Only in Mexico

As I wander around the streets here
Every day is an adventure of sorts
Today, I was on a local bus
Heading home from the farm
Where I have just purchased
The week's vegetables.

I arrange myself on the seat,
With my three large bags of food
A local man wearing jeans
White shirt, vest and a cowboy hat
Carrying an ornately made,
Well worn twelve string guitar
Entered the bus, stood at the front
And began singing.

Rustling around in my bag
I find my camera
And take a little video of the event:



The locals stare straight ahead
Don't look at him when he asks for money afterward
But I am happy to pay because I am always amazed
At the lack of self consciousness that eople have here
When it comes to playing music in public.
Plus it was really nice.

You don't need to have a gig,
You just go out on the bus
Or walk the streets and ask people if they would like a song
Then sing like there's no tomorrow,
Or no rest of today for that matter.
You don't even have to be good, you just do it
For that, I am appreciative every day I live here
And see things like this.

Besides all the auditory pleasures here
(And Mexico is cacophonous at times)
There are visual delights and wonders as well
Such as this delightful house, which I discovered
Several weeks ago while walking to town.

















The colors are just fantastic,
A rich blue wall
Bright yellow door, trimmed in red
Red iron work around the meter box






















A Virgin of Guadalupe tile mural
Is punctuated with muliticolored glass beads
Making a frame around her
Then colored plastic papel picado,
Cut paper party decorations
Strung across the front of the house.

Notice that the door is not to the ground
But dropped right into the wall

The walkway in front of the house...
Was artfully redone this week
















A simple round doorstep
Made with a collection of talavera tiles
And a winding trail of tiles on either side
Going up and down the sidewalk
With little trees, made out of flowering tiles
Beneath the oval arches above them.
















Further down the street
Inside a tin work studio
A rusted iguana
is hanging out in the window














And another outrageously painted wall
In bright turquoise blue
With rosa Mexicana pink in the brick inlay
Flowering trees and shrubs hanging off it
And hand written sign on the door
















Everyone is out on the streets here
















While waiting for the bus
On a very busy street
On the median strip
Sits a man with no legs
On a four wheel cart
Covered in a yellow and white shade cloth
Selling almonds for 10 pesos a bag
Cars are whizzing by
He is unfazed
Here's a little 3 second video
For the full effect



You see everyone out on the streets here
Mothers with young babies wrapped in rebozos, held close
The old, the infirm, the disabled, children selling 'chicle'
Mariachis, singers, and young people arm in arm
No one is hiding away
Everyone has something to offer
It is gritty and real and affirming at the same time

Atotonilco - New World Heritage Site

Last Sunday we thought it was the weekend for the Feria de Atotonilco, and decided to go. Our neighbors Marta, Aron and their son Ariel went with us. Upon arrival, we discovered that the fair was not this weekend, but next - however, it was the weekly market day, and the arrival of a large group of pilgrims who are here to pray, do pennance and repent for the week.

Photo above: Aron (in black) Marta and Ariel

We entered town from the El Cotijo side, near the entrance to La Gruta hot springs along the back side of the town. There were many cars parked along the stone fence going into town. We walked along into town. Booths began appearing, covered in colorful plastic 'lona' tarps - the Sunday market day.


Atotonilco is known for it's beautiful frescoes in the church, and this last week, along with San Miguel de Allende, Atotonilco was awarded the honor of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a great honor which will give international heritage status as well as much needed funding for restoration. Use this link to go to our tales from the road blog to see photos of the town, church and frescos.

The ceiling, walls and doors of this church are adorned with beautiful old paintings depicting religious and Hispanic scenes. The church also attracts about two million pilgrims a year, who we were told come weekly by bus, foot or car to be locked indoors for a week to pray, flagellate themselves (really) and do penance for their sins here on earth.

























Atotonilco is locally famous for it's statue of Senor de las Columnas, depicted below as Christ leaning over an urn, with disciplinas (for flagellating) wrapped around his waist and neck, bloody and tired with three gold rays, his halo.


The statue of 'el senor' makes the annual pilgrimage of about 10 km to San Miguel de Allende, overnight, every Easter for the Semana Santa Processions, arriving two weeks before the event and enters the town on a mile long flower filled street. To see photos of this, follow this link

Outside in the market, you'll find religious paraphernalia - disciplinas, large, small and in key chains, hand made by local artisans, and worn by all the pilgrims -

Along with Cd's that have images under resin of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, San Judas Tadeo to name a few - plus rosaries, gilded plastic frames with images of santos, religious cards --

Crowns of thorns made of wood and thorny spines from the bisnaga cactus - and hand made veils made of net and flowers which the women pilgrims, young and old wear during the week of prayer. Everything you need for the passion play.

