The Magic of the Cities.

Zen promotes the rediscovery of the obvious, which is so often lost in its familiarity and simplicity. It sees the miraculous in the common and magic in our everyday surroundings. When we are not rushed, and our minds are unclouded by conceptualizations, a veil will sometimes drop, introducing the viewer to a world unseen since childhood. ~ John Greer

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Guanajuato Sketch




Guanajuato is the capital of the state of the same name. It is located 370 km (230 miles) northwest of Mexico City. The Spanish name "Guanajuato" comes from Quanaxhuato (or Kuanasiutu in a different orthography), meaning "Hill of Frogs" in the local indigenous language (a large rock formation outside of the city of Guanajuato looks remarkably like a frog, and frogs are common in the region). In the native religion, the frog represented the god of wisdom.

The city was originally built over the Guanajuato River, which flowed through tunnels underneath the city. However, after years of raising buildings to accommodate repeated flooding, in the mid-twentieth century, engineers built a dam and redirected the river into underground caverns. The tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones for automobile traffic, and this underground road network carries the majority of cars driving through the city today. It is one of the most notable features of the city.

The city played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence since it is the capital of the state of Guanajuato in which Miguel Hidalgo started the independence movement. [Wiki]

music+image

New York City and Washington series continue in Sketches of Cities.
(Under construction)

Gracias por su visita. / Thanks for visiting, please be sure that I read each and every one of your kind comments and I appreciate them all. Stay tune.

4 comments:

Kate said...

Fascinating history of the tunnels. Miss the sunshine of your country. Occasinally I stop to reread the Greer quote; I need it every once-in-a-while!

Come visit my new blog:
http://mysantafe-kate.blogspot.com/

Luis Gomez said...

Thank you. The images are great and I truly enjoy the bit of history.

brattcat said...

Excellent post!

Anya said...

Unique post
I love your photo's
so special all ...
Thanks for the interesting lines
:-)

greetings Anya :-)