Today we went on yet another adventure, to the nearby city of Dolores Hidalgo. About a one hour bus ride away, Dolores Hidalgo is one of Mexico's Pueblo Magico, or magical cities. It has a beautiful, well maintained city center with a ton of history, most of which is centered around Mexico's fight for independence. Dolores Hidalgo is the cradle of Mexico's independence. Home to Padre Hidalgo, who started the independence movement in September 1810, there are several museums dedicated to the revolution, as well as an incredibly charming city center.
Our first stop, and only minutes from the bus terminal, was the Museo de Sitio Casa de Hidalgo. This was the home of Miguel Hidalgo, a Mexican priest and founder of the revolution.
One block away is the Plaza del Grande Hidalgo. A lush, tree-filled square with a monument to Hidalgo, and the Hijo del árbol de la Noche Triste, or 'son of the sad tree'. This was a sapling taken from the tree under which Hernan Cortes cried after a defeat in battle.
Adjacent to the square is the main cathedral of Dolores Hidalgo, the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. On the grounds of the church is an eternal flame to the revolution. Inside the church, there are two amazing carved walls, one in natural wood and one gilded. The floors of the church are all wood and in amazing condition.
It was a beautiful day to explore this city, so we picked a street and started to walk. We immediately came to a museum, and without knowing what or who it was for, we paid our entry fee and entered. This is the Casa Museo José Alfredo Jiménez, who was Mexico's most famous composer, musician and actor, famous for singing beloved 'ranchera' songs. The museum told of his very poor and sad upbringing, his fascinating and wildly successful career, and his rather unfortunate end. He remains a beloved figure in Mexican culture, which we were to learn later in the day. The museum was very informative, and had a lot of information in English.
One room in the museum was dedicated to this amazing and complex painting.
We explored a bit more of the city, seeing a few beautiful churches and squares.
After a great lunch at a local restaurant, we decided to visit both the Independence Museum, and the museum of the Bicentennial.
Now, we have noticed that Mexicans love ice cream. There are ice cream shops everywhere, and loads of street vendors sell homemade ice cream. In Dolores Hidalgo, there is a famous ice cream shop that has delicious, and interesting, flavors of ice cream. Lisa had two flavors: avocado and corn ice cream. I also had two flavors: pistachio and cactus fruit ice cream. The perfect treat for a hot and sunny day.
We had a long, hot, dusty walk to visit the Panteon Municipal - the city's large cemetery. Why are we visiting the cemetery? We had read that among the many structures and statues in this huge cemetery, there was a very unique final resting place for Jose Alfredo Jimenez. We walked in the main entrance, sneaking by a funeral, complete with mariachi band. A short walk through the cemetery and we knew we were heading to the right place, as we heard loud voices laughing. Jose's graveside is a pilgrimage. People want to have their photos taken, while they wear a huge sombrero and a sarape over their shoulder. The gravesite itself is a massive sombrero, with a rainbow colored sarape with a list of his many hit songs. It is the most unique gravesite I have ever seen!
On our walk back to the bus station, we passed by Herbie - the Love Bug!
We made it to the bus station for our journey home. Unlike our other bus trips, this was a local bus, which means it made tons of stops to drop off and pickup passengers. This is a very busy and popular route, so there were people standing in the aisles almost the entire journey. Even with a full bus, it is definitely the best way to travel through Mexico. Comfortable, fun, and a great way to see the countryside.
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