And you can also buy an array of items for daily use -

dishes, plastic goods, food, plants or a beautiful sequined purse like John is showing here.

The food booths are selling botanas - Enchiladas, tortillas half dipped in chili salsa, fried rolled and filled with chicken and fresh cheese - gorditas, big fat tortillas rolled into a ball, cheese and chili inside, patted into a disc that is fried, then cut open and filled with meat, potatoes and corn - tacos with meat or nopales and cheese and carmelized onions. Down the way you can buy a nieve - iced milk or fruit in a variety of flavors, mango, chocolate or vanilla, zapote, limon, fresa or sandia.

Musicians wander in groups, find an area to stand or sit and play typical Mexican music with guitars and accordians.

Most of the crowd are pilgrims from ranchos and villages all over Mexico who still wear traditional clothing -

Women in colorful satin dresses, some wearing capes with crosses sewn on them and many wearing a mixture of traditional and modern clothing and hats - all of them wearing disciplinas, ready for their week of prayer and pennance.
I have to say, that coming into town, was like going back in time to another world of people, still steeped in traditional values, clothing and reverence for god. We were unaware upon arrival, that Atotonilco, while being famous for it's beautiful church, is also a pilgrimage site for two million pilgrims per year, many of whom come from villages that still maintain traditional ways of living, and who you see here.

At 5PM the pilgrims will go to the back of the church where the doors will be shut to the outside world for a week. They will be fed and basic needs taken care of while they reflect.



















The windows and doors of the church are all open today, shedding light throughout. Groups take turns kneeling at the altar to cross themselves and pray. Women are crying as they pray. Tourists wander about with cameras taking pictures of the frescoes, statues and architecture. The wood floors are mosaic designs, and the wood entrance to the doorway worn down from years of footsteps passing through.



















There are retablos of the stations of the cross and other religious stories painted into the doors and walls of the church and vestibules contain Santos to pray to. We were told that because of the new UNESCO World Heritage status that the market booths which surround the church in the center of town, and which have probably been a tradition for as long as the church has been standing, will no longer be allowed in front of the site after this year. The fair, which is a local event, will most likely be flooded with tourists. The status comes as a mixed blessing, bringing restoration, money and tourism to the town, but will surely change it's nature in the coming years.

Photo below: Ariel & me

Walking the Camino de Santiago, Spain 2008

Not exactly one of our usual stories about Mexican Folk Art,
but another type of quest and a really long walk!

The Camino de Santiago

Follows the ancient pilgrimage route starting in the Pyrennes in France,
and ending at the other end of Spain in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
It passes through many of the oldest villages and cities in Europe
and gorgeous countryside. We've included a few photos from our last walk
in September 2003 in this tales from the road.

If you would like to view our blog, please email us for the link.


The blog also has the emails we sent home on our last visit,
which will give you an idea of the complexity and wonder of a long walk like this.
Below are photos from our first trip and there are many more on our blog site.









































© All rights reserved, 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

Semana Santa - Sevilla Spain

I thought I would share this Spanish site which has beautiful videos of the Semana Santa Processions this year in Spain.

Click Here to View Videos

There is a collection of videos to view on this site,
and of which are reminders of where all Mexican Catholic
religious ceremonies began, and how faithful to the old traditions
the Mexican ceremonies and passionplays have remained.

You can also browse around the site which has many photographs and stories.

For those of you who do not speak Spanish, you can translate
the working by copying and paste into translate.google.com for a bad but passable translation!

© All rights reserved, 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

San Miguel Viejo

This week we rented bicycles, after being told by a friend that there are trails out of San Miguel into the countryside, around the lake, to the hot springs and around the campo.

Click on the last photo to view all the photos of our ride into the countryside and the original chapel of San Miguel de Allende



For those of you who have never been to San Miguel de Allende, it is a hilly (often steep) town with rock cobblestones on most streets. Neither of us had ridden a bicycle in a few years and the rental company was at the top of town so our first 10 minutes of riding was on bumpy rocks (more commonly and thought of as 'charming' cobblestones). Straight downhill.

We were weaving back and forth, like little children new to bicycles, and had to wind our way down Canal street, past the bus station on the way out of town, down to the train station and off into the countryside.




Once outside of town we were on more bumpy roads going past very small enclaves of houses, and eventually into San Miguel Viejo where San Miguel was founded by Fray Juan de San Miguel in 1542, a part of the Antiguo Camino Real, the silver route from Zacatecas.



Once inside San Miguel Viejo, we had to keep asking directions to the original church (chapel) of San Miguel, and discovered this little gem of a church near the lake. Although the doors were locked, we were able to photograph the nativity behind the altar
through the keyhole, as you will see lin the photos in the slideshow.

