Ground, Sticks, Ground, Sticks -- Mother of God!

The History of Field Hockey

OK.  Listen up all you prissy, preppy New England Muffies who moaned constantly about your demonic gym teacher who made you play field hockey.  You got off easy! Easy I tell you!  Last weekend, we wandered down to the Plaza because I was intrigued by an article that said that some folks from Michoacan would be demonstrating Warrior Ball at 3 PM.  Warrior Ball?  Sounds cool. But how would you play it in the Plaza?  There is no walkway wider than 20' in the Plaza and it is crammed with people day and night.  So, first we were watching these adorable little kids dressed up like old people with canes doing some dance off to one side of the Plaza.

The Danza de los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men) is one of the most famous of Michoacan's traditional dances. Children dressed in baggy white cotton trousers led by a woman with all masked as old people alternate between the tottering steps of the viejitos and running & dancing frantically,...

Until they all finally collapse from exhaustion!

Here mother's prep their daughters for another dance routine.

The young girls follow an intricate routine.

Then in yet another display of concentration, they balance beer bottles on their heads while dancing,...

and the effort at concentration while performing this feat is evident on the faces of the girls.

When our backs were turned to the kids, they began to set up the Warrior Ball court directly behind us.  First they laid out a circle of wood shavings and then built tendrils of wood shavings outward to form a sun pattern.  Then they laid big field hockey sticks outwards from the circle.  Wait....field hockey sticks? Oui.  Then men showed up with conch shells and women with incense burners.  Odd.  Then they sprayed lots of accelerant on all the wood shavings. Uh oh.  Then, as conch shells sounded and incense burned, they lit the circle and flames shot up.  Very cool.  Now, mind you, this is taking place on a sidewalk that is, at most, 15 feet wide with park benches on one side filled with tots and parents and old people and steps on the other filled with folks  who had been watching the dancers. After a few minutes the circle of flames dies down and the participants pick up the field hockey sticks.  More wood shavings are put in the center of the circle.  A guy reaches in a bucket and pulls out a ball soaked in tar or kerosene or something.  He puts it on the wood shavings, LIGHTS IT, and then it is "ground, sticks, ground, sticks" Whooosh and the flaming ball shoots down the court.  It is fielded and hit into the park bench with scrambling fans swatting at their pants and shirts.  Back up court, it is launched in the air once more with the flames trailing behind it like a comet.... Well, you get the idea. No one finds this close proximity to flying fire upsetting in the least.  Small children and dogs show good reflexes in dodging the fireball as adults subtly move two or three paces back.  I was heartened to see that this was a co-ed sport although I thought the full skirts probably subjected the women to a greater threat of death by fire.  And now you know where field hockey came from.  And stop complaining about it.

One of the "hockey" sticks is used to measure a circle formed by wood chips.

After the initial outline is formed the circle is filled in with more wood chips.

In our village, where the dogs roam free, one wanders through the circle as it is being prepared.

The rays of the sun are added to the circle,...

and an accelerant is added to the wood chips around the entire circle...

including the rays of the sun.

This couple enters the circle, the conch shell is blown...

and the wood chips are set ablaze....

slowly burning as everyone looks on.

At either end of the plaza the participating warriors march toward the circle...

with flaming torches and the incense burner.

As the flames slowly die out all of the warriors gather around the circle...

the conch shells are blown once more...

and everyone rotates to face the four ordinal directions.

After this the warriors are "blessed" with the incense prior to the start of the game.

The ball is set alight with the torches...

and the game begins.

It is not unusual to see the ball flying over the heads of the warriors...

or even flying toward one of the warriors.

The flaming ball is very close to the onlookers.

Sometimes it seems the ball is in the air more than it is on the ground.

It's Christmas Time for the House Tour

OK.  Take a break, get that egg nog, and settle in for the Christmas House Tour.

House #1

This may be my favorite house EVER on ANY house tour.  It is totally a "behind the walls" house in that the outside is plain brick, no windows, no nothing but a door. Looks kind of small.  The door opens and KAPOW! this house is unbelievable.  It stretches a full block in downtown Ajijic front to back -- that's like probably 300 feet.  It is vast but unassuming.  The people are collectors and they had everything out for Christmas.  I think it is a bit more restrained post Christmas.  I'll let the photos speak.

This is the dining room which is directly off the entry hall.

One of several Christmas Trees in the house

Just a sample of the variety of collections within the house

The living room was very "homey" and the art work was very intriguing.

Among their collections were some unique board games and antique toys.

How people can put so many prints and colors together and make it work boggles my mind.

The house centers around the pool area -- poolside bar here.

Notice the pillar at left of pool.  It is like an aqueduct and during the rainy season channels rainwater to the pool.  I think.

Outdoor dining room

Indoor traditional kitchen

At first I thought these toys non- PC but they were benign -- I think.

The artwork of Fernando Botero is very popular here.  He is from Medellin, Columbia.

