My Hometown

I've written a lot of posts about Mexico and Europe.  For a change I thought that I would write about my hometown.

I live in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, a suburb to the southwest of Cleveland.  Olmsted Falls was founded in 1814 in a part of Ohio known as the Western Reserve.  After the American Revolution, this tract of land was reserved for veterans from the state of Connecticut.  Because of this, many of the smaller towns in northeast Ohio have a New England feel to them.  Olmsted Falls has a population of around 9,000 people.

(image from the web)

 

The Community Church has a "New England" appearance.

 

 

The old downtown of Olmsted Falls has been restored and is now a picturesque area of specialty shops and restaurants.  It is called "Grand Pacific Junction" after the former Grand Pacific Hotel, shown above.

 

 

The gazebo at "Grand Pacific Junction"

 

 

A couple blocks from downtown is a covered bridge.  Although it is of recent construction, it is typical of the covered bridges that were built in the 19th century.

 

 

Next door to Olmsted Falls, is another suburb called Berea.  (I can walk from my house and cross the border into Berea in a couple minutes.)  Since I graduated from Berea High School and attended Baldwin Wallace College in Berea, I consider it to also be my hometown.

 

Berea has a very interesting history.  It was founded in 1836 by John Baldwin.  Baldwin dreamed of founding a Utopian village.  That venture failed, but he discovered that Berea sat on a deposit of high quality sandstone.  In the late 1800's and early 1900's the town became the "Sandstone Capital of the World".  The stone was used to make grindstones and also for building construction.  Berea sandstone was shipped all over the world, and numerous important buildings, including the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, are built of Berea sandstone.  Many immigrants came from Europe to work in the quarries, including my great-great grandfather, Johannes Marti from Switzerland.  In the 20th century as concrete became a preferred building material, the sandstone industry declined, and by the 1930's the last of the quarries in Berea closed.

 

 

 

Coe Lake was once one of the largest quarries in Berea.  Now it is an attractive park.

 

The museum of the Berea Historical Society is housed in a sandstone house built in 1854.  Local residents have donated family antiques to furnish the home as it might have appeared in the 19th century.

 

 

Berea is the home of Baldwin Wallace University.  It was founded in 1845 by John Baldwin as Baldwin Institute, later Baldwin University.  It was one of the first colleges in Ohio to admit students regardless of gender or race.  In 1913 it merged with neighboring German Wallace College to create Baldwin Wallace College.  Because it now offers graduate courses in education and business administration, it is now called a university.

 

 

Marting Hall is the oldest building on the campus.  It, like the other older buildings, is built of Berea sandstone.

 

Wheeler Hall is another one of the older sandstone buildings.  I spent many hours here as a student because it was the home of the foreign language department.  It now houses the education department.

 

The Cleveland area is very fortunate is have the Metropolitan Parks, a string of parks, nicknamed the Emerald Necklace, which encircle greater Cleveland.  The Rocky River Reservation passes through Berea.

 

 

 

 

The Basilica of Guadalupe

Tomorrow, December 12th, is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.  Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over Mexico, the rest of Latin America and the United States flock to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City at this time. In 2009 a record 6.1 million pilgrims came to honor the Virgin.  The Basilica is the most visited Catholic church outside of the Vatican.  Whether one believes the story surrounding the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe or not, there is no doubt that it is an integral part of the culture of Mexico.

(image from the web)

According to the story, on December 9, 1531, just ten years after the Spanish Conquest, the Virgin Mary appeared on the hill of Tepeyac, to a poor Indian by the name of Juan Diego.  She spoke to him in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and told him to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a church in her honor on that site.  Juan Diego went to Bishop Zumarraga, but the bishop was skeptical and asked for proof of the apparition.  Three days later, on December 12, the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego again, and told him to gather roses to take to the Bishop.  Rose bushes in full bloom miraculously appeared.  Juan Diego gathered the roses, and wrapped them in his "tilma" (cloak).  Again he went to the Bishop, and when he opened his cloak, the image of the Virgin was miraculously imprinted upon the fabric.  It is that cloak which supposedly hangs over the altar of the Basilica today.

The origin of the painting has stirred debate since colonial times. In 1556, during a Church investigation on the origin of the painting, one Franciscan monk gave sworn testimony that the painting was done by "the Indian Marcos".  This has led some scholars to believe that it was painted by a talented native artist named Marcos Cipac de Aquino, who painted many religious works in the 16th century.  

