We continue our wanderings through the Historic Center of Mexico City looking for Day of the Dead "ofrendas"...
We walked along 16 de Septiembre Street, and come upon this "ofrenda" in a cosmetics shop. The display is in the form of a "tranjinera", the flat-bottomed boats that ply the canals of the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco.
Farther down the street is the Casa Churra, a restaurant where I have eaten lunch a number of times. We stepped inside, not to eat, but to snap a picture of their "ofrenda".
Just a block away is La Ideal Bakery Shop, an institution in the city. They did not have an "ofrenda" but their windows were filled with "pan de muerto", sugar skulls of all sizes, and other treats for the season.
A branch of the Sanborns, a chain of restaurants and gift shops, had Day of the Dead cakes in one of their windows.
Several blocks to the north is República de Guatemala Street. One of the old houses there has been converted into a boutique hotel. This "ofrenda" is at the entrance.
On the ground floor of the hotel there are a number of expensive shops surrounding the courtyard. One of them is a handicrafts store called Chidomex. It has an "ofrenda" which in fact is a display of objects on sale.
Nearby is a shop which sells primarily religious items (it is located right behind the Cathedral).
Their "ofrenda" had two boxes. In one you could put the name of a deceased loved one, and in the other the name of a pet who had passed away.
Just down the street is the Archival Museum of Photography. (That is one museum I have not visited yet.) We stepped just inside the entrance to see their "ofrenda".
Moving a block to the north to Justo Sierra Street, we reached the colonial building which houses the flagship branch of the Porrúa Bookstore chain. We stopped in to see their "ofrenda" and to pose for pictures with a friendly family of skeletons.
We had a snack at the bookstore's rooftop café, and then walked past the ruins of the Aztec temple to the city's main plaza, the Zócalo. The Zócalo has been the site in recent years of an enormous "ofrenda"... a "mega-ofrenda" they call it... that takes up much of the vast plaza.
This year we were disappointed to see that the "ofrenda" was still under construction and not open to the public. It did not look as if it would be finished in time for the parade the next day. (They must have worked all night, because it was completed.) It also was not nearly as large as some of the displays in past years. Furthermore, according to what I have read, it will be taken down tomorrow, Wednesday, so I will not even have a chance to see it.
The "ofrenda" was to consist of booths representing each of the "alcaldías" or boroughs of the city. They were also laying down decorative "carpets" made of colored sawdust and sand.
Alejandro has been very critical of the way the government has handled the Day of the Dead events this year. They did not hold one of our favorite events, the Parade of Alebrijes. There has been a lot of confusing and contradictory information... for example, where the "Mexicráneos" would be exhibited. The Day of the Dead parade, which was supposed to be the most spectacular one ever, did not live up to the hype. And the Zócalo "ofrenda" was not prepared until the last minute.
Some more "catrinas" and "Mexicráneos" were scattered around the empty areas of the Zócalo.
Now the Day of the Dead is over. If you were getting tired of seeing so many "ofrendas", "catrinas", skeletons, and skulls, you can now rest easy. That is, unless the "ofrenda" on the Zócalo is still in place the next time I make it downtown. 😀
No comments:
Post a Comment