Mineral de Pozos, Pueblo Mágico

Mineral de Pozos

(San Pedro de los Pozos)****

Detail of my "Route of Vistas"

An hour drive northeast of San Miguel sets a small Colonial mining town known simply as “Pozos”.  Nestled in rugged mountains Pozos –and its once intensively mined area (silver, gold and rare metals)- offers us an exceptional painting opportunity in an authentic, off-the-beaten path setting. Pozos is a sleepy, laid-back place most suitable for undisturbed writing and art in a rural Mexico setting. This is a village of colorful casas; narrow, cobbled lanes and chapel domes punctuating the azure sky.  Mineral de Pozos, an officially designated Pueblo Mágico founded in 1576, is one of my most scenic towns, with hundreds of “postcard” scenes to add to your body of work.

Watercolor; "The Lovers", Plaza Principal

Pozosoffers us a wide variety of painting opportunities that include:

* townscapes & historic architecture (especially mines)

* garden scenes

* vast, breathtaking landscapes

* themes & studies

The heart of Pozos is la Plaza Principal, a classic, formal, garden-like space edged by freshly painted, one-and-two story buildings constructed in a pueblo-early Baroque style. Civic buildings, a hotel, a bed and breakfast, casas and assorted shops occupy the buildings surrounding this captivating plaza. From here, narrow cobbled streets arranged in a grid pattern extend to the nearby foothills. The immediate encompassing area was heavily mined; much of the structural remains of the mines -such as buttressed walls, aqueducts, casas and abandoned chapels are still in place, providing us with a plethora of authentic, historic views. Local entrepreneurs offer tours of the mines. 

Though a simple, quiet and relatively poor village, Pozos has a magical charm, a special quality for artists -and I believe it will prosper because of it special appeal and beauty. Ample lodging and restaurants provide you with a comfortable stay. Pozos is accessible by frequent bus service from Queretaro, Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí. A few small hotels, posadas(inns) and a several Beds & Breakfasts provide comfortable lodging.

It was in the 21^stcentury when Pozos emerged from its birth -and into a deep slumber- when nearly abandoned (in the 20^thcentury) a time when demand for, and deposits of, minerals faded away.  Pozos is a town built around mining, processing of minerals, companies supplying the industry and housing the miners.  As such, Pozos was planned with military-like efficiency, with nearly straight streets (calles) forming a grid pattern that cover a mesa(flat hill) in the middle of a valley.  The mesa’s two major ridges dip into the center providing an ideal location for the town’s center, an area of civic buildings, churches and shops.  The streets are narrow and edged with adobe walls; las callesare paved with cobble stones, an ideal surface for horse and mule-drawn carriages and carts. Though once nearly abandoned, Pozos is arising from its past with a steady restoration of its historic center and nearby mines.  Pozos is a small town with a population of approximately 7,000; it is an extraordinarily enchanting and romantic place but, being small, has limited socializing opportunities (which may not matter if you are with companions). 

    

Many of the original casas are now in ruins, intriguing ghosts of its past -and now a “living outdoor museum” where you’ll encounter flocks of sheep, ducks and vaqueros(cowboys) on horse-back coming down the narrow lanes. Our areas of interest for landscapes are in the historic center, el centro historico, and the roads that lace the nearby mountains, connecting the various mines. Let’s now explore the area, beginning in el centro historical ...

A thorough description of the beauty of Pozos can be found in my book.  

Pueblos Mágicos as Retirement Communities

As I briefly mentioned in previous postings, many of Mexico's  Pueblos Mágicos would make ideal retirement towns for those looking for places that are scenic, historically interesting, and have basic institutions and services that are important to retirees.  These include security (low crime), basic medical services found in sophisticated clinics or small hospitals (and relative closeness to full hospitals and hour or two drive away; museums, tourism services, and adequate lodging.  (The above basic criteria is required to become an official Pueblo Mágico.)  While some of the pueblos are small and isolated, at least a third of those I have visited have large enough populations to provide a broad range of goods, services and culture to live well and inexpensively. These enchanting towns are largely overlooked by the large publishing sites that follow the crowded beaten paths.

