 The
history is well known about these parts. On the road to Celeya,
just before you reach the exit for Guanajuato, off the side
of the main highway, you’ll find a stone arched bridge,
now unused, dating from the 16th century. Around the year 1575,
two Franciscan monks, Fray Frandisco Doncel and Fray Pedro de
Burgos, were carrying two figures of Cristo de la Conquista
(Christ of the Conquest) as they crossed this very same bridge.
The figures they carried were intended for the villages of then
San Miguel el Grande and San Felipe Torresmochas, respectively.
At that time, San Miguel was barely but a fort, and the center
of town lay somewhere near present day Iglesia de San Francisco.
That day the two friars were ambushed by a group of native Chichimeca
Indians, who were known to attack parties crossing this area,
especially those such as these unwanted foreigners. The two
friars were not simply victims of martyrdom but were actually
sacrificed by their aggressors. Miraculously, the two Christ
figures they each carried with them did not suffer even a single
scratch, and remain with us today in our beloved Parroquia.
The antiquated bridge has become known as El Puente del Fraile,
and was still in use until not too long ago.
But over the years, the bridge’s legend began to spread
and evolve, traveling as far as then Imperial Spain. And everyone
from mule drivers, to pilgrims to average pedestrians claimed
to have seen the apparition of one of these two monks on that
very same site. Not more than ten years ago, cars were still
using this very same one-lane bridge to cross from Celeya and
points South into San Miguel. The road bends and curves up a
gentle hill before it descends into a narrow passage, only allowing
one car to pass at a time. After all, the 16th century bridge
was designed not for SUVs and trucks, but horses and carriages.
And as a result, many accidents ensued over the years, and many
were blamed upon the apparition of these two ghostly friars.
There are many legends about San Miguel de Allende, it’s
houses and it’s streets. And it was common in the era
of the New Spain for people to create these types of stories
as explanations for their fear of the unknown. A legend is often
95% fantasy. But every legend has its true origins and reasons.
With the passage of time, these and many other stories are slowly
disappearing from our collective consciousness because children
today are no longer interested in learning them nor are there
people educated enough to inform them.
Recently, it has been said that the bridge is also a popular
location for those involved in black magic or the occult arts.
This fact, coupled with the many ghost stories and near-car-death
experiences we had been told, prompted an investigation by the
La Jerga field team. We personally went out to the bridge and
searched for evidence of these black magic rituals. And indeed,
we found some interesting items of note. Not far from the bridge,
we found a burnt-out campfire with remaining candle wax and
a melted, congealed and unidentified amber-like substance, which
we dared not disturb. We found bunches of fresh red peppers
and herbs that were obviously foreign and introduced to the
area by someone. We found a headless chicken (and not too far
from away, it’s severed head), which may have been scarified
in some sort of ceremony. And finally, we found remnants of
a possible altar area directly below the bridge. The atmosphere,
even in broad daylight, was downright creepy.
This was partially due to some of the preconceived fears and
superstitions many of us may have brought along, and partially
due to the heard of demon goats that appeared during our investigation.
We didn’t see any monks, however, but we tried to imagine
driving a little too fast down that hill or taking that curve
just wrong in the middle of the night and possibly finding another
car blocking our path. The old bridge certainly has its old
world charm, and we should all be thankful its structure, history
and legends have all remained intact. But thank god for small
modern conveniences, like two-lane highways.
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