Saturday in "El Centro"

I mentioned the other day that we needed to buy some batteries for the electronic candles that I have for my "ofrenda".  We used that as an excuse (as if we needed one) to take a trip downtown.  We found batteries for some of the candles at the first store we visited, but a couple of the candles took tiny batteries that were hard to find.  Our search for those would take us through the "Historic Center" of the city.  Along the way we got to see plenty of decorations for the Day of the Dead.

We took the Metrobus to the Plaza de la República and walked eastward toward the "Historic Center".  There was a large banner on one of the buildings near the Paseo de la Reforma.  It was from Ferrari, one of the sponsors of the Formula1 auto race that was held in Mexico City on Saturday.

 

A few blocks farther, we passed this "Centro de Acopio" (Collection Center), one of many in the city, where people can donate food, bottled water, and needed supplies to help the people of Acapulco after the devastation of Hurrican Otis.

Our route took us past the Alameda, a lovely park in the center of the center that dates back to colonial times.  Funeza, a chain of Mexico City funeral homes, had set up a Day of the Dead display there.  A woman dressed as a "catrina" (an elegantly dressed skeleton) welcomed visitors.

One portion of the display was a series of large "candles" made, I suppose, from fiberglass.  Each "candle" was painted by a different artist.  (This is a variation on the "Mexicráneos", the fiberglass skulls which are individually painted by artists.)

At the end of the display there was a large "catrina" figure.

We continued down Madero Street, the bustling pedestrian street that goes through the "Historic Center" to the Zócalo, the city's main plaza.

Along Madero Street there were several stands where flower growers from the rural regions of Mexico City were selling marigold.  (Yes, believe it or not, there are actually rural areas within the city limits.

There was a small "ofrenda" in the colonial church of San Francisco.

I found these figures on the "ofrenda" rather amusing.  They represent "see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil", but instead of the typical monkeys, the figures are of skeletons.

A skull decoration outside of a restaurant just off of Madero Street

A couple of giant skeletons stood outside the entrance of a colonial mansion that is now a shopping arcade.

An archway of marigolds at the entrance to an optician

The American Eagle store on Madero Street went all out with decorating for the Day of the Dead with marigolds around the entrance, and the shop windows, and on the balconies above.

A women dressed as a "catrina" was welcoming visitors to the store.

The inside of the store was also decorated.  The large figure to the left represents a "xolo", or Mexican hairless dog.  In Aztec times these dogs were sacrificed and buried with their owners so that they could serve as guides on the journey to the underworld.

The balcony of another building was decorated with colorful skulls.

The Hotel Majestic always has an nice "ofrenda" in its courtyard lobby.

Madero Street empties into the Zócalo, the city's vast main plaza.

There is always a large Day of the Dead display which they refer to as the "mega-ofrenda".  It was supposed to have been completed by the weekend, but it was still being set up, not even close to being completed.

On the south side of the Zócalo the twin buildings of the City Hall were decked out with Day of the Dead lights.

We still had not found the small batteries that we needed for some of the "ofrenda" candles.  We had been told to go the El Salvador Street where there are a number of electronics stores.  So, we headed south of the Zocalo to a less touristy part of "El Centro".

To be continued...