The Church, la Parroquia, San Miguel de Allende

In fact, the 111 official Pueblo Mágicos (in all of Mexico's 31 states) offer a huge variety of choices that would be of interest to most anyone-from cool, mountain towns, to warm coastal locations.  Some, such a San Miguel de Allende (a former Mágico and now an UNESCO World Heritage Site), are as sophisticated as large cities-while many other "Magicals" are small with only a few thousand population of mostly artisans and ranchers, offering a peaceful, simple place to live.  Most all are within an hour-or-two drive from State Capitols or vibrant cities, where one could find almost any service or material good needed. Within the system of Pueblo Mágicos, there is a place for almost anyone. I could easily write a book on retirement potential of these towns, rather than their scenic beauty for landscape artists, photographers and architects... but what I dowrite about corresponds to "magical" qualities that would attract many retirees that still have creativity, adventure and spirit flowing in their blood-and limited retirement funds. After all, the purchasing power of the US dollar or Euro is hugely significant in relation to Mexico's peso.

Jardín Principal, Jalpan de Serra in the Sierra Gorda Mountains.  This is a lovely, quiet town.

While I plan to elaborate more about the retirement potential of these pueblos in the future, there are a few interesting first steps you can take to consider these places: (1) begin learning Spanish well enough to shop, converse with your neighbors and assimilate into these towns. (2) The second major step is to research these towns (see www.mexicodesconocido.com), -and to visit the towns that are of interest.  One last suggestion: never purchase property without first renting to make sure that you and your "pueblo-of-interest"-match well!  Once you find your ideal "magical pueblo" you can apply for a visa permanente(permanent visa) and qualify for Mexico's excellent national health care system. To date, I have visited about a third of the 111 Mágicos in central and northern Mexico and have chosen about 20 for current and future books for my series on "Painting Mexico".  For my purposes (art and travel), I explore these towns in great detail and learn much about them from local officials. 

Pozos de Mineral, Guanajuato.  This is a small, enchanting gold town near San Miguel de Allende.

Here are some mid-sized Mágicos that are desirable for retirement:

San Miguel de Allende (sophistic and beautiful but getting very expensive)

Calvillo, Aguascalientes

Sombrerete, Zacatecas

City of Guanajuato (a UNESCO site)

Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato (small but close to San Miguel)

Parras de la Fuente, Coahuila (an oasis in the desert, but cultured)

Tequisquiapan, Queretaro

Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro

Pátzcuaro, Michoacán

Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

I will be adding to the above list and providing more information on each town in future postings. Stay tuned.  

Ajijic & Lake Chapala

In March of 2018, I spent nearly a week in the lakeside town of Ajijic, State of Jalisco, in west-central Mexico-to see if the area was as scenic as I had heard from many friends.  I was traveling with Rebecca, my companion, who had lived in Ajijic for many years. She was a knowledgable guide, not only of the town and surrounding countryside, but also of the many, vibrant restaurants, bars and art galleries  Staying in a small hotel in the central plaza, I passed the following days exploring the narrow, cobbled lanes, the lakeside and a scenic trail that leads to 10 Stations of the Cross on the fronting hill side.

A beautiful lakeside

Although not an official Pueblo Mágico, Ajijic aspired to be one, but was rejected.  My take is that Ajijic was "already" one; it was more sophisticated and prosperous than many true 'Mágicos'.

Ajijic has plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants 

As you know, I search for towns and places for their scenic beauty and ability to accommodate traveling artists.  Ajijic is such a place, especially with the lakeside elegance of the nearby town of Chapala, a place with a developed lakefront and upscale hotels.  Together, the two towns provide an infinite number of places and spaces from which to paint a wide variety of trophy landscapes.

Time allowing, I would definitely include these two lovely towns and their defining lakeside and backdrop mountains in a future book.  Not only is the scenery enchanting, but the wide variety of eating and drinking establishments will keep you satiated for your entire visit.  For English speakers, the Lake Chapala region has a large population of retirees from North America.

