Memories of Home in Guanajuato & Michoacan

This month we were planning on being home in Mexico, but for a number of reasons we have decided not to travel. It is difficult to be separated for so long from half of our lives and families. With so many people struggling right now and so much of the world in conflict we are looking for ways to connect with positive, meaningful energies. So this week I am going to share some of the images from our home in what is now named Mexico, from the modern day state of Michoacan.

I took this picture years ago on a day we spent with family driving through an area that is well known for their abundant fruit trees and their delicious preserves.

Sharing food is one of the ways our family nourishes well being and there are certain tables in Michoacan that we return to when we are together. Some of our favorite places, like Dona Chilo's, are several hours travel by car into the countryside.

I took this photo years ago and can almost smell the chile. 'Pancita' is an aromatic broth infused with chiles and combining several parts of cow stomach, slowly cooked until tender. Utilizing every part of an animal you kill to eat is not only ethical in our understanding but also extremely nutritious. While it is said that the first cattle were brought by Spaniards in 1521, 6 months before the invasion of Cortez, chiles are endemic to the lands now known as Mexico and have formed the base of most dishes across the country for millennia.

For more than 15 years I ate at the intersection of vegan and vegetarian. My eating may live there again some day. For now we strive to be as thoughtful about our meat eating as possible and this includes honoring the animal you are eating by utilizing as much of the nutrition it offers you as possible.

Pigs were said to be first domesticated in China more than 7,000 years ago and were first introduced to what is now Mexico by the Spaniards invading the Aztec capital alongside Cortez in 1600.

I took this photo at a very special table in the countryside of Michoacan. Our family dearly loves this place and have given it the apodo (nickname) Templo de Carnitas, or the Temple of the Pig. This team raises pigs, butchers and prepares them on site - literally feet away from this table. There are several large comals cooking fresh, hand crafted tortillas by the dozens and they arrive at your table hot. Usually we order a mixed platter to share and everyone enjoys their favorite cuts, this is buche (throat) and cuero (skin).

Like millions of people across the planet, we continue to struggle with the challenges this year has presented and our plans to be with family in Mexico this month have been cancelled. So we are sharing happy memories of food shared with them instead and look to the future when we can be together again.

When visiting home we nearly always end up at the plaza, I took this picture years ago in one of our hometowns, Acambaro in the modern day state of Guanajuato. Strolling the shady plaza with an helado is one of our favorite ways to spend the afternoon together. I usually order a combo of fresa (strawberry) and limon (lime) with a water base versus the creamy option.

Missing our Mexican home today. Our hearts are with all of those displaced and seeking refuge during these difficult times. We are grateful for the safety and health of our family on both sides of the border and look towards the day we are reunited.

Sometimes when we cannot travel into the countryside on our visits, family bring us our favorites to the city. Pictured here is a delicious pastry from Acambaro, in what is now known as the Mexican state of Guanajuato It is similar to a shortbread cookie, and so delicious dipped into drinking chocolate.

Sienna Trapp BowieAugust 2, 2021Comment