Curtis's info

Buenas Tardes! I am starting today by providing a post Curtis did last night. I think he did a great job providing background info. of the city for those of you who have interest. I will copy/paste his latest blog with some initial comments from me, of course:


The only thing I might add is before you start feeling too sorry for the Spaniards and their end/fate, realize that many Spanish priests tortured the “indigenous” people with machines of torture, “converting them to Catholocism.” You know, sorta like, “you believe this or you get your head crushed, chest impaled, arms and legs stretch and die a slow and painful death.” I know this because I have seen those machines here in Guanajuato. On to Curtis’s summary of the history here:

Why in the heck are we in Guanajuato? Well, for a lot of reasons, I guess. First of all to study Spanish - and there are a lot of reasons why we want to do that. And because it is a great place to spend the summer and to get away from the heat of Texas. (Guanajuato, like many names in Mexico, is of native origin. Apparently it means “place of the frogs.”)
But why we are here specifically - and not some place else - is because we find this city to be very unique, and charming, and full of history - and for a lot of reasons that are just hard to explain. I guess you have to experience it like we have, and are continuing to do, to really understand.
When Joy started her goal of learning Spanish, a place we had heard a lot about was San Miguel de Allende - about 55 miles to the east of here. Also in Guanajuato state (Guanajuato is a state as well as a city) and also a colonial city. Mexico was a Spanish colony from 1519, when Cortez conquered it, to 1810, when the Mexicans kicked the Spanish out and started Mexico as a country. So any Mexican city that was started in the beginning of those three centuries and saw its major growth during that time, is considered colonial. And most of them were founded because of the discovery of gold or silver, like Guanajuato.
So in the summer of 2004, down we came to San Miguel. Joy to study for several weeks and myself to stay for a week or so before I had to go back to Texas and teach summer school. During that time we took a day trip to Guanjuato. It didn’t take us very long to look at each other and ask, “Why aren’t we here instead of San Miguel?” Because at that time, as now, San Miguel had more than 20,000 retired Americans and Canadians living there and it was more like the U.S. than Mexico. And in Guanajuato we discovered the real Mexico. And because as a city and “a happening,” Guanjuato was head and shoulders over San Miguel. So In 2006 Joy returned for 10 weeks of study. And to make it even better she found a great school, the Academia Falcon. We both came here in 2008 for 4 weeks of study and now this summer for 8 weeks.
The first Spaniards came here in 1526. Catholic missionaries to convert the heathen and conquistadores to find gold or silver. And did they ever find silver! Several small mining camps were successful and growing when in 1554 they merged to form the city of Guanajuato. Those camps still remain as several of the many barrios (or neighborhoods) of Guanajuato. It continued to grow and never stopped. It was a very rich city. Because the Spaniards wanted to re-create the cities of Spain, by the next century Guanajuato was a city of beautiful buildings and opulent rooms, flower-filled courtyards, private chapels, huge churches and magnificent works of art.
Then in 1760 they found the big one. The Valenciana mine. The Valenciana community is just a couple of miles north of Guanajuato. For the next century about one fourth of the entire silver in the world was taken out of the Valenciana mine. Rich men became even richer. They built even bigger haciendas and palacios.
And many, many men also suffered. Until the 1970’s, (when the mine was “modernized,) that silver came out carried on the backs of men.
The Valenciana mine is still in production today, as are 16 others. 80 tons of silver are brought to the surface each month by the Valenciana mine alone. It is still the richest mine in Mexico.
Then there is the history. Inspired by the U.S. War of Independence in 1776 and the writings of Thomas Jefferson and others in the U.S. and France, leaders started to emerge in Mexico who wanted to overthrow the Spanish. Then in the city of Delores, another city in Guanajuato state not far from here, their leader, Father Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, in danger of pending arrest, gathered his congregation on the church steps and made his famous “Grita,” or shout of independence. The president of Mexico still travels to now Delores Hidalgo each year, to those same steps, and repeats the “Grita.” Today the president says, I understand, “Death to bad government.” What Hidalgo actually said was, “kill all the Spaniards.”
Hidalgo and his growing army won initial battles against the Spanish in Dolores, and then on to San Miguel before coming to Guanajuato where a decisive battle was fought. All of the Spaniards and their families took refuge in a large stone building originally built as a granary. The Alhondiga. The building seemed impenetrable until a young student stormed it with a burning torch, followed by the mob, and was somehow able to gain entrance and all the Spaniards were killed. He became known as “the Pipila,” (pupil) and a huge statute to him looms high on a mountain over the city.
Hidalgo was not to see the success of his revolution. Shortly thereafter he, and three of his major lieutenants, were captured. As a symbol to the other rebels, the Spaniards hung their heads, one at each corner, of the Alhondiga.
Guanajuato is a major tourist attraction for the Mexican people, sort of like our Bunker Hill or Independence Hall. On the weekends the city is full of people and tour buses.
It is also a stronghold for the current major political party. The immediate past president of Mexico, Vincente Fox, was the governor here before he became president. He is also from Guanajuato. Sort of like Bush and Texas. And in case you noticed the name Fox is not Hispanic, the current mayor of Guanajuato is a man by the name of Hicks. I think that is because a lot of the original engineers who were involved in the operation of the silver mines came from the United States. The Guanajuato state elections are July 5 and there are lots of political posters all over town. I notice two candidates for office have the last names of Chadwell and Henjke.
Anyway, that’s a brief look at this city which we find very enjoyable and engaging.