Castillo Fireworks

Click on the photo to view the slideshow and fireworks movie

Thursday night, near the mercado Ignacio Ramirez, the final event of the celebration of the Virgen de Guadalupe was held. Vendors food booths and people filled the streets. The Virgin’s altar was in full bloom, the procession of women carrying a wood nicho on a litter of flowers, and singing Buenos días, Paloma Blanca, had just arrived, followed by a lineup of followers who are served tamales and atole.

Castillo fireworks, which in this case include the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe who will be burned up in flames at the end of the evening, are being assembled in the street, roped to the surrounding buildings. It is a raggedy but self assured group of men from Guanajuato climbing around these towers, tying rockets, whistlers and vueltas. Grupo La Tuna Provinciana de San Miguel de Allende, dressed in black velvet shakespearan costume continue on from the women carrying the litter with Buenos días, Paloma Blanca, one of the many songs written for the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is song you would probably recognize, widely sung by mariachis, norteno bands, school children and women carrying statues, whenever the Virgin is present.

As the evening wears on and the crowd has had it’s share of pozole, tamales, enchiladas, gorditas, hamburgers and fries, the rockets begin. Roman candles are lit off in the middle of the street one after another from a triple iron stand, watched by it’s owner who counts the number of booms by bobbing his head and looking up in the sky after each one. The rockets are followed by the lighting of the first side of the castillo, popping and crackling as the first fuse ignites.

The banda Risuena, dressed in shiny silver suits, decked out for the occasion, begin playing a cacophany of songs and drum rolls, accompanied by trumpets, trombone, clarinets, providing music for the display. After all these years, I still don’t quite get the banda music, which in local groups include the youngest of children to the old guys who have been practicing for years but sound like they can’t hold a tune. But over time, even I can hear the difference between the local neighborhood groups and the professionals. One thing for sure though, if there is a banda, there is a party, and they are there to help it along.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO to view the movie

The photos of castillo fireworks towers don’t really do justice to the feeling they create in the street while they are going off all over the place, sending flames and paper into the crowds. Up until about three years ago, young boys, from ages five to about thirteen, were allowed to run under the falling sparks, wearing cardboard boxes over their heads and backs, a rite of passage that is no longer allowed here in San Miguel. Nevertheless, these are thrilling fireworks to watch in person, something impossible to compare to anything you’ve ever seen in the U.S. and certainly nothing you would ever be allowed to watch from 25 feet away.

Click on the photo to view the song

As for the subject of this post, Buenos días, Paloma Blanca, here is the Grupo La Tuna Provinciana singing the song, with the words to follow along below. Click on the photo to view the video.

Here’s the words, which kick in mid-song:
Buenos días, Paloma Blanca
Hoy te vengo a saludar.
Saludando tu belleza
En tu trono celestial.
Eres Madre del creador
Y a mi corazón encantas
Grácias te doy con amor
Buenos días, Paloma Blanca.

Niña linda, niña santa
Tu dulce nombre alabar.
Porque eres tan sacrosanta
Hoy te vengo a saludar.
Reluciente como el alba
Pura, sencilla y sin mancha
Qué gusto recibe mi alma!
Buenos días, Paloma Blanca.

Que linda está la mañana
El aroma de las flores.
Despiden suaves olores
Antes de romper el alba.
Mi pecho con voz ufana
Grácias te da, Madre mía
En este dichoso día
Antes de romper el alba.

Cielo azul yo te convido
En este dichoso día.
A que prestes tu hermosura
A las flores de María.
Madre mía de Guadalupe
Dáme ya tu bendición
Recibe éstas mañanitas
De un humilde corazón.

Nacimiento Babes

Every Christmas,
Markets are set up all over town,
Hundreds of stalls selling
Cactus,
Eno,
Tree bark,
Fir boughs,
Painted clay figures,
Glittery things,
Lights,
Nino Jesus dolls,
And elaborate hand made clothing
To dress him in, for his birth

Nacimentos (nativities) here in Mexico,
Are room size affairs.
They are not a little box that sits on your hearth,
Not by any stretch of the imagination.
They literally fill a whole corner or wall of the living room.

In the next posts,
I’ll go into the making of a nativity,
The fabulous over the top Christmas markets here,
But for now, here are the babes of the nacimientos.

