Christmas Eve in Oaxaca

The Christmas procession around the main square in Oaxaca couldn't have been lovelier. Those are candles lighting the boats. 

Radishes, radishes

I've learned a lot about radishes this Christmas in Oaxaca.  For instance, radish carving in Oaxaca began sometime after the the Spanish introduced giant radishes as a crop in the 16th century.  There was already a strong tradition of wood carving so shopkeepers started embellishing their market displays with carved radishes. This developed into the current competion with hefty cash prizes.

For the most part these are not the shiny red radishes we are used to, as seen here in the nearby town of Ocotlán de Morelos.

 They are really big ugly ones, often weighing 5 pounds or more.

Contestants arrive in the Oaxaca town center, the zócalo, the morning of Dec. 23 to create their dioramas.  Some have obviously been preparing all night.

This is a popular tourist attraction so it is best to arrive as close as possible to 11am to avoid the long viewing lines that circle the zócalo well into the night.

The scenes are often religious. This is the lovely la Virgin de Soledád (Oaxaca's patron saint). 

Here is a detail of her sweet face.

And here is a delightful folkloric dancer in traditional dress with a pineapple on her shoulder.

But the truly fun ones are the fanciful and grotesque monsters.

I'll leave you with this one. Words escape me.

The Journey is the Destination

This recent trip through Belize, Guatemala and Chiapas Mexico made me realize how much I relish the travel part of a trip. We did this in the '70s but had gotten out of the habit of just taking off with no itinerary.

In this case we knew that we were flying from Mexico City to Chetumal on the southernmost Caribbean coast of Mexico and we knew that the water taxi left at 3 in the afternoon from the dock. That's it: the rest is up to serendipity.

Chetumal turned out to be a commercial border town and if it had particular charm, it was lost on me.  It did have a very nice museum.  We spent one night in Chetamul and then went through immigration for our water taxi to San Pedro Town,  Ambergris Caye (pronounced key).

Arriving without a hotel reservation is part of the new travel paradigm.  We ended up at Ruby's Hotel, on the beach.   Location isn't a problem because there are only 3 streets  and you can walk anywhere in town.  This is the view from our balcony.

The town was full of enticing restaurants but we found ourselves drawn to Estel's for the sandy ambiance and tasty breakfasts.  This photo was the second of many we took with Instragram on the iPhone Melissa gave Bryan.

We arrived at the beginning of Carnival which meant music and dancing.

These gender-bending "ladies" danced and sang behind a truck with loud speakers.  The truck carried a long orange extension cord which was plugged into someone's store or home.  When it was time to move on, the cord was unplugged and the truck moved to the next block and the next available socket.

Belize has a large population of Mennonites who carry on with their traditional dress, farming practices and religion.  They also make a wonderful target for Carnival satire.  Here are a group of dancing non-Mennonites, most cross dressing, as real Mennonites.

 By far the highlight of the Carnival was splashing each other with (water soluble) paint from re-purposed soda bottles.  The first night was for the young kids, the second for the young men and it got crazy, including raw eggs,  just as we left on the last night.

Viva Mexico - Day 2

Most of the next day was dedicated to recreation of the events of 200 years ago.  At the appointed time, Ignacio Allende (2nd from the left) came galloping into town with the other heroes of the independence movement, Father Miguel Hidalgo and the Aldama brothers.  The gallop was so spirited and the crowd so appreciative that they ended up making several circuits of the route.

 

Here is Allende with the banner of the Virgin of Guadelupe.  The original banner, which was recently returned from Spain, can be seen in Mexico City.

 

Following the riders were the insurgents from the countryside carrying torches, machetes and pitchforks.

 I loved this guy with the nasty pitchfork in the lower right of the picture.

 

 and this sweet little boy being carried in his father's arms.

There were more horses and more parades and lots of torch carrying runners between the major cities of the region..

 As the sun set, we wandered around trying to find a better vantage point than last night.

