by Martín Buen Viaje

Since time immemorial, the original peoples measured time based on the movements of the sun. Then the water clock and the hourglass were invented, inaccurate but useful. Much later, but before the arrival of the monumental clocks (which were placed on the upper and outer parts of the churches), the time could be known by the amount of ringing of the bells, but it was what is known as "hours canonical", which in the Middle Ages indicated the different moments in which one had to pray. Then came wristwatches, pulse or wind-up or battery-operated. Today, even on mobile phones we can measure time.

Legend says that a town without a clock with bells is a mute town. For us, children of haste and commitments, it is important to know the time accurately, to attend to the different tasks of the day and, also, to give ourselves the pleasure of eating with the family, getting to an appointment or starting a break. Without a watch we would be in limbo.

I had the honor of meeting Raúl Vázquez, a native of San Miguel de Allende, known as "doctor" of the monumental clock of the San Miguel Arcángel parish, which he has been winding and maintaining for more than 20 years. Today the post has been passed on to his son Daniel, who continues the legacy of his father and the five generations that precede him.

This jewel of engineering and local pride is of French origin (a nation that contends with Switzerland for having the best clockmakers in the world). This antique was made a little over 121 years ago and continues to tell the exact time. Only three of these machines were made. Two were destroyed in World War II. So we have the honor of preserving this one-of-a-kind engineering marvel, a valuable heritage to preserve. His guardian tells me that a gram taken from each of its many pieces would be worth equivalent of 10 grams… of gold.

At the time of its creation, French engineers used a combination of gold, silver, bronze and nickel to make these jewels of engineering, an alchemist level alloy, with such a quality that you never need to change any of its parts. This also applies to its bells, which are still intact, ringing every 15 minutes for more than a century, every day, giving the exact time with a minimum of maintenance.

Who purchased the clock is a mystery. It is known that the distinguished Casa Esmeralda (the first monumental clock manufacturing house in Latin America, based in Puebla) managed to bring it from Europe by ferry and that on September 16, 1901, at noon mass, they played the first chimes.

After many years, Norman Bengman arrived, a German watchmaker who took charge of taking care of it. He passed the order on to his daughter Carmen and she gave it to Raúl, who now gives it to his son Daniel.

Daniel me invitó a vivir la experiencia de darle cuerda a este reloj, ubicado donde estaba la escuela santa y antes hospital del pueblo. Todas las semanas el guardián se encarga de subir hasta la cima de la torre que construyó don Zeferino Gutiérrez, artífce albañil constructor de nuestra parroquia San Miguel Arcángel (el templo más venerado y uno de los más fotografados del mundo) para darle cuerda y, cuando requiera de mantenimiento.

Daniel invited me to live the experience of winding this clock, located where the Holy School and formerly the town's hospital used to be. Every week the guardian climbs to the top of the tower built by Don Zeferino Gutiérrez, the bricklayer builder of our San Miguel Parroquia (the most revered temple and one of the most photographed in the world), to wind it up and, when require maintenance.

Hearing the story of Daniel's father, Raúl, left me speechless. From it you could write a great book. He was "on the street" since he was 12 years old, by the grace of God, surviving every setback. Before being a clockmaker, he did a lot of work; he was a jack of all trades: carpenter, blacksmith, welder, waiter, restaurant owner, dishwasher...

He himself told me that he slept in the streets, but that he always tried to be clean. So he always carried a little soap to wash his clothes and bathe in the fountain of Parque el Chorro. To eat, he also carried a salt shaker and went to the avocado valley where he says that he always found this food in abundance and free, falling from the trees. For dessert, fruit trees gave him zapotes. With that he could eat daily and be clean to show up at his work. At that time "San Miguel was a paradise."

In those days there was only one car in town Everyone walked. Some fortunate ones moved on horseback or by tractor. Then, at 19 years of age, he met his girlfriend. He proudly told me that she had several suitors and he had to assert himself among several men who were also older than him. How did he get her to prefer him? Well, as a good survivor of the streets, he knew the art of the street fight. When necessary he would fight like a wild dog. So he squared off with each of his rivals. In 1962 he married María Esther, who today is still his wife, his life partner, his friend and confidante. Together they built a family.

Someone who also valued this attribute of being a street school graduate was Don Jorge Redondo, the owner of a restaurant called "El Patio", the first in San Miguel. He approached that young Raúl, 20 years old, and said:

-Raúl, although you have never been a manager, I feel that you have the potential to be a leader to take charge of my restaurant.

"I accept," the boy replied, without hesitation.

Soon after, Raúl became second in command of the restaurant, having more than 50 people under his charge. It was a large space where more than 150 diners could fit.

In the golden years, he fed Father Mujica, who was one of the first and most important promoters of San Miguel, a renowned tenor who triumphed in Hollywood and who left behind fame to become a priest and serve God, in the lands of San Miguel el Grande. He founded children's homes and brought in American artist Stirling Dickinson.

One day, the father came to the restaurant accompanied by eight friends. He breakfasted on eggs and bacon Mexican style and homemade biscuits. He asked Raúl to join them and, when the bill arrived, Raúl did not let him pay. He told him: "This is paid by God. Don't worry, father."

In the seven successful years that Raúl ran the place, he also received visits from Cantinfas, who sang, danced and told jokes: Chavela Vargas, who happened to have her guitar, and wanted to give a great show right there, leaving everyone happy. The most famous bullfighters of the time passed through the restaurant, the Cuban-Mexican boxer "Mantequilla" Nápoles, Agustin Lara and many more. Cell phones did not exist in those days, and there were only 100 telephone lines installed. Raúl was so well connected that he knew everyone's name and telephone number by heart.

One day he grew tired of being in constant service to the restaurant. His brother-in-law, a watchmaker, convinced him to go to work with him. Within a few months, the good Raúl was already assembling, disassembling and fixing, with incredible precision, learnng in that short time what took other watchmakers up to five years to learn. Eventually, he set up his own watch store, simply called "Relojería Raúl", at Orizaba 16, Colonia San Antonio, the same place it has been more than 30 years. Today his children tend the store. On the property, the indefatigable Raúl built several apartments, with his own hands, for his relatives to live in.

As the expert that he is, Raúl told me that prestigious watch brands such as Cartier, Omega and Rolex no longer have the quality they used to, since they are now manufactured in China. There are few good watchmakers and watches, "like those of before", in the world. His is a specialty that is almost on the verge of extinction.

In San Miguel, there are only two stores where clocks are fixed.

It was a great privilege for me to be able to climb the tower and wind up the time of San Miguel. However, an even greater honor was to meet this great person and his family, and to be able to share this story of his life with you.

Being attentive to the little moments of life makes our experience unforgettable.

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Martín Buen Viaje is an explorer of native peoples. He explores pre-Hispanic mythology and its connection with power animals through their myths, making expeditions with naturalists, biologists, scientists, geologists, naturists, artists and shamans among others.

He is a member of the board of directors of Huerto Roma Verde CDMX, a representative in San Miguel de Allende of Extinction Rebellion, an ambassador of the Quetzal of the Triunfo Forest Reserve in Chiapas, a member of Hatch, journalist in Lokkal, photographer, documentalist, content generator, former publicist....

www.martinbuenviaje.com
IG:@martinbuenviaje

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