One scientist noted that the pigments used were not anything known to man, while another claims that infrared photography shows multiple layers of paint in several areas.  Defenders say that after nearly 500 years neither the fabric nor the image have deteriorated, while others point out that some parts of the image show signs of flaking.

There is even debate as to whether Juan Diego (who was canonized as a saint in 2002) ever existed.  An abbot of the Basilica was forced to resign when he commented that he believed that Juan Diego was "a symbol, not a reality."

What cannot be debated however is the powerful role that the Virgin of Guadalupe has had throughout Mexico's history.  The Virgin is portrayed with olive skin, and looks more Mexican than European.  That, plus the fact that the hill of Tepayac was the site where the Aztecs worshipped the mother goddess Tonantzín, made the Virgin a powerful tool in the conversion of the native population.  Later the insurgents fighting for Mexico's independence against Spain rallied under the banner of the Virgin.  "Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe" cried Miguel Hidalgo, the Father of Independence.  A century later, during the Mexican Revolution, the soldiers of Emiliano Zapata marched with the flag of the Virgin.

Today the image of Guadalupe is ubiquitous in Mexico.  Nearly every church in the country has a chapel dedicated to her.  She is seen in taxis and buses and little shrines along the streets.

In April of 2013, I paid a visit to the Basilica of Guadalupe... or I should say the Basilicas.  There are two Basilicas, the old and the new.

The old Basilica, which was completed in 1709, stands on the site of an earlier 16th century church.  It is at the base of the hill of Tepeyac, where the apparitions are said to have occurred. Because of the spongy soil of Mexico City, the church began to sink (I think you can see in the photo below how it is tilting).  The church was deemed unsafe.  The image of the Virgin was removed, and the church was closed in 1974.  The structure has been stabilized, and it is once again open to the public.

 

 

In 1974, work began on a new Basilica next to the old one.  The church, designed by Pedro Ramirez Vásquez, the architect who designed Mexico City's famed Anthropology Museum, was opened in 1976.  Frankly, when it comes to churches, I prefer the traditional styles of architecture.

 

 

The interior of the Basilica can accommodate 50,000 worshippers.

 

 

 

Pilgrims who come to the Basilica to give thanks for answered prayers will often approach the church on their knees.  During the celebration of the feast day, some will walk several miles on their knees.

 

 

 

 

Over the altar is the venerated image of the Virgin.

 

 

 

Behind the two Basilicas, is the hill of Tepeyac where the Virgin is said to have appeared.  A staircase leads to a small chapel, "la Capilla del Cerrito" (Chapel of the Little Peak).

 

 

 

A view from the top of the hill.  The skyscrapers of downtown Mexico City can be seen through the smog.

 

 

 

At the base of the hill is a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe with Juan Diego to the right and Bishop Zumarraga to the left.

 

 

    

January 2012 - Real del Monte, yet another "Magic Town"

Alejandro and I took an excursion to a third "Pueblo Mágico".  We went to Real del Monte, an old silver mining town in the Mexican state of Hidalgo to the north of Mexico City.

(image from the web)

Real del Monte was an important silver mining town during the colonial era.  Eventually the mines were abandoned, but in the 1800's they were bought by a British company and production was resumed using the latest innovations of the Industrial Revolution.  350 miners were brought from Cornwall, England. 

Today Real del Monte is a sleepy town except on weekends when it is a popular destination for residents of Mexico City.  There are no major tourist attractions, but the narrow, picturesque streets, and the colonial architecture make it a very pleasant place to visit.  Here are some pictures from our wanderings around Real del Monte.

 

 

 

 

 

(photo taken by Alejandro)

 

The Cornish miners left their mark on the state of Hidalgo, and on the entire country.  It was they who first brought soccer to Mexico.  Of course, today, soccer, or "fútbol", is Mexico's national sport.  They also brought their favorite food, pasties, the little meat pies that they would eat for lunch in the mines.  Today, "pastes" (as they are called in Spanish) are popular throughout the state of Hidalgo.  There are numerous restaurants in Real del Monte that specialize in "pastes", and of course that it what we had for lunch while we were there.

 

 

 

January 2012 - Tepoztlán, Another "Magic Town"

On the same trip in January of 2012, Alejandro and I took a day's excursion to another one of the "pueblos mágicos", the town of Tepoztlán.  Tepoztlán is located to the south of Mexico City, just on the other side of the mountains.

