Cañada de la Virgen

At last - an adventure to report.

On March 4 we donned our double masks which included an N95, and joined 5 other expats for a special visit to Cañada de la Virgen which is about 15 miles outside San Miguel de Allende.  It is a recently-excavated archeological site of the Otomí people, and our guide, Albert Coffee, is an archaeologist who helped with the excavations.  This date is special because it is when the sun sets in direct alignment with the slot in the pyramid and is considered to be the Otomí new year.  

The pyramid complex is controlled by the Federal government, but the surrounding spectacular land and canyons are privately owned by the family that produces Cañada de la Virgen organic meat.  They are committed to preserving the land, flora and fauna and have done a good job of keeping the area unspoiled.  

As you enter the ranch, the pyramid is visible in the distance. The shape of the buildings reference the mountains on the horizon. (Click on photos for larger ones.)

The buildings in the pyramid complex are constructed to provide a solar/lunar calendar to indicate the times for planting and harvesting, and the engineering and astronomical skills of these ancient people are amazing.  We could not go inside the site itself because the government closed it at 3pm, but Albert has a good relationship with the ranch owners, and they gave him special permission to enter their land later in the day.  You can read about the site here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%C3%B1ada_de_la_Virgen and also see a good video here: https://albertcoffeetours.com/canada-de-la-virgen/ .

Before heading off to the site, we enjoyed a lovely late lunch on a patio with great views of the surrounding land.  The pyramid is that little bump on the horizon.

Albert told us a lot about the history of the complex and then we were driven part way up to the pyramid.  While some folks got a ride up the gate, Erich and I chose to walk up the ceremonial path with Albert, who is a walking encyclopedia.  We arrived with plenty of time to watch the sun as it set behind the pyramid.  If we had been able to stand inside on the ceremonial patio, the sun would have been perfectly aligned.  From our vantage point outside the gate, it was a little off to the right.  Our only cameras were older iPhones, but we managed to capture the scene as the sun slowly set.