Sierra Gorda Part 1: The Magic Pueblo of Jalpan de Serra

Padre Junipero Serra oversaw the construction of Jalpan's church. The word Jalpan comes from the Nahuatl language and means "place over sand". Serra was added in 1976 in honor of Padre Junipero Serra. He was a Franciscan friar who made a series of extraordinary 18th century journeys to evangelize the natives and to build missions among them in Nueva España (Mexico). He reformed some existing missions and built others in the Sierra Gorda region. Later, he led expeditions to the Baja Peninsula and up into California, founding missions as he went. Junipero Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015. 

This posting begins a multi-part series on the Sierra Gorda ("Fat Mountains"), a remote region in the northern part of the state of Querétaro that is seldom visited by foreigners. However, there is much to see, including beautiful countryside, gorgeous Franciscan missions, and ancient Huasteca ruins. Our trip to the area also included stops in Querétaro, where we visited its Museo Regional and the Magic Pueblo of Peña de Bernal. 

Overview

There are several possible routes to Jalpan de Sierra. We chose this one because it kept us on high speed autopistas (toll roads) for most of the journey. Total driving time is a little over 8 hours, so we decided to stop  for the night in Querétaro to break up the trip. This had several advantages. 

First, this enabled us to visit the Querétaro's Museo Regional, which has an extensive collection of pre-hispanic and colonial artifacts from the area. Second, the leg of the journey from there to Jalpan would take us through some very scenic mountains and we wanted to see them in daylight. Finally, driving at night, after a whole day on the road, could lead to an accident. Such an unfortunate event would be very problematic in this remote area. For a Google interactive map of our route, click here.

The mountains of the Sierra Gorda looked fairly gentle as we approached. What we didn't know was that the whole area beyond this initial range is full of steep mountains, interspersed with numerous deep valleys. The Sierra Gorda isn't just a single range, but a jumble of peaks that continue on and on until you finally drop down into the low country along the Gulf Coast. The soil in the foreground is probably very fertile, because of the volcanic nature of some of the mountains in the area.

The environment on the western side of the range is a very dry high desert. This is caused by a "rain shadow", which occurs when the clouds from the Gulf of Mexico hit the eastern part of the mountains. There, they drop their load of rain, leaving the western side parched. In the photo above, I was looking west, back toward the narrow, two-lane blacktop road that we had just traveled.

The Sierra Gorda is part of the Sierra Madre Oriente, a huge chain of mountains that run from northeastern Mexico to the southwest. Much of the area is Huasteca Karst. This easily-eroded limestone creates sotános (pit caves) and other unusual formations. In addition to the sotános, there are caverns that extend for hundreds of meters. The elevations in these mountains range from 300m to 3,100m (984ft to 10,170ft).

Toward the east, you can see the road we will follow to Jalpan. It cuts across the base of the volcanic knob on the left. This shot should give you a feel for the wild remoteness of this area. To travel on foot or by horse along difficult, rocky, mountain trails would be arduous and slow. But that is how the early Spanish soldiers, friars, and colonists traveled during the colonial era and early 19th century. It is easy to understand why the non-indigenous population remained very low for centuries.

In the rain shadow of the west side, the conditions are dry and the vegetation includes a variety of cacti and scrub brush. East of the shadow, forests prevail with conifers and oaks in the high elevations and deciduous forest lower down and semi-jungle in the lowest areas. Animals abound, but several species are endangered due to human activity. These include the jaguar, puma, black bear, green parrot, Veracruz partridge, and Humboldt butterfly. Droughts due to climate change have increased the danger to plant and animal life.

When you cross the edge of the rain shadow, the view changes. Suddenly, coming around a bend in the road, you leave the high desert and a heavily forested vista spreads out into the distance. As you drop down to lower elevations, the vegetation becomes a semi-jungle. From the cool dryness of the high desert, you move into a humid, almost tropical climate. This surprised me, because I had expected that such a mountainous area would be cooler and dryer. As it turned out, Jalpan's altitude is 760m (2,490ft), about half that of Ajijic, where I live.

The climate varies widely in the Sierra Gorda and, like most of Mexico, depends upon elevation. The cold season comes in December and January with an average temperature of 13C (55F). The hottest average temperatures (24C or 75F) occur in April and May. However, once again, the actual temperatures and level of humidity depend upon your altitude and whether you are in or out of the rain shadow.

Jardín Principal

Jalpan's plaza is called the Jardín Principal. Facing it is the church of the former Franciscan mission, built by Junipero Serra and called Sanctuario del Santo Niño de la Mezclita (Sanctuary of the Holy Child of Mezclita). How it got that name is an interesting story that I'll tell in a subsequent posting. In front of the church entrance is a broad open area bounded by a wall with three gates. The one above is the main gate. The enclosed space is called an atrium and in its center is an atrial cross. Church atriums are used for outdoor ceremonies and processions. In colonial times mass conversions of native people were conducted there.

