Saturday, May 26: Today is the last day of our program, and we take a trip to the silver city of Taxco de Alarcón (usually referred to as simply “Taxco”). The city is known for the mining of silver and other metals and for the crafting of it into jewelry, silverware and other items. This reputation, along with the city’s picturesque homes and surrounding landscapes have made tourism the main economic activity (Wikipedia: Taxco). The only large-scale mining operation is now coming to a close.
entering the silver city of Taxco
The Church of the Ex-monastery of San Bernardino de Siena is the oldest in the area, constructed at the end of the 16th century and restored in the 19th after a fire.
the back of San Bernardino de Siena Church
The Santa Prisca Church is sits the east side of the main plaza of Taxco; it is one of the few Baroque buildings in the state of Guerrero. It was built between 1751 and 1758 by José de la Borda (ca. 1700–1778), who made a great fortune in the silver mines surrounding the town. The church is narrower than most due to the lack of flat land on which to build in the area. It is built with pink stone, flanked by two towers which are plain in the lower half but highly decorated in the upper bell portions (Wikipedia: Taxco).
Santa Prisca Church
Santa Prisca Church
Vibrations from blasts in nearby mining operations, earthquakes, and automobile traffic caused cracks in Santa Prisca’s vaults, and a restoration project began in 1997 (Wikipedia: Taxco).
In the evening, we have a farewell dinner at a restaurant where our class presents Dr. Rogowsky with a gift for all his hard work. We eat some kind of meat with giant bones. Dinner is accompanied by some lively Mexican singers.
Randi, Adam, ??, Jenn, ?? and Brent
Rob polishes the meat off a big bone
Gifts for the professor
Belting out some tunes
?? and Jenn
Larry and Houcine chum it up
more entertainment 🙂
Sunday, May 27: Sadly, we all fly back to the USA today to continue our studies in International Commerce and Policy in the regular classrooms at George Mason University. 😦
notes from north america 