Our school offers two ‘field trips’ each session. The first one is a day trip to Queretaro, a city about 60 miles southeast of San Miguel de Allende. The outside of the city has factories, Costco, and Walmart, but the historical center of the city is completely different and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The first thing we see in the city is its huge aqueduct, built between 1726-1738 and consisting of seventy five 70’ high arches. Impressive!! It was built by Marqués del Villar del Aguila. The legend is that he fell in love with a beautiful nun. Since they couldn't be together, she asked him to show his love by bringing clean water to her convent. So the construction began. The aquaduct spans throughout the city and ends close to the Convento de la Santa Cruz. It is said that the final arch of the aquaduct brought water directly to the convent where the nun lived. A very romantic story!
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| Aquaduct - tried to give this photo a 'Vintage Postcard' look |
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| Overview of aquaduct from above - More than 75 arches and each one is 70' high |
The Convento de la Santa Cruz was one of my favorite stops. A beautiful place with unique thorn trees, considered miraculous because the thorns grow in the shape of a cross. We were given a tour by an elderly monk who spoke English. For those of us that like California history, this is where Junipero Serra studied and set out on foot to establish five missions in northern Mexico and eventually 9 of the 21 missions in California.
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| Courtyard of Convento de la Santa Cruz; dates to mid-seventeenth century. |
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| Courtyard in the convent |
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| The courtyard trees produce thorns in the shape of crosses. The first tree is said to have sprung from the walking stick of one of the original friars of the church. |
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| Fresh water was stored and kept cool in this tiled basin |
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| Our guide, a 'retired' monk, led our group on a tour of the grounds. |
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| Behind our guide, the chimney to the convent's original kitchen |
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Courtyard of the convent
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Convento de la Santa Cruz is one of Queretaro's many attractions. There will be future posts about our trip to this very interesting city. Please stay tuned!
As always, your comments and input are welcomed.
Wonderful post...thank you! Queretaro sounds like a fascinating place.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane! I, too love to travel and fell in love with Mexico in my teens and have traveled 'here and there' in this beautiful country for many years. Thank you for sharing these photos and captions and allowing us the experience through your eyes. Mexico is a vibrant, colorful country filled with kind, big hearted people. The cuisine varies regionally, but most of us will agree it is one of our favorites! Thank you Jane, looking at these pictures makes me want to visit where you went. Actually, while you were gone, Fred shared the name of Queretaro and I looked it up up on the web. Sounds like a place I would love to visit!
ReplyDeleteDean, I SO appreciate your input and interest in the blog!! Please keep reading!
ReplyDeleteHello 'Unknown,'
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed reading your comments as I share your appreciation for Mexico and all its diversity. I'd love it if you'd consider following my postings by email. I still have many events to share and you may decide to just pack your bags and go. :) Many thanks!