Food & music aplenty

Dozens of trophy landscapes

I also posted a more extensive album of 30 photographs of Ajijic on my Facebook Page: Painting Mexico's Magical Towns. Note that Lake Chapala was selected for water sports for a past Olympic event.

The chapel atop the trail, 10 Stations of the Cross.  This point overlooks the lake.

What Are "Pueblos Mágicos"?

What are “Pueblos Mágicos”?

While traveling and writing my first book, Painting Mexico: Magical Towns in Guanajuato, I came across references to “Pueblos Mágicos”, as three of the towns that I selected for my book happened to be one.  These pueblos are San Miguel de Allende, Dolores Hidalgo and Mineral de Pozos.  The forth town in my book, the City of Guanajuato, is not a Pueblo Mágico, but rather an UNESCO World Heritage Site a Patrimonio Mundial, a higher (world) designation and status.  Unknowingly, my selection of these scenic towns was spot on, as I quickly recognized their scenic, architectural and cultural beauty-and charm.  With my background in environmental design, landscape architecture and art, along with extensive travel experience, I recognized an impressive program and organization: Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos. These pueblos were ideal for landscape artists, photographers and architects to explore, document-and honor-with their talents. 

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Intrigued with the idea of recognized “magical towns”, I did some research on the organization and found that Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos was establish as a program n the millennial new year of 2001 by the country’s Ministry of Tourism for the purpose of promoting tourism and development in outstanding towns located in all 31 states throughout the country. Pueblos Mágicos, as the program is officially called, worked with state offices of tourism to identify towns that could possibly serve as “magical” towns, and be included in this program. 

Sombrerete, Zacatecas

Pueblos Mágicos developed specific criteria for selecting towns and a definitive process for their selection, involving committees at the federal, state and municipal level, all working systematically together to identify and invite deserving towns. (Pueblos Mágicos are legal jurisdictions classified as “municipios”; a municipiois the equivalent of a US county seat). By nine years 32 towns were selected for inclusion in this program.  Then determined successful, the program continued and now includes 121 official Pueblos Mágicos (2019).

Pátzcuaro, Michoacán

The selection criteria are rigorous, and include not only the “magical” aspects of the town (culture, scenic qualities, historic significance; foods, festivals, noted handicrafts and arts, etc.); but also the location (no more than 300 kilometers from a major urban area), adequate health care (small hospital or sophisticated clinic); security; adequate lodging and restaurants. Pueblos Mágicos are also required to have a dependable tourism office (Oficina de Turismo) and a museum (Museo or Casa de la Cultura) to assist and inform visitors during their stay.  

Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato 

Once accepted as a Pueblo Mágico, the federal and state government would assist the town in accommodating tourism by granting monies for restoration of plazas and parks, streets, infrastructure improvements; promotion and marketing, cultural programs, etc.  Thus, a town’s selection leads to growth, jobs and economic stimulus to these enchanting places, many in remote, off-the-beaten-path locations. Obviously, a side benefit is the diversification of Mexico’s tourism industry that benefits all citizens, urban and rural, something that is needed in this large, diverse developing country.  

Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro  Pueblo Mágico

For my intended writing and art projects, the Pueblo Mágico program was a godsend: I would no longer need to visit towns, one-by-one, to find those suited for my writings.  (This saved much time and money!)  Rather, I could use these selected towns confidently, knowing they are special and can safely accommodate the needs of visual and cultural tourism. (I will also use non-Pueblos Mágicos in my writings if I believe that they are capableof becoming a “magical town”). 

Mineraal de Pozos, Guanajuato

To-date (2019), the 121 official Pueblos Mágicos represent nearly every region, state and major ethnic group in Mexico. The last group of ten new towns that were selected was from over 80 applications.  This shows the stiff competition among many exceptional towns to be included in this exciting program.

The towns are as diverse and different as their number suggest, from a sophisticated, ex-Mágico like San Miguel de Allende (San Miguel became a Patrimonial Mundial), to small, rural “mágicos” like Pinos and Real de Asientos in the rolling mountains to the north. Each town is unique and literally one-of-a-kind. Many have fairytale settings and deserve to be in books, paintings and photo albums. 

