Home of The Silver King
(Been unable to start my blog as early as planned due to no wifi in the house where I’m staying -out in the Sierra Madre mountains outside of Real Del Monte, so apologies to anyone following me.)
Arrived safely last night in Mexico City and I am staying at the Hotel Maria Cristina which has a curious Cornish connection. Francis (Francisco) Rule was a Cornish miner who left Cornwall aged 16 and made his fortune in the silver mines of Mexico. His second wife was Maria Cristina, and the hotel is the lovely villa he had built for her in the swanky district around Paseo De La Reforma, the major boulevard of Mexico City.There are humming birds feeding in the garden, a lovely enclosed space with jacaranda trees, and a bar where you can sit and listen to Mexican ‘chanson’ music all evening.Its all very stylish. Frances was later called “El Rey De La Plata’-The Silver King.
Walked out from the hotel into the Zona Rosa, an area with lots of shops and restaurants .There’s quite a bit of earthquake damage nearby, including to a lovely old bar. ‘El Trompito’, (The Trumpet) where I remember drinking a few Coronas last time I was in Mexico City, which is now totally ruined.The older buildings seem to have taken more of a hit, with damaged buildings next to intact ones. In true Mexican style, the damaged buildings just have a bit of tape around them!
Later today, I am travelling north into central Mexico, to Pachuca de Soto, then on to Real Del Monte in Hidalgo Province, where I will be meeting with the Cornish delegation from Redruth attending the annual ‘Paste (Pasty) Festival’ there. Very excited and delighted to be back in crazy and wonderful Mexico!
