By Carmen Rioja
As soon as we entered Los Altos de Jalisco, on the route of tequila and mezcals, soft red earth hills appeared in front of us with endless rows of blue agave that raise their pointed leaves open to the sun. They look like the rays of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother Tonantzin, mother of the agave.
We were on our way to see a sick relative at her home in Arandas, south of Los Altos. Here, it is said, is the best tequila in the world for the flavor and quality given by the minerals and nutrients in its red soil.
We arrived in this small town, not yet too modern, where there is a taqueria on every corner… and a tequila store.
In Arandas, you can visit several tequila houses, such as Cazadores, and learn about the process of elaboration. A single maguey plant takes 7 to 12 years to grow.
To prepare our stomachs, we decided to try tacos at a street stand, either at lunchtime or for dinner. We could not miss the most famous tacos, the ones from the La Báscula truck, also known as La Salle’s, where they have beef suadero (thin-cut), buche (pork stomach), nana (filling made with sheep or pig’s uterus), tripa (tripe) and longaniza (pork sausage). Our relatives also recommended that we go to the steamed lamb barbecue trucks in front of the Temple of San José Obrero, and we should see the biggest bell in Latin America next to the Temple. Of course, we wrote down everything in detail. I can’t imagine a better way to get to know a town than through its food and drinks—in the case of Mexico, by its street tacos and one hundred percent agave liquors.
When we arrived downtown, a mass for the dead was being celebrated. Silence reigned in the colossal nave of pointed arches in the temple of San José. There were hundreds of parishioners and mourners crowding the church all the way out into the atrium. Meanwhile, in the plaza, a band played a corrido norteño (story told in song) for the Saturday afternoon strollers. Some, dressed in rigorous black, whispered among themselves.
As we left, we learned that this church’s bell is the largest in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world, but it has never been rung. Its weight has made it impossible to raise up to a tower or structure that can withstand its fourteen tons. Hence comes its mournful name: the Queen of Silence. Other historians say that the sound was not desired, and they preferred to leave her silent.
The real Mexico escapes any Walt Disney fantasy resort that looks more than the real Mexico we grew up in.
Sadly, we went to Pelayo tacos, special because they also have pastor (shepherd-style tacos). They started out in a cart on the street until they ran out of business and had to rent a place where they continue today. Maybe we ate too much because it was cheap, and sharing with the family was very good for us. For dinner, we had some tongue tacos, which they only serve at night. Now we needed a tequila for digestion.
For three days, we followed our uncle’s wise instructions to the letter. At every turn, we returned to his house with more tacos.
I will not deny that we committed some excesses, especially in eating street tacos and the new mezcals with agaves from Oaxaca that are now also being produced in these lands.
But the cappuccino from Café de la Viuda brought us back to life the next morning with its taste of yesteryear.
We still had to go for the uncle’s favorite tacos, so we headed to his trusted stand, where people offered crispy fried or soft suadero taquitos (small tacos) with fried onions to go with them. That Sunday morning, the fried tacos won by far over all the others. Not only that, but we saw an old lady, who could have been Bernarda Alba (a character in a García Lorca play), pass by carrying an order of tacos under her arm.
All of Mexico is well worth visiting. It is a good idea to check the latest bulletins from the US Embassy about the roads before you leave, bulletins from the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, or apps like Waze. It is best to travel in groups of more than five and always during the day. I went with family members and had a great time with each of them. It was a trip back in time where we shared a quality experience. And even the most expert person with us in Arandas discovered, at the last minute, an artisan tortilla factory with the most exquisite fresh nixtamal tortillas, steaming delicious with cheese inside. There is no doubt that Mexico is like that imposing but silent bell, the Queen of Silence, the largest bell in the world that never rang.
