Photos - Outside the Dominican Temple in Villa de Etla looking a still functioning bell tower and clock tower that isn't. At least the clock is correct twice a day.

Photos - L-R - A wide view of the Villa de Etla Dominican Temple and grounds - the door is always open for visitors to enter and pay their respects.

Agave Americana (Century Plant) growing in the Dominican church's outer court - The Century Plant or Maguey is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has since naturalized in many regions and grows wild in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It is also known as the American aloe, although it is in a different family from the true aloes. If the flower stem is cut without flowering, a sweet liquid called agua miel ("honey water") gathers in the heart of the plant. This may be fermented to produce the drink called pulque, which may then be distilled to produce mezcal. The leaves also yield fibers, known as pita, which are suitable for making rope, matting, coarse cloth and are used for embroidery of leather in a technique known as piteado. Both pulque and maguey fibre were important to the economy of pre-Columbian Mexico. Production continues today to a much lesser extent. Agave syrup (also called agave nectar) has recently been marketed as a healthful natural sugar substitute. Tequila is made from a different species, Agave tequilana (also called Blue Agave or Tequila Agave).

Close by to the Temple is Etla's village center and zocalo - this is the gazebo in the center of the zocalo and much of the social activities of Etla center around the zocalo and the market place.

Photos - Frames left and center: Fountains have a history of being very important fixtures in any village - This is a fountain made with onyx stone - Onyx is a variety of the microcrystalline quartz, chalcedony. It is found worldwide and is formed when silicon dioxide is deposited in gas cavities of lava. Onyx is found in a wide area of Chihuahua, Mexico, as well as in other parts of North America. Pure black onyx as seen in jewelry has been dyed. The dye used in this process will not change when exposed to light and heat. Onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). Commonly, specimens of onyx available contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. Sardonyx is a variant in which the colored bands are sard (shades of red) rather than black. Pure black onyx is common, and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as onyx with banded colors.

It has a long history of use for hardstone carving and jewelry, where it is usually cut as a cabochon, or into beads, and is also used for intaglio or cameo engraved gems, where the bands make the image contrast with the ground. Some onyx is natural but much is produced by the staining of agate. The name has sometimes been used, incorrectly, to label other banded lapidary materials, such as banded calcite found in Mexico, Pakistan, and other places, and often carved, polished and sold. This material is much softer than true onyx, and much more readily available. The majority of carved items sold as 'onyx' today are this carbonate material.

Frame right: another fountain, but something a little more modern - situated near the market place, between a restaurant and Record shop.

 

Click here for more photos of Etla Mexico for this day.

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