San Miguel's Shadows

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is about light and color. It’s also about shadows. Depending on the time of day, its walls, painted in a warm palette of guava yellow, amber, peach and terracotta - are graced by gray patterns. The colors of the Centro Historico, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, beguile; they are transformed when the sun’s rays strike at a certain angle.

It’s like being enveloped by a quilt. Façades of buildings seem to hop from golden mustard to salmon and cinnamon and back again.  A dark wooden or painted sage colored door and black cast iron street lamps make for striking contrasts as well. Long and bold — or more subtle shadows, add another element to the composition. How, at a certain time of day, the rays of the sun hit a wall, a lamp, plants, cars and people offers a sense of the ephemeral. Nothing stays the same. And, at mid-day, when the sun beats down mercilessly, people take to the shady side of the street.

Stone walls and earth colored cobblestone streets, enhanced by luster over the centuries, bring us back down to earth. Often quite literally — if one is overly focused on the surrounding environment…

I began focusing on shadows upon my return here on November 2, the Day of the Dead. Like other holidays such as Christmas or Easter the town gets “embellished”. Decorated. This time, I was impressed by what I had taken for granted for years. Before me were shadows from paper or plastic lacy flags, hanging on an almost invisible thread across streets. Called papeles picados in Spanish, their colors and cut-out patterns are emblematic of the specific holiday. (See a link below for more history.)

Like a mound of mangoes or avocados in the mercado, these delicate flags are abundant. There is no skimping on them. This time around though my eye sought out their dynamic shadows. Wind gusts gave them a life all their own. Plus as shadows you get two for the price of one.

Another magical dimension also arises with the wind. It’s a subtle soundscape. As my friend, Carol Romano, noted, we can appreciate “a shimmering sound like water over pebbles on the shore.” Transfixed by shadows, I also sought to photograph them as the sun was setting. Night scenes, highlighted by electrical lights or the moon, made them all the more mysterious.

Continuing along my path, I was also able to capture shadows of people. Here were two working behind construction fabric enveloping a building under renovation. I was reminded of the artist, Christo’s work.

For more information on the confetti-like flags or papeles picados visit: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papel_picado