Monkey Business: What’s a Chango Mezcalero?

These cheeky monkeys are used to market and store mezcal. We investigate their origins and where to buy changos mezcaleros. 

What’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys?! A chango filled with mezcal!

Monkeys. They’re cute but erratic — just how I imagine myself when I’ve had too much to drink. So it’s no surprise that these primates have come to symbolize drunkenness in Mexico. You could say that monkeys are the spirit animal of mezcal.

Some changos were given as souvenir gifts, as you can see from the hand-painted one above.

What is a chango mezcalero?

These monkey-shaped clay receptacles are really just a clever marketing scheme used to sell mezcal. They hold a liter or so of the potent potable Oaxaca is known for. Most changos are brightly painted and depict monkeys in goofy positions — covering an eye, clutching bananas, holding a snake, playing the guitar. Some were marked, “Recuerdo de Oaxaca (Souvenir of Oaxaca)” or had the name of a couple to be given as a wedding present. 

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LEARN how mezcal is made

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Juventino Nieto (far right) with Rosa Real and their son Valente stand among their pottery creations. Don Juventino might have been the one to create the first chango mezcalero.

Who created the first chango mezcalero?

It’s surprisingly difficult to find out much about these whimsical folk art containers, and there’s a controversy about who invented them. One family from a village outside of Oaxaca insists it was their forebear, Marcelo Simón Galán, who came up with the idea, while another family says it was their ancestor, Juventino Nieto, who did so. Both men are dead, so they can’t even duke it out among themselves. 

(Incidentally, Nieto was married to the late Rosa Real, who’s credited with devising the black pottery technique that Oaxaca is now famous for.)

There are claims that other artisans from other parts of Mexico came up with changos as well. I’ll be a monkey’s uncle — we may never know who actually invented these primate pitchers. 

These ceramic containers are created using a mold like this one.

When were changos first made?

Some say changos mezcaleros date back to the mid-1800s. But a mold used to create changos by Nieto in the village of San Bartolo Coyotepec has the date 1938 written on it. 

These fun monkey-shaped containers were used to market mezcal. With the liquor’s newfound popularity, perhaps changos will make a comeback!

Are changos mezcaleros still made?

Yes. There are at least three workshops in the pueblo of Santiago Matatlán that have produced changos mezcaleros for decades. Makes sense: Matatlán is home to the highest number of family-run mezcal distilleries, or palenques. 

Where can you buy changos?

There’s always the internet, of course, with sites like eBay offering vintage changos mezcaleros. But despite there being a good chance the mezcal containers originated in Oaxaca, we couldn’t find any there. It wasn’t until we visited San Miguel de Allende that we came across a couple stores that sold them: Origenes Antigüedades Populares across from the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante” and Casa Michoacana, a folk art emporium on Calzada de la Aurora. 

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Duke and I were so excited to see changos for sale, we of course had to bring one home with us. We got this cheeky monkey for just under 2,000 pesos, or about $100. Not sure if we’ll ever fill him with mezcal, though. –Wally

The Turbulent History of Daufuskie Island

Once home to many Gullah families, this South Carolina Sea Island has a rich history, including the Yamasee War in Bloody Point and the once-thriving Daufuski Oysters business.

A wedding at the Union Baptist Church. Daufuskie Island was once home to hundreds of Gullah — but only 12 or so remain today.

Part of Daufuskie’s charm lies in its unspoiled landscape. Gnarled limbs of old growth live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Outlying marshes of Spartina grass rustling in the wind. Many of its roads are still unpaved, which is one of the reasons we were unable to visit last year due to heavy rainfall. 

The South Carolina Sea Island, situated between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Georgia, has many dilapidated historic properties — but there are also a couple of newer gated communities, including the upscale Haig Point and Bloody Point, which are strictly off limits to non-residents. The island was once mostly populated by Gullah, African American descendants of slaves living in South Carolina (and called Geechee in Georgia). Nowadays, less than a third of the homes on Daufuskie are owned by the original Gullah families — and only 12 or so Gullah actually still live there. 

“The Yamasee War was a massacre, as native weaponry was no match for European firepower — which is how the neighborhood Bloody Point got its name. ”

Chief Tamochichi, with his nephew, of the Yamacraw, a native tribe composed of Creek and Yamasee. (Incidentally, when Pat Conroy wrote about Daufuskie in this memoir, The Water Is Wide, he changed the island’s name to Yamacraw (but he wasn’t fooling anybody.)

The First Inhabitants: A Deal With Spain

In the 1500s, the Muscogee (aka Creek) native tribe encountered the invading Spaniards, who claimed the Atlantic coast spanning from St. Augustine, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina. However, when they stopped on Daufuskie, they decided that this wasn’t an ideal place to start a new colony. They left a few Iberian horses known as the Carolina Marsh Tacky and made a deal with the Muscogees. If the natives were to fend off any other Europeans looking to colonize the area, the Spaniards would back them up with military support and pay them in gold. 

Despite the Spanish promising they’d help the Native Americans fend off other European invaders, they abandoned them to the British.

The Yamasee War: How Bloody Point Got Its Name

Time passed, and the next two centuries had little effect on the natives, until the English established a colony on Daufuskie. Suffice to say, the Spanish didn’t keep their word in offering support and were nowhere to be found. 

Inevitably, conflict arose, in part because the British settlers believed it was their sovereign right to claim the land. And while the indigenous Muscogee and Yemassee traded food, animal hides and local knowledge for knives, copper kettles and beads, the exchange rate wasn’t deemed fair. 

Tomahawks and bows were no match for the British army’s guns. The Yamasee War resulted in the slaughter of the indigenous people.

This prompted the Yamasee, who inhabited the nearby coastal region of Georgia, to join the Creek in attacking the British settlers. The raids turned into massacres, as native weaponry was no match for European firepower — which is how the neighborhood Bloody Point got its name. 

A small one-room wooden home known as a single pen house on Daufuskie

The Rise of Slave Labor 

After the war ended, English settlers cleared the island of vegetation to cultivate crops. They also divided the island into 11 plantations. According to our guide Ryland, with Tour Daufuskie, it was so thoroughly cleared, it was said that you could see from one end of Daufuskie to the other — a depressing fact given that the island is five miles long and two and a half miles wide. 

The British brought slaves from the Rice Coast of West Africa as well as Central Africa. European settlers relied on the skills of the enslaved to cultivate rice, cotton and indigo, resulting in some of the wealthiest antebellum plantations in the South. 

Over time, the enslaved Africans developed a dialect also called Gullah. The vocabulary and grammatical roots came from English and African languages. Isolated from the mainland, the Gullah maintained African traditions, culture and religion. Gullah is a living language that’s still spoken in the region. 

The Uncle Remus stories, including the tales of Brer Rabbit, were written in Gullah.

The British tried growing rice and sugarcane — crops that had flourished on nearby Hilton Head. But because Daufuskie is at a higher altitude, its ground-water levels were too low to sustain these lucrative crops for export. 

Indigo was the first profitable commercial crop and a significant part of the economy for about 50 years, followed by Sea Island cotton. The indigo plant was grown to produce a royal blue dye that was exported to England. “If it had ‘royal’ in the name, they were gonna buy it,” Ryland said.

The spongey palmetto logs used to build Fort Moultrie helped absorb cannon fire from the British armada.

Why South Carolina Is the Palmetto State

Throughout the Revolutionary War, South Carolina remained loyal to England. Part of this was an economic motivation: The colonists believed their defeat would end the demand for indigo. However, as the British fleet got closer, the settlers realized it didn’t matter whether or not they were loyalists; they would still be attacked. 

To defend Charleston harbor, the colonists built Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island from the palmetto, or cabbage palm. The name cabbage palm comes from the fact that the heart of the palm can be eaten raw or can be cooked into what was known by early settlers as swamp cabbage. 

Palmetto isn’t a traditional type of wood. It’s soft, doesn’t splinter and is almost sponge-like due to its high water content. Fort Moultrie had two walls of palmetto logs and sand, a combination that worked well at absorbing cannonballs fired at it by British ships. This unique wood helped save South Carolina, which became the Palmetto State, and the tree now has a place of honor on the state flag. 

After the war ended, England did indeed stop importing indigo from South Carolina. They basically said, if you’re not part of our kingdom, we don’t want your indigo. The crown had a new colony in India, and to this day, India is the world’s top producer of indigo. 

However, England did continue to purchase Sea Island cotton because it was just rare enough that they couldn’t be very picky about where they got it from. Freed slaves who lived on the island grew cotton through the Civil War, until fields were ruined by the boll weevil. 

Out Back Daufuskie Way by Alexandra Sharma

From Reparations to Sharecropping

Union forces captured Daufuskie in 1861. Their main job was to keep track of the ships going in and out of the Savannah River and ensure that no weapons, food or ammunition reached the Southern states. Plantation owners fled, leaving behind their property as well as their elderly slaves, who weren’t deemed worth the expense to relocate.

After the Emancipation Proclamation, Daufuskie was home to a large population of freed slaves who had worked on the island’s plantations. As a form of reparation, slaves received 40 acres and a mule, land abandoned by White colonists throughout the South. 

However, President Andrew Johnson intervened, ordering most of the land to be returned to its former owners. Despite having settled the land, the Gullah on Daufuskie had to switch to sharecropping, a system where the landowner allowed use of the land in exchange for crops. The situation wasn’t unlike serfdom, tying the Gullah to the land and trapping them into high debts.  

The oyster industry employed Daufuskie residents in its heyday. When the oyster beds were polluted from a nearby paper mill, most islanders left — never to return.

Aw Shucks: When the World Was Their Oyster

Indigo and cotton weren’t the only lucrative industries on the island. L.P. Maggioni & Company established an oyster cannery on Daufuskie in 1894 and employed many Gullah men, women and even children. Containers with the distinctive profile of an Indian chief on its label can be seen in the Daufuskie Island History Museum.  

Gullah men went out on the water in bateaux, flat-bottomed wooden boats, during low tide to pluck up all the oysters they could haul back. It was the women who shucked the oysters, though — up to 7 to 9 gallons a day. 

While the men went out in the boats to gather oysters, it was women (and children) who had to shuck them all.

Even though the local cannery closed in the 1950s, you can still get Daufuski Brand Oysters — they just come from Korea now.

There was a cannery on the island from 1898 to 1956. Around that time, wood pulp waste from a paper mill on the Savannah River polluted the water and contaminated the oyster beds. With the closing of the factory, most families left for better opportunities in nearby Savannah. 

Daufuski Oysters are still available — they’re just harvested in Korea.

Some of the Gullah homes on Daufuskie are available as vacation rentals as part of a program to preserve them.

Heirs’ Properties on Daufuskie 

As we drove around the island in a golf cart, we noticed wood-framed homes sitting among the vegetation in varying states of disrepair. We asked Ryland about them, and he informed us that they’re historic Gullah homes known as oyster cottages. Referred to as “heirs’ properties,” these homes are passed down from generation to generation without legal documentation. Most Gullah never returned to Daufuskie, but all heirs have the same claim to the property, whether or not they live on it, pay taxes on it or have ever set foot on it. Because so many people can be involved, it’s tough to sell or restore one of the homes since everyone must agree on the course of action. As a result, many of the oyster cottages have become dilapidated. 

