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Editor’s Note: This story is Part Two of a two-part series. The first piece was featured in September’s Teen Latinitas issue.
Last month, Latinitas told you about the rich history of Dolores Hidalgo and Guanajuato, Mexico and the celebration of el diez y seis de septiembre (or The Day of Mexican Independence) in these cities. This month, learn about the state of the cities today and what new flavors have been added.
Dolores Hidalgo Today
Dolores today is slowly growing, but still has a small town feel. If you talk to residents there, they will tell you they know everyone who lives in the area as well as the latest gossip. Most of the people you talk to have a job making or selling cerámica (ceramics). This makes sense because the town is considered the center for Talavera ceramic pieces, an industry started by Father Miguel Hidalgo.
Not only was Hidalgo a priest and an initiator of the independence movement, he was also quite the businessman. Now you can see why the Miguel Hidalgo Museum is located in this town and why the people here celebrate the man so much. Did you notice that the town and the priest share the same name? This is no coincidence. The town, originally called Dolores, added Hidalgo to its name after Mexico was granted its independence from Spain. The downtown plaza in front of the church where Hidalgo stood nearly 200 years ago is now a popular meeting place for students after school and for families who just want to sit and enjoy the weekend listening to some live music or feeding the pigeons. Aside from the history, people come from surrounding cities, believe it or not, for the ice cream!
Move over Baskin-Robbins, this town’s got hundreds of flavors—mango, banana with walnut, honey, lemon, avocado, corn, shrimp and even cheese ice cream! Every day, vendors set up in the plaza across from the church. |  |
Guanajuato Today
About a 45-minute bus ride from Dolores Hidalgo, the city of Guanajuato—today with a population of more than 100,000—continues to work hard to preserve its past. The city can be entered using underground roads, which used to be a flowing river. These tunnels quickly open up to a kaleidoscope of bright colors. When you least expect it, you see cars outlining curving cobblestone streets with arching stone bridges above, the multi-colored colonial homes with flat roofs and balconies that are built on the mountains surrounding the historic downtown.
In 1988, the city and mines nearby were named a World Heritage Site, which means certain locations are preserved because of their cultural or historic value. Except for the one Domino’s Pizza I spotted, it’s not common to see American businesses downtown.
Although there are various regional indigenous languages like Mayan and Nahuatl, we only came across Spanish speakers during our stay. The city is known around Mexico for its daily festivities, from music to visual arts.Diego Rivera, the famous 20th-century muralist, was born here and the home he grew up in is now a museum. Once one of the richest silver-mining areas in Mexico, Guanajuato has a few mines that are still open to visitors, like the Valenciana. Visitors can go down into the mineshafts and check out miners’ working conditions during the viceroyalty period.
The Festival Cervantino Internacional is one of the most famous art festivals in Latin America. Held since 1972 in honor of Miguel de Cervantes (Don Quixote), the festival now welcomes students and actors from all over the world to participate in music, opera, theatre, dance, visual arts, and cinema at the Teatro Juárez and various other theaters, parks and plazas throughout the city. |  |
See For Yourself
For additional reading on the history of Guanajuato and Dolores Hidalgo, log on to www.guanajuatocapital.com and www.dolores.gob.mx.
For a general history on Mexico, pick up a copy of the “Traveler’s History of Mexico," 2nd Edition, by Kenneth Pearce. It provides a chronology of events perfect for first-time readers of Mexican history.
October 2006
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