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Newsletter November 2022

NEWSLETTER

OUR MISSION:
Protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Charco del Ingenio, as well as maintain a botanical garden dedicated to the conservation and study of regional flora and ecosystems, mainly oriented towards environmental education.

INDEX

Vol. XVII, No. 11

DAY OF THE DEAD OFFERING

As every year, the Botanical Garden prepares and exhibits its offering of the dead, usually dedicated to loved ones and supporters of our community project, who are no longer with us. This year, it was prepared in memory of two collaborators who were essential in the creation and consolidation of El Charco del Ingenio project: Antonio Herrera and Leopoldo Estrada.

We emphasize our love and respect for this deep-rooted Mexican tradition, which confronts us with the Great Mystery and brings us closer to loved ones that we miss and carry deep in our hearts.

SHADOW THEATHER

Friday, November 4 / 4:00 p.m.
Free entry with ticket
Tickets will be delivered the same Friday from 3:30pm to 3:45pm
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Boveda of the Botanical Garden
Duration: 50 minutes
Recommended for ages 6 and up. All public.

"World's Biggest Sister" is a function of Shadow Theather, ancient and colorful dramatic expression that came to us from Asian countries. The work deals with the tradition of the towns in the cultivation of corn and the important meaning for its inhabitants. Throughout history a girl. Däxi embarks on a fantastic journey, through which he shows us the challenges that traditional agriculture faces today, from the invasion of transgenic corn and the threat posed by large commercial companies.

NEW PIECES IN THE SCULPTURES TRAIL OF EL CHARCO

Thanks to the generous contribution of the Mexican artist Dana Aerenlund, two magnificent sculptural pieces can already be admired by users and visitors, on this path of the Botanical Garden, which remind us of the stelae of pre-Hispanic monuments. Its titles are more than evocative: "Without corn there is no country" (Sin maíz no hay país) and "Gift of the gods" (Regalo de los Dioses) and are a true tribute to the original plant that gave life to the inhabitants of our continent for thousands of years.

FOUR MIRRORS BUTTERFLY (Rothschildia cincta)

In pre-Hispanic times the Chichimecas considered that the Four Mirrors Butterfly or Four Windows represented the goddess Itzpapálotl, which meant obsidian butterfly or of razor clams.

This deity referred to movement, travelers and sacrifice.

Its fenestrae (transparent windows of the wings) represent the arrowheads and spearheads of obsidian. Its movement symbolizes the planet Venus, which carried the messages of men to the sun.

In some states of northern Mexico their cocoons are filled with small stones from river banks or anthills; deer and pascola dancers place them on their calves to produce the characteristic rattlesnake sound. This species is currently within the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 in the risk category: Threatened.

THE NEW RECEPTION OF THE CHARCO

The new Charco del Ingenio reception unit, inaugurated last February, is visited and admired by a growing number of visitors. This unit includes a store of artistic and artisanal objects, mostly made by producers from our municipality and the region, as well as a cafeteria and juice bar that offers simple and healthy food and drinks. A new Interpretive Room stands out in the reception unit, which exhibits, in an entertaining and substantial way, relevant content on the ecological reserve and ethnobotanical garden of Charco del Ingenio, on the environmental conservation project and on the hydrographic basin where the park is located. garden and the city of San Miguel. The new interpretive module, open to all audiences, is part of the educational mission of our organization, aimed at building a culture of love and care for the natural world, with special attention to the youngest population in our society.

The new reception of El Charco has been possible thanks to the confluence of many wills: architects, engineers, museographers, editors, designers, gardeners, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc., gathered in various work teams, as well as the contributions of numerous contributors that made this relevant project a reality. To all of them, infinite thanks (and an apology in advance for any possible omission).

EL CHARCO DEL INGENIO IN THE COMMUNITY OF PRESITA DE SANTA ROSA: SUPPORTING THE PRODUCTION OF NOPAL AND NATIVE SPECIES

Within the CONACyT 2022 project, the Botanical Garden accompanies the rural community of Presita de Santa Rosa with workshops focused on cultivating “nopal verdulero” (Opuntia ficus-indica) and other native species. During these workshops, theoretical-practical meetings were held to study the development of cultivation, biological and ecological characteristics, methods of cutting, healing and transplantation. The objective of the workshops has been to promote the conservation of native species that are still present in the community and that are an important element of their diet. 

These workshops are part of the activities of El Charco as an ethnobotanical garden and are very useful for the communities. It is a work that leads to reflection on our biocultural heritage, food governance and the social ties essential for conservation.

Thank you Presita de Santa Rosa!

  

EL CHARCO DEL INGENIO: MEMBER OF BOTANIC GARDEN CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL (BGCI)

Since 2005, El Charco del Ingenio has been part of Botanical Garden Conservation International , the largest network of botanical gardens and plant conservation experts in the world. Based in London,England, this organization brings together a large number of botanical gardens in more than 100 countries. Its mission is to link members to create global participatory strategies in order to ensure plant diversity, for the well-being of people and the planet.

In a country like Mexico, whose geography comprises an enormous biotic wealth, botanical gardens play a fundamental role in the knowledge and conservation of biocultural heritage.

KIND REMINDER TO OUR MEMBERSHIP

We ask all members to carry their membership card and register in the entrance book each time they visit the Botanical Garden.

Respect for El Charco del Ingenio and the people who collaborate daily in our areas is very important.

NATURAL HISTORY TOURS IN ENGLISH ARE BACK

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am

Ticket: 150 pesos per person / 100 pesos members

Soul gifts, musical gifts: Thank you, Michael Hoppé

It is very moving to see the ways in which people and sectors of our community support El Charco del Ingenio, a territory that has given peace, joy and nature to its users and visitors during the months of the pandemic.

Michael Hoppé is a recognized composer and musical producer, born in the United Kingdom and inhabitant of San Miguel since the 80s. He is an active member of the Botanical Garden, who recently has offered a lovely gift to El Charco, inspired by the daily walks he realizes on the trails of the reservation, in the company of his wife Monica. The work, Under Mexican Stars is a musical piece that takes you back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or a night walk through the cobblestone streets of San Miguel. Beneath Mexican Stars (Under the Mexican stars), is a musical piece that can take us back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or to a night walk through the cobbled streets of San Miguel. Beneath Mexican Stars (Under the Mexican stars), is a musical piece that can take us back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or to a night walk through the cobbled streets of San Miguel.

Listen here:

ART AND SCIENCE IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN
NEW SET OF 12 POSTCARDS: BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF EL CHARCO

Graphic work of four creative women from San Miguel de Allende:

Marijose Marín, Marisol Guerrero, Paquina Langenscheidt and Rocío Ríos

Available in our gift shop: 300 pesos

NEW IZCUINAPAN REGIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY HALL IN THE HISTORICAL MUSEUM. MIGUEL MALO ZOZAYA COLLECTION

The Botanical Garden shares and celebrates with the association Amigos del Museo this new exhibition space of the archaeological heritage of San Miguel de Allende, which was inaugurated last October in the "Casa de Allende Museum". The Sala Izcuinapan already exhibits the valuable archaeological collection gathered by Miguel Malo Zozaya, who for years studied and disseminated regional pre-Hispanic history, especially that which flourished during a period of a thousand years in the middle section of the Laja River.

After 50 years in which most of this collection left San Miguel de Allende, this extraordinary collection has returned to be safeguarded, studied, restored and exhibited permanently in the Museum.

This great effort towards recovering such important heritage derives from the confluence of diverse participants: historians, archaeologists, restorers, museographers, photographers, designers, draftsmen, activists ..., a vast collective work with the support of INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History) and local donors.