Enter the nonprofit Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation (now Preservation South Carolina), which developed the Daufuskie Endangered Places Program in 2011. The initiative was funded in part through a grant provided by the 1772 Foundation, an organization whose mission is to preserve historic properties. The trust’s first project was to restore the Frances Jones House. 

It’s a cool program: Descendants retain ownership under a long-term lease with the preservation group. Restored cottages are available as vacation rentals. Once the lease is paid off, the homes revert back to the heirs. By staying on Daufuskie Island, you’re helping preserve its history. 

The haunted-looking Melrose Resort on Daufuskie, long abandoned after its owners swindled investors out of millions and declared bankruptcy.

Financial Fraud at Melrose Landing 

In the modern era, Daufuskie has developed some high-end gated communities. But even the best-laid plans can go awry. Case in point: Melrose Landing. The namesake resort was developed in the 1980s and included an inn, beach cottages, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course and a ferry landing.

The resort was purchased in 2011 by Utah-based developer Pelorus Group, which, over eight years, proceeded to defraud its investors. The real estate firm ran a dubious Ponzi-like scheme, including wire and tax fraud, using $1.8 million of investor money for personal use without disclosing any of it to the IRS. The vacation property first filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and again in 2017, when the firm’s managing partner, James Thomas Bramlette, was indicted. In the end, the Pelorus Group owed creditors about $35 million. The derelict resort is currently seeking an investor willing to put up $19 million in cash. Any takers?

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The following photos were taken by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe from 1977 to 1982. At the time, less than 85 permanent residents lived in the 50-some homes on Daufuskie. The island’s amenities consisted of a co-op store, a two-room school, a nursery, a church and two active cemeteries.

An Old Woman Sitting at a Table in Her Home by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

Susie Sanding Next to a Holy Picture in Her Living Room by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

A Shrimper and His Son by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

Boiling Crab by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe

Daufuskie’s Rich but Tragic History: Hope for the Future

Daufuskie has a turbulent history: bloody battles, mistreatment of slaves, the lost oyster industry. It once bustled with activity and commerce, but now few Gullah people remain. In fact, much of the island is home to wealthy White residents living in private gated communities such as Haig Point and Bloody Point. 

But by learning about and visiting the island, we can help preserve a vibrant heritage. And thanks to Preservation South Carolina and others like them, future generations of Gullah families might someday be able to return to the island. –Duke

 

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Check out those sideburns on Conroy!

READ ON: Daufuskie Island Tour: Learn about bestselling author Pat Conroy’s connection to the island, see the historic sites and meet some local artisans.

Daufuskie Island History and Artisan Tour

Hop in a golf cart and see the real-life Yamacraw Island, South Carolina, including the school where author Pat Conroy taught and the history museum, with stops at Daufuskie Soap Company and the Iron Fish. And stop by the Old Daufuskie Crab Company before catching the Daufuskie Island Ferry back to the mainland.

Daufuskie doesn’t have a bridge to the mainland, so your only option to visit is by boat.

For years, Wally and I have wanted to visit Daufuskie. The remote southernmost Sea Island is tucked away between Hilton Head, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. 

What was the appeal? The small island retains the rich history of the Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of West and Central African slaves brought to the region and forced to work on Lowcountry plantations. It also boasts a small but thriving makers community — but I’ll get to that later.  

There’s no bridge connecting Daufuskie to the mainland, and the only way to reach it is by ferry or water taxi. Last year, rain prevented us from going, and before that it was closed to tourism due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

A day trip to Daufuskie is a good excuse to get out on the water. The Daufuskie Island Ferry leaves from this dock by a distinctive failed restaurant just over the bridge from Hilton Head.

This December we booked a guided History and Artisans Tour with local operator Tour Daufuskie and took the 45-minute ferry ride from Buckingham Landing just off of Hilton Head. Roundtrip rides cost $50 per person. 

Gullahs, descendants of slaves, once made up most of the population of Daufuskie. Now few remain. Their cemeteries were by the water so their spirits could travel back to Africa.

What Daufuskie?! 

According to local lore, Daufuskie got its name from the Gullah “Da Fus Cay,” meaning “the first key (or island).” However, we were disappointed to learn that the name actually comes from the island’s first inhabitants, the Muscogee, or Creek, Indians. In their language, daufa means “feather” and fuskie “pointed.” Combine the two, and you have something that translates to “Pointed Feather,” a reference to the island’s distinctive shape. 

Once Wally and I disembarked at Freeport Marina, we met our guide Ryland, who was waiting for us at the end of the boardwalk. We were provided with golf carts and given a quick tutorial on how to use them. There are very few cars on the island. Golf carts and bikes are the preferred modes of transportation.

At the first stop, Ryland told us a bit about the island’s history. Ancient piles of oyster shells, and artifacts such as pottery fragments and arrowheads left by the indigenous Muscogee and Yemasse tribes were discovered by archaeologists on Daufuskie — with some dating as far back as 7000 BCE. 

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This old schoolhouse now serves as the first stop on a tour of the history of Daufuskie — and acts as the community’s library.

An Education at the Jane Hamilton School

Our tour began at the Jane Hamilton School, part of the Billie Burn Museum complex. The one-room schoolhouse was built in the late 1930s using blueprints provided by Julius Rosenwald, head of the Sears, Roebuck and Company mail order empire. Rosenwald was a philanthropist who met renowned educator and prominent African American thought leader Booker T. Washington and recognized the need for educational facilities for disadvantaged Southern Black children. This sparked a transformative collaboration between the pair, and a program emerged to construct modest educational buildings, which later became known as Rosenwald Schools.

Kids used to go to school here until 5th grade, when they’d have to work their family’s farm full time.

The Jane Hamilton School provided education from kindergarten to 5th grade. As this was built at the tail end of the Great Depression, Rosenwald was unable to provide the raw materials required to build the facility. It was financed using money raised by the island community and erected by local craftsmen and workers employed by the government-funded Works Progress Administration (WPA) — with some help from the children themselves. 

The school year started in September and ended in March, Ryland informed us. Most Gullah families could not afford to send their children to the mainland to continue their education. Once they completed 5th grade, they were expected to work on the family farm full time. (This prompted some kids to purposely fail to prolong their education, according to our guide.) Today the former school is home to the Gullah Learning Center and the community library. 

The Daufuskie Island History Museum was once a Baptist church.

An Alligator and Gullah Bible at the Daufuskie Island History Museum

The next stop was Mount Carmel Baptist Church Number 2, so named because the first was destroyed by a hurricane in 1940. It’s now home to the Daufuskie Island History Museum. Among the artifacts on display are a taxidermied 11.5-foot alligator, a 19th century Gullah Bible, Indian arrowheads and a restored 1890s pump organ. The museum also has a nook that sells books about the island’s history. 

Wally poses by Al, the taxidermied alligator on display.

The history museum has a jumble of artifacts, including a charming pump organ and a Bible written in Gullah. Here’s John 3:16: “Cause God lob all de people een de wol sommuch dat e gii we e onliest Son.”

Sarah Hudson Grant’s Buggy: A Labor of Love

Our final stop in the museum complex was a small structure sheltering the one-horse buggy of Sarah Hudson Grant. When women went into labor on Daufuskie, they would ask for Mrs. Grant aka Granny to come. She became a midwife in 1932 and was married to the island’s undertaker. When he died in 1962, she stepped in and took his place. Grant charged $5 to deliver a baby or $10 to deliver a baby and do a week’s worth of laundry after. 

The horse-drawn carriage used by legendary midwife Sarah Hudson Grant was restored by Amish craftsmen (who painted it black, which they felt was much more proper than red).

Over a 37-year period, Grant “grannied” 130 babies on Daufuskie without losing one — and as the undertaker, she was the last to bid farewell to many. The Gullah said, “Granny bring ’em ’n she tek ’em away.”

With no medical instruments or doctors on the island, locals would holler from one property to another to alert her as to who was going into labor and where — at which point, she would hook her horse Tillman up to the carriage and hurry off to deliver the baby.

Ryland told us that electricity didn’t reach the island until the 1950s, with the first telephone following two decades later, in 1973.

Grant retired in 1969. 

Billie Burn Museum Complex
44 Old Haig Point Road 

The local Baptist Church is the oldest original building on Daufuskie and has been restored twice.

You Gotta Have Faith: The First Union African Baptist Church

The First Union African Baptist Church was built in 1884 and is the oldest original building on the island. It has served as a place of worship and faith for over a century and was built on the grounds of the former Mary Fields cotton plantation.

The structure has had two major facelifts. The first was in 1952, when the island received electricity. Fixtures were converted from gas to electric, and the second was in 1982, when the foundation was reinforced, as over time the structure had begun to slowly sink into the ground. Even today you can still notice a tilt to the walls and doors.

To become a member of the parish, you had to go on a spirit quest into the woods to commune with God.

When the parish was first established, it wasn’t a traditional church, where you could simply show up and attend. You would have to go to the church leaders and tell them you were interested in joining the congregation. They would instruct you to find a quiet place in the woods to pray, and while there, you would hopefully receive a message from God. You’d report back, and a spirit guide would be summoned to interpret your vision. If they weren’t convinced, you’d have to try again, because God (and the church) wasn’t quite ready for you. 

Members of the congregation had assigned seating. Men sat on one side and women on the other. The church was the head of the community, in charge of law enforcement, finances and school openings. If you did something that made the community angry, you would be seated in the back, so that everybody knew you were being scorned.

The Praise House on the grounds of the church was a gathering place for slaves, where religious services were held.

Praise You at the Praise House

Tucked to the side of the First Union African Baptist Church stands a simple, weathered wood structure. It’s a reproduction of the original “praise house” that stood there for more than a century. These structures were intentionally built small to prevent large gatherings of slaves, as plantation owners feared that they could easily be overthrown or killed. 

When the house was open, the deacon or worship leader would stand on the top step or in the doorway, and most slaves would gather to sit outside on the grass. Those members of the congregation inside the praise house would rhythmically stomp upon the wooden floors, creating a communal drum of sorts. 

Singing was an important element of the services and hymns were often sung in round, a short musical piece in which multiple voices sing the same melody but start the song at different times. Services also included songs known as call and response, where the leader would sing out a phrase that was answered by the congregation. These buildings might have been called praise houses, but because of the cacaphony heard during services, plantation owners referred to them as shout houses.

First Union African Baptist Church
School Road 

Daufuskie Soap Company started out on a porch like other artisan workshops on the island.

Peachy Clean at Daufuskie Soap Company

Part of the tour was to visit local artisans (those makers I mentioned earlier). One of them is Jan Crosby, who makes soap, lotions and other body care products inspired by the scents of the island. Before we entered the shop, Ryland told us it was originally named Daufuskie Peach — a nod to Crosby’s native roots in Georgia. Like most artisans on the island, she started out by creating a workshop on her porch. Tired of people expecting a fruit stand, Crosby has since changed the name. We purchased a bar of sandalwood soap. 

Daufuskie Soap Company
228 School Road

Stop by Daufuskie Blues to see some amazing patterns — and ask for a demonstration.

