Taxco- July 23, 2008

Taxco- City of Silver:

Jesus watching over the city of Taxco

We started our visit in a beautiful church in the center of town. The surrounding hills and valleys were filled with houses and businesses that are beautifully built with the red tiled roof, which contrast with the light colored walls, but what stood out was a huge statue of Jesus standing up on a hill with his arms outstretched towards you. It really is amazing that in Mexico there are constant reminders all around you to keep your heart and mind on God and family in the form of churches, statues and in the people around you, quite the opposite in the United States where one is constantly distracted from what is truly important in life.

The Santa Prisca Parish Church was a beautiful church and apparently on an endangered list for world monuments. I was not impressed with the gold that the Spaniards had used to adorn the church, financed by the local silver mines, but the wood was amazing. The wood was intricate and richly colored and the wall murals that were placed over archways were beautiful. I took pictures of wood, murals and the chubby little gold cherubs that my mom likes, As I sat listening to a tour guide explain the different statues and symbols in the huge filled wall at the front of the church, I was shocked when a casket was being carried up the aisle toward me. It took me a moment to realize that I was sitting in the front pews while a funeral was going on. I quickly headed out, but it was slow going as I was passing mourners that were following the casket. I felt so embarrassed that I was intruding. I couldn’t believe that all these other people: visitors, tours and tour guides and children selling Chiclets were all in there during what should have been a private moment.

Lilith with the children in Taxco

The view from the side door of the church.

Now we look for silver. We walked down several streets and stopped at a few vendors selling jewelry boxes (guess what for…) and wood utensils. Notice the baby in the hammock under the table- very cute. And it seemed like were walking forever up and down and then… we found a bathroom. I guess I hadn’t been paying attention because I thought we were looking for jewelry! Any way after the bathroom we did have one final climb and then down some stairs into a room filled with silver jewelry vendors. Little did we know that we had left someone in the bathroom? Poor Lilith, she did not find us, but she did find her way back to the van and to a cafe across the street from it. I wish she could have seen the room filled with silver jewelry.

Back to the silver jewelry…I could have spent hours in there. I wanted to go to each vendor and see what they had before I made any decisions, but everyone seemed to be in a hurry and then it started pouring. We all ran out of that little marketplace (I wish I had taken a picture), through the shoe store next door and up some stairs that were starting to resemble a waterfall. We went upstairs and sat down to eat and/or have coffee. But I couldn’t sit still I was too restless and I kept looking at a bracelet that I had bought and wishing that I had a necklace to go with it. I walked back over to the stairs, watching the water pouring down them considering if I should just try it. I decided against it momentarily and walked back and sat down with the others. That didn’t last very long. I went back and darted (carefully) back down the stairs, through the shoe store into the silver market. I went from vendor to vendor asking them if they had a necklace to match and no one did!! But I did find another set (necklace and bracelet) that I liked and found a few more small earrings (oh and a bracelet for my daughter- she prefers gold though). Then I went back up to see if I had been left, nope, everyone was still sitting down, so I looked around at some of the vendors that were over by the stairs. I still needed to find my son a wallet. No one had any leather products, except shoes, but I did find some pretty barrettes and headbands for my daughter. We all ran back to the van with me bringing up the rear like usual to find Lilith: coffee filled and waiting for us.