Jalpan de Serra is the cabecera municipal (county seat) of the municipio (county) with the same name. It was an indigenous Pame village in pre-hispanic times. In 1521, after the fall of the Aztecs, Hernán Cortéz was granted an ecomienda (the right to demand tribute and free labor) for the area around Jalpan. When another conquistador, Nuñez de Guzman, passed through the general area a few years later, he claimed the Sierra Gorda as part of the colonial province he was seeking to form. However, the difficult terrain and fierce resistance by the native population inhibited settlement for decades. 

As with most Mexican plazas, the center of Jardín Principal has a kiosco.  The structure is used for concerts, public speaking, and seasonal events. This version was built in 2005, but kioscos began appearing in Mexican plazas during the colonial period. Plazas in Mexico are nearly all of the same design, and Jalpan is no exception. A plaza forms the center of town, with a church, government offices, and commercial establishments surrounding it. The grid of streets extend out from this central point. The pattern was established by a decree of Spanish King Phillip II (1527-98).

Augustinian friars arrived in the Sierra Gorda in 1537. For a number of years, they attempted to evangelize the native Pames, but had little success. After a Spaniard named Francisco Barrón was granted an encomienda over Jalpan and its tributary pueblos in 1538, Spanish settlers and mineral prospectors began to arrive. In 1542, fierce nomadic warriors known as the Chichimecas began to attack. These tribes were extremely hostile to any incursions within their territories and the Spanish arrival was rightly seen as a threat by them. 

Two young women leaning on the railing are transfixed by their smartphones. The scene on this kiosco would be immediately understood by people all over the world. While the designs of Mexican kioscos share a general similarity, each one is different in its details. The cast iron pillars and wrought iron railings on this one lend a certain lacy delicacy to the structure. Kioscos provide spaces that are slightly above, but still a part of, the general scene in the plaza.

Chichimeca is a generic name covering a number of different nomadic tribes in north-central Mexico. The tribesmen had a long history of conflict with settled people, dating back at least to the Classic pre-hispanic period. In the Sierra Gorda, these people include the Pames and the Jonaz. The Pames were the least agressive, but they were provoked to violence in 1542 when Spanish settlers abused them and seized their land. In 1550, the Chichimeca War erupted throughout north-central Mexico and continued for the next 40 years. The warriors knew their ground and were extremely skilled at raiding and ambushes. 

Hotel Misión Jalpan

Our hotel faced the Jardín on its north side. Hotel Misión Jalpan is modern, comfortable, and moderately priced. There was no parking lot, but street parking was plentiful and safe. While there are rooms with balcony views of the plaza, we chose one that faced onto the hotel's patio. This is our usual practice, since street-facing hotel rooms can sometimes be noisy. The beige building in the next bloc is the Museo Historico de la Sierra Gorda. It was originally built as a fort to protect the mission and later became a prison before it was turned into a museum. I will take you through the museum in a subsequent posting.

The Spanish consistently underestimated the Chichimeca and overestimated their ability to defeat them. Between 1552-1555, the Chichimeca attacked Jalpan several times and destroyed the original temple and its fields. Attacks such as these led the Viceroy, Martin Enrique Almanza, to decree a "war of fire and blood" and that war captives to be enslaved. This was inflamatory and caused the Pames and Huastecos to form an alliance against the Spanish under a man called Lohomabe. Continued attacks forced the Spanish to build a fort in Jalpan in 1577 and to establish presidios (military posts) throughout the Pame territory. 

View of the pool and the mountains from the arcade outside our room. We chose this hotel because its central location in Jalpan de Serra made it easy to do self-guided walking tours. In addition, Jalpan itself is centrally located at the center of a web of roads that extend out into adjacent valleys. These valleys contain the four other missions we wanted to visit, as well as an ancient Huasteca ruin. Thus, both the hotel and the town were ideal "base camps" for exploration.

The Chichimeca War officially ended 1590, when Church authorities finally intervened. In fact, the war was draining the Spanish treasury and the policy of "fire and blood" was only alienating the native people without producing anything resembling victory. The Church proposed a policy called "purchase for peace" whereby the Spanish would provide goods, food, tools, and land to the Chichimeca, in return for an end to hostilities. An agreement was negotiated and, by 1590, the general war had ended. However, fighting continued sporadically in the Sierra Gorda region until 1598.

The hotel's garden was cool and lush. It was a perfect place to enjoy breakfast or even just a late-morning cup of coffee. Just inside the arch behind the fountain is the main dining room where we took most of our dinners. While there are other restaurants in town, the food and service in the hotel's restaurant was superior to most of them, as well as being very convenient.