Click on the photo to view the slideshow

If you click on the photo above,
It will take you to a slideshow of these gorgeous creatures.
These dolls belong to the owners of the market booths.
They will be placed in their nativities on Christmas eve.
Some are very old, have chips and flaws,
Have been repaired.
They can be found in outfits
Ranging from nurses to the pope.

The owners of these market stalls
Have been sewing for months -
Some all year long
To bring these charming outfits to market
For you to buy for your baby Jesus.
© 2009 Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe

CLICK on this photo to view the video, Virgen de Guadalupe 2009

I think the saying goes
‘Let me count the ways’
And today, the multitude of ways they honor the Guadalupe, Lupe, Lupita, beginning at midnight with fireworks and a mariachi mass.

At 7am there is a rosary at the altar down the street, with singing, praying, tamales and atole.

Every statue in town is decorated, every statue is sung and prayed to. Many are carried through the town in arms, atop taxis, in nichos, carried by four women on litters that are covered in flowers. She is placed in doorways and windows, serenaded to by norteno bands, recorded music in the markets, and the people.

Her altars are decorated in gold lamé,
Red, white and green flowers and Christmas lights.
She is made from wood, paper,
Plastic, plaster, metal, clay and sequins.
Her image is on everything from notebooks
To curtains to car windows.
She resides in everyone’s home.
They believe in her with all their hearts.

In our neighborhood
Her altar is painted on a wall, decorated with flowers, bread and food. There is a rosary and singing after which everyone dresses up in their locos costume to party, eat and dance. There’s even a greased pole with presents at the top for the children to climb.

Click on the photo below to watch the movie of how today’s day in honor of the Virgen de Guadalupe unfolds.

CLICK on this photo to view the video -- Virgen de Guadalupe 2009

Weavers of Peña de Bernal

Peña de Bernal Is considered the third largest monolith in the world following the Rock of Gibraltar and Sugarloaf in Brazil.In mass, it is second to Ayers Rock in Australia and towers at a height of about 450 feet.San Sebastián Bernal sits at the bottom of the mountain, a small quiet town that claims an average life span for it’s inhabitants, of 94.7 years.

The mountain is believed to have magical properties,
Bringing thousands of pilgrims each spring equinox,
Dressed in white robes, to an evening community ritual
At the small chapel mid-way up the mountain.
The town has been bestowed with the gift
Of being one of Mexico’s 35 or so Pueblos Magicos.

On the weekend, the town is full of people,
Mostly tourists who live within a day’s ride.
Rock climbers come to scale to the top of the mountain,
Hikers skirt around the lower half.
Most likely you’ll see walkers in tennis shoes or boots,
But being as we are here in Mexico,
We also saw groups of younger women
In high heels. Go figure.
During the week, it is a peaceful, colorful ghost town.
We went last year on a Wednesday for the night.
The town closed up at seven so our dinner,
Was up on the highway, a taco stand
Which sold tacos de cabeza – eye, tongue and brain,
Or chorizo.

That didn’t stop us from enjoying the town,
Climbing part way up the Peña,
Or buying some of the fabulous wool traveling blankets.
The weavers here make many things,
The women of the town knit sweathers, shawls and vests,
But Bernal is famous for it’s wool textiles,
Blankets, rebozos, bufandas,
Which I have to say are top quality,
In beautiful natural colors and designs.
It is worth a visit to the workshops
Where the rhythm of the shuttles and pedals
That work the loom create a quiet music
As meter after meter of cloth forms at the other end.
Besides the wool, they make colorful cotton bedspreads,
Pillow covers and decorative wall pieces and rugs.

Click on the photo to go to our site where these can be purchased.

Besides the hand woven textiles,
One can find artisan foods,
Including cheeses,
Hand made candies
Artesanal jams and jellies.

The Peña has been used as a backdrop
In many Mexican movies including
La Cucaracha with Pedro Armandas and Dolores del Rio,
El Gallo de Oro with Ignacio Lopez Tarzo and Lucha Villa,
Adios Nicanor,
El Lugar Sin Limites with Isaura Espinoza
To name a few.

Although never mentioned in travel books,
Bernal has a wonderful cemetery
Which sits at the bottom of the monolith.
It has some of the more unique burial mausoleums
That I have ever seen, not to mention
Being a very peaceful place to spend some time.

