The Sierra Gorda Mountains of Mexico
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| The pinnacle of Bernal. This is the second highest monolith in North America. |
I recently returned from a research trip to many towns in the Sierra Gorda Mountains in the State of Querétaro in central Mexico in a region a few hours north of Mexico City. The trip was rewarding because I “discovered” a number of pueblos and communities that deserve coverage in another book. The places are (from west to east): Bernal de Peña, Piñal de Amoles; and Jalpan de Serra, a town with a group of five Spanish Franciscan Missionary churches (misiones) that are, collectively, a United Nations World Heritage Site(s). From Jalpan, I took a quick trip to Xilitla where Sir Edward James’s incredible garden is the main attraction. Bernal, Jalpan and Xilitla are official Pueblos Mágicos. Together, these places provide a plethora of scenic beauty and historic charm for visual artists and architects, a region where one could spend a lifetime documenting the beauty. I will write about each individual town in more detail in future postings.
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| A view of Pinal de Amoles |
The Sierra Gorda Mountains are a sub-region of the famous Sierra Madres Oriental, a mountain chain that runs north-south through eastern Mexico. They were formed by a combination of tectonic plate buckling, along with volcanic forces. As such, the mountains are rugged, varied and panoramic. The area I explored was on the eastern slope of the Gorda where increased rainfall produces lush, sub-tropical topography. All of the above towns and places are located in these breathtakingly picturesque mountains.
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| La Parroquia, the church that is the focal point of Pinal. |
My research trip took several weeks. I traveled by public transportation the whole way. This includes a luxury bus (Primera Plus bus line) from the City of Querétaro to Jalpan; then regional bases and vans (that stop frequently), and a small car driven by my licensed tour guide to visit the mission churches scattered among Jalpan’s surrounding mountains. Travel time from my origin, San Miguel de Allende, to Jalpan de Serra takes around 6.5 hours (that includes changing buses in the City of Querétaro).
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| The Mission Church, Jalpan de Serra. |
The road to Jalpan and Xitlia twists through the dense mountains, including heart-pounding hairpin curves edged with cliffs that plummet into canyons below. (Because of the scenic, pulse-racing drama, this route is popular for motorcycle touring). By mistake, I got of the bus in Pinal de Amoles-early and unplanned-due to confusion on my part. This was a delightful surprise because, standing at the bus station off the narrow road, I saw spectacular views and decided to stay for a couple of nights on my way back. This rewards my philosophy of finding such places that are “off-the-beaten-path”.
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| This author map-making at a Mission church. |
This posting is just a teaser to explore this scenic route. I plan to write about each town and place in more detail in future postings. Adios! 4-15-2019
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| A view in Sir Jame's garden, Xilitla. |
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