Xochimilco

While visiting our niece Natalie in Mexico City, Cynthia, Natalie and I took a trip to the canals of Xochimilco.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xochimilco

Located in the southern part of Mexico City, the canals are all that’s left of the ancient lake Xochimilco that once covered parts of the city.

When we arrived I was amazed by the bright colored boats with beautiful enchanting designs, each with their own name, like Lupita, Maria, and Queen of Hearts. We boarded one of these boats called trajineras that are pushed along with wooden poles by men standing on the back part of the boat or rooftop.

Once we were on the water we realized that there weren’t just a few of these boats, but there were hundreds of them. Going and coming from all directions, they seemed to be everywhere. They all moved along slowly, bumping into each other and making their way along the canal. The mood was festive, with food, Mariachi music and the colorful boats.

We enjoyed roasted corn on the cob and homemade potato chips sold from one of the passing food boats.

In addition to food boats there were boats carrying well dressed Mariachi musicians singing and playing guitars, violins and trumpets. There were even boats selling potted plants in case you needed one.

There was so much going on around us we just sat back and enjoyed the hour long colorful ride. We searched for boats named after Cynthia’s siblings. Patricia and Sandra were easy to find, but we had to settle on Theresa for Terry.

At the end of the ride we walked around a park with food venders and restaurants and while eating our delicious quesadillas and tacos, we watched the costumed Voladores (Indian Flyers) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza_de_los_Voladores_de_Papantla,
while they wound there way down the tall pole to the sound of flute and drum music.

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After lunch we boarded another boat for another hour of boats, music and great fun. It was a wonderful afternoon that I will always remember. Thank you Natalie.

Nopal Festival

The first Nopali festival in San Miguel was a vibrant little display of what one can do with the versatile cactus called Nopal. With displays showing nopalis jammed, pickled, juiced and also napolis made into syrup, liquor, flour, chips and dips, soaps, shampoo and body oils, I was thinking it is a mighty plant to have around the house. It seems whatever you can imagine to make from the hallowed plant might be possible. I watched a guy cut a large cactus “leaf” on edge and stuff the leaf with meat, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and cheese, tie the opening shut and put the whole thing on the fire. I would have to call it a Mexican calzone. Yummy!

After listening to wonderful live music and tasting everything that was offered, I left the festival with a greater appreciation for the plant called Nopal.

Tolantongo

Last week Cynthia and I went on a road trip to the waterfalls, caves and hot springs of Tolantongo.

3 hours from San Miguel by car, and located in the state of Hidalgo, Tolantongo is at the bottom of a box canyon with a cave at the end where warm water pours out and cold water falls from the cliffs overhead.

The minerals in the water make the water look blue and I call it one of the umpteen million wonders of the world.

Only 30 years ago one would have to take a mule down a dirt path on a trip that lasted many hours to get to the falls.

When I visited 13 years ago, I took a microbus down a winding dirt road that brought me to the entrance and at that time there were only four small hotel rooms and camping. The only food was from small food stalls run by the local Otomi people who live there. When the sun set so did the place, and there were no lights around except for a few across the canyon marking the houses there. It was, at that time, the end of the road.

Today, its still the end of the road with a hundred hotel rooms, a tent camping area, two restaurants, lighted paths, and the road is now being paved. Cement stairs have replaced dirt walkways, and beside the river there is a new swimming pool. With all It still has amazing natural beauty, and its all run by an association of 200 Otomi families.

Water is flowing from every “nook and cranny” and the sound of the river is a relaxing sound herd all around the canyon. The first night there I had many dreams.

We spent two days listening to new sounds, eating good food, exploring around the canyon, and soaking in the warm waters in the cave and river. We had way too much fun!!!

http://www.grutastolantongo.com.mx/

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otomí

After a long absence and many technical glitches I have a post. Enjoy!

Teotihuacan

The walk to the pyramids from the entrance at Teotihuacan Mexico is a long one. It’s two miles in all. Here I realized how enormous this place is. The walk to the “Sun” pyramid includes walking up and down stairs entering a courtyard, walking through the courtyard, and climbing up and down stairs to leave the courtyard. Little did I know that there were five such courtyards to climb through to get to the first pyramid.

While walking along the “Avenue of the Dead” I tried to imagine the peoples who have lived here, the Olmecs, the Aztecs, and later the Spaniards. I wanted to imagine what kind of life went on around this place. It felt as though for centuries the winds have swept the memories away, and what’s left are only organized stones, theories, visitors, and venders selling crafts. The design and purpose of the place is still a mystery, and most of what is known about it is from the Aztecs, who arrived after it was already abandoned.

Climbing the 248 steps to the top of the “Sun Pryamid” was strenuous because the steps are very steep, but it was well worth the effort. I spent a long time sitting at the top enjoying the view, contemplating what might have happened here, thinking about how it was that I was here. The overall view from the top was enchanting.

Another enchanting part of my visit was the stillness of the place broken up by musical sounds that different venders were making. Some were playing small clay ocarinas that sounded a high pitched 4 note song. Others had a clay jaguar head that when blown into sounded like a growling jaguar. The two kinds of sounds were woven into the silence throughout the long walk and set a soulful mood for the place.

The enormity of the place and the mystery of its origins makes it an enchanting and wonderful place.

Click On this link to see more pics and a panoramic view from atop the Sun Pyramid:

http://rgravelin.com/teotihuacan.htm

Postures

In honor of Felicitas Goodman, a Hungarian-born linguist and anthropologist who explored ritual body postures found in ancient art. Her theory was that the postures were used to connect with the spirit world. At the time of reading her book I was a big fan but never was able to explore more fully. I am including these images found in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City for any fans of her work

who might be interested

in such things. Enjoy

Link for more info:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicitas_Goodman

Lord Montezuma and more!

Jacarandas are in full bloom here and we had our 1st thunderstorm that was quite unusual.

I had a visit with lord Montezuma and was down for a day and now good as new.

Guanajuato

On Wednesday Cynthia, Natalie and I went for a visit to the Mexican city of Guanajuato. Looking it up on the internet I found this meaning for its name: “Guanajuato means `place of frogs` in the local indigenous language. The local Tarascan Indians believed that the frog represented the god of wisdom.”

With that in mind, we boarded the Primera Plus bus and after an hour ride took another bus that landed us in the city center. In the center is a very old church and a theater and a Jardin where people can sit and enjoy the mariachis that play there.

After a quick coffee in the square we took a short bus ride up a hill through the city that seemed to move the same speed as walking. Inside the museum we saw a lot of mummies, and they were very dead. They came in all sizes and shapes, and it was a little unnerving to say the least. After each room there were signs for exits just in case one needed to get out. I had visited the mummies years ago, and back then I remember leaving there with a very profound respect for life. This time was no different.

We were told the mummies were people who couldn’t afford the space for burial so they were left in the ground until they were mummified and then dug up and put in storage. Eventually they were put on display, and the museum was started.

After the mummy visit we walked back towards the city center and took in the sights and sounds of Guanajuato. We found a nice local spot for lunch named “Lolitas” that served comida corrida for the price of 30 pesos.

The day was full with a visit to Casa Cultura, a place where I had donated some paintings 10 years ago. The new director didn’t know anything about them but said he would look for them and let me know when they turn up. We also visited the Diego Rivera Museum, birth home of the famous Mexican painter and muralist. We strolled through the beautiful streets of Guanajuato with sips of coffee, cold coconut milk, and yummy crepes. It was a great tourist day in a wonderful city. and the hour ride back to San Miguel was a great rest for our tired feet.

Palm Sunday in San Miguel de Allende

Sunday morning parade down calle Diez de Sollano Y Davalos started with very loud fireworks followed by people dressed in red and white robes carrying palm fronds and a cross, swinging an incense burner filled with sweet smelling copal.