The Rebel Novice

I wrote in an earlier post that we had tickets for a stage production of "The Sound of Music" (known in Spanish as "La Novica Rebelde"... "The Rebel Novice").  Last Saturday we attended the performance at one of the theaters in the Plaza Centro Cultural.

It was a full house, which in a way surprised me since this production was in English.  (At either side of the stage there were screens with subtitles in Spanish.)  It was a road company that has been touring the U.S. since last year, and it was performing in Mexico City for just one week.

It was a very professional production.  The actors all had very good voices, and the stage settings (even if they could not match the spectacular Alpine cinematography of the movie) were impressive.  The show followed the original Broadway musical of 1959, which means that there were numerous differences from the 1965 movie.  There are a couple of songs in the stage play that were omitted from the film.  The placement of some of the songs is also different.  In the movie, "My Favorite Things" is sung by Maria to calm the children when they are frightened by a thunderstorm.  In the original play it is sung by Maria and the Mother Abbess before the former leaves the convent to take her job as governess.  During the thunderstorm Maria sings "The Lonely Goatherd" to the children.  The marionette scene in the movie does not appear in the play.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable performance.  However, at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man or a crabby schoolteacher, there was one annoyance.  I was seated next to a brat that was constantly fidgeting, bumping me and turning on his cell phone.  He was probably eleven or twelve years old, so he was old enough that he should have known how to conduct himself at a performance.  His mother was oblivious.  If I were his parent, I would have told him to sit still and turn off the damn cellphone! 

Police Music

It seems to have become a regular event at the "Glorieta de Insurgentes", a transportation hub with a subway station and Metrobus stop.  As I passed through, once again the mariachi band of the Mexico City police department was giving a concert to the public.

 

Back at Work

Some of you may remember that before I began renting the apartment which I eventually bought, I stayed several times at an Airbnb in the Condesa neighborhood.  I had already started renting my current home when the deadly and destructive earthquake of 2017 struck.  My building suffered no damage, but the apartment building in Condesa had some serious structural damage.  For some years it was debated whether the damage should be repaired, or if the building should be torn down and rebuilt.  It was finally decided to demolish the building.  Whenever I would pass through that neighborhood, I would check to see what was going on with that property.  Time passed, and finally construction of a new building appeared to be underway.  But then, signs saying "SUSPENSION DE ACTIVADES" were posted at the site.  That means that work was temporarily suspended often due to lack of permits.  A few days ago I passed by, and the "SUSPENSION" signs were gone, and there were workers and equipment.

There is still very little progress, however.  It's been nine years since the earthquake.  I am beginning to wonder if I will ever see the completed building in my lifetime!

Festival on the Zócalo

Last week I went downtown to the Zócalo to see the12th annual Festival of Indigenous Cultures.

The plaza was filled with large tents where native people from different parts of the country were selling handicrafts and food.

I had attended the festival last year, and this year's event was about the same.  There was an enormous quantity of traditional clothing and handicrafts of varying quality for sale.  I restrained myself and only bought a couple of small items as gifts.

I actually spent more time in the food tent.  I was feeling a bit hungry and was trying to decide what to eat out of the many options.

I definitely did not want "chapulines"... grasshoppers.

There were a lot of stands selling "tlayudas", which I refer to as Oaxaca's version of pizzas.

They are large corn tortillas covered with toppings.

I like them, but a whole "tlayuda" was more than I wanted.

There were a few stands selling my favorite dish "chiles en nogada".

However, that is something I prefer to eat at our favorite restaurant which serves exquisite "chiles en nogada".

I finally decided to buy a "tamal" (the singular of "tamales" is not "tamale") from this lady from the state of Oaxaca.

"Tamales" from Oaxaca are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks.

I ordered one filled with chicken and green sauce.

It was a bit spicy, but it was so delicious that I ordered another one, one filled with "mole".

My hunger was satisfied, but then I saw a stall selling "tlacoyos", an oval shaped cake of corn dough filled with beans and cheese, and cooked on a griddle.

  

I love "tlacoyos", but it's not something you often see on restaurant menus.  So I ordered one of them.

I didn't do much handicraft shopping, but I definitely went away with a happy tummy!

