This posting begins a new series on Jerez, a town southwest of the city of Zacatecas. Its formal name is Jerez de Garcia Salinas. In a bit, I'll explain who Garcia Salinas was and his importance in the history of Jerez and the state of Zacatecas. Jerez is one of Mexico's 132 Pueblos Magicos (Magic Towns). The designation was created to highlight places with wonderful architecture, traditions, history and culture.
In Part 1, I'll focus on the west side of the Plaza Principal which contains the Presidencia Municipal (City Hall) and Hotel Jardin. A group I organized stayed at the hotel when we visited in 2016. The charming establishment faces the Plaza Principal and its lovely garden known as Jardin Rafael Páez.
Overview
While the fastest route is the cuota, the other two highways are scenic and pass through historic pueblos along the way. On our trip, we took the cuota to Zacatecas and then south on 54 to 23 and west to Jerez. Coming back, we took Highway 23 south. Although the return trip took longer because of truck traffic and numerous small towns, the drive was very much worth it. Here is a Google map showing the whole route.
Two of the tribes, the Guachichiles and the Zacatecos, lived in the Jerez area. While these natives had traditionally fought on foot, they quickly realized the advantage of the Spanish horses they are seen capturing above. Both men and women participated in the raids and all fought while stark naked. To protect their caravans, the Spanish established a string of fortified outposts along the silver route. Both Jerez and Aguascalientes were among these original military posts.
The Centro area contains many beautiful and historic buildings. The overall orientation above is to the northeast. The large, heavily-vegetated square in the upper right is the Plaza Principal with its Jardin Rafael Páez. In this posting, I will start with Calle del Sanctuario on the west side of the Plaza. One of the most important structures along this side is the Presidencia Municipal (equivalent to a US county seat), located on the south half of the block. The other is the Hotel Jardin, on the northern half.
The Baroque-style entrance is wide enough for carriages. The doorway is framed with cantera, an easily-carved volcanic stone used in many colonial-era and 19th century buildings. The entrance was part of the original mansion, which was built between 1730-45. A fire in 1913 destroyed most of this earlier structure, but the entrance survived and became part of the new building.
The courtyard, viewed from the northwest corner of the 2nd floor arcade. The street entrance can be seen in the upper left. Notice the closely trimmed topiary in each of the four garden spaces around the fountain.
View of the courtyard garden from its northeast corner. Francisco Garcia Salinas was born into a wealthy family and they sent him to religious schools for his education. After graduating, he gained valuable knowledge and experience in financial matters while working for various mines around Zacatecas.
Looking south along Calle del Sanctuario. Visible in the distance are the steeples of the Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. The three-story building in the center of the photo is Hotel Jardin. The vegetation across the street from the hotel is part of the western border of Jardin Rafael Páez. Just a little beyond Hotel Jardin is the long, two-story Presidencia Municipal.
The restaurant is cozy and colorful, with murals on the walls and tiled table tops. The food served includes Mexican standards like enchiladas, but also some local specialties. All of it was plentiful and tasty. The hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating to our group of fourteen, which filled most of the hotel's eleven rooms.
This cook was one of the friendly staff we encountered. She seemed very happy that I was taking an interest in her kitchen. One of our party celebrated his birthday during our visit and we had brought a cake along for the event. When we discovered that the candles had been overlooked, the staff quickly scurried around to come up with some. We reciprocated by making sure they each got a big slice of cake.
My room was simple but comfortable and very inexpensive. You may notice there is no phone or TV. However, many of our party had brought their cell phones, so that was no problem. Since we didn't plan to spend much time in our rooms, and most TV programs in places like Jerez are in Spanish, the absence of television didn't matter either.
The bathrooms were clean, with plenty of hot water. Showers are much more common than tubs in Mexico, but I am a shower person so that was fine with me. I always make sure to check for hot water at an unfamiliar hotel, because in some it is only available at certain times of the day. Hotel Jardin had a plentiful supply during out visit.
