Death Comes to the Market

On Thursday I left Alejandro's house and went to the apartment that I rent.  Late in the afternoon that day, I took a stroll to the neighboring "colonia" of San Pedro de los Pinos.  Except for two major avenues that traverse it, most of the neighborhood has the feel of small town Mexico.  There is not much to see there, but it is a pleasant area.  I went in the market building there, and it seemed more of a place to eat than to shop.  A large central area of the building was sort of a "food court" with restaurant stalls.  There were not as many booths selling the usual produce, clothing, and household items that you usually find in Mexican markets.

One stall caught my attention.  I am not sure, but it seemed as if it might specialize in items for "brujería"... witchcraft.  There was a variety of religious candles and boxes containing all sorts of herbs.  Herbal remedies?  Or ingredients for potions???

One side of the stall was filled with objects for the Day of the Dead. 

I was thinking about buying a couple things, but I wanted to make sure that they were made in Mexico and not China.  (Earlier in the day I had gone to the Superama supermarket.  They had a whole section of Day of the Dead decorations, and they were ALL made in China!)  I asked the lady in charge of the stall, and she assured me, "Todo hecho en México… nada de China." (Everything made in Mexico... nothing from China.)  Indeed, most of the merchandise looked handmade rather than a commercial, mass-produced look.  So I bought a couple little things to decorate the apartment for the holiday.

On Friday I was downtown, and I passed through the artesanal market that is set up next to the Palace of Fine Arts.  Of course it was not difficult to find more Day of the Dead items.

These figurines are made from ground cow bones!

You know I am a sucker for handicrafts.  I ended up buying a couple more things to decorate the apartment!