Indigo Immersion at the Mary Fields School 

A short golf cart ride from the church is the Mary Fields School, where local celebrity Pat Conroy taught schoolchildren in 1969. The historic schoolhouse was built in 1933 and now contains Daufuskie Blues, a shop selling indigo-dyed clothing. 

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RELATED: How Indigo Is Made

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For 20 years, the school had no cafeteria or lunchroom. Eventually one was built in the back, and it’s now School Grounds Coffee. We greatly appreciated the chance to get a caffeine fix on an island that doesn’t offer much in terms of places to eat.

The two-room schoolhouse where Pat Conroy once taught is now an indigo shop, art studio and coffeeshop.

Kindergarten through 3rd grade were taught by Mrs. Brown in one room, and 4th through 8th grade by Frances Jones in the other. When Jones retired in 1969, she was replaced for one year by the late novelist Conroy. Fresh out of grad school, he wanted to come to Daufuskie to teach, inspire and motivate students. But his methods were unconventional — and controversial. He would regularly take students over to the mainland to places like Bluffton, Savannah and even Washington, D.C. At the end of his first year teaching, Conroy was fired. He went on to write an autobiographical book about his time at the Mary Fields School called The Water Is Wide, adapted into a movie starring Jon Voight named Conrack, which is how the Gullah children pronounced Conroy’s name. 

Conroy never returned to teaching, but he did keep in contact with his students and continued to write. Ryland added that even though Conroy was forced out of the school, he made out all right, going on to have a successful literary career, penning bestselling books like The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides.

Daufuskie Indigo
School Grounds Coffee
203 School Road

Chase Allen’s artwork has gotten quite popular and won an American Made award from Martha Stewart Living.

Reeling in Art at the Iron Fish

Our final stop was the Iron Fish, where a whimsical menagerie of fish, mermaids, stingrays and other coastal creatures fashioned from distressed sheet metal are displayed in the open-air gallery owned by artist Chase Allen. 

Allen has an outdoor workshop on the island.

Payment is on the honor system.

Allen asks patrons to pay by the “honor system”: Leave a check in the box on his front porch or make a mobile payment through Zelle. 

The Iron Fish 
168 Benjies Point Road 

The Old Daufuskie Crab Company has a great outdoor space — but it was too cold to enjoy when we visited in December. It’s one of only a couple of restaurants that stay open all year.

Lunch Stop at Old Daufuskie Crab Company

Our two-hour tour wrapped at 1 p.m., so Wally and I wanted to grab some lunch before catching the 2:30 ferry back to the mainland. We decided it’d be best to get back by the harbor, so we stopped into the Old Daufuskie Crab Company. We ordered beers and a basket of spicy shrimp — but passed on the “scrap iron,” an Arnold Palmer-esque cocktail made with moonshine. 

Old Daufuskie Crab Company
256 Cooper River Landing Road

Ryland, with Tour Daufuskie, was a storehouse of interesting local knowledge. The poor guy is only one of a few people his age on the island.

A visit to Daufuskie is a great day trip if you’re in the Hilton Head or Bluffton area. You get to be on the water, tool around in golf carts and learn some fascinating Gullah history. And you couldn’t hope for a better guide than Ryland. We enjoyed spending time with him and were impressed with his knowledge of the island. While the weather was a bit cold on our visit in December, we were happy to finally have made it to Daufuskie. We’ll be back. –Duke

 

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RELATED: Gullah History of Hilton Head

The Marvelous Murals of the Sanctuary of Atotonilco

No surprise that this UNESCO site has been dubbed the “Sistine Chapel of Mexico.” Pair it with La Gruta hot springs for an easy day trip from San Miguel de Allende. 

Most of the murals at Atotonilco depict scenes from Jesus’ life, including his resurrection (top) and the Last Supper (just below).

We knew we wanted to pair our trip to La Gruta Spa with a visit to the Sanctuary of Atotonilco (a tough one to pronounce, but try, “Ah-toe-toe-neel-ko”). 

The trouble was, we didn’t know how we would get there. To get to La Gruta, we had to bum a ride from someone who works at our first stop of the day, the quirky Chapel of Jimmy Ray, because we couldn’t get any cell service to call a cab or Uber.

Most of the murals at Atotonilco show scenes from the life of Christ, including the resurrection. The style is known as Mexican Folk Baroque.

I looked on Google Maps and determined that the church was only a 15-minute walk away. And once we got past the somewhat busy road that runs in front of the hot springs complex along a highway, we were able to walk on a peaceful cobblestone sidewalk. In fact, we started to see signs indicating that this is a pilgrimage route. So we followed them along a quiet road, Calle Principal, through a canopy of trees, and into a small village, where the church of Atotonilco can be found amid a few businesses and market stalls. 

Almost every inch of the walls and ceilings are covered in murals that date back to the mid-1700s.

“Pilgrims complete their journeys on their knees, wear hair shirts, tie cacti to their chests and wear crowns of thorns.

Atotonilco has also become a hotspot for flagellants — religious devotees who whip themselves to mimic the pain Jesus experienced en route to his crucifixion.”

The façade isn’t much — the wonders lie within.

A statue of Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest who, while waving a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe taken from the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, delivered an impassioned speech for the people to break the yoke of Spanish oppression — and launched the Mexican War of Independence

From the — dare I say — bland exterior, you’d never guess at the gorgeous artwork inside. The façade consists of white walls devoid of decorations, aside from a window here and there. The wall around the church makes it feel like it’s more of a fortress than a sanctuary.

The main church was closed off when we visited — and we were surprised to see that it had plastic chairs instead of pews.

When we went, there was a crowd of tourists, mostly from Mexico, all pressing into the small space. For some reason, the church itself was roped off, with pink and purple plastic chairs in lieu of pews, and the altar visible in the distance. 

The frescoes were painted over three decades by a local artist, Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre.

There are supposedly quite a few chapels and niches inside the structure, but we were only able to go into the Capilla del Santo Sepulcro, or the Chapel of the Holy Burial — for a small fee. A couple of dioramas depict Jesus’ death on the cross. But it’s the intricate, gorgeous paintings, created by a local artist, Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre, that prompted UNESCO to declare this a World Heritage Site in 2008.

John the Baptist baptizes his cousin Jesus in the Jordan River in this mural at Atotonilco.

Judas, shown with a demon straddling his back, betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, while a dog barks at him.

Most of the murals at Atotonilco show the life of Christ — though at least one is from the Old Testament of the Burning Bush talking to Moses.

The frescoes cover the main events of Christ’s life — his baptism by John the Baptist, the Last Supper, Judas’ betrayal, the walk to his crucifixion, his resurrection outside his tomb — though I did spot at least one Old Testament story as well: Moses and the Burning Bush. And there are words everywhere — even long passages of text. The walls are a Bible come to life. 

A holy water font surrounded by de Pocasangre’s murals

An indigenous ruler represents the Americas near the entrance of the church.

The walls of the sanctuary are like a book come to life — there are entire paragraphs in Spanish throughout.

The color palette is minimal — mostly salmon and tan, with some blue, brown, gold and bits of green acting as leaves on the curlicue motif, all set against the white walls of the church. 

A local priest, Father Neri, had a dream where Jesus told him to build a church. Neri did so, founding el Santuario de Atotonilco.

A Dream Come True

Atotonilco means Place of the Hot Waters in the local indigenous tongue. Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alaro had been preaching in the nearby town of Dolores but had fallen ill and decided to check out the curative powers of the thermal springs. 

While dozing under a mesquite tree one day, Father Neri had a dream in which Jesus wore the crown of thorns and carried the cross. Christ said that he wanted the spot where the priest was napping to become a center of penitence and prayer. Neri awoke, filled with divine inspiration, and did just that, founding el Santuario de Atotonilco in 1740. Another possible factor in determining to build the church here: The site was used in fornication rites among the indigenous peoples of the area, and Neri wanted to stop this practice.

Construction continued over the next 36 years. Neri commissioned de Pocasangre to paint the now-famous murals. The artist’s style is known as Mexican Folk Baroque — a blending of local traditions and the ornate flourishes of Flemish masters. 

The statue of el Señor de la Columna shows Jesus with a bloody back from being whipped. It’s paraded through town in a procession held the week before Easter.

Hair Shirts, Crowns of Thorns and Flagellation 

Meanwhile, Neri wanted to honor Christ’s wish in the dream he had — namely, that the sanctuary not just be a place of prayer but one of penitence as well. And Neri’s view of this was of a gruesome, physical variety. 

A symbol of flagellants is Christ tied to a column being whipped, as seen at the top of the image.

From the church’s origin, it has been a place of pilgrimage, with several weeks each year devoted to rites of penitence, drawing up to 5,000 pilgrims in a single week and 100,000 a year. The attached building consists of dormitories and dining halls to house the influx of pilgrims. 

Behind the church are dormitories and dining halls for the 100,000 pilgrims who visit each year.

And many of these pilgrims are hardcore. They complete their journeys on their knees, wear hair shirts (garments made of rough, uncomfortable cloth), tie spiked nopal cacti to their chests and wear their own crowns of thorns. Atotonilco has also become a hotspot for flagellants — religious devotees who whip themselves to mimic the pain Jesus experienced en route to his crucifixion. 

It would’ve been interesting, to say the least, to have been in the village during one of the times when the flagellants descended upon it. But, alas, the town was quite sleepy when we visited.

Looking back at the main entrance to the Sanctuary of Atotonilco

In 1994, the frescoes got a refresh — by the same team that worked on restoring the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

The sanctuary, with its numerous murals and frescoes, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Not surprisingly, after 200 years or so, the frescoes had faded. In fact, in 1994, the World Monuments Fund named Atotonilco one of the world’s 100 Most Endangered Monuments, which inspired a major restoration project that same year. The church was in good hands: Some of the team that had worked to restore the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City helped breathe new life into these frescoes. In addition, the walls were cleaned, the foundations reinforced and a new drainage system installed.

In the Capilla del Santo Sepulcro, or the Chapel of the Holy Burial, there are scenes of Jesus appearing after his resurrection.

Jesus shows off his stigmata to prove that he was crucified and yet rose from the dead.

Duke and I did our best to snap some photos and move through the crowd, though the front of the chapel was a popular spot for family photos among the locals. 

The only area open for tourists when we visited was a side chapel that showed Christ on the cross — a popular spot for family photos.

Another diorama, this one to the right of the main altar, shows Jesus being taken down from the cross.

A statue of Joseph with baby Jesus on his shoulder, while behind him Veronica shows the veil she used to wipe Christ’s face while he was en route to Calvary to be crucified.

After about half an hour, we decided to head back. We lucked out and saw a taxi passing by as we emerged from the sanctuary. We waved it down and caught a ride back to San Miguel de Allende for a reasonable rate. –Wally

Follow the pilgrimage signs to reach the impressive Sanctuary of Atotonilco.

Santuario de Jesús de Nazareno de Atotonilco

Calle Principal s/n
37700 Guanajuato
México

 

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An Insider’s Guide to Nantucket

Are you looking for things to do in Nantucket, Massachusetts? We cover the popular tourist attractions like the Whaling Museum and Brant Point Lighthouse as well as some of this charming island’s best-kept secrets — an icon of Mister Rogers, anyone? Also: the best Nantucket restaurants. 

For some strange reason, the Wampanoag Native Americans who lived on Nantucket gave it a name that alludes to it being a distant, desolate place. According to Britannica, it could even mean “sandy, sterile soil tempting no one”!

