A Trip To San Miguel El Viejo

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On Christmas Day we went out for lunch at Nirvana which is on the way to Atotonilco.   A very nice upscale restaurant where the prices are actually quite reasonable.  Our friend Andi drove us there.  We had been there in the summer and had such a good lunch we decided to go back.   Rosa was with us and we had an interesting chat along with lunch.  We covered healthcare and the use of hospitals in Mexico.  

 

After lunch Andi took us for a drive to see the expensive neighborhood of Otomi which also houses stables, a horse track, swimming and tennis for its tenants right along the water's edge of the presa.   While we were there she asked us if we were familiar with old San Miguel.    We had never heard anything about it.  It is located on the other side of the lake and there are still people who live down there.   Mostly small homes with farm animals but quite a nice place. 

We stopped by the original church that was built in the 1600s.   It was closed but on closer inspection you could see through a hole in the door and there was a fire burning inside.  We tried to get pics of the inside but it just wasn't possible.  

 

You can see the decorations over the doors.   There are angels and peyote buttons.   Peyote has always been a part of American culture.   It grows in lots of places in Mexico.  Peyote harvest near our house is at the end of March.  In Sinaloa and Sonora a tribe makes a topical paste that is used to reduce pain from arthritis and other ailments.  They say foreigners buy it and spread it on tacos to eat.  Who knows about that but this place is truly magical and you can feel the energy there.

Enlarging the picture of the wall, you can see some of the details.

We finished our day with them around 7 p.m. and we watched a video and had a cocktail.   Got up early and headed out for Hacienda Contreras.   This is what we saw coming up in the sky as we headed out from the botanical gardens.   It made for a great start and we had a wonderful drive, some light showers but overall good roads and lots of fun.   More on HC tomorrow.