We got really lucky and found a rooftop bar with a clear view of the crowds below, the rebuilt castillo, the light show on the Paroquia and the fireworks overhead.  Viva Mexico!

Viva Mexico - Day 1

We arrived in town to Red Green and White everything; there were flags for sale on every corner.  Even our little casa got with the celebration.

The actual 200th anniversary of Independence took place on the night of Sept 15 and the day of the 16th.  Wednesday night the Jardin was packed, really packed, with everyone in a mood for celebration.

Here I am with a few close friends  The only one I really knew was Yoli, but a fun time was had. You can see Allende himself on the banner behind us.  He doesn't have a mustache so I admit I am a bit confused about the dress code.

At exactly 11pm we were able to see Mayor Lucy call out the famous Grito, or cry for Independence, from the balcony of Allende's home. 

Immediately afterward the castillo, or fireworks construction, was lit.  Here is what it looked like in the daytime.

And here is my view with three of the circles lit.

It was the biggest castillo I have ever seen and I admit I was unnerved when I saw that this one required a man to climb up and light the fireworks.

Next, the celebration of Mexican Independence in earnest.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

2010 arrived with a beautiful Blue Moon over the Parroquia, accompanied by the music of a band from Mazatlan playing Cuban rhythms. The next time New Year's eve will fall on a Blue Moon is 2028.




An annual accompaniment to New Year's  festivities in San Miguel are 3 foot long sparklers wielded by children and often inebriated adults; definitely not my favorite part but certainly exciting and festive.

Warm wishes to all for an amazing 2010.

Revolution Day 2009

Although Revolution Day in Mexico now has an "official" day, the third Monday of November, it is celebrated in San Miguel with two parades later in the week, one for young children and one the next day for older children and adults. Everyone loves a costume!







Most schools participate, if not in costume, then performing feats of gymnastic skill.
I was particularly enchanted by this young girl getting her photo taken on a papermache horse. She rejected the prop rifle but happily accepted the guitar, placing her floppy stuffed dog in a prominent position.
Afterward, her mom treated her to something red and sticky on a stick. I'm guessing maybe candy apple?
If you are a fan of cute children dressed in revolutionary costume, you can peek at my previous year's post of this same event. Obviously I am a fan.

Next year, 2010, marks both the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Mexican Revolution, and the 200th anniversary of the beginning of what became the Mexican Independence Movement. The planning nationwide for this celebration has been going on for at least a year so it should be a big one.

El Día de los Muertos

The week before Nov. 2nd we were on our road trip near Patzquaro, Michoacan, well known for it's beautiful Day of the Dead festivities. The sugar market vendors were lined up under the portales, anxious to sell their sugar sculptures to be used in altars or ofrendas.













Well, some were not as anxious as others, and perhaps bored by it all.
We found different types of sculptures this year such as this large heart
and molded chocolate skulls.
My goal was to find a Frida sugar skull, or at least one I could modify, since this year my personal ofrenda was going to include Frida.

In addition to sugar sculptures, the traditional marigolds used in the ofrendas were easily obtainable throughout the market stalls

or from door-to-door vendors.
By the time we returned to San Miguel the cut paper flags were flying. These are papel picado and it is still possible to buy the thin tissue paper flags although when flown outside they tend to be made of plastic now. Still, they are festive.
These in front of the church are of paper and are nearly in shreds from the winds.My own ofrenda this year has tiny papel picado flags that I found in Patzquaro, along with a larger one with a figure of Catrina, the skeleton woman in her big hat on the left. Last year I felt that what my niche needed was tassles so I stenciled those on below.
Both my parents and Bryan's are represented again this year in my ofrenda and I did find a sugar skull that, with some eyebrow enhancement and colorful flowers, could accompany the Frida tin nicho box I made.Speaking of eyebrow enhancement, Yoli (3rd from left) decided to throw a channeling Frida dinner and here are some of the lovely guests. (The guys wouldn't play along as Diego Rivera.)