GUANAJUATO, Guanajuato — I'm a gardener and a plant nerd. So it's perhaps no surprise that I came back from my summer vacation with a lot (and I mean a lot) of photographs of plants. Plants in pretty pots, plants on lovely rooftop patios, plants poking out of ancient stone walls.
One of my favorite garden-gazing afternoons was spent at the former Hacienda de San Gabriel de Barrera, on the outskirts of the city of Guanajuato in the central highlands of Mexico.
Built in the late 17th century, this carefully restored hacienda served as a processing center for the region's silver ore until the late 1700s. It is now a museum (surrounded by a series of lovely terraced gardens) that offers a taste of what life was like for the wealthy Spanish silver mine owners of the colonial period.
Towering stone walls, originally built by the Spaniards to fend off attacks from native tribes, still surround the hacienda grounds, providing gorgeous vine-covered frames for the gardens and stone paths. The gardens, 17 in all, were constructed and planted in the 1940s on and around patios that were once used for the amalgamation of silver.
Each garden has a different theme: The Mexican Garden features drought-tolerant, heat-loving cactus, agaves and yuccas. The Roman Garden includes leafy tropical plants and vines, as well as painted urns and intricate tilework.
The Citrus Garden is designed around an orange orchard — with trees that produce a lot of fruit, judging by the number of green oranges hanging on the trees the day I was there.
Set aside at least an hour or two to explore the grounds so you can get the full "Ahh, it's so peaceful here" experience.
And before you check out the interior of the hacienda (which has been nicely restored and fully furnished with period antiques and art), be sure to visit the museum cafe. It's a great place to relax, eat lunch and drink a margarita. It also has a nice selection of sipping tequilas, and great mole sauce, too.
Renee Studebaker writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: rstudebaker(at)statesman.com.