Pinos Pueblo Mágico, Zacatecas

I have visited about 40 of these enchanting towns and have selected a little more than half of them to be included in my future books and projects. The Pueblo Mágicos that I have visited are primarily located in ten states in central and northern Mexico.  (I purposely traveled to all these towns by bus and public transportation to fully understand their context and accessibility. I’ll comment on traveling by public transportation in a later posting).

Real de Asientos, Aguascalientes

The Pueblos Mágicos program has two main sources of information: its website, http/ www.pueblosmagicos.mx.com; and an informative, photograph-adorned book published about every two years that you can find in most of the pueblos’ Oficina de Turismo.  

Wikipedia also has an article (in English): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_Mágico-that covers the foundation and development of the program.  

I’ve posted several dozen photo albums from the Pueblos Mágicos on my Facebook page under “Jack Hannula”, (Painting in Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos page). 

I am a firm believe and supporter of this program, and will continue to work on its behalf through my travels, art and writing.

Edited 3-12-2019

The Scenic City of Guanajuato, an UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Scenic City of Guanajuato

“Flight # 327 rose from the runway, a howling bird in a dense Christmas sky.  Wings swept back, tail held high, the sleek silver bird soared into the clouds and headed south by southwest to Dallas/Fort Worth and then Leon/Guanajuato.  There, in the bright mountain sun, creative adventures await … “  

journal entry 12-25-2015

Guanajuato City, the Capitol of Guanajuato State (Estado), is an old Spanish Colonial mining town located about a 5-hour drive to the northwest of Mexico City.  Snuggled in a valley in a mountainous area, Guanajuato rests within a vast region once inhabited by the ancient Aztecs, whose culture and traditions (along with the colonizing Spanish), molded this mysterious and enchanting town noted for its intriguing Colonial history and stately Baroque architecture.  Guanajuato is an official UNESCO site.

 For artists, Guanajuato offers many opportunities to paint in quaint plazas, charming gardens and vibrant city streets that twist and turn, following the contours of the enclosing hills.  The town is a maze of neighborhoods (barrios) and a stunning central, historic district (centro historico). Guanajuato is a town you won’t forget.  The image above is a map I made for one of Guanajuato'' beautiful plazas, Plaza Mexiamora.  

Guanajuato was a Spanish colonial mining town known for it precious metals –gold, silver, copper, quartz, etc. Many mines in the area brought in great wealth to governments, aristocratic families, the Catholic Church and merchants.  With impressive expertise in mining engineering, the town built a subterranean infrastructure of tunnels and passageways, which now serve as roads, parking, sewage routing and associated uses.  Hence, much of the street traffic found in traditional cities of this size is routed underground, allowing for a large part of the central area to be pedestrian dominant.  The surface traffic that does exist is primarily buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and pedestrian drop-offs.  The street life is thus vibrant, active and safe.  Guanajuato’s handling of trafficis a rare and brilliant solution for town planning.   

Guanajuato State is about the size of the US state of Rhode Island in area.  Besides Guanajuato City (Ciudad de Guanajuato) the three other magical towns included in this book in el Estado de Guanajuato are Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende and Mineral de Pozos.  Dolores Hidalgo is where the Insurrection began which led to the revolution and the birth of the Mexico Nation.  As such, Guanajuato is often referred to as the “heart of Mexico”.

Getting there   You’ll likely get there by flying to the Léon Guanajuato Aeropuerto(BJX) and then take a van (camoneta) or taxi for a 20-minute ride into town, some of the drive within the town through a maze of tunnels.  Alternatively, you may fly to Mexico City or Queretaro and take a bus to Guanajuato. There you’ll find ample lodging, from luxury hotels to B & B’s or hostels.  

Guanajuato is a compact, pedestrian town where having an auto is unnecessary. Ever-present taxis and a regular bus service provide all the transportation you’ll likely need.  The town is well organized for exploring, with abundant street signs, historic place markers and plentiful map signs, so all of the recommended painting locations are easy to find.

A university town (University of Guanajuato), Guanajuato has a vibrant, youthful academic culture that supports, bookstores, art galleries, museums, bars, cafes, yoghurt shops and the likes. There is much to explore and discover in this delightful and enchanting town.  

