While wandering the cobblestone paths of San Sebastion, we were privileged to gain access into several old homes dating back over 300 years.
Beautiful old keyhole on an old wooden door.
Looking through the entryway into an inner courtyard.
The garden within.
Another quick look through an open door.
Coffee plants grow wild in the jungle surrounding San Sebastion. Residents gather the beans and roast their own. Here a bowl of coffee beans sit drying in a bowl waiting to be ground.
Many households and stores in this area of Mexico have pet birds. In Yelapa, a talented parrot wolf whistled on a 30 second loop all day long.
Gustavo has befriended two 90-something year old sisters in San Sebastion and visits them each time he travels there. He took Craig and I along to meet them in their home.
Craig at the front door to Isabel and Gregoria's ancestral home.
Isabel and Gregoria sit in the kitchen of their San Sebastion home. After getting to know the sisters, they told Gustavo their life story, which is worthy of a movie script. As young girls, they saw their entire family murdered during the violence surrounding the Mexican Revolution. Traumatized by what they witnessed, they've stayed together in their ancestral home their entire lives, rarely leaving their home except for brief errands and church.
A blooming geranium in their courtyard.
View of the San Sebastion church from their upstairs window.
Stone stove in their kitchen where tortillas were made. They told Gustavo that it's been awhile since they made their own tortillas. When we were there, they had beans cooking and were using tortillas purchased in the town.
We climbed the rickety stairs of the 300-year old house to the upper level. Isabel and Gregoria aren't able to go upstairs anymore, so it's primarily used for storage.
Here's a link that explains the history of San Sebastion. It's interesting that the town dates back to 1603, about the same time Jamestown in the United States was settled. From what I've read, the Mexican Revolution, which extended from 1910 to 1920, ended the prosperity of San Sebastion. The town, because of its silver mines and natural riches, became the focus of various factions who robbed and murdered. Gustavo also took us to the old bullring, pictured below, which was the site of many executions during that time period.