Although Bernal is a tourist town,
It maintains a sense of self and place
That we didn’t find in Tequisquiapan,
Which although has many thermal baths to draw people,
Didn’t maintain the sense of place that Bernal has.
Perhaps this is because of the mountain,
Or the hand crafted textiles that are made here,
Or perhaps that it hasn’t totally given itself over
Completely to the tourist.

Click on the photo below to view a slideshow of photos which includes a short movie of the town and one weaving studio at work.

CLICK ON THE photo to view the slideshow including a video of the town and weavers of Bernal

©2009 all rights reserved.

Dia de los Muertos Altar

I spent most of the day on Calle Relox, with Elvia and her girls, watching and helping a group of young men build an altar for Jesus (Kiro) and in honor all of the other deceased of this neighborhood -parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends. The decorating and painting of this fountain is a tradition with these guys and is also decorated by them for every major holiday or religious festival.

The day began at 9am – a group of men on a mission carrying buckets of soapy water, hanging two story long black curtains, placing the muertos figures, plants and Xuchiles. Then the draping of boxes and tables on which photographs were placed along with tequila, beer, food and last, a giant seed and sawdust painting of Jesus (nickname Kiro) as an ironworker (his profession) and the dates of his life, 1971-2009.

Here’s a few pictures of the day.
The links to the entire slideshow are at the bottom.

Teri, Jesus’ daughter, plucking flowers

Elvia, surveying the scene

Little Lupita
Who wanted a picture of herself below her father’s picture

The seed and sawdust painting.
Kiro as a skeleton ironworker, hammer and anvil, 1971-2009

The altar at night

Elvia and her four girls at the altar at night.
Beto, her son, didn’t want his photo taken as he had just had
An operation on his jaw, but nevertheless, played a large part,
A rite of passage for him to be included with the men
In the construction of the altar.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO to view the entire dia de los muertos slideshow

CLICK ON THE PHOTO to view the entire dia de los muertos slideshow

Six Months Later

I met up with Elvia and her four daughters at the cemetery today. She was late so I waited in front for an hour, arms full of flowers – you know me by now, trying to video people coming in with flowers, buckets, shovels, eating a bag of home made potato chips with salsa and lime, trying not to grease up the lens of my camera, wiping my dirty hands on my white blouse. Boy are those potato chips good, I usually don’t let myself eat those, but I coudn’t help myself.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of people inside. Gravesites were covered with flowers, candles and food. Little boys were running around with plastic buckets, offering their services to get water for the flowers. Mariachis, Norteno bands and street musicians were playing. I’ll never tire of watching a group of mariachis in their white embroidered suits, carrying trumpets, guitars and violins, sing to an elderly couple who have crawled over the iron fence which surrounds the grave, to place flowers, light candles, and sit down holding hands, while they enjoy the music with their loved one.

But that isn’t the point of this post. About seven months ago, my neighbor Petra lost her daughter Maricela to complications with lupus and on the ninth day of her novenas, Elvia’s husband, was murdered by a seventeen year old boy who wanted money for beer. It was and is a terrible tragedy for Elvia’s family. Elvia has a son and four daughters, ages four to seventeen. Today, was the first dia de los muertos for them. For a while we just stood around looking at each other, waiting for someone to bring a ladder to reach Jesus’ crypt which was at the top level. While we are waiting, Elvia tries to hold back tears as she notices that someone had come earlier in the day, leaving flowers and a can of Modelo beer. She is pretty sure it was her brother Fila.

Karin decides it is not worth waiting for the ladder and climbs the crypt asking for flowers. The older girls and I break off flower tops and hand them to her while Elvia holds her in place. Little Lupita stands by finishing off my bag of potato chips. Imagine having to decorate a gravesite this way. If it weren’t so sad, it would be comical. It takes us about fifteen minutes to get it just right, with Elvia putting on the finishing touch – the can of Modelo right up front in the center.

There is a deep resigned grief, a few minutes of reflection, hugs and kisses around and agreement about how nice it looks followed by an agreement that he will like that Modelo, which makes us all laugh even though it is hard not to cry a on a day like this.

Go here to view the slideshow of this week’s dia de los muertos celebration

Dia de los Muertos 2009

The preparations have begun

There are flower sellers everywhere. Home altars are being created, Car repair, shoe and small tiendas Have transformed into flower shops. You can’t avoid the papel picado banners or skeletons. Although Monday is officially the day, Families are already in the cemetery Cleaning gravesites, Placing flowers Spending time together Praying.

