By Adriana Mendez
Part 1
Tan-táann… Táaaaannnn. Táaaaannnn. Táaaaannnn. Táaaaannnn. Táaaaannnn. Táaaaannnn. And so the bells of the San Rafael clock began to ring. Shades of orange appeared in the sky, the beauty enhanced by fleecy clouds. The spectacle of light on the domes of the Parroquia church changed as the sun went down. The minutes flew by, but I wanted time to stop so my friend Tito and I could admire for a bit longer the gift we receive every afternoon, if we take the time to observe. As I listened to the melody of the bells, I remembered Michael, an expat friend, asking, “Why do the bells never stop ringing in the center of San Miguel? What do the bells mean?”
I would have loved to have my grandmother, María, with me so she could explain. I know that some bells have to do with the time of day, and others with calls to mass, but I wasn’t sure and felt a bit ashamed of my ignorance. The doubt hung around for a few weeks. The afternoon Tito and I were enjoying the sun and talking at a table on the terrace of La Única, so I decided to investigate. Luckily, Tito knew Daniel, the custodian of the clock in the Parroquia of San Miguel Arcángel. I called him and we arranged to meet the next day.
We met in the atrium. I saw him coming from a distance and knew it had to be him: he is a strong, dark-haired man of about 40. He stood out from the rest of the people in the atrium because his attitude conveyed confidence and he seemed to take up a lot of space. We made eye contact, and I headed towards him. He gave me a beautiful smile, we talked for a few minutes, and then we headed toward the tower.
From a set of keys, Daniel selected one to open the door. He invited me to enter the square construction, with stone walls at least one meter thick, and I don’t know how many meters high. Many. “How many turns did you give the lock?” I asked him. “Six,” he told me.
The ritual of the keys brought curiosity and respect. I was moved by the confidence with which Daniel moved and spoke in a space about 16 meters square. He proudly mentioned that he is the only person who has the keys. He is the custodian of the watch, a legacy from his father that carries great responsibility. We sat down to chat on a bench that belonged to his grandmother.
The last years of the 19th century saw the construction of the new façades of the Parroquia and San Rafael tower. The master builder, Zeferino Gutiérrez, built the tower with the specifications that the clock manufacturers sent from France. Oral history recounts that the first guardian of the beautiful monumental clock, of French origin, was a German watchmaker named Beckham. Before he died, he passed the post to his daughter, who had a jewelry store for several decades on calle Hernández Macías.
Daniel’s father, Raúl Vázquez, mastered the craft of time. He belonged to the group of people trusted by Miss Beckham, and volunteered many hours to clean and maintain the clock. As Miss Beckham grew older, the task of taking care of the clock was entrusted almost exclusively to Don Raúl. When age prevented him from continuing, he passed the baton to his son, Daniel. The change of guardian was officially made before the mayor of the city in the first years of this century.
As I listened carefully to Daniel, my eyes drifted toward a wall that displays an image of Christ and several old clocks. The stones of the whitewashed walls show the passage of time and keep ancient secrets. There are black smoke marks, and wear and tear on the stones. One of the walls shows evidence that there was once a door that connected the tower with the adjoining church, San Rafael, the Holy School of Christ.
While I was looking at the walls, the bells began to ring. We remained silent to listen carefully. The vibrations gave me goosebumps. I felt the passage and the weight of time.
Caring for the clock requires a lot of dedication. Daniel learned how to wind it when he was very young. Starting when he was 10 he accompanied his father and developed a special affection for the clock. He winds it once a week, and checks on it almost daily. He proudly tells me that it has to be disassembled, lubricated, and cleaned every three years. A special oil is used, and the process lasts approximately one month. Fortunately for San Miguel de Allende, the clock has had two guardian families who have provided the necessary care and affection to keep it like new.
To be continued…
