Colors.

Few words describe Guanajuato as the title of this post. There are colors in buildings: houses, plazas and monuments from another time, cared for with love and detail. There's the color of the sky: it is the blue that you might have imagined as a kid in your dreams. There is certainly color in the streets: vendors, mariachi bands waiting in parks to be hired, craft shops, the reflection of the afternoon sun on the many fountains and the flower-lady who discreetly sets up shop on the same corner every day.

This was my first visit to this town, nested in a valley in the heart of the Bajío, the center region of Mexico. I had already been in the state of León, but never in this magical place which has become over the years in a popular tourist destination on account of its sui generis attractions and in no small part because of its active cultural scene. Guanajuato is the Cervantes Capital of the Americas, a title which it bears with pride. Every year top-billed artists meet there for the Cervantine Festival; top names have included the New York Philharmonic, for instance.

Hidalgo Market

I went to Guanajuato as guest conductor for the amazing Orquesta Sinfónica de Guanajuato, a professional orchestra funded by the University. I knew many of the musicians from previous engagements elsewhere, and I took every opportunity to walk the callejones with them and do what I rarely do on a work trip: actually know the place! This one evening I walked with Yessica Melgar, whom I had worked with during my first trip to Mexico in Veracruz, and Héctor Hernández, whom I met in YOA. Yessica took me to an immense market originally intended as a train station – this is quite apparent from its architecture.

As soon as you walk in this maremagnum of tiny stands, the smells surround you. Hard to discriminate between the freshly-butchered meat, the chiles, the fruit, the grains, the fritters. The senses are stimulated to a point of near explosion. It is remarkable how Mexican markets speak about Mexican culture in general.

The Market on the inside

This vendor sells only chiles.

As diverse as a chile vendor's stand, there is no such thing as a single "Mexican Cuisine," just as there is no such thing as a single "Mexican People." The country is so diverse, and its history has been so rich in influences not only from Spain, Germany and France, but also from other cultures in the Americas. Walking a market in any place in Mexico will tell you much about the Nation as a whole, its values. But a local market will also speak volumes about the locals. Never turn down an opportunity to walk through a Mexican market, wherever you go in this beautiful country.

Breathtakingly delicious

After getting a few things here and there, we met Hector and walked to El Paisa, a taco joint a block away from Hidalgo Market. Oh, the smell! Glorious! Generous! Fulfilling! Beautifully seasoned pork turned gently on the broiler, under the careful glance of the shop's owner, who was on first-name terms with my hosts for the evening. The customers: A foreign couple stopping for a quick fix, a large party of some 15 children celebrating some kind of religious occasion, a local family just out of work with their kids still in uniform. And a Panamanian conductor with a massive appetite.

Turn, turn turn. The smile says it all.
This is what you see as you walk down the street
outside El Paisa.

Between the three of us we had some 25 tacos, adorned with special sauces made from local chiles and accompanied by horchata (Héctor), Lemonade (Yessica) and water (I know, I know, they didn't sell beer...) – the whole thing cost no more than 18 bucks. The meat was so savory and soft, it nearly melted in your tongue. Each sauce with a peculiar spicy taste, each a voyage through hundreds of years of natural history and devotion to chile. And, of course, hand-made corn tortillas, fresh from the hands of the artist and the comal. I tell you... this was truly delicious. See, it's not only the fact that these are all fresh ingredients, acquired daily and grown locally; there's also the strong feeling that all of this was made with love. You can smell the love from outside the street, you can see it in the eyes of all the cooks. And boy, can you taste it in the tacos.

A meal that will be quite hard to forget.

Hand made tortillas

There are many sites in the city, and many legends surrounding Guanajuato. Its streets are so narrow, that you can't really call them streets... locals call them "callejones". I will let you find out more about the Callejón del Beso (The kiss alley), the Guanajuato Mummies (impressive!), the fact that Don Quixote is buried there, and the grim episode of Hidalgo and the Alhóndiga for yourselves. There are also amazing restaurants in town, but there is nothing like a local eatery to stimulate the senses, to feed your soul, to create lasting memories, to share smiles with friends.


PS. Here is a link to the video of the concert I did in Guanajuato. Hope you enjoy the program as much as I enjoyed rehearsing and performing it!