From stunning natural landscapes and beaches to must-see historical landmarks and quirky interior spaces, Nantucket, Massachusetts has it all. 

Here are my insider tips on the gems of Nantucket, an island in the Atlantic about 30 miles south of Cape Cod.

The island of Nantucket is 30 miles off the south coast of Cape Cod. It’s 14 miles long and three and a half miles wide.

Quick Tips for a Hassle-Free Nantucket Vacation

Keep in mind that this could be an expensive getaway: Things can be a bit pricey on the island.

One of the best ways to experience the Nantucket lifestyle is to rent a home during your stay.

Be sure to book your accommodation in advance, especially during the peak summer season. Vacation rental homes are a great option to get a feel for how locals live.

Why bring your car over when you can reach everything on a bike?

Choose your mode of transport. You can get to the island either by plane or ferry. Once there, I’ve found that the most satisfactory way to tour this exquisite island is by bike. Of course, you can bring your car, but it’ll cost you about $400-$450 to do so. I suggest renting a bike at Nantucket Bike Shop. Cycling is a great way to see the sights and exercise at the same time. Besides, there are numerous bike trails on the island.

8 Top Attractions on Nantucket

Nantucket is home to many gems, including secluded beaches, secret gardens and hidden coves. Here are my favorite spots:

Greater Light, a historic home in Nantucket, has become a cultural center and wedding venue.

1. Greater Light

Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan, two artistic sisters, had come to Nantucket because of its growing creative community. In the summer of 1929, the Monaghan sisters were taking in the city's vibrant art scene when they stumbled upon a herd of cattle. They followed the herd until it took a U-turn at Howard Street and entered a 140-year-old barn. The siblings were fascinated with the dilapidated structure. They discovered it was owned by the town grocer, William Holland, and they convinced him to sell it to them. 

The siblings named the barn Greater Light after the Bible verse Genesis 1:16: “God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.” They began turning the barn into a light-filled summer home and filled it with architectural artifacts and an eclectic mix of furnishings. If you want to experience the emotional vibe of the town, this is the place to be.

Insider’s Tip: Greater Light is accessible to the general public from May to October. It’s a 10-minute walk from the town center. In addition to being a popular wedding venue, numerous events, including book signings, concerts and lectures, are held on the renovated property. For the most current schedule, visit the Nantucket Historical Association website.

Greater Light
8 Howard Street

Could someone just make this man a saint already? The icon of Mister Rogers at St. Paul’s.

2. Mister Rogers Portrait at St. Paul’s Church

Some people would indeed consider Mister Rogers a saint; they’d find it fitting that he’s an idol at St. Paul’s Church. Before he became a beloved children’s television icon, Rogers studied to be a Presbyterian preacher. 

He spent the summers on Nantucket with his family, residing in the Madaket neighborhood on the island's west side. He and his family attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Fair Street. 

A local artist, Julie Dunbar, painted a tribute to Mister Rogers’ legacy as an honored parishioner and a well-known friend to many. Pop into the church, identifiable by its beautiful Tiffany stained glass windows, to see this quirky icon bearing the words “Gentle, Kind + True.”

Insider’s Tip: While the church is open to visitors, check to see if it happens to be closed for exclusive services and activities.

St. Paul’s Epsicopal Church
20 Fair Street

The 46-foot-long skeleton of a sperm whale that died in 1998 hangs from the ceiling. Check out those chompers — a testament to the dangers of the whaling profession.

3. The Whaling Museum

Once known as the whaling capital of the world, Nantucket has a historic whaling district, and the museum is housed in a former whaling captain’s house. The Whaling Museum was established in 1929 and is among the oldest naval museums in the United States. 

The Whaling Museum in Nantucket

Its gallery has a collection of over 1,000 artifacts, including a sperm whale skeleton and a whaleboat. The museum also has a library and archives with over 500 books, maps and manuscripts. 

Insider’s Tip: The museum is open year-round and offers various educational schedules for adults and children. Hopefully you’ll get a guide as colorful as Emily Gilmore on The Gilmore Girls. And be sure to climb the spiral staircase (or take the elevator) up to Tucker’s Roofwalk for a panoramic view of the harbor — where the captain’s wife might once have kept an anxious lookout for the return of her husband’s ship.

The Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street

Brant Point Lighthouse is one of three to see in Nantucket. Look for the American flag on its side.

4. The Lighthouses 

Nantucket has three lovely lighthouses, all of which are well worth a visit:

Brant Point Lighthouse is near the city at the end of Easton Street and is the ideal location to view the sunset or sunrise. Its white stairway and American flag painted on its side make it easy to spot.

Great Point Lighthouse is in a wildlife reserve at the northern tip of the island.

Arriving at Great Point Lighthouse is slightly more complicated since the light is on sandy land. Hire a four-wheel drive if you don’t have one. The trip can be backbreaking, so bring a picnic lunch to eat and get reenergized. 

Sankaty Head Lighthouse stands 70 feet tall at the easternmost point on Nantucket, flashing its light every 7.5 seconds

With its distinctive white and sandy red stripe design, Sankaty Head Lighthouse could be the most outstanding lighthouse on Nantucket. The light is on Baxter Road, but on a clear day, you will see it miles away in every direction. 

Insider’s Tip: The lighthouses are open from  9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year round. For Great Point, you’ll need an oversand vehicle permit. 

Pay homage to Maria Mitchell by stargazing at the Loines Observatory.

5. Maria Mitchell Association

Maria Mitchell was raised on the island and was a Quaker with a passion for astronomy. She channeled her passions into a spectacular career as America’s first female astronomer. She established the Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket’s only scientific organization.

The association has plenty to see: an aquarium, the historic 1800s Quaker house Mitchell lived in and a natural science museum, in addition to a series of scientific speakers.

The Historic Mitchell House, where the first female U.S. astronomer lived.

Insider’s Tip: Nantucket has long been famous for its meticulous craft of scrimshaw and historic whaler voyages. But in the 19th century, Mitchell added a curious new chapter to the history of this small island. Honor her legacy by stargazing at the Loines Observatory. The Vestal Street Observatory is currently closed for conservation.

Maria Mitchell Association
33 Washington Street

The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

6. Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

The charitable Egan Maritime Institute runs this museum, which shares the stories of local shipwrecks and the brave rescuers who put their lives in danger to save drowning seamen. 

The building, constructed in 1968, features the design of the traditional stations run by the U.S. Life-Saving Service. It’s the earliest museum devoted to maritime lifesaving and safety history. Its hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The entrance fee includes a tour guide.

Insider’s Tip: Keep in mind that Nantucket is a seasonal destination, and many places, like this museum, are only open part of the year, closing in the fall and winter. A 15-minute journey down Polpis Road will take you to the museum, which is three miles east of town. But you can also catch the Shipwreck Shuttle from the visitors bureau at 25 Federal Street every half hour starting at 9:30 a.m., returning from the museum on the hour, with the last ride at 5 p.m.), Monday through Saturday from May 30 through October 10.

Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum
158 Polpis Road

You have to get on the water during every stay in Nantucket.

7. The Harbor

When in Nantucket…

Sailing around the harbor is the perfect afternoon pastime and can take you into the evening to enjoy the most splendid sunset in Nantucket. You’ve got plenty of choices: tugboats, larger whale-viewing cruises and swanky schooners. Many offer two-hour rides that head around Brant Point Lighthouse. 

Insider’s Tip: Shearwater Excursions offers the Ice Cream Cruise, where you can enjoy not only a scenic tour but also its namesake treat. But my favorite thing to do is rent a tugboat for the late afternoon, where you can bring cocktails to sip and have some snacks (perhaps a charcuterie board). 

Catch your dinner on a fishing charter into the Atlantic Ocean.

8. Fishing Zones

Nantucket has a large population of game fish, and the best time to go fishing is from May to November. A suitable spot is the south bay between Nantucket Harbor and Great Point. But you can also try your luck near the Sankaty Head Lighthouse. Additionally, the harbor offers dedicated charters for catching large game fish like mahi mahi, marlin and tuna.  

Insider’s Tip: Waves can be intense — even deadly — so make sure you find a pro and ask for the safest times to get on the water. 

Straight Wharf Restaurant

Where to Eat in Nantucket

From fresh seafood to classic New England fare, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on this beautiful island.

For seafood lovers, the Straight Wharf Restaurant is a must-visit. The spot is well known for its fresh, local seafood and harbor views.

Head to the Wauwinet hotel to dine at Topper’s.

Head to Topper’s at the Wauwinet hotel to taste classic New England cuisine. This elegant restaurant is known for its delicious lobster dishes, as well as its stunning views of the ocean. 

Get your New England staples and some good beer at the Nantucket Tap Room at the historic Jared Coffin House.

The Nantucket Tap Room at the Jared Coffin House is an excellent alternative for a more casual dining experience. This historic inn’s tavern offers a cozy atmosphere and classic dishes like clam chowder and fish and chips.

Other good restaurants to try include:

• Millie’s: Seafood

• Cisco Brewers: Great outdoor area for local beers and food trucks

• Cru: Rosé and oysters 

• Provisions: Sandwiches (try the Turkey Terrific or BLT)

• The Downyflake: Doughnuts

• The Juice Bar: Ice cream

Heads up: The popular spot Black-Eyed Susan’s seems to be closed for good. But no matter your mood, you’ll uncover plenty of places to feast in Nantucket.

Smaller than Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket offers a quaint New England getaway.

The Ideal New England Getaway

Nantucket is a small island with a big reputation. It’s a popular summer tourist destination, thanks to its picturesque hangout spots and plenty of outdoor activities. Moreover, the locals are warm and welcoming, guaranteeing you have a great time. As far as I’m concerned, the island is the perfect New England getaway. –Christine Cooper

The Art-Filled Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez El Nigromante

Like many of the most beautiful buildings in Mexico, the Ignacio Ramirez the Necromancer Cultural Center was once a convent. Now this San Miguel de Allende landmark is filled with dramatic murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros, Pedro Martínez and Eleanor Cohen.

The centerpiece of the gorgeous courtyard at the cultural center is a fountain topped with the Christian Lamb of God. Keep in mind that this was once the cloisters of a convent.

Days before her death, Sister María Josefa began to cough up larvae. “The pain was so acute that she fainted,” wrote Miguel J. Malo and F. León de Vivero in the now-out-of-print guidebook San Miguel Allende. Despite her discomfort, she’s said to have kept the larvae — which later transformed into butterflies. 

The nearby Iglesia de la Concepción was once connected to a convent, which gave the church its nickname, Las Monjas (the Nuns).

The beguiling former 18th century Convento de la Concepción was founded in 1736 by María Josefa Lina de la Canal y Hervás, the daughter of the influential de la Canal family. At the age of 15, María Josefa’s parents died, and she inherited a large sum of money, which she used to construct la Iglesia de la Concepción, known locally as Las Monjas (the Nuns), and the adjoining convent. 

A bust of Ramírez sits atop a pedestal in the courtyard. 

“El Nigromante (The Necromancer) was the pseudonym used by Ramírez, a lifelong champion of atheism and freethinking, to conceal his identity in the radical articles he wrote.”