Click on the photo below to go to the full slideshow




© All rights reserved, 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

Neighborhood Posadas 2007

Two nights ago the posadas began in our neighborhood - the first one being at Marta & Aron’s, our next door neighbor’s house. Posadas are 9 nights of pilgrimages of Mary & Josph praying for room at the inn. There are prayers, songs and pleas.

The litter carrying statues of Mary, Jospeh and an angel are brought in to the house,
and left there until the next night where the rosary is held again and the statues move on to the next home.

Petra & Anai Singing back and forth to the crowd of people outside who are asking to come in


After you are finally let in to a home, there is Ponche, a very sweet fruit drink that has tecojote, guayaba, tangerines, oranges, sugar cane, canela spices and more fruit, then little bags of goodies for the children and mothers, and finally the piñatas.

The second night, last night, started at Marta & Aron’s where the statues were left the night before to be picked up for the next rosary and posada.


Today’s rosary for the posada was at Marta & Aron’s house next door – we all recited prayers - (about 100 Hail Mary’s and our Fathers – ( the ‘misterios’ as our neighbor Petra calls them) Reciting the rosary in Marta & Aron’s house.

young girls with candles …


Tonight, it felt more regular and not so mysterious. Kids, in anticipation of the piñatas, started showing up without their parents about a half hour before the adults.

The crowd of people grows each night, as the children find out where the posadas are. Young mothers, middle age women, grandmothers, children and babies make up the group. The men were noticeably absent. Everyone arrives singing.

This time, I had printed the main prayers in Spanish out so I could pray also. What a joke! It took 5 Hail Mary’s to realize that Beto (Petra’s grandson, and one of the few ‘older males’) would read the first half of the prayer, then the people would recite the second half of the prayer. They speak so fast I was half done when they were on the the next round.

For the second set of Hail Marys I was ready, but it didn’t sound right and I was reading the wrong thing. It turns out that for one set, Beto reads the first half then we read the second half. The second round, we read the first half, and he reads the second half of the prayer. After about 30 of these I had it down and only had to practice speaking it in triple time or leaving out words.



There were about 45 people this time and just like any unorganized local event, people were knowing what was to happen but not quite knowing what to do - who carries the statues, who follows first and the 8-12 year old boys were lighting all the candles and sparklers before they were supposed to and pushing each other around while their mothers swatted at them because it wasn’t time for that yet for that.

(photo below from 2006 posada)


Beto was giving orders to whoever would listen and an elderly woman and her granddaughter finally made it on to the street with the saints. They couldn’t decide which way to go on the street – so they turned around in circles with the whole crowd following them back and forth in circles until someone started laughing, and they decided to go all the way around instead of up and across.

Lety and her twins Miguel & Angel led the singing and Petra finally grabbed little Duncan’s hand because he was running all over the place, and Anel, his mother, is so pregnant and tired by this time that she couldn’t keep up with him - people were spilling hot ponche on themselves and people next to them.

The little boys finally were given the go ahead to light everyone’s candles & were begging people for their sparklers so they could hang behind and play with the fire. We finally made it to the house up on the upper right corner of Calle Paraiso and everyone sang to be let in - they sang over and over until the owners of the house finally opened the door to us singing the glory be and thanks song.

This time there was more hot ponche and bags of goodies, but no piñata. The crowd was bigger than the first night. I am told it will be 100 people (maybe more) by the time it is at our house this coming Sunday!


On the way back I asked Marta if it was normal to have no piñata and she said that it totally depends on the house. If there isn’t a lot of money they will give the goodie bags first, then ponche to drink, then piñatas. No one seemed disappointed.

Each night one or two of the grandmothers introduced themselves to me, curious about the gringa in the crowd and Marta or Petra would explain that I am their neighbor and live here. I plan to go again tonight, to experience the fullness of the whole experience and to meet more of my neighbors, young and old

As they hit the piñata, there are songs that everyone sings which tease the hitter and put a limit to the time each child gets with the stick.

The songs, in English & Spanish are below
A free for all as the piñata falls & Beto (tall young man) helps the younger kids get goodies

The piñata songs:
Spanish
Dale, dale, dale.
No pierdas el tino.
Porque si lo pierdes.
Pierdes el camino.
Ya le diste una.
Ya le diste dos.
Ya le diste tres.
Y tu tiempo se acabó.

English:
Hit it, hit it, hit it.
Don’t loose your aim.
Because if you loose it.
You loose the way.
You hit it once.
You hit it twice.
You hit it three times.
And your time is up.
© All rights reserved, 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

The Festival of San Miguel de Allende

Click on the links to view photos
of the Festival of San Miguel & Voladores of Papantla, Vera Cruz


Voladores of PapantlaPublish Post


Festival of San Miguel, September, 2007

© All rights reserved, 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art