The Rancho Tour
Fridays, February 20 and 27
Have you ever yearned to visit a rural community? Well you now have just such an opportunity by signing up for “The Rancho Tour”. Las Rancheritas, Mexico’s only Rug Hookers, designed this excursion into Mexico’s rural roots. The tour will give you an insider’s view of village life. Agustin Gonzales is located just 20 minutes from San Miguel on the road to Cañada de La Virgen to local Otomi pyramid. The Otomi descendants of that pyramid live in the village. And the tour is fun. It includes the following activities plus a luncheon prepared from home made and grown food. Everything is vegetarian.
We begin at St Pauls church were transportation will await you.
House 1: How to make a tortilla by hand.
Start with a stalk of dried corn
Remove the dried corn kernels from the cob and soak.
Grind the cornels with a metate as the ancient Otomi did
Form the masa into balls and press into tortillas
Cook the tortillas on a wood fire comal
Eat hot fresh tortillas filled with homemade cheese and squash blossoms, verdolagas, nopalito with onion garlic and cilantro and fresh homemade salsas, one made with wild tomatoes. You need to sign up just for the food!!
House 2: Preparing pumpkin the traditional way
Removing the hard skin with a machete
Preparing the vegetable with piloncillo and cinnamon
Roasting the seeds on with fire on a comal and eating hot
Preparing fruit water
House 3: Stone carving
View a demonstration of stone carving from a master stone carver
See the products of his work.
Try your hand at carving
Purchase carver stone sculptures a “rock bottom” prices
House 4: The ancient language of the Otomi
Visit the house of Dona Maria and hear her speak Otomi
Read the hand out of simple Otomi words
Dona Maria will help you pronounce them
The Rancheritas’ Store
End the tour at the beautiful store of Las Rancheritas.
Watch a demonstration on how to hook a rug
Try to hook a rug yourself.
Purchase one of the beautiful hooked rugs that will be displayed
How can you resist? Photographers have an opportunity to take as many photos as they would like. Vegetarians can eat everything. Children have a wonderful time. We will walk from house to house and enjoying the beautiful views. The tour was created by Charlotte Bell author of Rich Roots, the book about life in rural villages and Las Rancheritas, Mexico’s only rug hookers.
Reservations required. 500 pesos includes: tour, transportation and a home cooked lunch. 152 7548 charwolf100@gmail.com