Revisiting the old Fort and Church in San Blas, MX

Thursday a.m. –
Sitting here watching the sun slowly coming up over the mountain. As soon as it does it will warm up in here. It cools down enough at night that we need covers on.
Got a dilemma – I’ve got that Shout Box at the end of the blog. Had it there for quite a while – it is the free version so I had no control who could post on it. I get a lot of junk posting/spam – so far nothing obscene just gibberish. So I go in and delete the junk every once in a while. But as of Jan 1st there will no longer be a free version. There will be a minimum fee - very minimum. So do I want to keep it? Is it worth it? If I have to pay for it I will want to use the version where people will have to sign in to eliminate most of the junk. Will people use it if they have to sign in? I kind of enjoy  legitimate "shouts". An ego thing I guess. Have to make up my mind soon.

John we miss you and love you. And think of you often. Doesn’t seem possible it’s been five years already.

Back to Tuesday

After getting off the boat ride we went into San Blas and went to visit the old fort and church up on the highest point around. Last year I wrote a lot about the fort and the church in my blog so will not dwell on it today.

Going up to the area we passed one of the stands selling lobsters. They sell fish and oysters too.

Also heading up hill. These kids are playing on the sidewalk in front of the Panteon Municipal – the cemetery.

After paying our 20 Pesos the first structure we come to is the old church. It is in kind of a state of arrested decay. The entire floor has been replaced and electricity has been run but the ceiling is gone and the walls are crumbling. It was built by Fray Juinpero Serra. Who left from here to establish the California Missions.

Looking in from the front door. The pillars and arches down the left side of the church.

The doorway in back leads into a small side room, the closets doorway to the outside.

Across the street are more ruins. The jungle hasn’t quite covered this arched doorway and the walls around it.

More walls. Soon they will disappear altogether.

One part of a wall still standing. The construction is very interesting. All sizes of rocks from big square chunks to small filler stones.

The vegetation around the area.

Did this used to be a coffin? Don’t know but it looks like some kind of fancy container.

The front of the church.

These pieces have fallen off the top of the walls. Decorative edging on them.

One of the pillars inside with its decoration. At one time the walls were all plastered. Bits of it remain here and there.

This is in the very middle of the first arch. Not enough left of it to figure out what it represents.

This is on the outside wall to the side of and above the main door. It is in better shape. Wonder who he is. Can even still see the decorations on his uniform.

Drove on up to the actual fort. The town was established in 1529 when the Spanish took over the area. San Blas was one of the major sea ports at the time. And because of the wood available around here it became a ship building area too.

In 1768 a naval station was opened here. There still is a naval school/station in operation here. Didn’t take any pictures of the fort. Most of it was rebuilt after a bad hurricane.
Did take some pictures of the San Blas area from up there. A palm grove and in the middle a baseball field.

A zoomed picture of the new church and the old one next to it. The center of town.

Just part of the town.

When we got back to the campground we discovered a group with a motorized hang glider. Fun to watch.

More about them on next post. Have to fold laundry now and try to post video - Internet not cooperating - maybe late for the video.