Places to Paint.  For artists, our main area of interest is the town’s historic center (centro historico).  Many vibrant areas of narrow streets and open spaces lined with civic buildings, churches, colorful row-houses, shops, restaurants, banks and bars –will surely make your stay inspiring, engaging and artistically productive.  You’ll find pastel colored buildings lining the streets like rows of cupcakes.  The civic architecture, built during the Colonial era in the High Baroque and Spanish Renaissance style, is characterized by stone masonry and stucco that form a riot of geometrical shapes and blocks of color.  The buildings are adorned with balconies edged with wrought iron, potted plants and quaint lamplights.  The maze of zigzagging streets is paved in patterned stone and lined with colorful doorways and wrought iron gates, exposing numerous gardens. For visual artists, Guanajuato offers the following art themes:

A Park (La Presa) at the Edge of Town

* townscapes and architecture

* garden and park scenes

* café art

* panoramic mountain-valley landscapes

* themes and detailed studies

My book explores the town and identifies places to paint or photograph in some of its most scenic and interesting areas.  You’ll find lavish details of a half dozen scenic locations in the section on Guanajuato City. 

 

To purchase a “Painting Mexico” book from publisher (less expensive): 

http://www.blurb.com/b/8596527-painting-mexico-magical-pueblos-in-guanajuato

(This site is set to allow you to view all the pages in the book)

To purchase “Painting Mexico” book from Amazon: http://a.co/65YVml8   

Please help me fund my art-travel books by purchasing prints on FineArtAmerica.com.  (All expenses for the production and publishing of these books are self-funded by me.  I consider much of my effort to promote scenic tourism to towns in Mexico to be charity).

Plaza San Francisco-1

Plaza San Francisco-2

Finding Hotel Rooms in Mexican Towns

Finding Hotels in Mexican Towns

3-10-2019

Finding hotel rooms in Mexico’s towns, including Pueblos Mágicos, can be easy –or challenging. Basically, finding a hotel room depends on desirability of the town for visiting (demand), whether for tourism, business or other purposes. (Many of the towns that I suggest are stunningly beautiful but are off-the-beaten-path and are recommended for artists and photographers because of their scenic quality, architecture and history). Demand is also influenced by accessibility: whether there is easy highway or road access to the town, which is often the case of rugged, mountainous Mexico. Despite a town’s attractions, you may not be able to find or book a hotel room before visiting.  Let me explain why.

A large percentage of small hotels, many family-owned, cannot be found on the Internet because they do not list themselves.  This is due to the fees charged by booking sites (such as booking.com, hotels.com, or even AirBnB.com).  Booking sites generally charge around 18% for their fees.  

Another reason is that small hotels minimize (or hide) tax exposure by not being electronically “visible” by being on-line, or accepting credit cards. Thus, booking a room is often simply a cash transaction. 

Not being able to find such small hotels is a shame, because many are gorgeous, well-run hotels run mostly by families.  I’ll give you a couple of examples…

San Joaquin, Pueblo Mágico

Last year (2018) I visited a Pueblo Mágico in the Sierra Gorda Mountains in the State of Querétaro called San Joaquin.  While planning my visit I searched for hotels on-line.  I found none in San Joaquin, a town with roughly a population of 15,000.  However, the searched showed hotels in other towns in the mountainous region, the closest on a 2-hour bus ride away.  My reaction was one of disbelief, knowing that San Joaquin was an established Pueblo Mágico.  Nevertheless, I went there anyway, having faith from experience that I would find a room.

Upon arriving in San Joaquin and asking at the tiny bus station in the town’s center, I found a nice, unlisted hotel a 5-minuite walk away. Within a few days of exploring and talking to the Director of Tourism, I found out that there were about a half-dozen hotels in town, many better and less expensive!  When telling the Tourism Director that I almost did not visit because of what appeared to be a lack of lodging, the Director shrugged in defeat, knowing the economics of this small, relatively poor, rural town.  

