Today is a very lazy day. Perhaps this is part of the artistic process when one retreats to another country and is taking in sights and sounds and conversations from everywhere.
So here is a mish mash of some of these things over the past several days . For the cowboys out there, or maybe just lovers of westerns , the Galeria I introduced you to in my last blog provides an education in many aspects of Mexican & Spanish history . In one area of the Galeria are a collection of some of the most beautiful " sombreros" ever. From the pictures you cannot gage their actual size, but let me assure you they are very large , and to see someone dressed and wearing one of these seems to be a very romantic concept to me . Here are a few more -
So here is a mish mash of some of these things over the past several days . For the cowboys out there, or maybe just lovers of westerns , the Galeria I introduced you to in my last blog provides an education in many aspects of Mexican & Spanish history . In one area of the Galeria are a collection of some of the most beautiful " sombreros" ever. From the pictures you cannot gage their actual size, but let me assure you they are very large , and to see someone dressed and wearing one of these seems to be a very romantic concept to me . Here are a few more -
In Canadian cities we are accustomed to seeing street vendors selling a wide variety of foods . In and around the small villages and towns in this area of Mexico, street vendors tend to be of two kinds . The first is one that is set up at the side of a road or intersection - often close to where the local buses drop off and pick up people on their daily commutes. These vendors have a kind of outdoor tent/tarp to protect buyers from the elements . A portable bench or tables hold a variety of pots with cooked food, beans , and mixtures that go into tortillas - either corn or wheat. Corn is the most popular. There are also a whole range of pepper sauces ....... I suppose these are the equivalent to our ketchup and mustard and relish add-ons - although I am guessing the Mexican varieties are far more healthy and tasty in any one of a number of ways . People come for breakfast before work, or lunch or they pick up for their way home for dinner.
The second kind of street vendor is even more interesting to me . These vendors push large wheelbarrows through the street and around various venues - especially schools I noticed and some even cater to the school kids coming out for lunch .
These wheelbarrows hold a wide variety of cooked vegetables, beans, and sauces and some fruits in large heavy plastic containers so the buyer can pick and choose . Often a mix of vegetables goes into a smaller hand-sized plastic bag, sauces are added and the buyer walks away with a large spoon or fork to eat lunch . This vendor arrangement reminded me of my time in Thailand , where many Thai people would similarly purchase their meals. Often they would shop for hot meals from favourite vendors, tie up the plastic bags to hang on their bicycles for their trip home.
A wheelbarrow vendor getting ready for the children coming out of school
Corn on the cob with beans and spices seemed to be a favourite. Notice the vendor is wearing a T-shirt with an American flag. The view of America right now is certainly not what it once was.
The villages around San Miquel en Allende vary greatly in size and in other aspects. The small villages close to where I am staying are quaint, with small houses, many made of brick , some with gardens and chickens and a way of life that seemingly has been going on for centuries. The roads are cobblestone , and often you would not know the villages even existed tucked in behind the hills , unless someone told you how to get there or you managed to spot a church cross or steeple which is often on the highest point in the village. A number of people around this area work for a company known as Via Organica, a large land owner and shaper of the land - one family I am told that piloted farms growing organic produce, crops, feed for animals and animals - sheep, goats, cattle - producing organic milk and cheese, etc. The locals around here have nothing but sincere compliments for this particular business entrepreneur ..... with stores and markets and restaurants sprouting up everywhere touting the Organic label and giving a lot of local farmers and food producers a higher than average income [ so I am told].
These are street vendors trying to earn a living from selling various handcrafted art and other moments from the visit to the famous church in Atotonilco
I am always surprised at what I will find just around the next corner
Some of the wooden carvings you will see in street markets.
A very old wooden play horse- a child would climb in to and hold the sides of the box .
The colours of Mexico in glass sculpture
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