Un poco gordo, si?

You can see the aqueduct aspect more clearly in this shot.

One of the guest bedrooms.

A little Oriental thrown in.

In Mexico, you have to embrace purple.

Outdoor kitchen poolside

There were terrific flowers everywhere.

A little casita all tricked out for the grandkids -- lucky grandkids.

Awhhhh.  Cute.

Double cute.

Main Portion of house shot from pool.

Even further back from the main house as the sun sets.

House #2
We know the owners of this one-- John and Earl.  John is a very talented artist and he has his studio and organic vegetable growing outfit in the back yard.  This house was very cozy and well laid out with a wrap around terrace that had amazing views of the Lake.  Well, it was dark but you KNOW it did.

Entry way to the main house

John and Earl really go all out decorating for the Holidays.

Guest room.

Lots of brick and stone and warm lighting.

Lap pool with a view.

John's studio and organic vegetable garden to the right.

View from main house out over garden, studio and casita

Stockings hung by mantel with care....

OMG!  Did they nail an elf to their door?

Another bedroom

Stairway to Main Floor.

Dining room.

Kitchen with a view.

View from the terrace

House #3

Well!  THIS never happened before.  The owners refused to let you take photos.  So there.  No writeup.  Two can play this game.

House #4

Yes.  Well, this is more like a mansion.  And the place the Christmas Party was held.  You drive up and it is like approaching a castle.  You enter the gates and there is a huge area suitable for limousines to  pull up and discharge guests (not us).  You enter the house up a staircase about fifty feet wide and confront the lap pool/fountain receding into the distance.  The house is set up hacienda style around the central courtyard and pool.  It is massive.  It is for sale.  Maybe somewhere around $2 million but no one knows for sure.

He seemed a bit frivolous for the setting.

Impressive, yes?  This is just leading to the house with casita tucked away to left.

He said I hadn't been very good and I almost cried.

In central area around pool.  House is hacienda style.  All rooms open off center courtyard.

Shot across pool to other side of courtyard.

Living room

More living room.  Nice fireplace and mantel.

Any yet -- more living room.

Whenever we are in Tonala or Tlacapaque and I see these giant chandeliers I wonder who can use them. Now I know.

Amazing, huge kitchen in full throes of catering the party.

Lap pool cum fountain.  LONG!

Library/Den

Still in the den...

Aha! Chihuly or Tonala?  You decide.

A guest room.

Master Bedroom sitting room - I think.  This was a big place.

Dressing room -- really.

Bathroom - really.

And yet more bathroom.

And a fireplace in the bathroom - really

Oh, and this is HIS master bathroom

Either he is very small or that is someone else's kimono.

Master bedroom

Cool chest

A very imposing place all in all.

Hey, Hey it's The Virgin

I won't go through the whole thing again.  If you don't know about the Virgin of Guadalupe and how revered she is throughout Mexico, just click on last December's blog, and all will be revealed. However, new, startling information has come to light which I feel obligated to share with you.  Plus we have some adorable photos of little Juan Diego kids so here goes.  Just a quick reminder that December 12th is La Fiesta of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  For nine days prior, there are the morning cuetes, brass bands, processions, masses etc.    On the 12th, at the culmination, there is also a parade where we shot these photos.

OK.  Maybe I will have to go through some of it. In order to prove to the priests that Juan Diego had, in fact, seen the Virgin, he brought flowers that the Virgin had told him to pick and wrapped them up in the apron he wore.  When he met with the priests, he unfurled the apron and the flowers fell to the floor. BUT, there on the apron was the figure of the Virgin of Guadalupe in striking clarity.  OK. So now to the news.  I read this in the Guadalajara Reporter this week:

"A 20 year study by Jose Aste Tonsmann of the Mexico City Center of Guadalupan Studies ( I told you they take this seriously) concludes that inside the eyes are highly detailed microscopic pictures of at least 13 people.  It is believed they are the reflection of the witnesses in the room at the moment that the peasant Juan Diego unfurled his cloak and the image appeared."

Almost three years into living in Mexico, I no longer say "hogwash" to reports such as these but rather "¿quien sabe?".

They LOVE drum and bugle corps. here.  And tubas.

You get it all in these parades.  Conquistadores, Aztec goddesses.  The whole works.

You know who that is.

Men of the Village carry the Virgin in procession.

Villagers follow the parade to the church for Mass.

I know.  I know.  That trombone is deafening.

Every band needs a water boy.  Look carefully.

Huh?  I'm who?

I have no idea why the little girls carry these on their backs but they are adorable.

Wins for prettiest baby in the parade and the competition was fierce.

Alters to the Virgin are set up throughout town to honor her.

Well, that's it for this time.  Probably the last pre-Christmas blog but will furnish a full description of posadas, parties and the Creche display of Christmas Eve in the next one.  In the interim, have a great time and may your days be Merry and Bright.