by Laurel Delp

The July meeting of 100 Women Who Care took place in the top floor meeting space of La Casona hotel. Considering it was the off season, at the tail-end of a heatwave, the turnout was impressive, and there was universal enthusiasm for the bright, breezy meeting room.

Before the proposed organizations were chosen, there was a brief presentation by the last group to receive the donation: So Others May Eat, or S.O.M.E., which provides a once-a-week nutritious, hot lunch to up to 200 impoverished seniors. Founded by the late Antoinette Lim and her husband Joe, S.O.M.E. served its first hot meal in 1989 to only 12 seniors. Though Antoinette passed away in 2016, her youngest daughter, Dr. Grace Joanne Lim Baga, has stepped up to continue the program with her father.

Because work is still being carried out on the terrace at the Parroquia where the lunch is normally served, the meals have been suspended temporarily, and part of the money donated by 100 Women went to purchasing blankets, neck warmers, and gloves for the vulnerable seniors. A volunteer with S.O.M.E. brought samples of the items to show the attendees, and the quality, particularly of the blankets, was impressive.

Next, the three organizations to compete for this quarter's donations were drawn from the hat. They were Jóvenes Adelante, which provides mentorship and financial assistance for students who might otherwise be unable to continue on to higher education; Escuela Arbol de Vida, the local Waldorf school; and El Charcol del Ingenio, which won the subsequent vote.

El Charco del Ingenio is San Miguel's much-loved botanical garden and nature preserve. It is completely independent, and has never been funded by government. It was among the last remaining hillside areas that wasn't being devoured by housing developments. In 1998, César Arias, a lawyer, activist, and member of the de la Canal family—prominent in San Miguel for three centuries—set about rescuing the land, which over the years had been severely damaged by cattle, farms, and early industry (including the spring-fed mill that powered La Aurora, the textile factory which for 90 years employed so many Miguelenses). With a group of friends, Arias formed the nonprofit Cante A.C., which raised the funds and negotiated with the landowners to buy the land. A few plots were donated. Some of the original supporters of the nonprofit were from elsewhere in Mexico, and a few from the United States, but the majority were locals.

Mario Hernandez, director of El Charco del Ingenio.
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"This idea of putting together a botanical garden in this symbolic space was very important for the local community," explains Mario Hernandez, director of El Charco del Ingenio.

El Charco opened to the public in July, 1991 with a ceremony that took place during a total eclipse of the sun, an event that's now celebrated yearly in the Plaza of the Four Winds. Music and theatrical productions make up another annual event presented during the spring equinox in the natural amphitheater created by boulders at the upper part of the canyon.

The Plaza of the Four Winds
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Today nearly 170 acres make up the botanical garden, which includes wetlands, the stunning canyon, and the namesake spring-fed pool, El Charco. It includes a conservatory and information centers (and a really good café). Along with honoring and protecting indigenous flora and fauna, El Charco del Ingenio provides space for indigenous Miguelenses to gather and reinforce their deep connection to the land.

Mario Hernandez has been the director of El Charco del Ingenio for just over 14 years. He has a master's degree in watershed management, and his passion is finding new ways to preserve water for longer periods of time.

As director, he's also involved in wider responsibilities. Over the last two years, El Charco has led the Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens (Asociación Mexicana de Jardines Botánicos), after being unanimously elected for a three-year term. That means at international meetings of botanical gardens, El Charco del Ingenio represents Mexico.

Hernandez explains that the money donated by 100 Women will go to support El Charco as it hosts the four- to five-day national meeting of Mexican botanical gardens this coming October. It will be an extremely important opportunity for scientists and conservationists to share their research and experience in protecting Mexico's ecology.

"And we're very interested," Hernandez adds, "to bring not only the botanical gardens together, but students who are starting to study biology, environmental sciences, and agriculture and to be able to grant them scholarships to come to San Miguel de Allende to participate in this important meeting."

Hernandez hopes the meeting will inspire the creation of more botanical gardens. El Charco del Ingenio is a fine example of the power of citizens acting on their own initiative, without leaning on government or outside foundations.

"We are a conservation project of the community. Money is important, but it shouldn't be put in first place," he says. "Otherwise we'd turn into Disneyland, or something like that. So yes, we always have to generate a balance—yes, we need money, but we don't want to just focus on raising funds, otherwise we will lose our approach to conservation and our relationship with the community."

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Laurel Delp is currently a contributor to Western Art + Architecture and was for many years a freelancer writing for numerous publications, including Travel + Leisure, Town & Country, Departures, A Rare World, Food & Wine, and too many more to list. She also writes for a number of websites.

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