Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Viva Independencia! Viva Mexico!

Well, first to attend to business --

RETRACTION:  On our last blog we foolishly stated that Luke was an apostle.  Well, do you think we are EVER going to live that down? No.  We heard from everyone from parochial school dropouts to people who have vast theological knowledge about our silly little error. However, in true quien sabe spirit the real answer is a bit murky.  Not the identity, but the reason that there is no one (soon to be named) in the vacant spot.  It is thought by those better versed than ourselves that the spot was intentionally left empty because, let's face it, Judas does not deserve a statue.  We're going with that. Or maybe Judas was stolen... who knows?

SECOND RETRACTION:  Okay.  It wasn't the Virgin of Guadalupe in the photo.  It was somebody else whose name could be read right below the statue by those who attend to that type of detail.  But we were very tired.  We thought you wouldn't notice.  Religious statues are beginning to blur in our minds.  You people are sharp and we are chastised and will not try anything like that again until the next time.

Now on to the Revolution!

We got back from our trip to the Colonial Cities well versed on how things had gone down and just in time to celebrate our first  Independence Day.  Well, actually there was a week in between which was just enough time to celebrate Globos and to cure Michael of his case of salmonella.  We will not dwell on the salmonella incident except to say that it was quite unpleasant yet provided an excellent opportunity to once more appreciate the fine Mexican medical system.

Saturday, September 15th is the celebration of the grito which takes place at 11PM from the balcony of whatever is the most important municipal building.  It is yelled by the mayor/governor/president as the case may be.  Then much dancing, carousing and singing (not to mention drinking) happens in the Plaza.  Well, Michael was still coming off the Salmonella incident and we had friends over to dinner but we were gamely prepared to walk to the Plaza and take part in the festivities.  As the evening progressed and we ate our dinner, had a few margaritas and wines and lolled on the front veranda, I could feel the grito resolve ebbing from the crew.  Just as the critical departure moment arrived, the skies opened up and a torrential rainstorm swept in.  "Oh darn," we uttered, "rotten luck.  Maybe next year.  Can you pass that wine over here?"  Turns out, that was probably the last big rain of the rainy season.

The next day, parades and festivities are held throughout Mexico.  At 10AM Michael and I walked up a block to Avenida Constitution (how appropriate) and grabbed a piece of curb to watch the Parade.  First came the school kids.  Millions of them.  "Where did all these kids come from?" I asked Michael.  "There can't possibly be this many kids in Ajijic!"  We then realized that at any given time you only see half the kids in Ajijic.  This is because schools operate on two sessions (roughly morning and afternoon) cleverly disguising the fact that there are a million kids here in total.  Nancy tells us there are even more (could there be a third session?) and we will see them in the "big" parade on November 20th.

School children color guard

School children drum corps (check out the pom-poms)

How did the kid with red hair & freckles end up here  
Following the school children came the Miss Ajijic winners and runners up.  We had unfortunately missed the Contest that was held on the Plaza several weeks earlier but have it on our list for next year.  After that came the charros and their accompanying bands.  Charros are very interesting and I am getting hooked on them.  In general, charros are pretty well heeled folks who learn to ride while in, or soon post, diapers.  This can be attested to in our photos.  The charro tradition is passed on through families who have been doing it foreverish.  They have beautiful outfits that would look ridiculous on anyone else.  They also have beautiful horses and drink a great deal of beer and tequila on and off horseback.  But the best part is the dancing horses.  You would not believe what these guys can make these horses do.  And unfortunately, still photos can't capture it. Charros, in addition to doing parades, hold charreadas which are very similar to rodeos but not quite as violent as the American form.  Bulls are smaller, roping cows smaller,  no rodeo clowns.  But I digress once more. Back to the Parade.

Miss Ajijic

No parade in Jalisco is complete without mariachis
The charros followed by the band



More charros

There are charras too!

The charros begin to learn to ride from a very early age

However notice the "seat belt"

This young charro kept talking about his investments with E Trade
Once the entire parade had passed us by on Constitution, we ambled up to the Plaza, grabbed a table and a coffee and watched the world pass by.  The Plaza was so crowded it was difficult to move but everybody was just pretty chilled.  Street food was everywhere as well as the requisite confetti eggs, balloons and approximately 7,000 Mexican flags.  The kids buy the confetti eggs and spend the day cracking them over each others heads which looks like great fun.  We watched a mother trying to get her 2-3 year old to crack an egg on her.  The child was clearly conflicted.  Having spent the last year of her life being trained to not hit her mother, Mom was now begging her to wallop her with this painted egg.  What kind of crazed woman had begotten her was written in her eyes.
Gathering in the Plaza after the parade




Colorful snacks for sale in the Plaza

Even the very young dress up for Independence Day
The Parade ends, of course, at the Plaza providing us with the opportunity to see most of it again from our new vantage point.  The horses are not allowed on the Plaza itself (see Mexico DOES have rules!) but the charros were really going great guns (not literally) on the street.  The band was playing, the horses were dancing and the charros were getting down. The party lasted well into the afternoon and it appeared a good time was had by all.  I will end here because there are mucho pictures and we don't want to run out of room.  Alex arrives on Friday and hopefully we will be able to get into some adventures that will result in more blogs.  Until then, take care and have fun.


The charros perform with their dancing horses next to the Plaza
You are never too young to learn to be a charro!


Nor are you ever too old!
Nor can you ever be without your cerveza




Saturday, September 22, 2012

Moving on Down That Highway

OK...Where were we...Ah, yes!  At Cecilia's ranch basking in the glow of Bill's speech, fine wine and a marvelous dinner.  The next morning, fortified by a breakfast totaling thousands of calories, we waddled to the car and set off for San Miguel de Allende.  En route, Luzma suggested a detour to Atotonilco, a tiny village which exists solely because of the Virgin of Guadalupe-- she crops up a lot in conversation doesn't she?  Anyway, as you may remember, Father Hidalgo stopped by on the way to Guanajuato and picked up the standard of the Virgin (see photo-- it's a replica) which he used to rally the troops.  The Virgin is very beloved by the people and there is an annual pilgrimage that attracts tens of thousands of people -- and provides the only infusion of capital that this town ever sees.  I am hard to impress vis a vis churches and tend to get bored easily but this one was really spectacular.  The priest who built it had big bucks in the family and it shows.  It was recently renovated and they did an impressive job.  In the "back room", maybe a vestry, I'm a little weak on this stuff, they had giant statues of the apostles circling the room.  Strangely, someone stole an apostle.  Gone. One empty space.  It is not to our credit that Stanley, Luzma and I were unable to pin down who was missing.  Ex-seminarian boy, Michael, walked in, casually surveyed the group and stated Luke authoritatively.  Well, we all have our strengths...


Altar of the church in Atotonilco



Virgin of Guadalupe



Staues in the vestry --- missing Luke was to the right of the photo
Once more in daylight, squinting across the blazing street, we saw a line of stalls offering what looked like interesting merchandise.  Hanging in abundance were braided lengths of rope (about 6 feet) which divided about halfway down into three strands with knots tied at intervals.  Intrigued, Luzma inquired as to what they were.  Turns out they are used for self-flagellation which appears to be an integral part of the pilgrimage.  Not only that, they come in junior sizes for those children wishing to take part.  At first I was pretty freaked out, but upon closer inspection it would be pretty hard to really hurt yourself with one of these.  Not like those ones they use in some other places that are imbedded with rocks or shards of sharp stuff.  I'm practicing celebrating our diversity.

Back in the car and back on the road to San Miguel de Allende.  As you probably know San Miguel is tres, tres, tres artsy.  Tres.  Gringos discovered it back in the 70s, bought up a huge amount of real estate, all the oils, pastels and watercolors in the universe, and installed themselves as artists in residence.   A lot of Texans also moved there.  We won't get into the effect of Texans on the self-effacing, loath to offend, endlessly polite Mexicans.  Let's just say that the Texans should be grateful for Mexican forbearance.  But back to the artists.

San Miguel's first industry was textiles.  A very large mill was built and stayed in production for about one hundred years and then went idle.  After the onslaught of the artists, this space has been renovated and turned into an extensive series of galleries and shops offering everything from unique fabrics to all forms of visual art (heavy on the abstract) and ceramics.  We wandered the area for probably two hours and did not see it all.  A nice change from all the history and churches.

Renewed we headed into the center of town which is very attractive.  Still hilly, but no Guanajuato.  Of the three towns we went to, I think we all agreed that San Miguel came in third -- but it was pretty stiff competition.  We walked the streets and then had lunch.  Now I never bore people with my menu selections but this is tied directly to the theme of Mexican Independence.  In September, throughout Mexico (I think), they make a dish called Chiles en Nogada which, either through design or happenstance, mirrors the colors of the Mexican Flag.  So, you start with a poblano pepper cut in half, stuff it with ground beef and some really tasty seasonings, cover it with a cream sauce and sprinkle it with red pomegranate seeds.  This dish would take our American stuffed green pepper, tie it in a knot, throw it to the ground and beat the life out of it.  It is delicious!  Delicious, I tell you!  Find the recipe.  Make it now.


Government building in San Miguel decorated for Independence Day



Starbucks has even made it to San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende street






Once more we waddled to the car and decided it was time to retreat to the welcoming arms of the ranch.  While the guys rested and recuperated, Luzma, Cecilia and I decided on a foray to The Lavender Project.  Founded with a grant by some organization based in Holland, local farmers are now cultivating lavender and turning it into soap and other products.  It's very hard for the farmers to find profitable crops when they have to compete with agribusiness (and the Chinese) but lavender offers hope.  The land out there is beautiful (kind of high meadow) and as we drove up one of the co-op leaders was leaving on his wooden cart pulled by his pregnant donkey.  It was that time of day when the sun is lowering and everything seems to pop and has a luminescence different than at any other hour.  He turned around and came to greet us and show us his lavender.  I snapped up four plants and he presented me with soap and a sheaf of dried lavender as a gift.

Pregnant donkey pulling wooden cart


As we were leaving, Cecilia said,"I think I want to buy a horse.  Yes.  Let's go look for one."We wove through dirt roads and in and out of fields as Cecilia attempted to find the house of a man she thought had the horse she wanted.  Multiple people provided multiple directions but... in the end... the man and horse were not to be found.  We did, however, see an astounding amount of countryside.  Pretty much fun.

By the next morning, we realized that we just didn't have one more church or historical sight in us -- at least not that morning.  So, Luzma and Stanley decided that what we needed to do was go to La Grupa.  La Grupa is a spa or balneario.  Central Mexico is a very seismic area which is the good news and the bad news.  The huge Mexico City earthquake -- bad news.  Hot springs -- good news.  Nestled in acres of gardens with huge trees are the hot springs which are funneled into pools of varying sizes and configurations.  When we got there the place was almost deserted which was great.  Probably the highpoint was the grotto, although I had my misgivings at the time.  From the pool you enter a narrow tunnel that gets progressively darker (phobia #2) leading to a very dark chamber (possible phobia #4) lit only through a sky light type thing in the ceiling.  Once I realized that I wasn't going to hyperventilate or be stung, bitten or slimed upon, I gave myself up to the experience.  Kind of like an indigenous sensory deprivation chamber but more social.  On the wall is a giant shower head kind of thing that periodically provides a powerful waterfall function.  All those in attendance form a casual line around the perimeter to take their turn being inundated and then sink once more into the muscle melting warmth of the water.  Four hours later we girded our now reconstituted bodies for more on road mayhem and headed off to Queretaro.


                                          Video shot by Luzma at La Grupa

Deirdre looking fearful in the grotto
Guanajuato was named for frogs.  I'm a little unclear about this but, to someone, the landscape of Guanajuato looked like two frogs in silhouette.  You could fool me but the locals seem content with this explanation.  However, inexplicably frog likenesses are pretty much everywhere in Queretaro which wasn't named for frogs.  During our visit, one of the many plazas was filled with fiberglass frogs in various poses and costumes used as a fund raising event for local charities.  Michael was quite taken by them but I am strictly rationing his inclusion of frog photos in this post.



One of the many frogs on display in Queretaro
From a historical prospective, Queretaro is the oldest of the three cities we visited and was the base for both the conquistadors and the church.  The Franciscans ran the show here and set out on their missions to as far as Texas and California from this launch pad.  The Franciscans-- remember St. Francis and the friend of all animals thing-- were not allowed to ride on horses or donkeys.  So they WALKED on their missions.  Take a look at a map.  Preferably a topographical map.  This is impressive.  Queretaro, not to ignore our principal historical link here, was also the home of the Independence movement.  The insurgency was planned here and the Spanish Governor's wife was part of the plot.  I bet she and the Gov had an interesting conversation when the jig was up.  It was also where the Mexican Constitution was written in 70 days.



Another one of the many (approximately 45) frogs of Queretaro
Queretaro was our hands down favorite as a strolling, hanging out city.  Many, many plazas.  The cleanest city we've seen in Mexico or maybe anywhere.  Gazillion outdoor restaurants and bars.  Beautiful colonial buildings and churches.  So anyway...Luzma's daughter lives in Queretaro where she teaches school and her boyfriend Eduardo, who is an architect for a mining company (don't make me explain), was in town so we all went out to dinner.  Finally, a chance to have a cross cultural interchange in OUR direction.  Luzma selected a restaurant that she termed "American" but whoo! not just American.  Cajun!  Our little hearts thumped in our chests.  Cajun food does not abound in Mexico.   And it was really, really good.  Before you could say Louisiana, we had them throwing down oysters and dirty rice and jumbalaya and they loved it.  And we loved it.  Everybody happy.  Excellent.

7.5 mile aqueduct in Queretaro (no Pont du Gard, but impressive)

All the trees in the Plazas are meticulously trimmed

A church in Queretaro with a lot of gold leaf around the altar

After dinner, we decided to take one of those trolley tours because, frankly, walking another five miles or so to see all the sights was not within the realm of possibility.  Or interest.  So we hopped on board.  At the last moment, Stanley hopped off.  He pleaded incipient nausea at the thought of the swaying, weaving trolley entrapping him in an hour of inescapable hell.  We let him go.  We had a nice tour and three out of the five of us actually understood what the informative, Spanish speaking tour guide imparted.  We returned to find Stanley happily tucked into an outdoor bar under a large screen TV that he had somehow managed to convince the management to tune to the Democratic Convention-- not a top ratings draw in Queretaro.

While Luzma and Lisabetta returned to her apartment, Eduardo, Stanley, Michael and I got a fix of politics while salsa bands tuned up all around us for the long night of partying ahead.  When the blare of brass instruments reached a crescendo threatening to blow our brains out through our ears, we decamped, hit a liquor store and returned to the apartment to listen to Obama's acceptance speech.  It was a little surreal to sit in an apartment that could have doubled for our apartment when we were in our twenties, in a Mexican city listening to the most American of American type of speeches.

Michael securing the kayak to the Subaru
Well, the trip was drawing to a close.  The next morning we strolled the city for a while and then just one more stop was planned.  Michael's kayak had to be picked up, strapped to the Suburu and conveyed to it's new home.  I won't bore you with the details but things are never as easy as you think they'll be.



So there you have it.  It was a great trip.  We drove hundreds of miles through country and city and never once encountered any cartel problems or, in fact, any problems at all. We're already working on our next trip with Wes and Ron -- hopefully in November.  We'll keep you posted.  Take care.    

Monday, September 17, 2012

Tripping (not that tripping) thru the Independence Cities and Cliff Notes Revolution


OK.  There's a lot to cover here.  Four amazing cities, much food, the ranch, a revolution that lasted 10 years and a balneario.  All will be explained but perhaps not cogently.  First the Cliff Notes version of the start of the Mexican Revolution.

In 1810 there was a conspiracy afoot in Queretaro.  The peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain) controlled everything and were hated by everyone.  The crillos (Spanish blood but born in Mexico) were annoyed second class citizens and everyone else (mestizo, indigenous) were worse off than that.  Key to the conspiracy was Father Miguel Hildago, a crillo and a pretty eccentric and not without flaws priest, who had a parish in Dolores (now renamed Dolores Hildago for soon to be obvious reasons).  They'd planned the revolution for December but the plan was uncovered and, in September, it was now or never for the insurgents.

Hildago gathered 3,000 peasants and other disaffected persons in front of the church and delivered what is known as the "grito" or cry for independence.  Actually,  in typical Mexican fashion no one can say for sure what he said.  Some say that he invoked the  blessing of the Virgin of Guadalupe. However he hadn't yet gotten to the city where the standard bearing her image resided and it is said that it was an impulse decision to grab the standard and march with it.  Some say... well, never mind.  No one knows for sure but  he got the group psyched for ousting the peninsulares, grabbed the flag and marched on to Guanajuato.



Church before which Padre Miguel Hidalgo issued his grito for Independence
Guanajuato is where the bigwig Spaniards hung out. Why?  Because this city produced half of all the silver existing in the world at that time (or some big percentage, don't quibble).  And now, the rabble approached.  Thinking fast, the entrenched aristocracy threw their vast booty of jewelry, gold and silver bars, jewel encrusted icons etc. into their duffles and made off for the granary.  The granary is a big, big, stone, fortified building that takes up a city block.  Impregnable.  Ha!  Wrong again.

The rebel forces marched into the town and perceived immediately that their machetes, pen knives and stones were not really up to the task at hand.  In order to vanquish the enemy it had to be hand to hand and the granary was unassailable.  Until Pipila.  Pipila was an indigent miner and clearly a man on a mission.  He realized the only way to get in to the granary was through the front door but the Spaniards had guns -- lots of guns.  So, Pipila utilized the poor man's body armor and strapped a large stone to his back.  He then lit a torch, crawled several hundred yards on his hands and knees and burned down the door to the granary.  He lived to tell the tale.  They don't make them like Pipila anymore.  The 3,000 revolutionaries overpowered the far fewer, but much better armed, Spaniards and the revolution was launched.

Statue honoring El Pipila



Granary in Guanajuato

Hildago joined up with Ignacio Allende in San Miguel (soon to be renamed San Miguel de Allende for obvious reasons) and they gathered more soldiers and marched on toward Mexico City.  The Royalists were very strong there though and Hildago and the crew decided to retreat to near Guadalajara.  Even though they had amassed 80,000 predominantly indigenous troops they were not prepared for the 6,000 well armed and disciplined troops that followed them and engaged them.  It did not go well.  Not well at all.  So poorly in fact that Hildago, Allende, Juan Aldama and another guy (sorry I forget) were captured, beheaded and their heads were hung on the four corners of the Granary in Guanajuato FOR 10 YEARS!  I mean really. TEN YEARS?

Okay.  After that it gets boring.  If you want to cover the remaining 9+ years just log on to Wikipedia.  Actually, Mexican history is very interesting... and confusing.  One guy was in power 11 different times.  But I digress.  The reason I covered the beginning of the revolution was because these four cities: Delores Hildago, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro are the ones we visited with our friends Luzma and Stanley.  Appropriately enough, two weeks before the celebration of Mexican Independence Day (September 15).  Well, the 16th too.  How much of a party can you have in one day?

Gearing Up for Guanajuato

We decided to travel light on this trip to the Revolutionary Cities.  But it didn't turn out that way.  Much like our trip to Mexico, the back of the Subaru was crammed with necessities like a gigantic picnic hamper boasting full place settings of everything you could imagine, a box full of dolls that would be sold by Luzma's sister's charity, enough camera gear to record the upcoming inauguration etc. etc.  Fully loaded, we hit the road to Guanajuato. Four and a half hours later we pulled into what must be the most confusing town to drive in on earth.  There is a reason.  Guanajuato is built entirely on hills (no really mountains).  It wasn't too bad when there were horses and mules.  Cars were a problem.  However, think back to my earlier statement about silver.  Silver mines.  Silver mine tunnels.  Abandoned silver mine tunnels.  Presto!  Turn the tunnels into roads.  Around the mid Twentieth Century, they lined all the abandoned tunnels with rock, threw up a few signs with arrows and Voila! An underground road system.  It is very neat but to the uninitiated it is a nightmare.  No landmarks.  No sun.  No sense of direction.  Signs in Spanish coming at you at 35 mph directing you to turn IMMEDIATELY.  We got a guide pronto.  Even with the guide, Michael was like Pavlov's dog as the very nice elderly Mexican gentleman muttered "right here, now left, straight, no now! right, left"....

Guanajuato is an amazingly beautiful city.  But the photos will show that.  It is also a University town brimming with young kids.  It's almost impossible to relate everything we did on this trip and I don't want it to be the blog equivalent of one of those endless vacation slide shows.  So, I'll just tell you some of the things I thought were very cool in Guanajuato and if you have questions you can email me.



Overview of Guanajuato from El Pipila statue
The Estudiantinas -- The University is very strong in Music and every night in September the college students, called Estudiantinas, dress in Medieval garb and play lutes and other like instruments and perform on the central plaza.  They then invite you (for 100 pesos -- about $8 USD to follow them through the streets as they perform weaving through the narrow alley ways.  This is one way they fund their living expenses.  Public University tuition is free in Mexico.

Estudiantinas performing 


The Callejon del Beso - The Alley of the Kiss is an alley that at one point has two balconies facing each other only 27 inches apart.  The story tells of star crossed lovers who defy the girls father and persistently kiss across the balconies.  The father kills his daughter. Why not the guy?  Meant to ask.
One must kiss in the Callejon del Beso under the balconies to ensure good luck



The Mummy Museum - Well, it was a little cheesy but I have never seen so many mummies!  Michael felt it was offensive to photograph them so you'll just have to use your imagination.  Apparently, something in the soil preserves them with no human intervention.  I'll just let it go at that.

Picnicking in the Park -  After a long drive there's nothing like it.  Feed the ducks, eat pate and cheese, drink wine, plan the afternoon a bit.  Mexicans love to eat outdoors and will buy street food or grill in parks at the drop of a hat.  They looked at us a bit strangely with all of our paraphernalia spread around us since they employ a more down to earth approach but a good time was had by all.

A picnic at Presa de la Olla in Guanajuato


Seeing the City from the Statue of Pipila -  This statue is huge, and he kind of looks like he's about to stomp on the city because he's leaning a bit forward (see photo).  The views are phenomenal and the city is laid out before you.  The colors of the houses and buildings are... getting vacation slide show on you.

Donde Esta Dolores?

After spending the night in Guanajuato, we used our guide to visit a silver mine, mummies museum and a wonderful hacienda with restored gardens that the Government took over.  After lunch we headed out for Dolores Hildago and then on to Luzma's sister's ranchera.  In Dolores Hildago we saw the famous site of the first "grito" and hung in the plaza eating street food.  It was the first time I saw an actual cantina (with the swinging doors, dust particles floating in the air etc.).  My Spanish teacher, Lulu,  had instructed us (well the females) to never go in a cantina as rough men and whores (her pronunciation) were to be found there.  Luzma concurred in LuLu's assessment.  I stayed out.

Luzma's sister's ranch and her story could fill more than a blog or maybe even a book.  Years ago, the family that Cecilia married into controlled vast portions of Guanajuato (the state, not just the city).  They grew chilis which anyone with half a brain would realize would be lucrative in Mexico.  Well, there was land redistribution during one political reign and their land holdings were reduced but were still vast.  The family built a town for its employees called La California since the head of the family at the time had gone to college in California.  The town has a beautiful church, school, etc. and I think about 50 families live there.  Things continued apace until the late '90s when the Chinese (damn those Chinese-- aren't they satisfied with electronics?) cornered the chili market and depressed the prices hideously.  It essentially drove the family out of the business.  But Cecilia was resilient.  She developed her own business manufacturing and marketing mole.  That wonderful chocolatey-something elsey stuff you put on chicken. She started out in her kitchen and then designed and built her own factory.  She now employs quite a number of people and has distribution throughout Mexico and into the U.S.

Cecilia graciously invited us to stay with her and it was a terrific experience.  She is one of those hostesses who just instinctively makes you feel comfortable and welcome.  And the food!!! Check out the photos.  I made Michael go in to the kitchen and shoot dinner, breakfast and the sideboard table because it was so aesthetically pleasing.  I'm gushing.  She deserves it.  It makes a tremendous difference, I think, when you travel with and mix with the people who live in the country.  Luzma made everything so much better and more interesting for us not only because she speaks the language but because she can interpret the culture and innuendos of situations in a way that we never could. We ended our first night at the ranch with wine in hand, sitting on the couch and living room chairs watching Bill Clinton give a speech of a life time.


Sideboard with food at Cecilia's


Breakfast Table at Cecilia's

I think I might max out my blog room here if I continue.  Tomorrow I'll try to continue on to San Miguel de Allende, Queretaro and maybe squeeze in Independence Day in Ajijic.  Take care.  Be in touch.




Jardin de la Union, aka Pedazo de Queso (slice of cheese) in Guanajuato


Teatro Juarez in Guanajuato



Church of La Valenciana (all that you see on the altar and above is gold leaf)


Governor's Palace in Dolores Hidalgo, decorated for Independence Day








Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Up, Up and Away....

The blogs should be coming fast and furious over the next week.  There is simply too much going on to cram it all into one blog.  Our trip to the Colonial Independence Cities, The Globus Festival, and now the upcoming celebration of Mexican Independence this weekend.  Since the Colonial Independence Cities trip will be an extensive post, I decided to warm up with The Globus Festival.

People had talked about this unique little festival held each year in which locals create hot air balloons out of tissue paper, fill them with the required hot air and set them aloft.  I pictured crafts of a few feet, in the prototypical shape, wafting softly into the air. Ha! Wrong Again!  All over the village neighbors, clubs and businesses form teams to enter these balloons into the competition.  As with most things here, it is totally multi-generational with team members (predominantly but not exclusively male) spanning ages from 7 or 8 into their 60s.  The balloons are constructed out of tissue paper that has an almost silky aspect to it.  There seems to be no internal structure to them and they are very delicate (more on that later).

Now a central facet of hot air balloons is that there must be a fire which continues to create the hot air so that when it rises... well, you get it.  So, now you have tens of, perhaps a hundred, amateur created balloons with fires in them rising over our small village.  Hmmm.  Maybe that's why they do it in rainy season.

And these puppies are not small.  Some may be only 10 or 15 feet but others are as much as 30 feet tall.  We've included a lot of pictures on this post because the range and creativity of the balloons set us back on our heels.  They ran the gamut from Sponge Bob Square Pants to a memorial balloon for a young mother who died of breast cancer.  Polygons, tributes to the Chivas Soccer Team,  rocket ships, Mickey Mouse (he met a sad end), a Corona bottle... you get the idea.
Sponge Bob Square Pants Takes to the Skies



Remembering Their Mother

Corona Mega


On to the setting.  I feel confident in saying that at least 100 US safety and fire regulations were violated during this event so it was a good thing we were in Mexico.  Now, remember you have a hundred or so balloons being propelled by fire, the fixings for fire (kerosene etc) and a crowd of a thousand or more.  Everyone and everything is co-located on a soccer field enclosed by a fence with one exit.  Also within the field are refreshment stands featuring fire in terms of barbecues, rotisseries and adorable paper decorations within inches of the cooking instruments.

Early arrivals get the stands, the rest bring their own chairs (or stand)


People are literally sitting next to the balloons which are being inflated with hot air.  Dogs and children in large numbers are running amidst the crowd.  The town drunk is sitting 15 feet from us swilling Tequila from a bottle and singing in Spanish " I love Tequila.  It is good to me.  I love it like my mother. Ah, si".  The children find this humorous and sing along.  Parents do not seem put out by this.



Getting ready to set up and inflate the ballon
Preparations take an hour or two and people take advantage of this time to visit with each other and eat and drink as much as possible.  And then, one by one, or occasionally two at once, the balloons begin to be set aloft.  Here are the things that can happen: 1) lift off is successful and the balloon ascends quickly and moves safely over the Lake; 2) the wind or an imperfect design tilts the balloon so that the highly flammable paper hits the flame and it ignites within seconds sending burning embers (and sometimes sheets of flame) into the nimble crowd; 3)  it makes it up over the crowd but doesn't clear the trees and bursts into flames there; 4) it veers unfortunately to the North and hits the power lines (a real crowd pleaser) and bursts into flames.  Clearly, three out of four of the possibilities are disappointing to the launching team and potentially life threatening to the spectators but no one lets it get them down.





Lift-off






A Flame Out





Mickey Mouse Crashes into Tree, Bursts into Flames ...






& Leaves Two Mouse Ears Burning










Caught by the Power Lines

To me, the Globos Festival incorporates most of what I find fascinating and endearing about Mexico.  The people who make these balloons work six days a week for long hours at mostly manual labor and yet they have the energy and commitment to work as a team to make something very intricate and often of great beauty.  A whole community had a wonderful afternoon and evening for absolutely free or at very little cost (see living large on very little).  There was no admission fee to this.  You could bring your own food and drink.  It is such a civil society.  There was no conflict here.  Nobody pushing to get better seats or getting drunk and starting a fight.  Nobody is uptight.  Parents let their kids run because they know that if a burning ember is headed towards the tot people will step in a swoop him out of harms way.  A sing along with the drunk will not turn the child into an alcoholic.  If your balloon that took forever to make bursts into flames before it gets off the ground... well, there's always next year.

So, there you have it.  Until next years Globos.  Take care, have fun and let us know how you are doing.  We'll try to get another post or two up this week.


Some Don't Even Make It Off the Ground

Creativity in the Balloons Amazes & Astounds



Another Balloon Creature




A Pinata Balloon