La Noira, Mexico

[asirimarco]

We took one day and drove up to another little colonial town established in the late 1500s by the name of La Noria. A great excursion. Very small town. Visited the church built 250 years ago. It is painted yellow with pink trim. There is a bell tower with some circular steps leading up to the bells. Got claustrophobic just looking up them.
We drove around some after leaving the church just checking out the town. Only a couple of the roads were paved with cobblestones, the rest were dirt and rocks. As we were getting ready to turn one corner the road narrowed and two older women were standing there visiting. One was wearing a black and blue sweat suit with a straw hat the other a dress a flowered house dress and sensible shoes. Bill slowed way down and started to creep past them. Then he stopped as they spoke to him. Spent a while talking to them. The lady in the dress wanted to show us her three week old grandson. She was very proud of him. Beautiful baby with long straight honey colored hair and big brown eyes. Saw another young woman in jeans outside watering the street to keep down the dust. Her little boy in his bright red pants and gray t-shirt was standing on the steps watching her. One thumb in his mouth the other hand holding his bottle. He shyly waved to us as we drove past.
Most of the buildings have been kept in good repair, their fronts painted in vivid colors and their roofs warped and the tiles blackened by age. A couple of roofs even had cactus growing on them. I mention that the fronts are painted because that is usually the only part painted. The sides and backs are gray cement or old bricks. Some of the houses had cows and/or chickens in the back or side yards. The fences build of kind of straight limbs tied together with barbed wire and twine. Flowers and flowering trees grow every where. Bougainvilleas of every color, some almost as big as the house they are next to.
On the main street were a couple of young men cooking meat. They use half a big drum on legs with a grill on top. Get the coals going good then place the meat on the grill. This is chopped up and put in tortillas – called Machaca. Must be really good as they were fixing a lot of it.
On one corner was a shop where leather goods were made. Belts, saddles, Huaraches (leather sandals) and various tourist trinkets. It was just a small room painted in a dingy shade of green paint that was peeling in places. The ceiling looked like it had been painted white in maybe the early 1900s. Pieces of leather were hung over a work bench, purses hung from a big floor fan and sandals were strung on a wire above the counter. The beginnings of a saddle sat on the floor. Stayed in there quite a while. Bill picked out a nice piece of leather to buy. After he put it in the car we continued to walk around.
Saw another building that was beautiful on the outside, painted a bright orange trimmed in yellow but when I looked in an open door I discovered a big room with peeling plaster walls and a high wood beamed ceiling. I could see several different coats of plaster of different colors where it was peeling. Except for a couple of bales of hay, a modern looking scale and some empty buckets and a wheelbarrow it was empty. Looked like it must have looked 200 year ago. Beyond that we found a tiny grocery store. Went in to visit with the ladies working in it. As we got inside we could see that the store was actually a room in the front of their home. One lady was scooping white beans out of a big burlap bag with a sauce pan and pouring them on a piece of newspaper. The other was then taking the paper and wrapping the beans up and sealing the paper with tape. It was one kilo of beans, cost 30 Pesos. She said that with the beans, one kilo of tortillas – 10 Pesos and a half a Kilo of cheese – 20 Pesos a woman could feed her family a couple of days.
As we continued walking up the hill we saw a very old looking house that appeared to be abandoned and stopped to take pictures. An older woman with her gray hair in a long braid who was coming down the hill stopped to tell us about it. She said it was very, very old and had last been lived in by an “old American man.” And since he passed away it has been empty. She also told us that at one time she had the plaque that originally was over the door of the house describing when it was built and who it was built for. She said it was one of the Spanish Conquistadores. There are so many friendly people and so much history in these small towns.
On the way back we stopped at the Vinata Los Osuna Tequila Distillery. According to the guide book this is the only place in the world where Tequila is grown, harvested and distilled all at one place. We passed through a couple of kilometers of blue agave plantation before arriving at the distillery that dates back to the 18th century. We took a tour of the distillery and talked to the present owner – it has always been in his family. Very interesting and such a good smell. Got to taste the agave after it had been cooked and turned a dark caramel color, very sweet. Didn’t buy any bottled tequila though.
The grounds themselves made the trip worthwhile. Flowers and humongous bougainvilleas of every color were all over. As were cactus and flowering trees I can’t name. Also several over 200 year old jacarandas with trunks five feet
the pictures from this town are at http://www.movingon1.com/LaNoiraMexico just right click and open in new window. click on first picture and they will enlarge hope you enjoy sorry its so long

[sharon]

Ahhhh Tequilla! Wish I could have been there....I've had a few nights with my friend Jose Cuervo and lived to talk about it!


The town sounds so interesting. I'm so jealous of your trip!

[retiredhappy]

I absolutely LOVE the cactus growing on the roofs. I love these small towns anywhere.

[Sparkle]

The colors! So vibrant! How strange that the one building looked so well cared for, painted, clean and plants in pots, yet inside it looked like a barn or something. And I wonder why the colors look so right there, but if people painted their houses those colors here we would be asking, What were they thinking? Carol, you have probably instilled the wanderlust in more people than you know. My teeth are watering.

[Bethers]

Oh Carol, your descriptive narrative was just perfect before looking at the wonderful pictures.

Years ago - 1971 - I made my first drive into Mexico. At the time, I was devastated by the poverty I was seeing, but it was more than that. I can't explain but I felt an affinity. And I commented then that I felt like this was a place I lived in a previous life. And looking at all your pictures from day to day here, I feel the same way. I recognize things that I've never seen -

Thank you for showing us what you're seeing - and feeling.

[bluepinecones]

Thank you again for the fabulous tour. Got my wanderlust going for sure.

[Nasoosie]

I think you've outdone yourself with this entry, Carol! Each time I visit what you've written and photographed, I feel as if I become a bit closer to the Mexican people and culture.

So amazing are you as you report your adventures! Thank you so much!

[Liz]

What a happy little town! I too love the colors and the ambiance. I see a Mexican adventure on the horizon. Thanks for shaing those wonderful pictures and commentary. You make it so interesting. That old church is beautiful.

[AlmostThere]

Wonderful tour, Carol. thank you again for taking the time to share with us!

[islandmomma]

Thank you again for a great travelogue!!

Do they paint the houses and buildings that way to identify them? In the Domincan Republic, houses and farms have no addresses and mail or goods are delivered to "third blue house past the San Rodeo turnoff" or "yellow house with green shutters"... I think these regional differences are fascinating!

jan

[avalen]

how interesting! your such a good writer too,
when I went to the botanical garden I learned about the agave pits, they
dig these pits, line with rocks and build a fire in it, then place the agave
in them and bury them, letting them cook for about 3 or 4 days. The agave
is sweet but it's also used for making string and of course the tequila, but
I'm sure thats a whole different process.

[Cedar518]

The pastel colors on the buildings are so peaceful. I did notice a coca cola sign!