Day 584
MAX
So we’re in Xalapa. For the grand total of about £50 we have a hotel for 3 nights. Small room, but virtually no noise at night, almost unattainable in Mexico, no barking dogs, no Mexican music at full blast into the early hours, no cars, just peace and quiet. It even has agua caliente (a hot shower!). The best bit though is the staff. Someone is always on hand, any help we need we just need to ask. The only thing against Xalapa is the weather, it’s called ‘Little Britain’ by the locals, no not after the TV series but because, well it rains a lot! We had our first rain since Oregon! Still Tom got to try out his waterproof he bought in San Francisco!
The bike was soon fixed, I bought a new helmet as I’d managed to forget to put it on one day and my old helmet bounced down the road. Tom got some new shorts. Shopping done we were ready for the real reason we are in Xalapa... the Museum!
Created in 1957, it was moved into a specifically designed building in 1986. Surrounded by subtropical gardens the building is filled with natural light, all to enhance one of the finest exhibitions I have ever seen.
The building houses the 2nd largest collection of art work, over 2,500 pieces covering the Olmec, Totonaca and Huastec cultures from as long ago as 900BC to the modern day indigenous people of Veracruz. We were blown away by the craftsmanship from a time when in the UK we were still living in the dark ages. These were sophisticated talented people with albeit some brutal practices. Human sacrifices were common, they particularly liked to wear the skins of those put to death to honour their gods! The museum’s layout walked us through the centuries and we could see the influences of other cultures reflected of the designs carved into the exhibits.
Tom’s photos should reflect the quality, quantity and sheer beauty of what we saw far better than anything I can write…