An iron sculpture of a bull by David Kestenbaum stands sentinel in front of the bright yellow façade of the former Convento de la Concepción.

From Convent to Cultural Center 

In 1938, after a series of other uses, the complex was converted into the secular Escuela Universitaria de Bellas Artes by Peruvian painter and political-activist-in-exile Felipe Cossío del Pomar. It is now known as the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante,” in honor of the progressive thinker by that name. El Nigromante (the Necromancer) was the pseudonym Ramírez used to conceal his identity in the radical articles he wrote, which would have surely upset the conservative governing authority of the time. A lifelong champion of atheism and freethinking, Ramírez caused a scandal, for instance, when, in a speech to the literary Academy of San Juan de Letrán, he declared that God didn’t exist. 

A quilt artwork was hanging in the courtyard, with Las Monjas church in the background.

Enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez.

Various artworks fill the grassy courtyard of the cultural center.

Las Lavanderas (The Washerwomen) by Eleanor Cohen

The Washerwomen Mural

The inner courtyard of the former cloister is surrounded by a succession of contiguous arches. As Wally and I walked beneath them, we discovered a fresco by the American artist and printmaker Eleanor Cohen. The piece is known as Las Lavanderas, (The Washerwomen) and was influenced by the figural style of the famous muralist José Clemente Orozco.  

Cohen and her husband, Max Kahn, were both Works Progress Administration artists paid by the federal government to promote pride and patriotism through public art during the late 1930s. She was the first female recipient of the James Nelson Raymond Traveling Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and she used it to study at the Escuela Universitaria de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende. Kahn taught printmaking there, and Cohen began working on the mural in 1941. Her painting depicts indigenous peasant women washing clothing at a river with a group of children bathing in the foreground. I love that a mural that has a similarly emotive power as the works of Diego Rivera and Orozco was painted by a non-native woman — quite unusual for the time. 

As we entered the room housing Siqueiros’ unfinished work, Wally was startled by the guard sitting against the wall. In his defense, the room is dimly lit. 

Siguiero’s Unfinished Work 

Stirling Dickinson, an American credited with helping establish San Miguel de Allende as an arts center, became the director of the school shortly after his arrival. During his tenure, he invited the celebrated Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros, an outspoken Mexican Communist Party member, to teach at Bellas Artes in 1948.

His students, who were predominantly U.S. and Canadian war veterans, were enthusiastic about painting a mural under Siquiero’s direction. However, he quickly exceeded his modest art class budget, and abruptly departed after a quarrel with the school’s administrative director, Alfredo Campanella, over funding. 

Duke in the nuns’ former dining hall, now home to an unfinished work by the legendary muralist Siquieros

The impressive unfinished work, Vida y Obra de General Ignacio Allende (Life and Work of General Ignacio Allende), can be found in a room along the north wing, fittingly called the Sala Siquieros. The cavernous space once served as the convent’s dining hall. The intent of the mural was to depict the life of Allende, a leader of Mexico’s War of Independence so well respected that the town, once called San Miguel el Grande became San Miguel de Allende after his death.

A cartoonish detail from Vida y Obra de General Ignacio Allende reveals Siqueiros’ process.

Entering the room and looking up, I noticed a playful almost cartoonish face with elaborate curlicue scrollwork around it. Elsewhere, lines, colors and geometric shapes crisscrossed the walls and vaulted ceiling where painted flames shoot across the ceiling and explode above what looks like an aerial view of farmland. In my opinion the unfinished state of the mural makes it more interesting, as it provides the viewer with a glimpse into the creative process of Siquieros.

Not surprisingly, El Fanatismo del Pueblo by Pedro Martínez, with its giant vampire bat attack, was Duke and Wally’s favorite mural at the cultural center.

Superstition and Drinking Culture in Martínez’s Paintings

Elsewhere within the complex are four works by Pedro Martínez. In 1941 Martínez was invited by Cossío del Pomar to teach the fresco technique to students at Bellas Artes.

His mural El Fanatismo del Pueblo (The Fanaticism of the People) vividly depicts a winged creature attacking a group of women who cower in fear as two caballeros attempt to lasso the flying beast. The fresco is referred to as La Caza del Vampiro (The Vampire Hunt) by locals and is perhaps a criticism of those who naively believe in superstitions. 

Head into the bookstore to see another Martínez mural, La Cantina.

Another of Martínez’s murals can be found in the bookstore. Simply titled La Cantina, the vignette shows a group of men gathered in a tavern drinking pulque. A man in a sombrero leans against the bar, a bemused expression on his face. To his right, a man looks over his shoulder in annoyance. The four men seated in the foreground lean in to listen to a man wearing a pink shirt tied with a bow, who, judging by his body language and snarling mouth, appears to be angry. 

Explore the galleries at the Centro Cultural Ramírez to see the current exhibitions.

The Clamor Progresista Exhibit

When Wally and I visited, there was an exhibit titled Clamor Progresista (Progressive Cry), inspired by the ideas of “the Necromancer,” such as creative freedom and how these ideas are open to interpretation. The project is led by Mexico City-based conceptual artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, who invited more than 60 artists from the state of Guanajuato to create works using multiple formats, from sculpture to paper. 

Part of the Clamor Progresista exhibit

A cool mobile-like sculpture on display when we visited

Today the cultural center belongs to the Mexican National Art Institute (INBA) and offers classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, dance and music. It’s worth stopping by just to admire the beautiful courtyard. And be sure to check out the charming shops across the street, including Origenes Antigüedades Populares. –Duke 

While you’re in the hood, stop into Origenes Antigüedades Populares.

The shop is filled with antiques, many of which are of a religious nature.

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See more amazing murals and read about the Instituto Allende, another art school in San Miguel de Allende.

CLICK HERE

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When you see the bull, you know you’ve come to the right place.

Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante”

Calle del Dr Hernandez Macías 75
Zona Centro
37700 San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato 
México

 

The Haunting and Horrific Mummy Museum of Guanajuato

The surprisingly popular Museo de las Momias is filled with naturally preserved corpses, dried out and twisted into gruesome positions. Their wide-open mouths are enough to make visitors scream. 

There’s a museum filled with naturally preserved corpses in Guanajuato, Mexico — and it’s a popular attraction with locals and warped tourists alike.

While researching a day trip from San Miguel de Allende, Duke said, “There’s a mummy museum in Guanajuato—”

“Say no more!” I interrupted him. “I’m sold.”

It’s just the kind of perverse spectacle that made us name our site The Not So Innocents Abroad. 

“This woman had wakened under the earth. She had torn, shrieked, clubbed at the box-lid with fists, died of suffocation, in this attitude, hands flung over her gaping face, horror-eyed, hair wild.”

— Ray Bradbury, “The Next in Line”

And we’re not the only ones into this type of gruesome excursion. The parking lot was full, and there was a line to get into the museum. All told, we had to wait about 20 minutes to purchase tickets. 

“The mummies of Guanajuato bring the biggest economic income to the municipality after property tax,” Mexican anthropologist Juan Manuel Argüelles San Millán told National Geographic. “Their importance is hard to overstate.”

Meet the oldest mummy at the museum: Dr. Remigio Leroy, buried in 1860 and exhumed five years later.

Many of the mummies still have their hair and teeth — and dried sacs where their eyes have oozed out.

Our tour guide spoke in Spanish — most of the visitors were locals as opposed to fellow gringos. Our Spanish is nowhere near good enough to follow what he was saying, but we trailed after the group, snapping photo after photo. 

The mummies are pale and desiccated, twisted into horrific poses, their arms crossed over their chest or fingers bent at unnatural angles. The dried skin has flaked off in many areas, looking like a wasp nest, though on a few the skin is pulled taut and smooth. On some, the eyes look as if they’ve oozed out of their sockets to become dried sacs. Quite a few still have their teeth; you’ll see tongues protruding from others. Some still wear dusty clothes, pulled from their graves before the fabric had time to rot away. 

Many still have their hair, wild manes or neat braids. We passed a mummy that had a large patch of gray pubes, which made us groan and then giggle. 

This mummy still sports a patch of gray pubes.

One somber section is devoted to babies, eerie infants dressed in gowns and caps, looking like dreadful dolls. 

But what you notice most are the mouths. They’re open in what appears to be an eternal scream. They’re screaming, as if they knew what their ignominious fate would be. 

So, how did the mummies end up here?

If you’re buried in Guanajuato and no one pays your burial tax…you could end up a mummy at the museum!

Exhumed and Exploited 

Unlike a cemetery in the United States, where you buy a plot of land for perpetuity, the gravesites in the silver mining town of Guanajuato had a burial tax. If a family didn’t pay up, the corpse had to vacate the premises to make way for a paying customer. 

The bodies at Santa Paula cemetery were moved to an underground ossuary — what happens to be the current site of the Museum of the Mummies. 

Check out those cheekbones! This is considered to be the best-preserved mummy at the museum.

Those commissioned with the gruesome task of removing the corpses were shocked to discover that many were well preserved. Turns out that the deep crypts, devoid of humidity and oxygen, provided the ideal conditions to prevent decomposition. The bodies had dried out naturally, transforming into what are now known as the mummies of Guanajuato. 

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Gravediggers lined up the mummies and charged the public a few pesos to see them. Early viewers would break bits off of the mummies or nabbed name tags as souvenirs. 

The macabre practice continued for 90 years, until 1958. Ten years later, the city opened el Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato, and 59 of the original 111 mummies are on display. 

And so the tradition continues — though the museum now charges 85 pesos (less than $5). We sprang for the additional section, which turned out to be a kitschy collection of spooky spectacles in the vein of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

One of the dioramas in the bonus room at the end.

Thought to be Asian, this mummy is referred to as the China Girl — and is the only one with its original coffin, despite being one of the oldest specimens in the collection.

Mummies Dearest 

The first of the mummies dates back to 1865 and is that of a French doctor, Remigio Leroy. As an immigrant, he had no one to keep up his burial tax. 

One unfortunate soul, Ignacia Aguilar, had a medical condition that greatly slowed her heart, and her family rushed to bury her (not unusual in warm climates). Ignacia was eventually unearthed, her mummy lying face-down — and the ghastly truth was discovered: Due to injuries on her forehead and the position of her arms, she’s believed to have been buried alive. 

The corpse on the left is believed to have been buried alive, while the guy in the middle drowned.

And, alongside its mother, there’s a 24-week-old fetus, believed to be the youngest mummy in existence. 

Analysis of the mummy showed that this woman was 40 years old and malnourished when she died while pregnant. Her fetus is thought to be that of the youngest mummy in existence.

Death on Display

The museum may be popular, but it also comes with its share of controversy. Aside from the questionable ethics of showcasing the forgotten dead in a freakshow of sorts, some scientists say that storing the mummies upright, as many are displayed, hampers preservation. 

But this display of death is just part of the culture. 

“For Mexicans, this isn’t bizarre or weird,” local guide Dante Rodriguez Zavala told Nat Geo. “We have a comfort level with death — we take food to our dead loved ones on Day of the Dead and invite mariachis into the cemetery.”

One of the scariest of the mummies

Pretending to be a mummy at the end

But for some, like writer Ray Bradbury, the experience is haunting. Bradbury, traumatized by his viewing of the mummies in 1945, wrote a fantastic, creepy short story about them called “The Next in Line.” It’s in his collection The October Country and will stick with you long after you finish reading it. The tale is the perfect companion piece to a visit to the Museum of the Mummies. 

