Alamos: Day Two

Cinda and I were up again before dawn and outside with the roosters. Today we headed west. We passed by the home of the Urrea family. Tomas was the father of Teresita, a famous healer and known now in the US because of books written about her by Luis Urrea (Hummingbird’s Daughter and Teresita). A modest home. I had hoped for some kind of plaque, but there was none.

Our morning walks have yielded many surprises. One is that here, roses bloom in January. This is in addition to the bougainvillea and the jamaica, or hibiscus. We wandered until we found ourselves back at the sweet cafe we’d been to yesterday, where we sat, had breakfast, and lounged for hours talking with friends. Then, more walking.

The heat was on. I can see why people leave in summer. The houses with their thick walls are cool, but the January sun baked us us we wandered town.

In early afternoon, a musical treat. Baroque music inside the main church on the plaza, the Templo de la Purisma Concepcion. Violins, viola, cello, keyboard. The music soared up into the dome, slid down, and reverberated off the walls and arches.

But then the soprano began. I can’t stand sopranos, especially classical or operatic. But I have to say this young woman’s voice was clear and rich. Even I could listen. I slid to the back of the church, and eventually out the door. But while I was inside, for more than half the concert, I actually enjoyed it. The music, even the voice, so perfectly fit the cathedral. For a moment I could almost believe I was in Alamos in the 1700s.

While friends stayed in the church for the last twenty minutes or so of baroque, I stayed outside and listened to street music. This was followed by a walk. It was supposed to be a short one, but the twisty roads conspired against us and we turned down many a wrong street on our way to El Pedregal. Pedregal means rocky terrain, and it certainly was. Not so much at El Pedregal itself, but on the way there. After numerous wrong roads and about an hour of wandering, we made it.

What a place! Twenty or so acres of countryside, trails, and views. The whole property has five little casitas, a main house, and a straw bale building now used for yoga and massage. We had a lovely tour and then followed the correct road back to town, getting there in about fifteen minutes.

We hit downtown just as the kids’ program was getting underway with the same festive characters playing music and dancing on stilts. Like the adults with the burro and wine, there would be music and festivities followed by a walk through town, musicians in the lead and about half a block of children trailing along behind. The party/parade went on for over ninety minutes.

Dinner of papas – baked potato topped with cheese and grilled beef and salsa and guacamole and . . . and whatever else you want. A margarita on the patio overlooking the plaza. Musicians, young folks twirling batons of fire, and more. An excellent ending to the second day.