08/03/2014
Today I have the honor to exhibit in the 10th Women International Exhibition @ the Latino Art Museum in Pomona Ca... I present to you one of the 2 ..
Asta en las Nubes // Even in the Clouds .
I see Hearts every where can you see it.
I traveled to Mexico city in January 2014 to celebrate my birthday on this adventure to seek or to allow what come naturally come to me , Hearts. On this occasion I decide to travel to another place I had seen on the internet , didnt get too much info on it, so I traveled there not knowing that I was traveling to a place were every one considers it The Heart of Mexico. Incredible and these picture of the Incredible out come of this place. I ask you can you see the Hearts? History , Beauty , Love & Hearts.
On my first day in Atotonilco ,GTO in Mexico. walking into town, i was enjoying my walk taking in the beauty of this wonderful place, a spiritual place, a place were history in mexico began , and as i looked up into the sky, I seen what i see as a beautiful sign , a sign of LOVE , yes a Heart♥
a blessing in the sky..
The quality of this picture is not the greatest , I am not a professional photographer, and it was a spontaneous picture , moment and perfecting is not needed when , it can not be cleary than what you see.... An Amazing Heart on an Amazing Memorable moment for me.
History;
The World Heritage Organization calls it an “exceptional example of the exchange between European and Latin American cultures” and “one of the finest examples of Baroque art and Baroque architecture in the (sic) New Spain.” Because of its role in the Mexican War of Independence, it has been registered as one of Guanjuato’s 61 historic sites. The area was considered sacred before the arrival of the Spanish because of the hot mineral springs. The name Atotonilco is common in Mexico, especially in the central highlands, with the best known in Jalisco. The name comes from a Nahuatl phrase “in hot water” which refers to thermal springs. Chichimecas came to this particular place to perform penance rites, puncturing themselves with maguey thorns and washing away guilt in the thermal springs.
According to tradition, Father Neri arrived here from preaching at missions in Dolores Hidalgo. While resting under a mesquite tree where the sanctuary is now located, he dreamt of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns and carrying a cross. Jesus told Father Neri that it was his will that the area be converted into a place for penance and prayer.[37] A different version of this story states that Father Neri was here due to his ill health and was assisting at a small church called the Capilla de San Miguelito, which is still found on the banks of the Laja River. At that time, the native Guachichiles and Pames were not completely converted to Christianity and considered the thermal springs in the area sacred and medicinal. It was also supposedly a favored place for rites that included fornication. One reason to build the church was to counter this practice.
Father Neri bought the entire Hacienda de Atotonilco to build the sanctuary and to have enough productive land to support it. On May 3, 1740, a ceremony was held where the Father blessed the first stone laid to construct the complex. When Father Neri traced the layout of the church, it was the morning of May 3, the day of the Holy Cross, when he is said to have seen three rainbows, one to the east, one to the north and one to the south, leaving the west free. The main altar faces in this direction, towards the Holy Land. The first phase of construction lasted from 1740 to 1748 and included the main nave, the tower, and old sacristy, today the Purisisma Chapel. At the end of this phase, it was consecrated and the image of Jesus the Nazarene was placed. The second phase lasted until 1776 when most of the chapels and other annexes were built. As the complex was built, the mural work was done. The main reason behind this was to reinforce the principles of the Council of Trent and the Counter Reformation. During all of this construction, Father Neri lived at the site until his death in 1776. All that was missing at that time was the Santa Escuela annex, the new sacristy, some hallways and the chaplain’s house, as well as various sculptures, altars and oil paintings. These were added over the next 100 years.
According to the will of Father Neri, the complex cost 22,647 pesos. The main church is dedicated to Jesus of Nazareth. Beginning 88 years after Father Neri’s death, there have been attempts in the 19th and 20th centuries to have the priest beatified, but they have not been successful.
The church is connected to the events of the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century. Ignacio Allende married Maria de la Luz Agustina de las Fuentes in 1802 in this church. More importantly, the initial banner for the nascent insurgent army depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe was taken from here on 16 September 1810. After the war, the community became part of the municipality of San Miguel de Allende
