OUR MISSION: To preserve the natural and cultural heritage of El Charco del Ingenio, and maintain a botanical garden dedicated to the conservation and study of regional flora and ecosystems, with a primary focus on environmental education.
We are fed up with reality.
We need a lie ...
--Rafael Mendoza
As every year, the Botanical Garden prepares and exhibits its offering of the dead, usually dedicated to loved ones close to our community project, who are no longer with us. We reiterate our appreciation and respect for this deep-rooted Mexican tradition, which confronts us with the Great Mystery and brings us closer to dear people we miss and who we carry in our hearts.
Indian Prayer
Don’t come sobbing to my grave.
I’m not there. I don’t sleep there.
I am like a thousand whispering winds.
I am like a diamond in the snow, shining.
I am the light of the Sun on a golden grain
I am the gentle rain of the expected Autumn
When you awake in the tranquil morning.
I am the flock of birds trilling
I am also the twinkling stars,
While the night falls through your window.
This is why don’t come sobbing to my grave.
I am not there. I have not died.
Everyone is invited to this magnificent space in the historic center to share a wine, snacks and live music, and to acquire or renew membership in the Botanical Garden. For this we are offering a special discount for those who renew their membership that day or become new members. Instead of the usual 700 pesos, a special fee of 600 pesos for one year of membership is offered, only for that day, which allows free access for the holder and two guests. The members also enjoy discounts at concerts, courses, workshops and other activities of the Botanical Garden. The president and members of the Board of Directors, as well as the director and staff of El Charco, will be present at the fiesta. It will be a good opportunity to ask questions, make comments and suggestions, and to interact with the directors of the Botanical Garden. And above all, it’s a simple and direct way to support one of the jewels of San Miguel and enjoy a pleasant time.
The cold just begins in Canada and the United States and some birds pack their bags to spend Winter in Mexico ... But there is someone who has the lightest luggage and begins the most incredible journey in the world.
An insect of the lepidoptera order (from the Greek "lepis", scale, and "pteron", wing), with half a gram of weight, covers approximately 4,500 km, coloring the sky and trees orange and black during its migratory route from South Canada and the Northeast of the United States, passing through San Miguel de Allende, until reaching its destination in the states of Michoacán and Mexico.
We speak of the monarch butterfly - Danaus plexippus plexippus-- a pollinating insect that disperses pollen during its journey and helps the genetic diversity of the plants on which it feeds. However, due to climate change, the use of agrotoxics and the fragmentation of habitats, the migratory phenomenon of the monarch butterfly is threatened.
What can we do to help her reach her destination? There is a national strategy to protect it and we can contribute through two simple steps: observe and report during the beginning of November. Observe the sky and the trees to identify the monarch butterfly and report its presence, quantity and behavior through citizen science platforms: NATURALISTA @ CONABIO (www.naturalista.mx) and the app MonarcaMx @ IEE
A majestic traveler, light and adventurous, the monarch butterfly ...
Scientific Name: Furcraea macdougallii Matuda
Common Name: Pita del Istmo
Distribution or origin: Originally from Mexico, it is naturally distributed in the Isthmus region, Oaxaca.
Extinct in its habitat, in accordance with NOM-059 - ECOL- 2001.
Description:
Erect plants, with simple stems up to 9 m high. its leaves reach up to 2.2 m long, with dentate and thorny margins, arranged in the form of a rosette, which leave scars at the base of the stem when they dry and fall. The inflorescence is central, robust, 8 m long (similar to other agaves). Its fruits have a capsule shape which measure less than 5-7 cm wide and the seeds are flat, black, not larger than 7-9 mm.
El Charco hosts some adult specimens in its collection since 1992, which have adapted to local climatic conditions. It was possible to obtain 4,600 bulbils (suckers that grow in the inflorescence instead of fruits, as a way of preserving their offspring), currently growing in our propagation nursery, from 2 of the 12 mother plants collected 25 years ago in their Oaxaca’s habitat while still small. Two specimens of the original collection were planted in a garden downtown San Miguel (former Posada Corazon), where they grew and became adult plants. In December 2016 they began to develop their inflorescence, and in May of 2017 their bulbils and few fruits were collected, of which 100 seeds were obtained. The bulbils were supervised for a month, surviving 4,600, which were then transplanted in different soil mixtures to stimulate root and plant growth. The seeds are still in reserve for germination by conventional methods, scheduled for March 2018.
El Charco’s main purpose in relation to this species is to make exchanges with other botanical gardens or academic institutions, within the research guidelines. Additionally some specimens will be placed for sale at the Garden, promoting the conservation of the species within the environmental education program.
In this meeting we will talk about the importance of the conservation of succulents in the conservation of the environment and its different botanical families. We invite you to learn more about methods of pollination, collection, cleaning and storage of seeds, as well as types of propagation of succulents.
Info.: charcodelingeniocomunicacion@gmail.com
Visit the Conservatory of Mexican Plants, the Scented Garden and the canyon, archeological ruins and much more. We recommend you wear sunscreen, and bring a hat.
Don’t forget the free transportation from town to El Charco on these days.
School groups require prior reservation: charcodelingeniocomunicacion@gmail.com
Ask about our discounts.
We invite everyone to this open celebration that has been taking place for many years during the full moon cycle at the Four Winds Plaza in the Botanical Garden under the always surprising direction of Alicia Mayo. It’s worth arriving a little early to admire the setting of the sun and the appearance of the moon over the mountains. You may want to bring a coat for cool evenings and you may bring a musical instrument.
Alicia Mayo : 152 .0376.
This sweat-lodge steam bath, of ritual and healing character, takes place under the direction of an experienced temazcal leader in the ruins of the hacienda located in the Botanical Garden on the far side of the reservoir.
The combination of heat, humidity and fragrant herbs provides a purifying experience for the body and spirit. Its benefits are multiple: it activates circulation, increases the body’s defenses, eliminates pains, decreases uric acid, relaxes the muscles, regulates the nervous system, stimulates respiration and is excellent for losing weight.
We suggest bringing a flashlight for when you go from the temazal to the reception.
The van has a capacity for 14 people and is easily identifiable by the logo of El Charco del Ingenio.
Information: Tels 1548838, 1544715, and charcodelingeniocomunicacion@gmail.com
Some of visitors use taxis for transportation to the Botanical Garden. However, some may have doubts about how to return to town. We remind all our visitors and users that El Charco has an agreement with radio taxis company of San Miguel for safe transfer from El Charco to the center or other parts of the city. Just ask for a taxi at the reception Garden. The fee for the return trip is 60 pesos-a little more than one-way fare to Charco from the center, which should not be more than 40 pesos. We recommend you and the driver agree on the fare before boarding the taxi.
Throughout its existence, El Charco has published several books and pamphlets in Spanish and English, on flora and natural resources of the reserve and the region of San Miguel de Allende. To these, other publications by researchers and scientific institutions on related subjects have been added. All are issues of great interest and quality, and are on sale at the Gift Shop.
Click on the book for more information about it.
To start the day, a plate of fresh fruit and homemade granola
Skull earrings
BRING YOUR THERMOS OR WATER BOTTLE, which can be filled for free from the wáter fountain near the reception/café.
El Charco del Ingenio is plastic bottle free zone, and, for obvious reasons, they are not sold on site since they become garbage, rarely recycled, representing an unnecesary expense for the user and a benefit for the corporations that exploit groundwater.