Dusk in Jala, Nayarit

In a recent visit to the Pueblo Mágico of Jala in the State of Nayarit, I encountered the same situation while traveling with a travel-writer colleague, Barbara Shaw (2barbshaw.blogspot.com).  A search showed no hotels in Jala, only a few in two nearby towns located along a regional highway.  (Jala is a couple of miles from the main highway). Knowing this lodging dilemma, we went there anyway and promptly found a small hostel with four rooms clustered around an internal courtyard.  It was a lovely place that Barb had found by simply asking a woman on the bus.  The next day a Tourism Office Guide told us that there were some other unlisted hotels in town-unlisted for the same reasons of avoiding fees and taxes.  This is economic reality in rural Mexico.  Of course, if you did have the hotel’s telephone number or e-mail address, you could find and reserve a room beforehand. 

A Vender in Jala

This leads me to my recommended use of official “Pueblos Mágicos” for scenic travels: they are required to have a functioning Tourism Office, Oficina Turismo, with someone there, seven days a week. Knowing this, you can go directly to the pueblo’s Oficina Turismofor help in finding lodging. In my many years of traveling, I have never been without a room.    

To purchase a “Painting Mexico” book from the publisher (less expensive): 

http://www.blurb.com/b/8596527-painting-mexico-magical-pueblos-in-guanajuato

(This site is set to allow you to view all the pages in the book)

To purchase “Painting Mexico” book from Amazon: http://a.co/65YVml8   

Please help me fund my art-travel books by purchasing prints on FineArtAmerica.com.  (All expenses for the production and publishing of these books are self-funded by me.  I consider much of my effort to promote scenic tourism to towns in Mexico to be charity).

To purchase prints of some of the paintings, drawings & maps in this book: www.fineartamerica.com“Jack Hannula” 

Jala, Nayarit, a Pueblo Mágico

Jala, Nayarit-A Scenic Pueblo Mágico   

jkh 3-02-2019 

A view of the bizarre, black lava fields on the approaching road to Jala equally serves as a descriptive opening sentence to introduce you to this scenic town. Jala, located in a volcano edged valley in west-central Mexico, awaits your visit.  This old Colonial town, founded by the Spanish Conquistadores in 1530, is well suited for landscape artists and photographers. Its broad, orderly streets and many vistas of enclosing mountains, including the now dormant El Ceboruco volcano peeking over the town-will motivate many artistic explorations. The surrounding region is mostly agricultural, with scattered ranches dotting the mountain slopes and irregular, semi-arid valleys.  The last eruption of looming El Ceburuco was in 1870; it is now dormant.  

Jala’s a sleepy place where you can safely wander the streets, duck into shadowy tiendasand buy produce or crafts from street venders arrayed beneath shady trees in the stately Plaza de Armas. The lovely church, Basilica lateranense; the museum, la Casa de la Cultura, and helpful tourism office, Oficina Turismo-will get you oriented to the history, culture and beauty of this alluring town with pre-Hispanic Aztec history.  

Set in a rural area in the State of Nayarit, roughly half way between the coast and the city of Guadalajara, Jala is easily accessible by bus via the Guadalajara-Ixtlán del Rio-Tepic route.  From Guadalajara, the bus leaves from the Central Viejo (Old Bus Station).  There are several small hotels located within the compact town; a friendly tourism representative located in a space below the red roofed gazebo in the Plaza is there to help you find a room and provide information about places to visit and events to attend.                                                                                    

My first and preliminary visit to Jala was in mid-February 2019, while visiting other scenic towns in the region (La Peñita and Tequila) with a journalist colleague, Barbara Shaw, a talented journalist and travel-writer. Our casual wanderings, chats and tour by a guide from the Oficina de Turismo during a two-day visit revealed Jala to be a pleasant, unhurried place for visual artists and explorers.  As such, I’ve put Jala on my list of towns deserving to be included in a future, “Painting Mexico” book.  First book link:  http://www.blurb.com/b/8596527-painting-mexico-magical-pueblos-in-guanajuato

For Barbara's perspective on Jala, see Barbara’s blog site: 2barbarashaw.blogspot.com  

I also posted a large album of photographs from Jala on my Facebook page, "Jack Hannula".

 Jack Hannula