Much better than the schlocky horror flick Las Momias de Guanajuato (The Mummies of Guanajuato). This movie from 1972 is part of the luchador genre, starring three wrestlers from the time — Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras and Santo, the Silver Masked Man — saving the town from a resurrected sorcerer (and fellow wrestler) named Satan and his army of the undead. –Wally

Museum of the Mummies of Guanajuato

Explanada del Panteón Municipal
Centro
36000 Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Mexico

 

Instituto Allende: The Influential Art School That Shaped San Miguel de Allende

This art school and event space holds a special place in the charming town’s transformation. Stop by to see the cool murals and refuel at Murmullo café.

Duke and Wally fell in love with the interior courtyard at the Instituto Allende.

The hulking adobe and fieldstone Instituto Allende is a bit outside of the historic city center of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Located on the southwest edge of the Centro, this art school was originally built in 1736 as the summer manor for the influential de la Canal family. 

The Instituto Allende teaches a variety of fine arts, including sculpture.

San Miguel de Allende Goes Artsy 

After Mexico’s War of Independence in 1910, and the decline of silver mining, which had brought San Miguel de Allende its fortune, the colonial town faced an uncertain future. Credit for undertaking its transformation into an artists colony has largely been given to U.S. expat Stirling Dickinson, who became director of the Instituto Allende in the ’50s. 

Yet this is only part of the story. Native son and former Guanajuato governor Enriquez Fernández Martínez and his American wife, Nell Harris, were the instrumental force behind the art school’s founding. Their enduring legacy was carried on by their son Rodolfo, and his daughter Zara is the current director.  

However, it was not the first academic art school in SMA. Peruvian artist and diplomat-in-exile Felipe Cossío del Pomar, received support from President Lázaro Cárdenas to transform the 19th century convent of the Order of the Immaculate Conception, known locally as Las Monjas (The Nuns), into la Escuela Universitaria de Bellas Artes, the University School of Fine Arts. (The building is now occupied by the government-run cultural center known as the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez “El Nigromante.”) 

Sterling Dickinson helped open up San Miguel de Allende as a center for the arts.

Class Act: Dickinson Comes oN the Scene 

Dickinson’s arrival in 1937, at the invitation of Chicago Lyric Opera tenor and Hollywood actor José Mojica, helped shape the future of San Miguel de Allende. He was transported from the train station to the Jardín, the town’s main square, outside of La Parroquia church, in the wee hours of the morning by a mule-drawn cart. When he saw the cathedral’s spires rising out of the mist, he uttered, “My God, what a place!” We couldn’t agree more.

Days later, Dickinson decided to stay and purchased the ruins of a former tannery on a hill overlooking the town, which he converted into his home. The property and land cost a mere $90. Mojica was leading a coalition to promote San Miguel as a magnet for cultured tourists. Film stars, composers, singers, intellectuals, local politicians and artists showed up regularly at his soirées.

The Expressionist works of David Leonardo Chávez cover much of the Instituto.

After its founding, the Instituto Allende became part of the University of Guanajuato, offering master’s degrees in fine arts, and began to gain international recognition. By 1960 it had grown both in size and scope and also offered a bachelor’s program in fine arts. Enrollment at the school continued to rise, and the town’s cultural reputation attracted tourists and expats.

Wally couldn’t get enough of Chávez’s fantastical paintings.

Dickinson came from an affluent Chicago family and had a knack for public relations. His passion for the arts and the culture of San Miguel itself laid the groundwork for promoting the burgeoning school. A 1948 Life magazine article described San Miguel as a “G.I. Paradise,” and given the relatively affordable rents — $10 per month — it’s no surprise that veterans queued up for an opportunity to attend college here. 

As a teacher at the Instituto, Dickinson became known for his Aspects of Mexico course, which combined lectures and experiential field trips. He attempted to foster a relationship built on mutual respect for indigenous Mexican culture and history among his students (to various levels of success).

Out back, you can wander around the beautiful campus and see the various classrooms.

Uncommon Grounds: A Walk Around Campus

Wally and I stopped by the main entrance of the Instituto on a Friday afternoon and found its massive wooden doors locked tight. Wally knocked on the door, and a janitor instantly opened it — only to inform us that it was closed to the public for a couple of days.

The institute is now split into two buildings: one for classes and a café, and another for weddings and other events. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the murals created in the 1950s by John DeMelim and James Pinto. 

We were able to enter the school building, though, through the administrative offices, which had an exuberant mural by contemporary Mexican Expressionist David Leonardo Chávez that crowns the ceiling and part of the walls. The artwork is rich with jewel tones and patterns depicting stylized swimmers. 

This mural of swimmers is one of the first you’ll see when you enter through reception.

Not a bad place to get a degree in art, eh?

While wandering into the adjoining space, we paused to admire more of the painterly works of Chávez, which covers the walls. Beyond, a few students were scattered throughout the leafy park-like courtyard, sitting in the grass and enjoying the dappled afternoon sunlight. Stone paths bisect the grounds leading to pennant-shaped signs pointing students to the various workshops and studios, including ceramics, drawing, jewelry, painting, printmaking, sculpture and weaving. The school also offers a range of Spanish language immersion classes. 

A colorful mural by the bathrooms out back

The Instituto was originally the summer residence of a wealthy family.

After taking a few photos, Wally and I exited on the far side of the campus, where a small group was setting up for an event in the enclosed egress. A young woman told us that this was for Rodarte, a bazaar for artists, makers and local designers from around Mexico to sell their works. The Instituto has always had a philanthropic component since its inception in 1950. Revenue from the event gives back to the community by providing art supplies for low-income students and teachers in the surrounding area.

The main section of Murmullo is chic and minimalist — but we chose to eat in the colorful mural-covered courtyard.

Murmurs and Musings at Murmullo Café

We left the grounds and had a snack at the charming Murmullo café, which is carved out from the Institute property. Our lively server recommended we split the falafel, which Wally and I ordered and agreed was quite possibly the best we’ve ever had. 

Quite possibly the best falafel pita we’ve ever had

Duke and Wally had a delightful lunch at Murmullo — great food, drinks, setting and service.

You couldn’t ask for a cooler setting to enjoy a coffee, beer or bite to eat.

They also serve coffee, which was the perfect excuse for us to caffeinate with iced skim lattes, as well as beer and kombucha. The café has three different seating areas, two indoors and one outdoors. We chose the open-air courtyard, surrounded by Chávez’s fantastical work. The fare and the setting make it worth a visit. Try a coffee, a local microbrew and the falafel. You won’t regret it. –Duke

Instituto Allende

Ancha de San Antonio 22
Zona Centro
San Miguel de Allende
México

 

What to Know Before You Go to San Miguel de Allende

10 travel tips for a trip to SMA, concerning everything from navigating the cobblestone streets, avoiding a potential late-night mugging, taking a taxi, and enjoying free music and art. 

San Miguel de Allende is so charming it’s easy to forget that you still have to play it safe.

I find it hard to imagine that most visitors to San Miguel de Allende won’t have a marvelous time. But, that being said, there are some easy things you can do to help make things go more smoothly.

“A group of friends headed back to their hotel around 2 a.m., but two of the young women got separated.

Before they knew what was happening, they were being attacked.”

Learn how to pronounce it correctly.

Phonetic spellings aren’t the easiest, but it’s really just the last part that would trip up most foreigners. Try saying the town like this: San Mee-ghell day Ah-yenday. 

It’s quite a mouthful, which is probably why some abbreviate it to SMA or simply shorten it to San Miguel. 

Watch your step. 

As charming as the cobblestone streets are, they’re uneven. It’s hard enough to navigate a trip around the historic town center in the best of circumstances, but when it rained while we were there, the stones became surprisingly slick — all the more dangerous because San Miguel de Allende has quite a few hills.

The sidewalks are narrow in most areas, made of local paving stones, with steps up to front doors and dips down for parking all along the way. It’s easy to imagine a quick slip that would result in a sprained ankle. 

I can’t imagine being elderly or mobility-impaired here, and I’m confused how anyone could safely retire in such a hilly town where every step is a potential pratfall. So, reconsider high heels, tractionless sandals or flip-flops unless you’re inside.

Play it safe — and minimize your chances of getting mugged.  

Yes, there’s drug-related violence happening in parts of Mexico. And we don’t want to be on the hook if something atrocious happens — but we’ve made quite a few trips to Mexico in recent years and have always felt safe. 

I mean, most people wouldn’t think twice about a trip to Chicago, where we live, even though there’s an alarmingly high rate of people getting shot. Much like how you should avoid certain neighborhoods in Chicago, there are areas in Mexico to steer clear of. The U.S. State Department offers travel advisories for Mexico on a region-by-region level.

That being said, after our perfectly delightful stay in San Miguel de Allende, we got a startling wakeup call that reminded us never to let our guard down.

The young woman sitting next to us on the plane back complimented our bracelets and asked if we had a nice time in San Miguel. We gushed about our trip and then asked about her stay. Her face became serious, and Duke and I both started feeling awkward, knowing something dramatic was coming. 

“I got mugged,” she said, showing us a large area of bruising on her arm. We listened to her story, eyes wide.

The young woman was in town for a wedding at the Rosewood, one of the fancier chain hotels on the outskirts of town. On a Thursday night, she and a group of friends had been out drinking at the bars. They headed back to the hotel around 2 a.m., but she and a girl friend got separated. Before they knew what was happening, some guy grabbed her.

“I was struggling and fighting back,” she told us. “But then I stopped to ask myself why I was doing that.” 

She got off better than her friend. Her assailant punched her right in the face, breaking her nose. 

The men took the girls’ purses and cell phones — and the incident ruined the trip and left the young women feeling vulnerable and violated. 

Time and time again, we hear about muggings happening to people stumbling home drunk from the bars. (Our friend Kevin, who lives in Oaxaca, gave us similar warnings.) So, please, if you want to go out and have a good time, take a taxi home. Much like in the States, muggings increase late at night on side streets.

Take a taxi when you can — but figure out the cost before you get in.

Duke and I found SMA to be a very walkable city (if a slightly precarious one — see the second tip). If you’re staying at one of the large hotels farther out, I suppose you could hop in a green taxi to get into el Centro. Just agree on your price beforehand. We didn’t taxi around town too much, but you shouldn’t pay more than 100 pesos (5 bucks) a trip.

Skip Uber — and be prepared to fork over a substantial sum for day trip transportation. 

If you’re going for a longer ride outside of town (to the quirky Chapel of Jimmy Ray, La Gruta hot springs, the church of Atotonilco or the city of Guanajuato, say), you’ll have to arrange a driver. Uber isn’t the amazingly easy and affordable option it is in Mexico City. When we visited at the end of 2022, our drivers canceled on us or the app declared that no rides were available. 

A round-trip to Guanajuato was $160, but that involved hiring a driver for the day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We got dropped off at the Mummy Museum, wandered by foot along Calle Tepetapa and Avenida Benito Juaréz, then took the funicular up to the overlook. As we headed back down, we texted our driver, and he picked us up near the funicular ticket booth.

