you didn't post this as a TR... . Not that I don't understand... .

Thanks WouterB. No this one isn't SP TR material, at least not for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it but I don't want to crowd the SP server with tourist stuff like this.

I'll post more TRs here as the mood and opportunity permits. And I'll keep tossing in some of these travelogues when the mood suits, as well.

Thanks for the kind words.

Cheers
DMT

Lolli wrote:that was very cool indeed!

I loved that pottery - and the tiles!

In one house, the one you said was Bishop Tuff, close to the roof there were pipes with rods in them. You know what they were for? water? Flat roof?

There were both beams and metal rods sticking out. I think the beams once supported some sort of awning and the rods held flags. Just a guess though.

DMT

BorutKantuser wrote:Hello!

Thanks for the sight seeing!
I especially enjoyed the pottery.

HA, and this image is a loom

BK

Hah right back at you Borut, right you are! A loom for sure.

You know what my friend? I have to imagine, once in a while, say after topping out on some Japanese volcano after playing god's music in a symphony of peers, you have to pause and think (and marvel), 'what a LUCKY muthafugger I am!' You strike me as a man of humility but at once an appreciation for juxtaposition and the finer things in life.

Hardship on the one hand, a soft quilt over a down bed, on the other. Hehe.

Anyway....

I just had the best meal I've had so far here. I walked down the 'street', an appalling boulevard of 4 lanes of heavy traffic to an open air restaurant that would send most Americans running for a vaccine shot. The old proprietor didn't speak any English at all, not one word, nor did his grandson. I ordered I really didn't know what as there was no menu. Carne asada for sure but I had no idea what I'd agreed to.

But I love Mexican food and while I like it mild, I can take it caliente as well.

There were two other Americans in the restaurant but other than a hello, hey I saw you in the hotel, we didn't talk. They were playing a jukebox that was connected to a most unlikely thing, a big flat screen TV. It played music videos and these guys were into Roy Orbison (Sweet Dreams, Baby!) with you guessed it, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and the rest of the traveling Willburys. We were the only patrons and the juke box was thundering.

I was served a plate of carne asada, chorizo, grilled baby onions, grilled jalepeno peppers, pico de gallo, slices of raw tomato and onion, a bean paste that was caliente! and hot corn tortillas.

With dinner I enjoyed not one, not two, but 3 Mexican beers, Pacifico. They brew em a bit stronger than they do in the US and my mouth was burning so I had the 3rd one, against my better judgment.

BURP!

I will suffer the 'burning urn' in the morning, no doubt about it but that was a damn good meal. The finest I've had in this city.

Plastic chairs, flies buzzing about, dirt and crushed stone floor, and a flat screen TV. Classic.

I'm still picking my teeth. That was some damn good eatin.

DMT

nice. sounds tasty, dingus. hey man, have you ever climbed at protrero chico? this old climber i met last weekend was telling me about this epic FA he did there. that place sounds pretty cool.