Day three in San Miguel de Allende

It was day three of my Artisan & Architecture tour and I was standing in the foyer of Casa Luna B & B in San Miguel de Allende with the rest of my group waiting for the big van I had hired to pick us up to take us on the three day adventure over in Patzcuaro.  It was a little after 9:00 in the morning and the van was supposed to be there.  I was standing in the middle of the street with a bright pink shirt on with my friend Rick when we saw the van coming down the hill about a block and a half away.  We started waving our arms so the driver would see us.  Apparently he did not and he turned left and headed up towards the jardin (the main plaza).  Along comes a policeman on his motorcycle.  Rick stopped him and explained our dilemma of the lost driver and van.  Off he went and about ten minutes later, the policeman was escorting the driver back to the B & B.  I can just imagine what the driver thought when the policeman was chasing after him.  Well, we thanked the policeman, slipped him a tip and he then helped stop traffic as we loaded our luggage into the cargo area and climbed up into the van.  Only in San Miguel and what a way to start the day off.

Our first stop was at the Taller La Mexicana. We had a tour of the whole facility and how the entire process is done.  The rebozos are woven on big pedal looms using fine cotton and acrilan threads. 

This man is preparing the threads that make up the warp.  There are employees that specialize in just one area: weaving, fringe work, embroidery or tying the threads for the dying process.  It was like going back in time, these looms and equipment have seen years and years of use.

The owner, Juan Martin, was writing up an order for Betsy as his father looked on.  Pat in the background was still contemplating how many rebozos to buy.

Judy was trying to figure out which rebozo cost what as the two Nancys and Eileen looked on.  Once the rebozo is woven, the decorative fringe work is done by hand and some are more elaborate than others.  Everyone was just giddy with all their purchases, I know I was.

As we headed towards Morelia, we were all comparing notes on who bought what. 

We had comida at a wonderful restaurant that is decorated with Saint Antonios and they were all hanging upside down.  I have been told that you do that when a lady is looking for a husband.

Our next stop was in Tupataro at the Templo de Santiago Apostle, often referred to as the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas."

The gilded retablo was spectacular with the statues of Saint James the Apostle on his horse. 

The wooded ceiling consists of 47 painted panels illustrating the "Life and Passion of Christ."  The caretaker of the church greeted us and explained the various features in the church.  We walked around the tidy plaza in front of the church and then we headed to Patzcuaro where we will make our home base for the next three days.

After checking into the hotel and resting up a bit, we went to Rick's home for dinner that Rick and I had catered by a local restaurant.  There was folk art everywhere.  I wonder if I could do a version of the TV show "Horders" at his house.  I should talk, I am addicted to collecting folk art too, but Rick's collections is truly over the top!  When we arrived, we were served drinks on the front patio and guacamole and chips.

Rick was telling us about his collection and other great stories of his relationsships with so many artisans in the area.   Many we will meet.  After a margarita or two, we sat down to a beautifully set table for dinner.

We started with Tarascan soup (typical in this region and similar to Tortilla soup).  Our entree was a perfectly roasted stuffed chili poblano in a flavorful, light red sauce with a side of Mexican rice.  Dessert was one of my favorites, flan.

I am going to sound like a broken record, but is was another great day.  And Wednesday I will have new adventures in store for my group.