The Bouncing Rubber Ball

The rubber ball, today a common object used in sports or as a toy for children and pets, had its origins in ancient Mexico.  Mexico City's subway stations often have cultural exhibits, and currently in the "Zócalo - Tenochtitlan" station there are several showcases highlighting "The Birth of the Rubber Ball".  The ball was used in the pre-Hispanic ball games which were not just a sport, but a religious ceremony that dates back all the way to Mexico's earliest civilization, the Olmecs.

One showcase deals with craftsman Enrique López Hernández who lives in the tropical lowlands of the state of Veracruz.  He creates rubber balls using the traditional process that has been used for millennia.

He gathers the latex sap from the rubber trees that grow in the forest.  He takes the sap and spreads it on the leaves of a bromeliad plant and allows the latex to dry until solid but still pliable.  He then rolls the material by hand, layer by layer, until he has created a ball.

Another showcase deals with recent discoveries at the Olmec site of El Manatí, also in the state of Veracruz.  There archaeologists have discovered a bog in which the ancient Olmecs placed objects as offerings to the gods.  Among them were 14 rubber balls.  They are more than 3000 years old and are the oldest rubber balls in existence.

A replica of one of the balls found at El Manatí

The material is extremely fragile, and the balls survived because of the combination of fine soil, high humidity, acidity and low oxygen levels in the bog.  Now that they have been excavated, archaeologists face the challenge of preserving them.  One of the real balls is now on display at a special exhibit at the Museum of the "Templo Mayor" (the archaeological site in the heart of Mexico City where the foundations of the main temple of the Aztecs was uncovered).  So, I guess a trip to the "Museo del Templo Mayor" is in my future!

Another Renovated Station

I have written several posts about recent renovations to Mexico City's subway stations.  It wasn't until last week that I had a chance to see what changes had been made to the Metro's "Zócalo" station.  Located under the Zócalo, the city's main plaza, it is a very busy stop for residents and tourists alike.  In 2021, the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec capital, the name of the station was changed to "Zócalo - Tenochtitlan".  (Tenochtitlan was the name of the Aztec capital, and its grand ceremonial center was located where the Zócalo is today.)

As in some of the other stations along this line, they have installed walls of living plants along the platforms.  I wrote in another post that in some of the stations, these plants were dying because they did not have sunlight.  Some genius must have figured this out, because I noticed that there are very bright lights (which I assume are "grow-lights") aimed at the plants.

Along the platforms there are mosaic paintings.

The volcanoes "Izta" and "Popo"

The equestrian statue of King Charles IV of Spain

The headdress of the Aztec emperor

Replicas of Aztec carvings have been placed in various locations.

For as long as I remember, there have been models which show what the Zócalo looked like at different times in history.  These models appeared to have been cleaned, and better lighting has been installed.

The Zócalo at the end of colonial period

The center of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan as it appeared on the eve of the Spanish Conquest in 1521.

One addition that I appreciated was a public restroom.  The ten peso charge to use the restroom is higher than most.  (In most places it is 5 or 7 pesos.)   However, except for an overflowing trash bin, the restroom was very clean, bright and well-equipped.

An Excellent Movie

Last weekend we went to the movie theater at the World Trade Center again, and we saw an excellent movie called "Pressure".  I guess with all the hubbub about Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey", this film was sort of under the radar.  I had not heard anything about it.

(Image taken from the internet)

The movie is about D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II, the largest seaborne invasion force in all of history.  Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of war movies, but as one reviewer put it, this is a "brainy" war movie.  It goes behind the scenes at the Allied command, and deals with how the date of the invasion was set.  Obviously to transport 160,000 troops across the English Channel required good weather.  The original date for the invasion was June 5. The Allied commander, Dwight Eisenhower conferred with two top meteorologists... one from the U.S., the other from Britain.  The American said that the weather on June 5th would be calm and sunny.  The other one, British captain James Stagg, said that a storm in the Atlantic was developing and that on June 5th there would be heavy rain, rough seas, and low visibility.

Of course, we know from the beginning which meteorologist is going to win the argument since we know that D-Day occurred on June 6th.  Nevertheless, the drama is compelling as Eisenhower must decide which forecast to believe.  The lives of thousands of soldiers and the fate of the war depends on it.

