La Señora del Rosario Our Lady of the Rosary

First off I hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day. Here is a lovely Valentines cake for you. 

Back to out day trip to El Rosario. After visiting La Laguna we went to the plaza to visit the church. La Senora Del Rosario or Our Lady of the Rosary.

The city was founded in August of 1655. The legend is A corporal named bonifacio was looking for missing cattle. He walked along the river and by the time he found the cattle it was night. So he lit a fire. When he woke up he was surprised to find under the ashes a large molten piece of silver stuck to a rock. Before he left to give the news to his boss he left his rosary to mark the place.When they confirmed the silver they began mining. 
For almost 250 years Rosario was the most important mining town in the state. And one of the richest towns in Northern Mexico. Silver mining slowed after World War II and the town became what it is today. There are now about 16,000 inhabitants in the actual town. Because of its rich history it has been designated a Pueblo Magico. 

The face of the church is very decorative. The church was originally built on a different site. But when the mine tunnels under it started to collapse the towns people moved the church - including the gold altar to where it is now. 

The bell tower. 

Doors within the doors. A big step up over the threshold. 

The church was built from 1731 - 59. It is famous for its gold altar. The entire altar is covered with gold leaf. [Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-karat yellow gold.] Ten sheets of 3 x 4"  23K gold leaf costs appx. $20 USD

Some closer pictures of the altar. Just admire.

Amazing. The structure of the walls. 

Looking up. Stained glass in the windows?

The pulpit. 

Walking out the side door. I saw the bell ropes and had to restrain myself from pulling on them. 

Looking up at the bell tower and the round staircase that reaches it. 

Looking into the staircase. Very narrow and steep. 

The drain spout from the roof has a face on it.

The angel wings out side of the church. 

Our own angel - Mark

The plaza across from the church. 

As we were leaving this dressed up little girl climbed up by the wings to have her picture taken. 

 A mural we passed. 

We took the free road back to Mazatlan. Lots of agriculture and a few small towns. Altogether a fun day trip.