Although silver caravans had been passing near the Sierra Gorda from Zacatecas for decades, silver was not discovered in the area around Jalpan until 1599. Soon, mines were developed, along with haciendas de beneficio to refine the ore, and haciendas de agricola y ganado (grain and livestock) to supply them. All this led to an influx of Spanish settlers. In 1609 Augustinian friars, who had fled during the Chichimeca War, returned and resumed their evangelization. In 1614, the first parroquia (parish) was established in the Jalpan area by the secular (non-evangelical) clergy.

Ramblin' round the Pueblo Magico

An arch forms the entrance to an andador, or walking street. The name of the andador is Petra de Mallorca, which is the birthplace of Junipero Serra. Petra is a small town, roughly in the center of the Isla de Mallorca, which lies off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It was there that Junipero Serra grew up, was educated, and became a Franciscan friar. However, he very much wanted to devote his life to evangelism in Nueva España and, after some difficulties, he arrived in Mexico City in 1749. A year later, he arrived in Jalpan to begin. 

By 1609,  mining activity began to intrude into Jonaz territory. Because of the shortage of labor, mine owners often sent out parties of Spaniards to raid native villages for slaves to work the mines. Such abuses caused a revolt by the Jonaz, beginning in 1615. Similar outbreaks continued for decades. Finally, in 1670, a military expedition led by Gerónimo de Labra was sent to pacify the area. The Augustinians and Dominican Orders also took a hand in pacification. Between 1682-86 many new Augustinian missions were established throughout the Sierra Gorda. In 1687, Dominican friars began building their own missions.

 

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A little further down Andador Petra Mallorca, a bougainvillea arbor arches over the walkway. It seems to be a good place to stroll, take a rest, or consult your smartphone, as the young man on the right seems to be doing. Various shops selling clothing and other items line the left side of the andador. In the foreground, a pair of decorative lamps will provide light for evening strollers.

In 1695, the Augustinians began to rebuild some of their missions that had been destroyed by the Jonaz uprisings of 1615-70. A few years later, between 1702-04, a fort and temple were constructed  at the pueblo of San José del Llano. Although the Dominican friar Luis de Guzmán secured a short period of peace with the Jonaz, a new conflict broke out in 1712. This lasted, on and off, for another 23 years. Capitán José de Escandón finally won a decisive victory over the Jonaz at the Battle of Media Luna (Half Moon) in 1735. While the missions and settlers could at last feel safe, no record exists of how the Jonaz felt.

A narrow walkway extends out until finally reaching a stairway. The Centro area of Jalpan, which contains the Jardín Principal and church, sits on a bluff. Below it, a river bisects the town. One of the streets leading from the Jardín ends at the beginning of this walkway. From the metal stairway at the end, pedestrians can descend to the lower town. The walkway also provides a good view of the river and the mountains beyond.

In 1741, six years after his victory at Media Luna, José de Escandón was named Capitán General of the whole Sierra Gorda. That same year a group of Franciscan friars was sent from their headquarters in Mexico City to investigate the possibility of establishing new Franciscan missions in the Sierra Gorda. A report supporting this was published in 1743. The following year, five Franciscan missions were founded at Jalpan, Concá, Tilaco, Tancoyol, and Landa. After Junipero Serra arrived in 1750, he set about supervising the construction of Franciscan churches and convent buildings in those five towns. 

One of the streets from the Jardín leads down a hill toward the river and lower town. The dark clouds gathering overhead suggest an on-coming rainstorm. We visited in the summer, which is the rainy season, so this was not unexpected. Fortunately, the rain in Central Mexico tends to be sporadic and often falls late at night. Accordingly, it didn't tend to interfere with any excursions we had planned. Also, rainy nights tend to be cool, which makes for good sleeping weather.

The presence of the Franciscans in the Sierra Gorda was destined to be short-lived. In 1770, only 20 years after Junipero Serra began building the gorgeous churches we see today, the Franciscan missions were secularized. Secular clergy operate in a parish structure and report to a bishop appointed to govern a geographic area. The friars are responsible to their various Orders and work anywhere the Order is allowed to function. Secularization meant that the Franciscan missions and their churches were turned over to the secular clergy and its bureaucratic structure. So, in 1770, the Franciscans departed the Sierra Gorda area.

Three young girls amuse themselves as they watch the world go by. Balconies are ubiquitous in Jalpan. As you can see above, they are great places to hang out. Two of the girls are wearing their school uniforms. These are required by public as well as private schools. The wearing of uniforms tends to reduce friction over social/economic differences. However, for poor families, paying for them can present financial problems. Some expats where I live have noticed this and help pay for uniforms and school supplies for the children of the local people who work for them. 

This completes Part 1 of my Sierra Gorda series. I hope you have enjoyed Part 1 and, if so, you will leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim