Virgin Update

I know you have all been sitting on the edge of your chairs waiting for my update on the Virgin of Guadalupe.  I mean what else is there to do four days before Christmas.  So, as you may remember we finished up nine days of celebrating the patron Saint of the village --San Andres-- in early December.  After a relaxing break of three days, we then commenced celebrating the Fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe for nine days.  I am such a religious illiterate that it took me this long to get the correlation between novena and nine days.  Nine is the magic number.  So, for nine loud and lusty days the Virgin was feted with daily processions, bottle rockets, fireworks and street dances.

I could have done exhaustive research to provide you with the full background on the Virgin and why she is so revered in Mexico but I've decided to plagiarize instead.  Our friends Jim and Chris know all about this kind of stuff (like religious stuff) and helpfully sent out an email which I will now freely avail myself of (dangling participle I know).

 

I had mentioned before that I didn't understand why Aztec dancers kept showing up in religious festivals.  Aha!  Now I know.  It turns out that an Aztec named Juan Diego (I don't know but that seems an odd name for an Aztec) was up on the top of a temple on Tepiak Hill in what is now Mexico City when the Virgin appeared to him.  But, hold on, THAT'S NOT ALL.  She was pregnant, looked like an Aztec (not Euro) and spoke to him in Aztec.  Well, he went and told the bishop who said, "Pshaw, impossible".  There may have been some ethnocentric bias in his unwillingness to believe but Juan just went away.  But the Virgin would not be put off.  Juan tried to avoid her but she showed up again -- this time with a helpful tip.  She said something like: "Here.  Take these roses and put them in your tilma and NOW go see the bishop."  A tilma is like a loose shirty thing.  So he did.  The bishop only let him in so he could yell at him and get him to quit pestering him with all this Virgin stuff.  But then, Juan remembered about the tilma, dropped it open and the roses fell to the ground.  Followed quickly by the assorted clergy dropping to their knees.  This was because not only do roses not bloom in Mexico City in December (oh I didn't mention it but he first saw her Dec.12th) but also because there was now an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe right on his tilma!  Wowzers!  So, they built a church over the Aztec temple where the priests had performed human sacrifices and that is why the Aztecs got to like the new priests better than the old priests.  I think that is why.  I think I may be hearing from Chris and Jim about my take on this whole thing.

So, anyway, if you are so inclined you can go to Mexico City and see the 500 year old tilma (made of cactus fiber which obviously holds up well) at the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine.  Along with two million other people if you pick December 12th to visit.  I'd go off season.

But back to the village celebration. It fit the usual pattern in most ways with bells ringing morning, noon and night and bottle rockets etc.  However, there was a procession every night for nine nights.  And not a little one as you can see by the pictures.  Muchos Aztec dancers, a float with the Virgin, guys carrying the image of the Virgin on a wooden platform, a band, dancing horses and bottle rockets bringing up the rear.  As the procession proceeded, villagers would tag on to the end with their numbers growing with each block covered.  On the final night there was a huge street fiesta outside the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe where mass was held.

Street altar to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Miniature Juan Diego with Our Lady of Guadalupe on the front of his costume

The anticipation of waiting for the procession

Another Juan Diego (a little older) with mustache

The much anticipated float leading the procession with the tableau of Our Lady of Guadalupe & Juan Diego

The Aztec dancers with colorful feathered headdresses 

Note the hand carried cup with burning incense on the right & the conch shell being blown on the left

Note the woman in the center dancing on the cobblestones in bare feet --- ouch!

Somebody's obviously enjoying the procession

The Aztec men are much fiercer looking than the women

The boar's head headdress is quite impressive

A side view of the boar's head

It is quite an honor to carry the picture of the Virgin

No procession is complete without the band

The people follow at the end of the procession

At the very end is the cohetero who lights the cohetes (rockets)

We do not recommend you try this at home --- this is a job for a trained professional!

So now it's over.  However, there was only a brief intermission between this Fiesta and the beginning of the Posada.  Every night for about a week, children dress as Mary and Joseph and go from house to house looking for shelter.  Trailing in their wake are the children of the village.  Why you might ask?  Because at the house they end up at, they are invited in and candy is provided to all.  We have yet to witness this, and unless we get our act together, we are going to miss it entirely.  It is not that simple though.  See the first night (like 5 nights ago) they started from the Church.  Now, every night they start from the last house that they were at.  Except, since we didn't go, we don't know what house that is.  I asked Nancy about how we could find out.  "Well, you just go outside around 4:30 and follow any children who are waving a wand with tinsel on it."  Okay.  I will report how this strategy plays out in the next blog.

Leaving the restaurant this evening, we saw this posada (captured on the iPhone)

You can see the children wa;king into the Church

The children & adults walk through the street to the Church

The young & young at heart all come out for the posada

In the meantime, Michael and I hope that you all have an absolutely wonderful Christmas (if applicable) and a healthy, happy 2013.  And I apologize for any electronic card mishaps -- again.  All the best to all of you.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oy! Christmas Tree

It's Not the North Pole Dorothy

Okay, there's a lot to cover but I just have to start with the Christmas Tree.  Actually, I might go on about this for quite a while.  When you spend most of your life in New England you firmly believe in the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of a perfect Christmas Tree.  Of these rights, the greatest is clearly a perfect Christmas tree.  If there were an A.C.L.U. here they would take my case.  Where to begin.... On December 8th we left the house to find the perfect tree.  There were three left at Walmart and each made Charlie Brown's tree look like a prime nursery specimen.  There was no one to tell us if more would come.  We went to three nurseries. "Oh, mas tarde, mas tarde"  (too late, too late or confusingly, later on, later on perhaps) we were told in each. We asked Luz Ma (our cultural interpreter) who confirmed we were, in fact, too late for anything approaching a reasonable tree.  Mexicans erect their trees in late November.  Even if they use real trees.  Ninety+ % use artificial trees for obvious reasons.  Luckily most of the houses are concrete, minimizing conflagrations.  So, by waiting until the outrageous date of December 8th we had eliminated our chances for finding anything like a Douglas Fir, Scotch Pine or Blue Spruce.  I grew increasingly hysterical at the thought of no Christmas Tree while Michael urged a spirit of compromise and acceptance of the fact that we were in a radically different climate and culture. " Poppycock!" I shouted. "I shall have a tree."  Well, we do...kind of.  You can see it.  It cost 150 pesos (about $12) and I still think I was taken.  What's worse is that it is alive and Michael thinks this is a good thing because "we can use it next year".  Oh, God.

Siam passes by the newly installed "live" Christmas tree

The Christmas tree after being trimmed by Deirdre---note the scissors

The Christmas tree with lights

Christmas tree with lights & ornaments

Christmas tree with lights, ornaments & some presents under the tree

On a more positive note, other Christmas decorations are quite wonderful here.  I bought these reindeer along the road and the family made them by hand. I trundled up the street to the Zapoteria (shoe store) where the little old lady also makes and sells decorations and got these wreaths made of dyed corn husks.  It is astounding how much is made out of corn husks here.  The Virgin of Zapopan. Tamales. Dolls.  Poinsiettas (called Buenas Noches here) grow like shrubs, even like trees in the yard.  So, we're pretty much set for Christmas.

Michael suggested this cactus by the casita be our Christmas tree

Poinsettias abound in Mexico at this time of year

Deirdre gives an idea of the size of the poinsettia blossoms 

One of the world's largest piñata 

The reindeers Deirdre purchased festooned with lights and poinsettias

The corn husk wreathes decorate our front door

Deirdre thinks the pine needles look prehistoric --- a prize to anyone who can identify the tree this came from

Last night we went to a Christmas Concert that featured a local chorus and orchestra.  Now, much like the Christmas tree thing, I have demanding standards for Christmas music.  Luckily, in this case I didn't have to compromise.  The first half of the program featured Bach's Magnificat and the second half traditional Anglo and Mexican carols.  The chorus (about 45 members) was Gringo expats but from all over the world -- Russia, India, Bulgaria, France, Sri Lanka, Japan-- the list was amazing.  The orchestra was predominantly Mexican.  Both were very good.  There was also a Children's Orchestra and an 8 year  old boy did a marvelous solo on My Poor Donkey (Pobre Mi Burrito -- now you know what you are eating, si?)

The Christmas Concert choral group (taken with my iPhone)

In another departure from tradition, I have sent e-cards as Christmas Cards this year.  It has been very confusing to me.  And, apparently, it has been confusing to you too.  I have gotten emails saying, "I don't have a dog and I don't live in Houston.  Have you lost your mind?" or "I'm Suzanne.  Do you have another friend named Suzanne who just retired?  I've got her card." or  "I've gotten four cards from you, can you stop?" or...well, it goes on.  So: 1) If you didn't get a card, I'm sorry; 2) If you got somebody else's card, I'm sorry; 3) If you got 3 or more copies of the same card, I'm sorry; 4) If I said anything indiscreet in a card that wasn't meant for you I am REALLY sorry. Very sorry.  I'm sure I will have mastered this whole thing by next year.

So, there will probably be one more Christmas blog, hopefully less whiney, before we wrap this season up.  The Posadas begin tonight I believe.  There's a string of parties.  And then, the Main Event.  So we will keep you informed.  Look for another post soon on the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  Didn't have room in this one but will get right on it.  Take care.    

Blog Antipasto

You know how you get the antipasto plate and you just can't decide what to eat first?  Well, I can't get a handle on what to tackle in prose first.  Our lives for the past few weeks have been a plateful of fiestas, visitors, tours and whatnot.  So, I'll just jump in.  Random, no order.  Please deal with it.

The Whole Village Did Not Ignite

In our previous blog, I proposed that the entire Village might go up in flames during the epic finale of the Fiesta de St. Andres.  Didn't happen...strangely.  For nine days each morning (circa 5:45 AM) the bottle rockets, mariache bands and church bells commenced-- to be repeated at noon and 6PM.  Each day they grew louder.  By Day Nine it was like being in Gaza.  "Incoming!" Michael and I would yell gayly at Brian (Michael's brother) and Dian (his wife) who had the good fortune to be visiting last week.  Every night at the plaza there was a massive fiesta with all the trappings.  The biggest was sponsored by the Construction Workers who have more money than any other group in the town (Thank You Gringos!).  After five or six hours of extraordinarily loud bands, dancing, the paseo (young punks and punkettes strolling counterclockwise around the plaza) and four or five plates of street food everyone was ready for the highlight of the evening.  This is what had the potential to ignite the town.  The Castillo.  Hopefully we have a picture.  The Castillo is a wooden scaffold-like structure which is a couple of stories high.  They build it directly in front of the Church and use ropes to hold it steady (kind of).  Attached to the front are all manner of fireworks that spin around shooting sparks, flames etc.  Quite something.

As the time approached, everyone ambled to the Churchyard and adjoining street.  Small children were clustered around the Castillo and delighted in stamping out the stray (and abundant) embers that flew off the Castillo at high velocity.  No one seemed perturbed.  When one spinning wheel refused to spin, a man climbed the Castillo (which was detonating at the time) and calmly gave the offending wheel a shove.  We later learned that in a similar situation a man had lost three fingers in his attempt to urge a wheel to spin. The Castillo was discontinued for a couple of years after that but then everyone said "What the heck" and the tradition was revived.  Day ten and the cessation of celebration was well received by us.

A ferris wheel is set up in the street by the plaza.

The Castillo in the courtyard of the Church of St. Andres

Mi Casa es Su Casa

I've promised a few of you a little taste of the architecture of Ajijic (besides our endless photos).  So...when Steve (Deirdre's brother) and Lee (his wife) were here several weeks ago we had a chance to go on a Behind the Walls House Tour that is run for charity.  You have a driver and go to four houses and it is really cool. It feeds the voyeuristic tendencies I have that tempt me to stare into stranger's houses as we drive by at night which I can't do here because all the houses are behind walls. But I digress.  The houses were all very different.  I won't get weird and go into elaborate detail but will just give a little background and then the photos will do the talking.

House 1.  The most typical (and my favorite) house.  Was the first bakery in Ajijic and then only two rooms.  Now 6,000+ square feet.  Narrow front but runs the depth of the block.  Restored and expanded by an artist and photographer with excellent taste.  The central courtyard is typical of Mexican architecture.  To be hacienda style all of the rooms have to exit onto the central courtyard and there is a roofed veranda that provides cover as you walk from room to room.

Guest Bedroom

Den with couch & yarn painting above couch

Artist & Photo Studio

Casbah Room

Windows in Casbah Room

Kitchen (originally the bakery)

House 2.  Money be Money.  Owned by a very nice Canadian couple with houses in Toronto, the Caribbean and here.  Their Dad owns the estate next door. Oh well.  I would live in their stables (12 stalls, nicer than our first house).  But a little soulless for me.  Lots of shiny marble.  Could have been a mansion anywhere.  Maybe I'm just jealous.

Outdoor living is a part of living here

Tile counters in the kitchen

View of the back of the house with the pool

Side elevation

The Stable for the horses

House 3.  And this could be yours for $219K USD.  This one was for sale.  Brand new and very well done.  Smallish -- 2 bedrooms and an office.  Very much a Moorish influence.  That's true of many houses here for all the obvious reasons.  Spain... Moors conquer...Mexico... Spain conquers.  It is completely possible to get a very nice 2-3 bedroom house here for $150-200K (and no bills for heat or air).  Come on down.

Intimate dining room

Living room with fireplace

Detail on fireplace

Outdoor area with fountain

House 4.  Well, it WAS a house.  Now it is a boutique hotel.  Whereas House 2 could have been anywhere, this big, old house was pure Ajijic.  Hacienda style, a bit quirky, with a touch of misplaced English baronial lurking around the edges. We were so taken with it, we came back the next day for lunch.  Excellent.

Kitchen 

Fire place in bedroom

Bedroom with library

Bathroom

Living Room

Looking down on dining room

A Couple of Odd Things:

*  Playing Lotto with the kids at the orphanage I was a bit put off when I turned over a card which pictured and labeled "Un Barracho" which is a drunk.  The next card said "El Negrito" and featured a black man.  I doubt this toy will find acceptance north of the border.

*  Goats are used to trim the grass at cloverleafs on the highway system.  They are not fenced, tethered or attended to by a goatherd.  Either goats are very smart or very cheap.

*  Christmas is HUGE in Mexico, and unfortunately as commercial as it is in the US.  Here children seem to like to try out Christmas gifts before asking Santa.  While traversing the aisles of Walmart (forgive me my more socially conscious friends) I was repeatedly struck by tots whipping through the aisles on Barbie bikes, Elmo tricycles and, most painfully, a skateboard.  I didn't observe them ripping into toy boxes but it is entirely possible.

We really had a great time with Lee and Steve and Brian and Dian and did many things and had many adventures which will go unchronicled due to space constraints.  My brother was vastly relieved to witness first hand that we were not directly in the clutches of the evil drug cartels and also learned that riding a horse too aggressively in your senior years can have unpleasant consequences.  And Dian learned that even though she isn't into shopping, shopping here can be another story. I'm not sure what Lee and Brian discovered but all assure us that there will be return visits which we are looking forward to.

Now it is on to Navidad.  Time to get the tree (perhaps cut 6 months ago in Alberta but we'll see), ship out those electronic cards and order from Amazon for direct shipping to our gift recipients over the border.  We'll let you know how all that goes.  Take care.

This is where we ate lunch, when we came back