We visited El Charco del Ingenio in San Miguel de Allende on a quiet April morning. The sun’s heat was piercing through our brown skin, yet the breeze in the shade felt like pleasant mountain air. I can only imagine how wonderful this unique botanical garden feels once the rains arrive.
El Charco del Ingenio is a part of Botanical Garden Conservation International, the largest conservation network across 100+ countries, headquartered in London. It is home to hundreds of plants native to Mexico, some of them very rare.
Here our attempt to share photos of El Charco del Ingenio in April.
Information Center
Trail of Regional Plants of Mexico
The botanical garden is organized in sections, each representing a unique ecology. The trail of Regional Plants of Mexico reminds me of the much larger Joshua Tree National Park in California.
Around Conservatory of Mexican Plants
The Conservatory of Mexican Plants is a huge green house with exotic desert plants. Around it are mature trees and sitting areas built to blend in within the environment. They offer shade and a restful place to soak in the surroundings.
Dam and Reservoir
In early 20th century the “La Aurora” textile company built a dam on this river to harness water and generate electricity for the important textile industry of this region. It was a state-of-the art, pioneering project in Mexico. Now a hundred years later, the textile industry has died out and dam is filled with silt and pollution, but the dam has found a new purpose. It provides water for the El Charco del Ingenio’s massive collection of Mexico’s desert plants, as well as the habitat for a growing wildlife population.
As global warming and over consumption continues, the ground water level is dropping. It is hard to say how long this ecosystem will last. For centuries, the first Friday of March has been a big celebration to mark the start of the planting season. But now, rain doesn’t arrive until June!
It broke my heart to see the once thriving river and dammed reservoir run dry in April, with rain still months away.
The gut-wrenching part of our visit to El Charco del Ingenio was the sight at the dam wall, which was still holding a bit of muddy water.
As we arrived, there was a strong stench of death. While we wondered where the smell was coming from, a gust of wind blew my hat into the reservoir. Unsuspecting, I walked down into the reservoir to fetch it. To my horror, the clay-laden water was littered with carcass of dead fish, and tracks they had made desperately struggled to reach water, in their last moments.
With a heavy heart, we walked back instead to hiking to the other side of the park, which looked rather dry. Essentially we skipped the Sculpture monument and Hacienda ruins. We’ll have to return after it rains, to enjoy the views.
Sculpture Garden Path
The western side of the park is a completely different vibe. One of the paths is lined with a variety of sculptures made of different materials.
Plaza of the Four Winds
The area called Plaza of the Four Winds is a ceremonial and scenic space inspired by the 16th-century Toltec-Chichimeca codex. The outer circles indicate the four cardinal directions in their classic colors, with figures that represent four elements of life:
- East is Flora represented by a yellow agave
- West is Fauna represented by a red coyote
- North is Earth represented by a black hill and cave
- South is Water represented by a blue-green spring glyph.
The central circle represents the sun during an eclipse caused by the moon. It is testimony to the 1991 solar eclipse – the astronomical event when the Botanical Garden and the Santa Cruz de El Charco del Ingenio was founded. It symbolizes of union of communities in a neutral territory.
In 2004, His Highness Dalai Lama declared El Charco del Ingenio as a Peace Zone, during his visit to Mexico. In fact, five zones of peace were declared in different parts of Mexico. These zones represent spaces free of violence and weapons, dedicated to nature conservation and community development.
The Pollinator Garden
As the name suggests, this section of the Botanical Garden buzzes with busy pollinators of all sizes – bees, butterflies, birds etc.
Rows of tall blooming cacti form a ‘+’ shaped walkway. It was a busy highway of rivers of nectar for the bees and birds at work.
Views of San Miguel de Allende
As one walks to the far end of the botanical gardens, the entire city of San Miguel de Allende comes into view. As the afternoon sun was heating up, we didn’t go all the way but other visitors raved about the incredible views of the entire valley.
Back at the Reception and Cafe
After walking in the botanical garden at El Charco del Ingenio, the cafe with its delicious offerings is a welcome sight.
The reception area houses a shop with a large variety of local authentic artisanal crafts, clothing, foods, books, etc.
How to get to El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden?
The easiest way to get from any part of San Miguel de Allende to El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden is by cab. But we took the scenic route up in the morning and used a cab to return in the afternoon heat.
Our walking path was through very pretty neighborhoods of San Miguel de Allende. This may not be the most upscale community in this town of ultra wealthy people, but certainly well manicured and affluent. Almost all homes in San Miguel de Allende have very tall wall fences, maybe 20-30 feet. In other places they would make the neighborhoods unfriendly and boring looking. But in San Miguel de Allende, outer fences of the house are usually lined by flowering bougainvillea that bloom generously. Here are some photos from our walk up to El Charco del Ingenio.
In a nutshell, El Charco del Ingenio is an incredible Botanical Garden and cactus preserve. We were fortunate to see so many Mexican plants in one place, and grateful for the conservation efforts of the local and international organizations.
The official website for El Charco del Ingenio.