Although it took the Spanish only about three years to conquer the Aztec Empire, it took them forty years to get the Chichimeca to stop fighting. They tried to use natives captured in the war as slaves in their silver mines, but found them almost impossible to control. Peace only came after a treaty was negotiated in 1590 in which the Spanish agreed to provide food, tools, livestock, and land to help these nomads transition to an agricultural lifestyle.
Other sites covered later in this series include the Sanctuario Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, a block south of the Plaza on Calle Del Sanctuario. Across the street from the Sanctuario is the Edificio de Torre, a former girls' school with wonderful Gothic-Moorish architecture. Directly behind (west) of the Sanctuario is Jardin Miguel Hidalgo, dedicated to an Independence War hero. Two blocks east of the Sanctuario is the Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción, the oldest church in Jerez. There is much more, but these are the main sites.
La Presidencia Municipal
The Presidencia Municipal viewed from its south end. It faces the Plaza Principal and its Jardin Rafael Páez across Calle del Sactuario. Three iron balconies, with two french doors apiece, line the second floor. The ground floor entrance gives a hint of the elegance that lies within.
The Spanish first passed through the area during the 1529-30 exploration by Nuño de Guzman, a conquistador who was bloodthirsty even by Spanish standards. Some oral histories contend that Jerez was founded at this time, but written documents say it happened in 1570, forty years later. Nuño de Guzman's brutality set the stage for a revolt called the Mixtón War which lasted until 1541 and severely hampered Spanish settlement of the Gran Chichimeca.
In 1546 local natives showed some silver nuggets to a visiting Basque noblemen named Juan de Tolosa. He quickly located the source of the silver at the site of the present-day city of Zacatecas, 44km (27mi) to the northeast of Jerez. Tolosa soon established a small mining settlement to exploit his discovery and this set off a stampede of Spaniards into the Gran Chichimeca. The native people reacted with fierce resistance, particularly after the Spaniards began enslaving them to work in the mines.
Following the discovery of silver, Chichimeca warriors regularly attacked caravans bringing supplies from Guadalajara and others returning with silver ingots. After a number of these pack-trains were plundered and their drivers and escort massacred, the Spanish decided to set up a string of military posts at regular intervals along the route. Haciendas were established to supply both the forts and the caravans with food, horses, and draft animals.
The fort at Jerez was founded on January 20, 1570 by Captain Don Pedro Carillo Dávila. He was granted extensive lands in the surrounding area as a reward for pacifying the native people. Those who assisted him included Pedro and Cristóbal Caldera and Martin Moreno. Along with Captain Dávila, these men became the leading citizens of the new settlement.
A Portrait of Francisco Garcia Salinas hangs on the wall of the Presidencia. He was born near Jerez in 1786 on Hacienda Santa Gertrudis and grew up to be a remarkable and visionary politician as well as a financial wizard. While Garcia Salinas is dressed in a military uniform, I can find no mention of a military career in his record.
I find this odd, because he would have been 24 when the War of Independence broke out and he had a lifelong interest in politics. In addition, his political career spanned a time when Mexico suffered considerable internal warfare. The answer may simply be that this is how a state governor dressed at the time.
In 1821, during the first year of Mexican independence, Garcia Salinas was appointed Registrar of Finance in Jerez. His popularity in that role resulted in his election, two years later, to the Mexican Constitutional Congress. Only a year after that, in 1824, Garcia Salinas became a Senator. His exceptional financial skills soon led to his appointment as Mexico's Minister of Finance.
A pink and yellow rose glows in the morning sunlight. In 1828, Garcia Salinas was elected Governor of Zacatecas. His work in that position gained him acclaim as a "model governor". Banditry plagued the state, so he organized a police force and a National Guard to combat outlaws. In addition, he acquired land and gave it to farmers who pledged to act as a militia against bandits.
During the Independence War, several important silver mines had been abandoned, seriously damaging the state's economy. Through his efforts, they were reopened. To develop a textile industry, he brought in master craftsmen with looms. He also consulted with experts on sheep breeding to improve the quality of wool.
To promote education, the young governor established the state's first library, founded a teacher's academy and passed a Primary Education Act. During his time in office, smallpox epidemics broke out in Zacatecas. In response, Garcia Salinas organized the vaccination of 40,000 children.
A bored policeman scrolls through his smart phone. In 1832 the political career of Francisco Garcia Salinas ended abruptly, when he backed the wrong side in one of the early Mexican Republic's many political revolts. He was forced into retirement and died of lung disease in 1841 at Hacienda San Pedro Piedra Gorda. In his honor, Jerez was re-named Jerez Garcia Salinas and the University of Zacatecas adopted his name as well.
El Hotel Jardin
The Saga of Anthony's Wallet. The account of our visit to Jerez wouldn't be complete without this story. When we arrived at the hotel, my good friend Anthony discovered that his wallet containing all of his money and credit cards was missing. The last time he could remember having it out of his pocket was during a stop about twenty miles or so before we reached Jerez. Anthony was determined to find it, but most of us were dubious about his prospects.
The hotel's structure is narrow and extends back from the street. for some distance. The ground floor contains the reception area, restaurant, kitchen, and a couple of guest rooms. All the other rooms are on the two upper floors. Except for those facing the street, the other rooms don't have windows. However, that is not necessarily a disadvantage. Mexican plazas can be noisy at night, particularly during fiestas. I always do my best to get a room as far from the street as possible.
The Wallet Saga (continued). Anthony quickly found a taxi driver named Jesus who was willing to take him back to our last stop. As they set off, the rest of us discussed taking up a collection so that Anthony and his wife Katherine could still enjoy the trip. A couple of hours later, he returned, triumphantly waving his wallet. We were astonished and eager to hear the story. And what a tale it was!
The Wallet Saga (continued). When Anthony and Jesus arrived at our last rest stop, they found nothing. At this point, Jesus had become almost as invested in finding the wallet as Anthony. He pressed Anthony to recall any other place the wallet could be. Finally, Anthony remembered that, after reaching Jerez, we had become entangled in a series of roadwork detours. This led us into a cul-de-sac, where Anthony had gotten out of his car to help direct us.
The Wallet Saga (continued). Anthony described the street to Jesus, who recognized it as his childhood neighborhood. What are the odds of picking the one taxi driver who grew up there? Truly amazing! They drove to the cul-de-sac and looked around, but again no wallet. Finally, Jesus began knocking on the doors of the people he knew. One of these folks remembered that a neighbor living a few doors away had mentioned finding a wallet that afternoon.
A colorful staircase leads up from the reception area. The riser of each stair is decorated with talavera tiles. More tiles were inset in the stone floor. The two ground floor rooms are behind the stairs.
The Wallet Saga (continued). Anthony and Jesus went to the house, explained their quest, and were promptly invited in. Anthony's wallet was on the kitchen table, with all of his money and credit cards! He was amazed at this turn of events. Jesus' persistence and the honesty of the neighbor had combined to save the day. To reward them, Anthony divided the cash in the wallet between the two. He knew he could replace it from a nearby ATM, now that he had his bank cards back. A happy ending for everyone!
The Wallet Saga (continued). Upon Anthony's triumphant return, we all wanted to hear the story. However, we decided the tale would be best told to us as a group over dinner. Anticipation grew as dinner was served that night. Finally, Anthony recounted the whole saga, while we gasped with astonishment at his luck and applauded Jesus and the neighbor for their parts. The Saga of Anthony's Wallet exemplifies what many of us have come to love about the Mexicans we meet.
This completes Part 1 of my Jerez series. I hope you enjoyed it. If you are so inclined, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include you email address so that I can respond.
Hasta luego, Jim
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