INVITATION TO VAGABONDS

“Invitation to Vagabonds” is a silent 1960’s amateur travelogue of Mexican cities including San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara, Ajijic, Patzcuaro, Janitzio, Mexico City, Ixtapan de la Sal, Taxco and Acapulco. It may have been made by Howard H. Dunavan, a sales manager for the WEBC Duluth tv station and the Arrowhead Network. The commentary track, by Daisy Dunavan, does not survive. The film captures the joy of uncovering unfamiliar lands and culture. It shows the colors and vibrancy of Mexico and it’s people in footage of poor youth amid linen lined alleyways, Patzcuaro fishermen, a local fair, streets of cobblestone, neo-Gothic and baroque style architecture. Historic sights feature the Parish of San Miguel Arcangel, Statue of Jose Maria Morelos, Alameda Central and the Pyramid of the Sun. 0:00 title screen (:12), and personal shots of Mexican women carting clay pots (:42). The iconic Gothic church; Parish of San Miguel Arcangel (1:31) appears. Constructed in 1709, it is a symbol of the city. In the 1960’s, San Miguel de Allende was blooming into a thriving art colony attracting visitors and new residents including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. The Parish stands next to El Jardin (1:40). Poor youths in the alley (2:04). Architecture of the Parish accented by red flowers (2:18). Guadalajara; Mexico’s culture center, and Ajijic (2:40). Picturesque scenes tour a woman’s residence showing papaya trees (2:58), the Solandra maxima (3:08), her pet dog (3:42) and colorful parrot (3:52). Patzcuaro (5:34); also known as Pueblos Magicos, is well known for it’s artisan goods and Day of the Dead celebrations. Locals fill the streets for market (5:41). A boat wades a canal near a small harbor (5:58). Patzcuaro’s mountainous region bank the skyline (6:11). The boat nears Isla de Janitzo (6:36). The iconic 130 foot Jose Maria Morelos statue stands as centerpiece (6:59). Patzcuaro fishermen fish with butterfly nets (7:58). The swing carousel spins (8:15) near the San Agustin Ex-Convent (8:39). Pedestrians ride the merry-go round (8:53) and Ferris wheel (9:22). Vendor stalls fill the market (9:42). Donkeys cart hale bales towards town (1017). The Monumento à la Raza at Avenida de los Insurgentes (10:35), Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral on the Zocalo (10:50), street scenes (11:16) and Sanborns Sanborns is a chain of combined restaurant and department store dating to 1903 (11:25). The Palacio de Bellas Artes, the cultural center of Mexico City (11:31). A sign advertises the Libreria de Cristal bookstore (11:42). A shoe shine boy (11:47) works near Alameda Central park (11:55). The neo-classical monument, Benito Juarez Hemicycle (11:58), Monument to the Revolution (12:27), El Caballito (12:40) and Ciudad Universitaria(13:37). The university is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Two murals are highlighted; the David Alfaro Siqueiros mosaic on the Central Administration Building (13:45) and Juan O’Gorman’s Historical Representation of Culture (13:53). Locals source ixtle from the lechuguilla agave plant (16:23). Teotihuacan; Mesoamerica’s center of culture, religion and economics, capturing the Pyramid of the Sun (17:07) and carvings of Quetzalcoatl (18:01). The spa and resort in Ixtapan de la Sal, Hotel Ixtapan (19:00). Iztaccihuatl (20:20) and worshipers on their knees outside (20:28). In Taxco (21:10), locals mill around the old colonial fountain in the Plaza de los Muros (21:35). Shots pan down to an inquisitive child (21:42). The Santa Prisca Church in brilliant new Spanish baroque (21:47), a sign bidding farewell to travelers (22:21), speedboats tugging water skiers (23:00), a coconut plantation (24:19) and colorful homes along the hillside (25:11). Acapulco concludes the film (25:25) featuring footage of the port (25:31), street shops boasting New Years and Christmas sales (25:36), Hotel Club de Pesca (26:24), and locals diving from cliffs (27:14).