Guanajuato Revisited Part 17 of 17: The pueblo of Santa Rosa de Lima and its Mayólica Pottery factory.

 

Parroquia de Santa Rosa de Lima is located in a deep canyon.  The main part of the pueblo is just off Hwy 110. However, an older part, called the Cañon del Silencio (Canyon of Silence), is reached by following a road which winds down into a deep canyon. 

In this posting, we'll look at both the lower and the upper parts of the pueblo. I'll also tell you about the Mayólica Santa Rosa pottery factory which makes beautiful hand-painted ceramics of all shapes and sizes. In fact, we visited the town on the recommendation of our next door neighbor in Ajijic who had bought some ceramics there.

Overview

Santa Rosa de Lima is only a short drive from the city of Guanajuato. Just take Hwy 110 north and follow it 13.9 km (8.6 mi) toward the northeast. Very quickly the road enters heavily-forested mountains. This is where so much of Guanajuato's silver was mined in the colonial era. The drive takes about 25 minutes and would be worth it even without the town and its pottery factory.

The old pueblo of Santa Rosa de Lima

The old pueblo's plaza is small but very clean. The red and white banners draped overhead suggest that a fiesta has either just been completed or that the celebration will soon begin. Even though this place is fairly remote, the age and condition of the vehicles show a good level of prosperity.

Like so much in Guanajuato, the pueblo was a product of the 18th century silver boom. A mine called Santa Rosa de Lima was started by José Mariano Sardaneta, whose family owned the San Juan de Rayas mine (see Part 7 of this series). He opened the Santa Rosa mine in 1728, after his San Antonio mine flooded and had to be abandoned. The pueblo of Santa Rosa de Lima grew out of the mine's need for services, goods, and homes for the miner workers and their families.

View of the Parroquia from the plaza. The two steeples each have three levels but are otherwise very different from each other. The left one is shorter and each of its levels is smaller than the one below it. The right one is taller and its levels are all of relatively the same size. In addition, the right steeple's top level has a clock on each of its four sides. Many other clocks on Mexican buildings don't function, but these do and they gave the correct time.

Santa Rosa de Lima was the first saint born in the New World. Isabel Flores de Olivia was born in1586 in Lima, Peru. She got her nickname "Rosa" when one of her family's servants had a vision of Isabel's face turning into a rose. At her confirmation in 1597, Isabel formally took the name Rosa. She was extremely pious, severely ascetic, and devoted to the needy. Her parents pressured her to marry but, at age 20, she became a nun in the Third Order of Saint Dominic. 

As a method of penance, Rosa sometimes burned her face or hands. To remind herself of Jesus' crown of thorns, Rosa wore a heavy crown of silver with spikes which often became entangled with her hair. She sold flowers and made lace and embroidery to raise money for the poor. When she died in Lima in 1617, her funeral was a major event. Miraculously, the whole city smelled of roses that day and many other miracles are reported to have followed. Rosa was canonized in 1671. 

Side entrance to the Parroquia. The doorway is Baroque, while other parts of the church, including the main entrance, have a Neo-Classic style. When the church was constructed, Neo-Classic was becoming the dominant style in Mexico. Many churches built during this period that I have visited show a similar mixture of styles.

Construction on Parroquia Santa Rosa de Lima began in 1735, under the supervision of Padre Francisco Ramírez Rendón. This was only a few years after the opening of the new mine. The work continued for forty-six years until the church was finally inaugurated in 1771. Long periods of construction were not unusual during the colonial period. Money for church construction was often a problem. Difficulties such as mine flooding might cause shutdowns and dry up donations. 

The church's side door faces onto the beginning of an alley. Part way down the alley, several bicyclists push their vehicles toward the edge of town. A small dog lounges on the church steps, watching them as they leave. The bicyclists were clearly not locals and probably came from Guanajuato or elsewhere in Mexico. They face a tough climb up from the bottom of the Cañon del Silencio to Hwy 110. But from there to Guanajuato it is all downhill. 

The upper pueblo and the Templo del Sagrado Corozon.

Templo del Sagrado stands on the north side of the Camino Real. Camino Real (Royal Road) branches off Hwy 110 at the western end of town and the two roads parallel until 110 turns north while the Royal Road continues east. Camino Real is a name often given to roads built in the colonial period to connect important towns and cities. 