Back in town, altars are being constructed in the Jardin

The altar above is in memory of the heroes of San Miguel.

Today, I went to the panteon - Just a few families were there cleaning gravesites, placing flowers. Tomorrow there will be more people, and Monday even more. I will be meeting my neighbors Petra and Elvia there, With flowers for Maricela and Jesus who died this year. The family has not been to Maricela’s grave since she died. Last week, Petra told me she wouldn’t go to Maricela’s grave this year. Apparently she has had a change of heart, because today, She told me she will be going after all. Elvia is going with her five children. Together they will decorate the sepulchre where Jesus rests, But the main altar for Jesus, will be on Calle Relox At the big pink fountain near the artistan market.
Monday, the transformation of the panteon will be complete, Over the top with flowers and wall to wall people. Click on the photo below to view an album of photos Which I’ll be updating over the next few days As I visit the cemetery, my neighbor’s homes, Plus a visit to our friend Juan, who is making floral xuchiles For both Maricela and Jesus.

Click on the photo to view the slideshow

Palenque & Mayan Ruins

Last week
We hopped a plane in Mexico City
For Villahermosa and Palenque

PALENQUE - MAYAN RUINS

Villahermosa is about 1.5 hours
From the jungle and Mayan ruins.
We landed, and took a taxi
As it was getting late in the day. 

We were immediately hit with
Moist jungle climate, our bodies sweating
From the moment we got off the plane.
The ride was smooth and uneventful
Arriving in Palenque town about 6pm.

From there, it was a 7km ride out to el Panchan,
A jungle village of cabanas which range in style
To concrete houses painted bright green
To screened in rooms with bunks
Or hammock campgrounds.

We stayed at Margarita and Ed’s Cabanas,

In the downstairs back side of the main house
We had a room with double bed and pink walls
Jungle ferns and red blooming flowers outside our window
The grounds were meticulously landscaped and clean

Inside the door, there is a sign
Which says don’t flush the paper in the toilets.

After settling in we wandered over to Don Muchos
A big restaurant underneath a large palapa roof.

The restaurant was filled with Europeans
Mostly German and French, with a big mix
Of  young people with dreadlocks and tattoos
Who were either passing through
Or living there permanently.

I ate the enchiladas with red sauce
Which was more like spagetti sauce
The tortillas folded in half over chicken
Rather tasteless to tell the truth.
After eating, we passed by the jewelry tables
And went to bed.

We arose early to eat and be off to the ruins
We sat down to eat at an outdoor food stall,
Named something that had to do with Monkeys
But weren’t served after 10 minutes
So we went off to Don Muchos again
For a rather uninspiring breakfast
Which was neither Mexican, Italian or American
And decided no more tasteless meals there.

We decided to walk into the ruins
Which are about a km walk
From the entrance to el Panchan
We bought our park entrance bracelet
For 20 pesos, and were on our way.

There’s a concrete winding path
With fallen coconut hulls everywhere
Everything seemed to be in bloom

Along the way
Are various jungle accomodations
Cabins, hammocks, campgrounds and hotels
Locals have homes within the park
And an elementary school
Resides in the middle of a field,

Schoolhouse in the jungle

Children working and playing
Around a roof with two walls.

At the first entrance to the ruins
Is a large, modern museum.
Combi vans honk along the way
To see if you want a ride in
We bought our tickets
Walked in the first entrance
Which is a km long set of stairs
Set into the steep hillside

A gorgeous walk which meets up
With minor ruins along the way.

The main ruins site
Is set in a large, open grassy area
Which houses many large pyramids
Various minor excavations
Few of which are marked
To tell you what they were
You had to go out to the main gate
To read the sign board map for that,
Rather a flaw, we thought,
As we had no idea what we were seeing
Which didn’t matter really, as it was all
Ancient and beautiful and serene.

Here’s a slideshow of the ruins, palenque & El Panchan

CLICK ON PHOTO to view the slideshow

 

 

We exited through the upper entrance
Passing colorful booths with local crafts,
Food booths, and the usual artistans.

Artist Studio Specials

This week we made a visit
To the painting taller of Aron and Oscar.
They paint our custom retablos
As well as colonial style and kitschy
Pieces on wood, tin and old windows and doors.

Below, are a few of the pieces
That they have asked us to sell for them.
They will be sold at a special artist studio price
And as you order them, they will ship 
From here in Mexico, allow 2-3 weeks
For delivery.  
You’ll find these in our ‘New Arrivals‘
On our website – Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art 

These unique wood crosses 
Are atop wood stands which are
Made from old wood beams
Some have glass in front of saints images
Others, allegorical crosses atop retablo paintings
These are some of the more unique crosses
We have come across in a long time
And hope you enjoy them!

           

  

  

  

Along with these unique pieces
Are new talavera from the artist studi0 In Guanajuato. This talavera catrina plate will be sold from the artist studio only & will ship up to the states when your order is placed and then out to you.

 

Talavera Catrina Plate

Where All Those Cantera Stone Carvings Come From

Many of the carved Cantera stone figures
Architectural details, columns and canales,
Saints, angels and fountains
Come from a small town
In the Queretaro mountains
Adjacent and a few kilometers away
From the town of Pedro Escobedo,
In a town named Escolasticas.

John had gone there with his boys
Two Christmases ago and wanted to go back.
We hopped in the car with Richard & Chris,
And were off to see if we could find
This remote town on our own.

Escolastica lies in the hills,
About an hour outside of Queretaro.
The highways are good and it’s easy going
Until you get to Pedro Escobedo
Where you know you have to turn.

The highway makes a detour
To main street, where you can buy
Tacos, chicken, baskets, groceries
Visit with your neighbors, buy eggs,
Get your car washed or find a taxi.
But there isn’t one sign for the road to Escolastica

About four blocks down,
I unroll my window
Ask a man on the street
If he knows the road to Escolastica.
‘Hijole’ he says (like oh God!)
He motions around in a circle
Tells us to go left, then left, then straight
And keep going.
Which of course leads us exactly back
To where we were.

We go left, where there is a line up of taxis
We ask the lead driver if he knows the route.
He tells us to go left, then left and straight
Todo direcho – keep going straight
And you’ll get there.

It looks like a dead end to nowhere
So we head back up the highway road
Thinking once we get out of town
There will be a sign.
As we leave town, we realize the map says
That the road is not outside of town
But somewhere in the middle.
We turn around again and John
Stops a gas truck to ask a third time.
The driver tells us, “go past the light, three streets
Turn left and keep going.
You’ll see signs for la Lira
Then Escolastica.”

This works, but it doesn’t look right
A cobblestone road, barely rideable
Past old buildings that look like
Abandoned stone jails.
But soon there is a sign for la Lira,
A town, and down a little street
That doesn’t seem like it can go anywhere
Then across the ‘highway’
Really, a small two lane paved road
Which leads us 7 km more into Escolastica.
You know you are there
When you start seeing things like the carvings below
And when a car goes by, or the wind blows
It picks up all the stone dust and blows it around
Drying out your face and throat.

As we arrive, there is a long stretch of nothing but carvings
Then a long stretch of town, which is surprisingly large
Followed by a stretch of countryside
With a few studios, carvings behind wire fences,
Then a long stretch of big workshops
Where they cut the large pieces
With saws that have teeth that are an inch and a half long
Whose cuttings, mixed with water hit the wall beyond
Making an image the shape of the Virgin of Guadalupe

There are carvings of every imaginable shape and style,
Angels, virgins, saints, monsters, soldiers and mermaids

And architectural features and forms
Canales that look like animals, along with simple plain ones
You can imagine water flowing from their mouths

Sitting atop blocks and cylinders of stone,
with carved pillars at top

Men fighting beasts
Where would one put something like this?

Angels of all kinds

In the midst of what appears to be a dirty, dusty, unkempt, disorderly
Group of workshops, you’ll find inside
A very neatly arranged tool bench

A workspace worthy of the piece they are working on,
A large round rose that will go in the top of a church

Next to the calendar girl that normally adorns the workshop wall
But there are no walls in these workshops
So she is bound to the telephone pole

Roman, Christian soldiers on chariots
Are surrounded by birds and fountains
And we all started singing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’

A rustic hacienda style,
Low palapa roof home
Sits at the back of one workshop
Guarded by a life size lion
Shaded by a large tree
In a garden of cactus.

Click on the photo below
to view the slideshow

Go to: Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art

 

© All rights reserved, 2009, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art