(Image from the web)

Tepoztlán is located in a dramatic setting of mountains and cliffs.  The town feels more "touristy" than Malinalco (see previous post) due to its proximity and ease of access from Mexico City.  Like Malinalco, but on a larger scale, wealthy families from the capital are buying up properties and building weekend homes there.  It also seems to be popular with aging hippies and "new agers" who claim that the area has "good vibes."  The town was added to the list of "Pueblos Mágicos" by the Secretariat of  Tourism of the Mexican government in 2002.  However in 2009 it was removed from the list.  I was unable to find out why it was removed, but perhaps it was due to over-commercialization.  However, Tepoztlán was reinstated as a "Pueblo Mágico" the following year.

 

 

Tepoztlán is an ancient city.  Pottery fragments found here show that the area was inhabited as early as 1500 B.C.  It was venerated as the birthplace of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent God, and was also a center for the worship of Tepoztecatl, the god of pulque, a mildly alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant. 

 

At the edge of town, atop a mountain known as Tepozteco, is a small pyramid dedicated to the pulque god.  In pre-Hispanic times it was a center of pilgrimage, drawing worshippers from as far away as Guatemala. 

 

There is a 1.3 mile trail which goes up the mountain to the pyramid.  It begins as a paved staircase (similar to the trail at Malinalco) but soon is turns into a steep, arduous, rocky path. 

 

 

 

We finally made it to the pyramid at the top of the mountain.

 

 

(photo by Alejandro)

 

From the pyramid, there is a view of the town below.  The view was not as spectacular as I had hoped, because I was facing the sun, and because of the haze.  (Even though we were on the other side of the mountains from smoggy Mexico City, the nearby city of Cuernavaca now has its own air pollution problem.)

 

 

 

 

Climbing down the pyramid was scarier than the climb up.  I was unsure of my footing as I made my way down the rocky path.

 

 

(photo by Alejandro)

 

Back in town at last, we visited the 16th century Augustinian monastery.

 

At the gate leading into the atrium of the monastery, there are murals which depict the history of Tepoztlán.  These are created out of seeds, and are redone each year.

 

 

We found a restaurant to have a late lunch.  It was located on the second floor of a building on the main plaza.  From the window we could see the mountain that we had climbed. (The arrow points to the pyramid.)  I couldn't believe that I had climbed all the way to the top.  I'm glad that I had made the climb, but, if I should return to Tepoztlán, it's not something I would do again!

 

January 2012 - Malinalco, a "Magic Town"

Beginning in 2001, the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism began the "Pueblo Mágico" ("Magic Town") program to highlight the fact that there is much more to tourism in Mexico than beach resorts.  Small towns throughout the country have been awarded the status of "Pueblo Mágico" for their scenic, cultural and historic qualities.

I have visited several "Pueblos Mágicos", and all have been worthwhile visits.  One of my favorites is the town of Malinalco, located a couple hours to the southwest of Mexico City.  My friend Alejandro and I visited it in January of 2012.

(image from the web)

Malinalco was inhabited by various native tribes prior to the Spanish Conquest.  In 1476 the area was conquered by the Mexicas (the tribe that we know as the Aztecs).  On a hill overlooking the town, the Mexicas built a ceremonial center.  The remains of this site can be visited by visitors today.  It involves a fairly strenuous climb up 426 steps to reach the ruins.

There are various structures in the archaeological site, but the star attraction is the House of Eagles.  This building, dating back to 1501, was built for ceremonial rites, including initiations, of the elite Eagle Warriors of the Mexica army.  What makes this structure so noteworthy is that it is carved out of the sheer rock of the hillside.  It is the only building like it in the Americas.

The remains of feline images stand to either side of the entrance.

Just within the ceremonial chamber is a carving of a serpent.

From the ruins there is an excellent view of the town of Malinalco and the surrounding mountains.

Malinalco is a very pleasant, picturesque town.  It has become a popular weekend getaway for wealthy families from Mexico City.  They have built homes here, and there is even a country club.  There are a number of small, fine hotels, restaurants and art galleries.  But because the drive from Mexico is still somewhat difficult on a winding 2 lane mountain road, development has not run amuck.  Malinalco still retains the charm of small town Mexico.

After the Spanish Conquest, the Augustinian order made Malinalco the center for the conversion of the natives in the region to Christianity.  Their church and monastery, built between 1540 and 1560, are the principal colonial monuments in the town.

The monastery is exceptional for the beautiful frescos painted by native artists.