In its early nineteenth-century heyday, García, Nuevo Leon was a prosperous place of grand mansions, enormous properties, and wealthy farming families. These families left a legacy of elegant architecture, and charming plazas that last to this day. As you walk the streets, you can almost hear the clink of imported glassware, the rustle of hoop skirts, and the distant conversations of generations past. Alas, like so many such places, the town fell on hard times. The farming, particularly orchards, fell prey to drought and competition from elsewhere. More recently, narco gangs created an environment of fear, kidnapping residents, staging shootouts, and generally driving the good folk out. While that was largely addressed four-or-so years ago, the echoes remain. The city is slowly coming back, but the historic center is still very quiet. Few people are about on the streets, though there are signs of life. We see newly-painted facades next to decaying mansions. The city’s plaza now hosts one legendary restaurant (Plaza Icamole), and one decent competitor.
Last Saturday, Tino and I went went to see Garcia, with hopes to eat at Plaza Icamole. Sadly, it was closed at 6:00 PM on Saturday. (¡Qué raro!) Though we had to choose the competitor, we had a nice lunch on the plaza nonetheless. And there we were treated to some wonderful sights: a wedding; the amazing surrounding mountains; restored facades; and unrestored facades. We spent the afternoon wandering around and taking photos. Below are some of the photos I took. My new camera is really an upgrade, and it’s a pleasure to use.
One of my favorite things about Monterrey and the surrounding area is the jagged mountain ranges that can be seen from virtually all points. García treated us to spectacular weather with beautiful skies for our visit. The city is surrounded by the Sierra del Fraile mountain range, and it provides a breathtaking backdrop for the town.
The “Pico de la Sierra del Fraile” is the most famous mountain in town. I’d love to hike up there some day if such a thing were possible. Sadly, it looks like the kind of mountain that requires mountaineering gear such as ropes, pitons, etc. But I still enjoyed looking at it from street-level.
The view of the Templo de San Juan Bautista from our lunch table.
At the Templo, a wedding was taking place. I managed to grab a couple of shots, including the below that I’m quite fond of. The blinding speed of my new camera makes grabbing such shots all the more possible vs the old one.
The new camera’s higher sensitivity with a lower noise profile also enabled a handheld shot of the inside of the Templo during the mass. Note that this shot was taken from outside the door using a zoom lens. I wouldn’t go inside and snap a mass while it was happening.
After seeing the Templo, we strolled around town looking at buildings. As my longtime readers know, I’m a big fan of architecture, whether it be old and crumbling, well-kept, or newer stuff. Though the latter has yet to appear on this blog, it will.
This one sits right off the main plaza.
I liked the faded blue of this one.
Of course there are also facades that are in good shape. Like the one below. The zig-zag shadows and housecat drew my attention.
Below, you can get a sense of exactly how enormous some of these houses and their grounds are. This place probably covers a few acres at least. Inside many of these walls are pecan trees and shady gardens. We were fortunate to get a tour of such a place that had been recently rented by the Protección Civil, a sort of combined firefighters, ambulance operators/medics, and general protection service. They were INCREDIBLY nice to us. As the light was really fading by then, I didn’t get any pictures.
I couldn’t resist shooting this family as they made their way down the street. I especially love how the mother and daughter’s colors contrast the wall and window frames.
And that’s García, Nuevo Leon, or at least the more faded bits. García is also gateway to the famous caverns, and other activities. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Monterrey, and makes for a lovely day trip. Saludos!
Florentino Gutiérrez said:
Hi, Kim… now these are very nice pictures, you really captured the essence of Garcia. I’m very glad you enjoyed the visit, and don’t forget that there a few other things to see here, you’ve heard about the caverns, the hot springs, etc. but perhaps I didn’t mention that I recently found out there is also a vineyard here ( http://www.vinicolamaravillas.com/ ) ! And of course, we have a pending visit to restaurant Plaza Icamole, where you will enjoy truly traditional dishes of the region. Cheers!
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Kim G said:
Hola Tino! Thanks for the compliments on the photos! I enjoyed taking them. I also seriously debated asking you if I could put one of the photos of you on the blog, but figured you might put it on your own blog.
And yes, I’d love to return some time, see the caves, and actually get to eat at Plaza Icamole. Saludos y abrazos!
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Felipe Zapata said:
“Sadly, it was closed at 6:00 PM on Saturday. (¡Qué raro!)”
Not raro at all. Who lunches at that hour? Not even Gringos. Dinner maybe. Bet it was open at the traditional Mexican dining hour from about 2 till 4 p.m. If you’re gonna spend much time in Mexico, you might try to adjust your dining clock. If it were a cenaduría it would have been open. I know Gringos who have lived down here for many years who cannot make the internal switch to Mexican eating hours. I’m surprised Tino has not said anything. I bet he says it to himself.
Great photos. I’ve never been to that place.
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Kim G said:
Hola Felipe! Tino too was disappointed by the fact that the restaurant was closed. I am working on accustoming myself to Mexican eating hours, but while it’s easy enough to eat at a different time, it’s far harder to internalize a different rhythm. Thanks for the kind comments on the photos. Saludos!
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Florentino Gutiérrez said:
Hello, Felipe, actually, I’ve been to Plaza Icamole a few times for late lunches (around 4pm), when returning from other attractions located farther down in Garcia, such as the caverns, the Nacataz river or the hot springs (Termas de San Joaquin). The place has been packed on every occasion and I’ve enjoyed my lunch way past the regular lunch hours (12p-2p), so perhaps that’s why I ingenuously thought it would be open for dinners too. Even so, I tried calling the place on our way there and also looked for a webpage on the Internet, but my efforts were in vain. I’m sure they need no advertising since the food is truly delicious.
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Kim G said:
Any other day, and being closed would not surprise me, but Saturday? That was what got me to write “¡Qué Raro!” And now you’ve proved that such a late lunch/early dinner indeed can be done. Saludos!
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Croft said:
I love Mexican doors! I must have a couple of hundred shots of doors in my files. I like to get the shot with a person walking by if I can. SMA is a good place to go door shooting.
You probably told us already but what camera did you buy?
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Kim G said:
Hola Croft! My love of doors isn’t limited to Mexico. I have a ton of door shots that I have taken in London on various trips. And there’s a few from around Boston too. The new camera is a Canon 70D, basically the successor to my old 30D. Though I have lusted after the color reproduction of Steve Cotton’s camera, ultimately I was already too invested in Canon lenses and accessories to really want to change systems. So I only bought the back, and screwed on the same, fine lens I’ve been using all along. Saludos and thanks for stopping by.
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William said:
Great pictures, Kim! The architecture reminds me a bit of Mérida, where you will see one deteriorating old home next to one that’s beautifully restored. It’s nice that the town is coming back to life.
Glad you’re having a good time.
Saludos,
Bill
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Kim G said:
Hola Bill! Thanks for the comments on the photos. I really love taking photos, and for years, most of them sat unseen. That’s one of the things I really like about having a blog, I can actually put the photos to use. Saludos y abrazos!
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