So, unfortunately, your best option sometimes is to fork over ridiculously high amounts to get most places. Our hotel-arranged airport pickup, for instance, set us back $128 (though it was an hour-and-a-half ride). 

Not wanting to pay that much when we went back to the airport, we simply went down the street to the taxi stand we noticed along Plaza de la Soledad. The first driver who pulled up said he’d take us to Querétaro Airport for about $60 — half what we paid previously.

Carry change with you for the bathroom — and know which one you’re supposed to go in. 

There are public bathrooms scattered throughout town — but as mentioned in our article on tips for Oaxaca, you’ll have to shell out some pesos to use them. Elsewhere, we’ve found baños typically cost about 5 pesos; here it was often 10 to 12 pesos (we’re still talking about less than a dollar). 

Speaking of baños, if you see a door with an M on it, that doesn’t stand for “men.” It’s “mujeres” — the word for “women” in Spanish. Hopefully this saves some men from the awkward situation of walking into the women’s room. The men’s room will have an H on it for “hombres.”

Enjoy free live music. 

In the evening, mariachis take over the main square, el Jardín de Allende, in front of the big church. It’s a sporadic affair: Sometimes a lone trumpet player will break out into a tune; sometimes a line of six men will play a song for a group of people sitting on the wall in front of San Miguel Arcángel. 

You should definitely devote some time to hanging out in the Jardín in the evening, maybe having a drink at one of the corner cafés, and enjoy the free show.

Climb the hill to the Mirador for a view of the town. 

It’s a cool vantage point to see the city center and the surrounding sprawl — just not an amazing one. It’s quite a hike up to the Lookout, and the trip down the slippery, uneven stones can be hard on the knees. Plus, you’ve got to constantly dodge cars on the narrow streets. 

That being said, if you’re in reasonably good shape and have some extra time in SMA, we do recommend making the trek up to the Lookout. 

Bring an umbrella. 

When it rains, water flows from canales, spouts that jut out a few feet — pouring down smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk. And even hours after it has rained, those spouts are still dribbling out water. 

Admire the art — even if you’re not there to make a big purchase.

Whereas Oaxaca is rooted in folk art traditions like the wooden creatures called alebrijes, SMA has a history of fine art. You’ll pass numerous spots showcasing sculptures and paintings, and we didn’t feel any pressure from salespeople in the galleries and high-end shops we popped into.

If you follow these tips and avoid trouble, you’re sure to have an amazing time in San Miguel de Allende. It’s not hard to see why so many American and Canadian expats have decided to call this magical city home. –Wally

Graycliff: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ode to Lake Erie

This impressive estate perched above the water was built for Isabelle Martin and shows the birth of Wright’s organic architecture.

Frank Lloyd Wright built Graycliff, a summer residence for the Martins, from 1926 to 1929 — just in time for the family to lose their great wealth.

Frank Lloyd Wright had to grow on me. Actually, more accurately, I had to experience his work firsthand to develop an appreciation for it. Because, to me at least, his exteriors can seem monolithic, the windows small, the horizontal planes somewhat uninteresting. 

But when you enter one of his homes, it’s like you’ve entered a magical realm — the unassuming wardrobe that opens into the fantastical realm of Narnia, if you will. Wright transports you to another world, a cozy space where nature is invited in, often in surprising ways. You develop a great respect for the thought and vision that went into each of his homes. The environment connects to the site with a palette inspired by, and often using, materials sourced from the immediate area. 

“When the Martins complained about the additions, Wright replied, “You don’t need them — but the house does.””

Our docent, Gail, was extremely knowledgeable about Graycliff and its colorful history.

The Martin Family and the History of Graycliff

Graycliff was the lakeside haven and summer home of Isabelle and Darwin Martin. Darwin was a wealthy executive at the Larkin Soap Company and first met Wright at his Oak Park studio in 1902 to discuss the commission of a Larkin Administration Building. He later commissioned Wright to design and build the home that would become Graycliff. The estate is perched atop a 50-foot bluff overlooking Lake Erie in the town of Derby, New York, about 20 miles south of Buffalo. In the distance, you can see the Point Abino Lighthouse and the Welland Canal in Canada. 

The Larkin Soap Company was a massive mail-order business, and Darwin one of the highest paid executives at the time (worth the equivalent of $40 million nowadays). This accounts for his ability to build not only Graycliff but the family home in Buffalo (known as the Martin House) with Wright — an architect notorious for not letting a budget get in the way of his vision. 

But all of that changed when the stock market crashed in 1929, ushering in the Great Depression. Darwin had heavily invested in a number of his son’s business ventures, including 800 West Ferry, a luxury apartment high-rise in Buffalo. Due to these underperforming investments, the Martins’ fortunes eroded. 

Darwin sustained a series of mild strokes and a more serious episode on December 17, 1935, resulting in his death. 

It was reported that upon hearing of Darwin’s death, Wright stated that he had lost his best friend and most influential patron. Over the years, Darwin loaned Wright approximately $70,000. None of it was ever repaid. 

Isabelle continued to spend summers at Graycliff until about 1941. When she could no longer afford to keep the main house open, she moved into the apartment above the garage in the Foster House, before passing away on February 22, 1945 at the age of 75. 

Wright probably never imagined a modern sculpture sitting on the lawn at Graycliff — but we like to think he’d approve.

Wright’s Vision for Graycliff

Construction of the estate began in 1926 and was a gift from Darwin to Isabelle, upon his retirement from the Larkin Soap Company. The Martins were able to spend their first summer there in 1929, though the grounds weren’t completed until 1931. 

The complex comprises the main house, a sunken boiler house (called the Heat Hut) and the Foster House, originally conceived as the chauffeur’s quarters, so named because it was used as the summer residence of Isabelle’s daughter, Dorothy Martin Foster, her son-in-law, James, and their two children. 

Graycliff is named for the natural feature that forms the overlook it’s perched upon, and despite sounding a bit dour, the house is actually bright and airy. Not only did Wright want to provide views of Lake Erie, he had another reason to fill the house with natural light: Isabelle suffered from scleritis, a condition that causes chronic eye pain and light sensitivity. According to correspondence sent from the Martins to Wright, Isabelle needed a place that was flooded with “light and sunshine” — the opposite of their city home, which was dark and difficult for her to navigate. 

The view of the lake through the home was destroyed for a while when the Piarist priests put their chapel here.

The Piarist Priests: The Other Owners of Graycliff

In the 1950s, the Martin descendants sold the property to the Piarist Fathers, a Roman Catholic teaching order from Hungary. The Piarist edict being education for every child, they formed Calasanctius High School in Buffalo and needed residences for 24 priests and a boarding home for 48 underprivileged students.

When the priests purchased the property, they also needed a chapel to accommodate the large Hungarian community in the area. So they tore out a wall to create a new entrance and replaced the windows of the cantilevered porch with colored glass — thereby cutting off the view of the lake through the house and destroying Wright’s main vision for Graycliff. 

The story goes that when Wright was 91, he visited Graycliff, unannounced, with some protégés. 

The architect pulled up, and the head priest, recognizing the fancy car, ran out to greet him. Taking one look at the alterations, the first thing Wright says is, “Who did this? This is not my work.”

“We needed a chapel,” the priest stammered.

“Well, I can design you one,” Wright said. 

Ignoring the priest, he turned to his colleagues and said, “Come on. I’ll show you the house.” And in they walked, uninvited. 

Wright never got to design that chapel, as he died a few months later. But he’d be happy to learn the property has been restored. 

Isabelle liked to create flower arrangements, so Wright planted a cutting garden for her in front of the home.

The Cutting Garden

Our tour began with a walk through Isabelle’s garden. She was noted for her flower arrangements, so Wright designed gardens to accommodate her hobby. 

Eventually, the Martins hired landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, renowned for her naturalistic style, to revise Wright’s landscaping scheme. Shipman enhanced the garden for Isabelle, giving her flowers that would bloom in rotation from spring through fall. 

The site also includes pine trees, which reminded Isabelle of summers at the Lake Placid Club in the Adirondack Mountains. 

Beyond the cutting garden were the vegetable gardens, orchards for apple and pear trees and grapevines. 

The house was approached from a diagonal driveway, which faced the sunset and helped make the narrow home appear larger.

The First Glimpse of Graycliff

Our initial view of the house took place between two stone markers, the original location of the driveway that led to the house. 

The family owned eight and a half acres, but the plot where they wanted their summer home was two and a half acres. Further complicating matters, the spot atop the limestone bluff was just 250 feet wide. That’s very narrow for a 6,500-square-foot house. 

But there was nothing Wright liked so much as a challenge. And one of the cool, oh-so-Wright elements is that you approach Graycliff at an angle. The Martins bought the adjoining property from their next-door neighbors, the well-to-do Rumseys. The driveway branches off of the Rumseys’ and perfectly faces the setting sun, which would be a vision for visitors arriving for a summer soirée. 

The turnabout was made of yellow gravel — to complement the gold of the setting sun, of course. 

Approaching from an angle had an added bonus: It made the narrow façade seem more stately and grand. 

But the house itself wasn’t the main focus: Wright wanted the first glimpse to be of the lake; that was the true star of the show.

Horizontal lines almost always play a prominent role in Wright’s designs. For him, they draw a parallel to the ground, and in particular at Graycliff, the horizon and the surface of Lake Erie. The house becomes one with nature. 

The roof is made with cedar shake shingles, each hand-painted. Wright didn’t like gutters, so the house doesn’t have any. He never was one to let practicality get in the way of aesthetics. 

By creating a glass box of sorts, visitors could see through the home’s rectilinear form right out to the lake. At the time Graycliff was built, the area was undeveloped farmland, with nothing obstructing the view of the water. 

The driveway curves around an artificial pond, but that wasn’t part of Isabelle’s plan. Once again, she wanted something that would evoke her beloved Adirondacks, and she requested a small hill covered with bushes and low trees. But Wright cleverly played the money card, and insisted that the pond would be less expensive. The idea is that this water feature would be an extension of the lake. Wright almost always got his way.

A large part of Wright’s design aesthetic involves incorporating colors and materials from the surrounding area. At Graycliff, sand from the shores of Lake Erie was mixed into the stucco to add another layer of texture, and the home’s red roof is meant to evoke the ferrous oxide in the Tichenor limestone on the cliff behind the house that bleeds a rust color. 

Sand from the beach was added to the stucco façade and inspired its yellow hue. The cliff’s limestone, bleeding a rusty red that carries into the color of the roof, was also used to build the home.

Another design motif favored by Wright was cantilevers — and at Graycliff, he wanted to evoke the layers of limestone on the bluff. 

His plans called for various additions, but his clients weren’t sold. 

“The Martins were concerned about money, and they said to him, ‘We really don’t need this balcony; we don’t need the stone porch; we don’t need the porte cochère. Just a little awning would be great,’” our guide Gail tells us. “And then they go away on a trip — and when they come back, all that’s in process.”

When the Martins complained about these additions, Wright replied, “You don’t need them — but the house does.” Ever the egotist, Wright was always right, and he bristled whenever someone questioned his vision. 

