Weekend Purchases

 I made a couple of purchases while we were on our weekend trip to Jalapa.

At the ruins of Cempoala there was a souvenir shop next to the entrance to the archaeological site.  Give the fact that Cempoala does not get that many visitors, it was a rather large store.  Unfortunately, I would classify most of the merchandise as tourist junk.  There was one piece of pottery, however, that caught my eye.  I thought that it was quite an attractive, understated piece of work.  Unlike the other pieces of pottery there, it was not gaudy, and it was not emblazoned with "CEMPOALA", something which, in my opinion, relegates even an otherwise nice item into kitsch.

There was no price tag on it.  When I asked the storekeeper how much it cost, he told me sixty pesos.  That's only three U.S. dollars!  Of course, I bought it, and it is now sitting in the apartment.

Near our hotel in Jalapa there was a shopping mall with a "Chedraui Selecto".  "Chedraui" is a chain of stores which originated in Jalapa, but which are now found throughout Mexico and even in the southwestern United States.  The stores are a nicer version of Walmart, and the "Selecto" stores are a bit upscale.   On Sunday evening Alejandro and I walked over to the "Chedraui" to look around.  There we found something rarely found outside of Yucatán...  Xtabentún.  

Xtabentún (pronounced Shtah-ben-TOON) is a honey / anis liqueur produced in Mérida, Yucatán.  I am not much of a drinker, but I do like Xtabentún.  On trips to Mérida, I would end each evening sitting in a sidewalk café sipping a glass of the liqueur on the rocks.  Even in Mexico City it is not easy to find.  You certainly won't find it in "Chedraui" or any other supermarket here.  When we saw it in Jalapa, Alejandro and I each bought a bottle to take back.