Places We Saw in San Sebastian

Without going far from our hotel, we were able to visit the church, the Templo de San Sebastián, constructed in 1608, to admire its neoclassical-style entryways and interior. A new golden bell had recently been put in the tower but something happened and it hit the side of the adobe church and broke some of the trim.

There is a little church museum there, but it was pretty musty and stinky so we didn’t stay long. It was full of old church documents and clothing.

Close by, the City Hall is another example of the historic architecture that still remains intact. On one side of this building, there was the police station and a very old arched jail with 2 cells and a concrete bed. Cold and damp with lots of graffiti on the walls. Not a very nice place.

Strolling along the narrow, cobblestone streets, we noticed other unique buildings, with plaques in Spanish and English providing information about their history and importance.

There is a fortified place, El Pavillon, with a secret tunnel that went to the church, where gold and silver were stored before being loaded on mules to go to Guadalajara,

There is also a tiny mining museum in Casa Museo Doña Conchita Encarnación, which features a collection of vintage everyday objects as well as photos of the town’s most affluent families during the mining era. A lot of intermarriages occurred! San Sebastian was founded by three families who immigrated from Spain and to keep their blood lines pure, they only intermarried with each other. So through the centuries uncles married nieces and aunts married nephews. Lupita, a great, great, great granddaughter of the original family, said that her mother, Dona Conchita, married a man who was her cousin and nephew and so Lupita’s father was also her nephew, cousin and uncle!

On weekends, vendors sell toys, trinkets and plants on the square. Tony the taco man sets up and makes a killing. Trucks come in to take people up to the highest point in the area, La Bufa. Traditional music plays on speakers and people come to drink tequila and raicilla. It’s a happening place. During the week, it is much quieter. Last week was family week and board games were set up on several tables for families to play for a few hours in the evening. They had chess, checkers, backgammon, battleship, jenga, bingo and several other games. Games like hopscotch and marbles were chalked out on the sidewalk. The square is really the hub of the town.

We joined a tour group that was visiting an organic coffee farm on the edge of town. The family’s home and business is located in a building dating back more than 140 years. Out back they tend 11 acres of coffee trees, some as old as the house. The family handpicks 30 tons of beans each year. They’re then dried, roasted, and ground. Sometimes sold just like that, the family also makes blends such as a mixture of ground beans with cinnamon and sugar for the making traditional Mexican coffee–now hard to find. In an interesting aside, we heard that the Sanchez’s parents married early (the Don was 15), a union lasting 68 years and producing 21 children. Their grandfather did even better, having 28 children, though that took both a wife and several mistresses. Lol.

Walking along the cobblestone road near the entrance to the town and past massive 300 year plus ash trees, we entered Comedor Lupita for a delicious brunch. Here terra cotta platters loaded fresh handmade tortillas, refried beans and something we’ve never tasted before, machaca ( a dish of dried beef mixed with spices and eggs) were placed in front of us. What a breakfast!

In town, there are several little old-fashioned general stores, candy stores, pharmacies, a hardware store, a good cookie bakery, a shoe store and I think that there may be 2 clothing stores, one with American clothes and another with used clothing. They are all very tiny. There are also several tourist shops with souvenirs.

Our favourite small restaurant is called 31 Pitas and the young chef is a Panamanian called Louis. He makes delicious salads and pitas and his dog, Momo, greets us every time we walk by.

Decorations are starting to appear. People are starting to think of Easter… Czytaj więcej