Stay by Sarah Braman, 2022, on the grounds of Graycliff

Sarah Braman: Finding Room

When we visited Graycliff, monumental modern sculptures by Sarah Braman were scattered about the grounds. These large geometric shapes made of concrete and brightly colored glass added a vibrant element of visual interest to the landscape. We enjoyed them, and hope that Wright would have appreciated them as well.

Duke peeks out of Sit, a 2022 sculpture by Braman — the first of her works we saw during our visit to Graycliff

Wally takes the name of the sculpture, Sit, literally.

That being said, we could have done without a couple of the ones inside the house. We’d have preferred to see the living room set up as it would have been when the Martins lived here — not emptied of some pieces of furniture to make way for Braman’s smaller-scale sculptures of domestic items and found objects, which struck us as disjointed. 

The client actually wanted a hill here with trees — but Wright insisted on a small pond that would connect to the lake out back.

Entering Graycliff

Upon arrival, we passed through the porte cochère and entered the foyer. Immediately, you’ll notice one of Wright’s signature architectural techniques, known as compression and release. In the entry, the ceiling is low, and the smaller scale of the room creates a tension that propels you to move beyond it, into the larger living room, an open space with higher ceilings. To create the expansive double-height space, Wright used beams from nearby Bethlehem Steel. 

Unlike Wright’s Prairie-style homes, which were concentric, with one large room off of which the others flowed, Graycliff is rectilinear. One room follows another, and Wright used compression to define transitions between these spaces without walls. By this time, he was moving into a style he referred to as organic architecture.

The stucco-covered walls used on Graycliff’s exterior continue into the interior, and provide a visual connection between the outdoors and indoors. 

When the Graycliff Conservancy purchased the property in 1999, very few of the original furnishings remained. Many are reproductions, including the willow and reed pieces throughout the home. This type of furniture was very popular during the late ’20s and is thought to be similar to what Darwin and Isabelle saw when they vacationed in the Adirondacks. –Wally 

Wright felt fireplaces were the heart of a home, and this one was built in the Adirondack style.

A Room-by-Room Tour of Graycliff

The Living Room

The living room is center stage. Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors open onto the front terrace and the backyard and span the length of the house. These walls of glass provide gorgeous views of Lake Erie and fill the interior with plenty of natural light. The focal point of the room is the monumental Adirondack-style stone fireplace with a mantle that nearly covers the north wall. Wright believed that the fireplace was the heart of the home. An unusual feature to this type of hearth is that logs were stacked on end, vertically. As a fire burned, it created a dramatic plume of flames. 

One of the few materials used in the home that was not sourced locally was the cypress heartwood flooring from Florida — most likely chosen for its durability and beauty.

Curl up with a good book in the Fern Room, a cozy nook off of the living room.

The Fern Room

Adjacent to the living room is a cozy nook that served as a library and is known as the Fern Room — a great spot to curl up with a good book and admire the incredible views of the lake. The ceiling is lower here to establish a more intimate space. The floor is covered in flagstone that came from the city of Buffalo, which was, at the time, replacing its stone walkways with concrete. 

Wright proposed that the window glass meet at the corners so as not to obstruct the view, but the Martins didn’t see the need for that additional expense. (He would later get his way at Fallingwater, a home built for Edgar and Liliane Kaufmann between 1936-1937 in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.)

The Sunporch

Beyond this, the floorplan flows into the sunroom, with rubber floor tiles. Originally a screened-in porch, cypress-framed windows were added to shield occupants from the intense winds coming off the lake. 

The room functioned primarily as a music room. Isabelle had a paid companion who lived at Graycliff by the name of Cora Herrick, though the children called her Aunt Polly. She played the piano — one of the few original pieces of furniture remaining in the home. According to Gail, Darwin wrote in his diary how much he loved hearing music being played while he was working at his desk above. 

Diners had great views at Graycliff — and got to avoid errant sparks flying out of the fireplace.

The dining room at Graycliff is around the corner from the living room.

The Dining Room

On the other side of the living room is an area that served as the dining room. 

The table is positioned parallel to the wall so that guests could easily turn to enjoy the view of the lake — and also to avoid the errant sparks and embers that occasionally popped out of the fireplace. 

All six bedrooms are found upstairs.

The Staircase

A cascading waterfall staircase made of maple leads to the home’s bedrooms on the second floor. This type of passage consists of two parallel flights of stairs joined by a landing that creates a 90-degree turn. 

A dramatic window with a diamond shape at the top of the stairs

The architect’s signature use of rhythmic repetition can be seen in the home’s details. Wright noticed that the local limestone breaks off in geometric forms, so he gave a nod to these in subtle ways: octagonal door knobs and a diamond-shaped window at the apex of the staircase as well as light fixtures. This brings order and visual harmony to Graycliff. 

Poor Darwin got stuck with the worst bedroom of the bunch.

Darwin, a workaholic, converted his porch into an office.

Darwin Martin’s Bedroom

Upon climbing the stairs, Darwin’s bedroom can be found to the right. Not only did Darwin not share a room with his wife, he was also assigned the worst of the bunch, to our minds. It’s smaller than most of the other bedrooms, though it does contain a small bathroom and sleeping porch.

Darwin converted the porch into an office, as he was a notorious workaholic.

The bedrooms feature one of the innovations at the time: olive knuckle hinges patented by Stanley Company that allow a recessed door to open all the way flat to the wall. 

This sparse hallway led to the bedrooms and the back staircase.

We really liked Braman’s Her House (2019), which sat in Isabelle’s room, as it evoked the larger pieces on the lawn.

A guest room next to Isabelle’s room offered twin beds — and gorgeous views of Lake Erie.

Isabelle’s room had its own bathroom, a door out to a balcony and a walk-in closet — unheard-of in a Wright home!

Isabelle Martin’s Bedroom 

At the top of the stairs and looking to the left is a monastic gallery, which has a similar set of windows as the living room below, and leads to a private wing with bedrooms. The first is a nice guest room, with Isabelle’s bedroom next door.

Wright despised closets. However, Isabelle was the client of record for the house and insisted he provide her with one. Her bedroom includes a walk-in closet where the bathroom was originally planned. But Isabelle wanted her bathroom to have a window, so it had to go on the lake side and required Wright to cut a hole into the chimney to accommodate her request. 

A private terrace is accessible from Isabelle’s room, and she probably spent evenings there as direct sunlight would have been too much for her eyes to bear. 

She might have been the hired help, but Aunt Polly sure had nice digs at Graycliff.

Aunt Polly’s Room 

While she did get a nice bedroom, Aunt Polly was technically the help. Her room is a transitional space from that of the immediate family to the staff. 

Cora remained in service from 1911 until Isabelle’s death in 1945. In 1929, when the Martins could no longer afford to pay her, Cora stayed on for room and board. After their mother’s death, the children took care of their dear Aunt Polly. 

Even the servants had cute rooms at Graycliff.

The servants had their meals in a sunroom at the back of the house.

This cool sink came from Europe and was used exclusively by Isabelle for her flower arrangements.

The Pantry and Kitchen 

Farther down the corridor are two bedrooms for the staff, as well as the back staircase that leads down to the staff sunporch and kitchen area.

The hammered metal sink in the pantry was imported from Europe and was used solely by Isabelle to arrange flowers from her cutting garden. The cook had to use the one in the adjacent kitchen, which faced the front yard instead of the lake. 

On display within the built-in cabinets, another Wright trademark, behind Isabelle’s sink, are Larkin Soap products, including Buffalo china. Elbert Hubbard was Darwin’s brother-in-law and started the Arts and Crafts Roycroft movement in East Aurora, New York. He suggested to Larkin that consumers would be incentivized to purchase their product if they received a piece of china along with it. He was right, and the pottery ended up being quite successful. 

In the cabinets, there’s also the Martins’ red and white wedding china and Indian Tree pattern china, which were gifted to the conservancy by the couple’s grandchildren. 

Here’s the sink the cook used in the kitchen off of the pantry.

The stovetop and oven were all part of one piece of furniture.

The small yet functional kitchen contains another original piece, a hulking fridge from the Jewett Refrigeration Company, along with a freestanding prep station, sink and porcelain-glazed stove. 

The Heat Hut held a boiler to heat both Graycliff and the Foster House. Then the priests used it to store wine and honey.

The Heat Hut

Sitting between the main home and the Foster House is the sunken red-roofed Heat Hut. The structure once held an oil boiler that provided steam heat to both houses. According to Gail, the Piarist priests used it to store wine and honey from the bees they kept on the property. 

The Foster House, part of the garage at the Graycliff estate, was originally used by the chauffeur and his family.

The Foster House

The apartment above the garage was built for the chauffeur and his family. The original design was flipped so that the cantilever balcony would afford its inhabitants unobstructed views of the lake. 

Shortly after the stock market crashed, the Martins couldn’t afford to keep the chauffeur out at Graycliff, so they sent him back to Buffalo, and their daughter Dorothy, and her husband, James Foster, moved in, spending summers there with their two children until 1941. 

Wally and Duke on a balcony of the Foster House

There are quite a few bedrooms in the Foster House — but not much else, aside from a small sitting room and kitchen.

After Darwin’s death and the family’s financial troubles, Isabelle moved into the Foster House, staying in what was the gardener’s room, which had its own bathroom. The ever-particular woman liked to sit on the balcony — but she didn’t appreciate seeing the cars pull into and out of the garage. She contacted Wright, who acquiesced and moved the garage doors to the side and extended the wall.

Wright extended a wall to block out the view of cars coming and going from the garage for Isabelle.

“And she says, ‘While you’re at it, can you make me another bedroom up there?’” Gail tells us. So the apartment now has four bedrooms and a couple more balconies. Isabelle seems to have been the one person who could charm Wright into altering his original plans.

The seating out back helped hide the servants carrying picnic items down to the beach and back.

The Esplanade 

Wright’s idea for the esplanade was to build a reflecting pool, cascading terraces and steps that led all the way down to the beach. But when the architect left the premises, Darwin contacted his friends at Bethlehem Steel to request a metal tower with steps like those his neighbors had. Not as pretty as Wright’s vision but certainly practical. It deteriorated, so there’s no longer any way down the beach.

Duke, Poppa and Wally enjoy the gorgeous day at Graycliff.

The access to the stair tower was visible, though, and again Isabelle complained about the view. When she was out on her terrace, she could see the servants coming and going. She felt this was unseemingly — that’s why they had a rear staircase, after all — so Wright constructed the overlook seating in such a way that the help could go about their business while remaining out of sight. 

Saving Graycliff 

When the Martin family decided to sell the property, the person who wanted to buy it was a developer who built the condominiums that are now next door. He planned to demolish Graycliff — who needs a historic home when you can get top dollar for lakefront condos? 

Thankfully, a group in Buffalo came to the rescue, forming the Graycliff Conservancy. In 1999 they received a grant, and the conservancy was able to purchase the property. 

The renovations began, wrapping up in 2019 and costing about $10 million. 

There are plans to build a new eco-friendly visitors center to replace the current one, which was built by the priests as a gymnasium for the children.

Restored back to its 1926 splendor, Graycliff exemplifies Wright’s philosophy of living in harmony with nature. If you’re in the Buffalo area, stop by for a visit. As with all of Wright’s homes, they have to be seen to be fully appreciated. –Duke

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff

Graycliff

6472 Old Lake Shore Road
Derby, New York 14047
USA

 

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