The entrance gate was built in Neo-Classic style. The gate was locked so I had to take my shots from outside. The church was constructed toward the end of the 19th century, which was a boom time for Guanajuato and its surrounding mining towns. Porfirio Diaz was President of Mexico during this period and he set about modernizing Mexico, in particular its mining industry. 

Unfortunately, the benefits of the modernization accrued largely to the upper classes and particularly to Diaz and his cronies. The standard of living of the working class declined, including that of mine workers. Unrest spread and intensified over the 3 1/2 decades of what was known as the Porfiriato. Strikes by miners' unions became more frequent, but were often brutally suppressed.

The facade, and steeples of the church are also Neo-Classic. In front of the church is a broad open area, surrounded by a wall. This feature is called an atrium and is used for processions and events that need more space than can be provided inside the church itself. 

The Mexican Revolution broke out on November 20, 1910 and the country exploded like a pressure cooker with no steam outlet. Only a few months after it began, Porfirio Diaz was forced to flee to Europe. Five years later, he died comfortably in bed. Ironically, many of the leaders who drove him from office were assassinated over the next twenty years. 

One of the aftershocks of the Revolution was the Cristiada, or Cristero War (1926-29). Some of the provisions of the Constitution of 1917 were aimed at curbing the political and economic power of the Catholic Church. When President Plutarco Calles attempted to enforce them, the Church opposed it and right-wing reactionaries flocked to the cause. They were called Cristeros because their battle cry was ¡Viva Cristo Rey! ("Long Live Christ the King!"). 

The bloody struggle resulted in the execution of many Mexican priests who supported the Cristeros. One of these was Padre Gregorio Gutiérrez of Santa Rosa de Lima, who was known by the nickname "Goyito". He was captured while hiding out in the mountains that surround the pueblo. On May 14, 1928, Goyito was shot by a military firing squad. 

Fabrica Mayólica Santa Rosa

Fabrica Mayólica Santa Rosa. The fabrica (factory) is on the right just as you reach Santa Rosa de Lima, just before the Camino Real branches off to the right. Getting inside was a little confusing. After we repeatedly rang the bell by the door, a woman finally came. She explained that the main entrance is on the back side of the building, facing the Camino Real. A sign on the door might help, but hey, this is Mexico.

The building has three floors, with one used for the factory and the other two as show rooms. The variety of ceramics is overwhelming. They range from very small spoons to very large vases and every other kind of shape you can imagine (and some you probably can't). Every piece is beautifully hand-painted. Unfortunately, the fabrica's owners don't allow photographs in the showrooms, so the only one I have is of the dish you see below.

Hand-painted dish from Fabrica Mayólita Santa Rosa. Since the fabrica doesn't allow photos inside the building, I took one of the small dish that Carole and I brought home. Over the last 45 years, Mayólica Santa Rosa has been operated by three generations of the Salazar family. Currently, it is managed by Maria del Carmen Aguilera Salazar. 

The pottery is created by a group of artisans who use clay collected locally to make the pottery and local minerals to make the paints and glazes. Maria oversees every step to ensure the craftsmanship is of high quality. The family has another fabrica called JB Diseno in San Miguel Allende. There, pewter items are crafted.

Tras Lomita Restaurante

After leaving Santa Rosa de Lima, we lunched at Tras Lomitas restaurant. It is only a couple of miles back toward Guanajuato on the left side of the road. Tras Lomitas ("Behind little hills") is situated up on the hillside overlooking Hwy 110 and the rolling wooded hills beyond.

Large windows provide diners with great views. There is also a balcony along the front of the restaurant where you can eat. The fare is mostly traditional Mexican, with some Gringo options. The staff were friendly and efficient and well-deserving of the nice tip we left them. As you can see from the number of diners, the place is popular.

This completes Part 17 of my Guanajuato Revisited series and also finishes the series itself (I'll bet you thought it would never end!) I hope you enjoyed the series. If you would like to leave any thoughts or questions, please do so either in the Comments section below or email them directly to me. If you use the Comments section, please remember to include your email address so that I may respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim