Jerez Part 2 of 7: A walk around the Plaza Principal

Details of a elegant old building on the Plaza's southeast corner. This building is one of several ornate buildings bordering the Plaza Principal. The stone facade was carved using cantera, a relatively soft volcanic rock. This material has been favored for decorative uses since pre-hispanic times. Wrought iron balconies and french doors add further touches of elegance. 

In this second part of my Jerez series, I will focus on the south, east, and north sides of the Plaza. Each is filled with structures which used to be residences and commercial spaces owned by wealthy families during the colonial and early Republic eras. Now, the buildings are filled with small stores, apartments, and offices. The Plaza Principal is the core of the historic center of Jerez and, as such, is a rich photographic smorgasbord.

In the early colonial period, the Plaza was used for various purposes, including militia drills, public punishments using stocks and the garrote (a form of strangulation), and to deliver sermons to crowds of newly Christianized indigenous people. Later, it became a public market where rustic booths sold food and other products from the farms and haciendas, as well as goods from Zacatecas, Mexico City, and elsewhere.  

The south side: Andador Candelaria Huizar

View of the southwest corner of the Plaza. Candelaria Huizar is an andador (pedestrian-only street). It runs along the south side of the Plaza, beginning just beyond the upright barriers along the curb. This photo was taken during our 2016 visit, but when I recently checked the Google street-view, I discovered that many of the names on the stores are now different. However, the structures are the same. 

Candelaria Huizar (1883-1970) was a composer, musician, and music teacher. Born in Jerez to a working-class family, he apprenticed as a goldsmith at an early age, but chose not to follow that career. As a child, Huizar taught himself to play a guitar and later studied music and learned to play the saxophone and viola. As a composer, he wrote four symphonies that became famous in Mexico. Composers, poets, painters, scientists and writers are celebrated in Mexico as much or more than generals or politicians.

The eastern half of Candelaria Huizar contains historic buildings. The arches above are called the Humboldt Portales and are part of a building once owned by a prominent colonial-era merchant family. The ground floor is now occupied by an ice cream parlor and other small stores. The Moorish arches are part of a style that originated during the 700-year occupation of Spain by Muslim Moors. This style has been used in Mexico ever since the Conquest.

The Humboldt Portales were named for Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), one of the greatest scientists and explorers of his own time and possibly of all time. He was knowledgable about geology, mineralogy, biology, botany, meteorology, cartography, philosophy, statistics, and much more. During his 1803-04 visit to Mexico, he stopped at Jerez and stayed in this building, which was owned at the time by the wealthy Escobedo family of merchants.

The Escobedo family can be traced back at least to 1485, when  Francisco de Escobedo was born in Santander, Spain. His grandson, Hernando de Escobedo, was born in 1545 and emigrated to Zacatecas as an adult. Hernando's son Francisco married Maria de Corbarrubias and they moved to Jerez, where their son (also named Francisco) was born in 1640. At the time of Humboldt's visit, Francisco's grandson Pedro Escobedo (1720-1812) headed the family. There are still many Escobedos living in Jerez and Zacatecas.

 

Detail of the building to the left of the Humboldt Portales. This is the same building shown in my initial photo. The coat-of-arms in the center includes a ship's anchor crossed by a wand topped with spread wings. Two snakes are twined around the shaft. The wand, called a caduceus, is the staff carried by Greek god Hermes and is the symbol of medicine. This indicates that the family that built this ornate structure had illustrious ancestors in the medical and naval professions.

More details of the Neo-Classic facade. I always enjoy wandering a town like Jerez, marveling at the intricate architectural details. The building, probably constructed in the 19th century, may have once been a prosperous merchant's home, or perhaps a hacienda owner's townhouse. If it was a merchant, it is likely that the ground floor was his store, while he and his family lived on the second floor. However, I was unable to find out anything specific about the structure's history. 

View to the south along Andador Benito Juarez. The ornate entrance of the building on the right corner belongs to the same building shown in the last two photos. Various food-vendors ply their trade along the walking street. During festivals, this street is sometimes filled with booths. In the distance, you can see the dome of Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción, the oldest church in Jerez. 

The Plaza's east side: Andador Benito Juarez

Looking north along Andador Benito Juarez. This view is from the corner of Candelaria Huizar. The Jardin Rafael Páez is on the left. This street is also lined with former mansions and townhouses, some of which date back to Jerez' 16th century founders. El Baratillo, the orange building on the right corner, was once one of those sumptuous residences. Today, it is a farmacia (pharmacy) selling health and beauty products. 

From the smallest pueblo to the megalopolis of Mexico City, plazas follow the general design dictated by King Philip II of Spain (1527-98). The plaza formed the center of the town or city and was generally aligned to the four cardinal directions. 

The main government building occupied all or most of one side, with the church usually occupying another. The remaining sides were set aside for mansions and commercial spaces owned by the colonial elite. This pattern was maintained from the Conquest until after the Revolution. 

Just north of El Baratillo is another former mansion. Traces of elegance can still be seen in the balconies and french doors on the 2nd story. Today, the ground floor is occupied by a cerrajeria (locksmith) and a pastry/ice cream shop. The second floor probably contains offices or apartments or both.

Left of the locksmith is another impressive structure. Numerous small stores line the street level. These include a dentist's office and La Barbara, a place advertised as a "hookah bar" that offers meals and craft beers. Above La Barbara is a doctor's office specializing in obesity, an increasing problem in Mexico. Further along are a coffee house, a liquor store, and a zapateria (shoe store). 

The North Side: Calle San Luis (Highway 23)

Portal Inguanzo occupies the center of the north side. The view is toward the west. This arcade was once part of a mansion built in 1797. The arcade was rebuilt a century later into its present form by members of the Inguanzo family. The patriarch of the family, Don Manuel Diáz de Inguanzo, got his start as the administrator of Hacienda San Jose de Maguey. An ambitious man, he used his salary to buy Hacienda del Tesorero and Hacienda de los Perez. These two properties became the foundation of the Inguanzo family fortune. 

The Portal Inguanzo from the front. Today, the arcade contains a photo shop, a women's clothing store, and an ice cream parlor. If you are surprised at the number of ice cream shops around the Plaza, the explanation is simple. Mexicans are addicted to ice cream. Even in the smallest pueblo, the plaza will nearly always contain at least one shop selling helados (ice cream).

The wealth of the Inguanzo family increased dramatically during the 19th century. Don Manuel's son, Don Eulogio Inguanzo Zesati del Castelu, married Dona Maria del Refugio Amozurrutia de Inguanzo. Her father was the owner of Hacienda La Labor de Santa Gertrudis. By the time Don Eulogio died in 1893, his estate was valued at 280 thousand pesos, a vast fortune in those days. Included were at least three haciendas, various ranches, and several houses around the Plaza, including this one. 

Portal Inguanzo, looking east. Don Manuel González Cosio had built the original mansion and arcade in 1797. After he died, his heirs decided to sell the property to Don Eulogio Inguanzo. He bought it in 1878 for 333 pesos and 33 centavos, which was quite a deal, because the value of the property at the time was considered to be at least 3000 pesos. As new homeowners often do, he promptly remodeled. After he was finished, the rebuilt arcade came to be known as Portal Inguanzo, a name it still carries today.  

This completes Part 2 of my Jerez series. I hope you enjoyed it and, if so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim