As I write this, I’m sitting in the very spot pictured below, lounging on a rooftop patio just across from that magnificent cathedral, over which the sun just rose. John and I are in Zacatecas. We are home.

We have found a city to live in. Oddly enough, very close to the town my grandfather grew up in. I have never been to a city I have fallen in love with this quickly. Zacatecas is built in a valley nestled between three mountains. No matter where you go, you can look up or down the slope and see the layout of the entire city, with so much beautiful architecture all in one place it brings tears to your eyes.

The buildings here have survived for centuries, and most streets look just as they would have when they were first built. Dotted all over are and endless supply of ancient cathedrals, big green parks, aquaducts, man made waterfalls, and many other things for intrepid explorers to find. I hear there are even old mine shafts you can go into, and one even has a night club built into it.

We were trying to decide earlier if we wanted to live in a small city, in a rural area, or someplace a little better connected to the things we might need. Well, from this little historic city… 5 minutes to the west and you feel like you’re in a rural village, with mountains and trekking and such. 5 minutes to the East, and there’s a hidden block of huge chain storesw like WalMart, Office Max, Sam’s Club, etc for emergency supply runs or desperate fast food runs.

It’s right smack dab in the middle of Mexico, so we can easily go on any road trip we desire. And everything we need is wonderfully inexpensive. There’s even a bit of a cool artist’s vibe going on. We’re in the middle of an international dance festival right now…. more festivals coming up, including street theater and such… cool handcrafts all over… and we’ve met a few cool artists on the street, including a very cool Japanese/Mexican guy who’s here teaching art.

How did we find such a perfect place? Well, shortly before I left, I randomly got a message from a fellow webcartoonist named Vladimir Estrada. He does a comic called iHooky. He introduced himself as a fellow comic-producing Estrada, no relation, and suggested I try Zacatecas. When I realized that my grandfather was FROM Zacatecas, I realized we might actually BE related.

Well, Vlad was right, Zacatecas is the place to be, and he’s been insanely helpful in showing us around and giving us all the information we need to find the perfect house to start a Cartoon Commune. We already have one amazing place in mind, we’re gonna check a few others today. But we’re already home.

Also: John is comic-blogging the adventure!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 3rd, 2007 at 8:22 am and is filed under Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.