PRODUCERS BUT NOT CONSUMER? (day three)

Third Day
9: 30 am
I woke up without the need of my mobile’s alarm!! The balcony doors where open. Fresh air and warm sunlight rays enter through the doors, it’s beautiful!
Everything hurts, specially my back. I had no idea why it could be. I had a donut for breakfast which normally wouldn’t be my first choice, but I hadn’t many options from where to choose.

18:00
Unfortunately, since the group was really slow, we couldn’t leave the hotel until 12:30. While waiting for the group to be ready to depart from the hotel I went downtown to buy a tooth brush, hand cream and other items I needed. While I was there it started raining. The breeze was so cold that I started to feel my throat hurt because I didn’t wore my pull over. I returned to the hotel and waited until everyone was ready. Meanwhile I read my homework assignments.

Today’s tour was at Casa Madero which is one of the most important wine producers. It all started thanks to its founder Don Lorenzo Garcia, a visionary man who realized about the advantages of Parras valley: the weather and its height above the sea level. Don Lorenzo left the Indians aborigines and asked King Phillip the second the “real merced” of the land, term used at the time for the granting of lands and titles. He received the land on August 18, 1597 to start Hacienda of San Lorenzo, the main producer of wine and brandy at Parras known as Casa Madero. Unfortunately one of the policies of mercantilism was that the only producer of wine or cultivator of vid could be the metropolis. The only ones aloud to produce wine where the small vineyards and wine cellars.

A general characteristic of the haciendas is that they passed through different owners. In 1893 it was bought by Don Evaristo Madero, the grandfather of Francisco I.Madero (Mexican president around 1911 – 1913)
Evaristo Madero was another visionary man who studied and lived in France. He had contact with the best technicians in grape and wine-growing from Spain and France. He brought to México modern machinery for processing and implementing the most modern technology. All this led Hacienda San Lorenzo to become an important wine and brandy producer.

If Mexico is the third most important producer of wine, why do we tend to drink more agua ardiente and tequila than wine? (well, actually I have a lot of controversial questions like this one, for example if we export crude oil why do we have to import it from USA, but anyway that will be another blog discussion) The answer to this and many questions about the difference between European countries and Mexico can be found on our culture, and of course history, which define us. It’s possible that this european habit was acquired in the year XIV when the “ peste negra” happened and water was so polluted that people started making wine part of their diet, while in American colonies only specific social classes could drink it.

After visiting Casa Madero, we went to hotel Rincon Del Montero which I totally recommend. In fact I was a little disappointed when I found out we weren’t going to stay in there. The good part was we visited the place and it reminded me a lot of childhood games and moments with my sister and my brothers.
The hotel had around 200 rooms. It costs around $1,305`` pesos per night which is worth it since it has a golf camp, bike rental, swimming pool, horses you can ride, a tennis court and eat at any of the restaurants in the hotel.

After visiting the hotel we returned to Hostal Del Faro to rest a little while since at night we would be celebrating the Mexican Independence day!

I ll tell you more on next post
Cheers!

PD: thanks ankinson!