The acting by the entire cast is excellent.  I had never heard of Irish actor Andrew Scott, but he was superb in the role as Captain Stagg.  I think he deserves an Academy Award nomination.  My only quibble with the movie is a superficial one.  Brendan Fraser is a great actor, but he is over 6 feet tall and weighs 195 pounds.  It was a bit difficult to accept him in the role of the shorter and slimmer Eisenhower.  Nevertheless, it is a highly recommended film.

  

Upcoming Holiday

Last weekend as soon as we walked into the Parisina fabric store, it was obvious that Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) is on its way.  Just inside the entrance there were bolts of patriotic fabric to make into tablecloths for your holiday entertaining.

 

There were also packages with patriotic plastic tablecloths.

They had lots of holiday decorations, but the majority of them were made in China.  I did find a round banner to hang on my door.  It is the Mexican coat of arms in the national colors.  It was made in Mexico.

They also had small Mexican flags on stands (made in Mexico).  I bought one and have it sitting on my desk.

New Curtains

One wall of the living room in the apartment is made up of floor to ceiling windows.  The sheer drapes at the windows were, I am sure, purchased by the former owners when they bought this place more than fifteen years ago.  Not only are they starting to look shabby, but there are spots where the fabric is falling apart.

We wanted new drapes, and I wanted them before the holiday seasons of Day of the Dead and Christmas when I set up my "ofrenda" and my Nativity scene in front of the window.  So, last weekend Alejandro and I went to the nearest branch of Parisina, a chain of stores that are similar to the now defunct Joanne Fabrics in the U.S.  We had taken the measurements of the window and counted the number of hooks.  Alejandro said that all we had to do was pick out the fabric, and Parisina would make the draperies.

When we arrived, we were directed to an area with bolts of fabric for curtains.  The old drapes are light gray.  I wanted sheers again so that my plants would get indirect light.  I picked out a fabric that was a light cream color.  It is sheer but with a pattern.

We went to a desk where we gave a lady the number of the fabric we had chosen and the measurements.  The draperies will be ready to pick up in 20 to 25 business days, which means that we will have them in mid-September.  What amazed me, and even amazed Alejandro, was the price.  They measure four meters across (around 13 feet), and they cost less than 1000 pesos.  (That's less than 60 U.S. dollars!)

In Memory of Jouralists

The last time I was walking down Paseo de la Reforma, I noticed a monument (or I guess the term used nowadays is "anti-monument") in memory of Mexican journalists who have been murdered or who have disappeared.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.  Since 2000 at least 167 have been murdered or have gone missing.  Most of them were investigating corruption, organized crime or the drug cartels.

As a retiree living in Mexico, I do not feel at all unsafe.  But it is a very different story if you are a courageous investigative reporter.  

Get Off the Roof!

After each of the games that the Mexican national team won in this summer's World Cup, more than a million fans came out to Paseo de la Reforma to celebrate fhe victories.  Some of them, probably more than a bit inebriated, jumped up on the roofs of the Metrobus stops along the boulevard, causing some of roofs to collapse.

The last time I was walking along Reforma, I noticed that the signs that were posted on the bus stops afterward are still there.

  "It is prohibited to climb to the roofing.

Fragile surface"

"Danger

Damaged structure

Risk of collapse"

So, if you are stupid enough to climb the roof, you have been warned!

Sports Art

The World Cup is over but many museums in Mexico City still have special exhibits related to soccer or sports in general.  One example is the Museo Kaluz which currently has an exhibition of works by Abel Quezada (1920 - 1991).  Quezada was a well-known cartoonist, caricaturist and painter whose art appeared in newspapers and magazines in Mexico and the U.S.  (His illustrations frequently appeared on the covers of "The New Yorker" magazine.

  Quezada had a deep affinity for all kinds of sports, and this exhibit demonstrates that.

"Reporters Working"  1976

"Portrait of Valenzuela"  1981

(Mexican-born Fernando Valenzuela was a star pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1980s and 90s.)

"The Last Fight of Kid González"  1974

"Portrait of John L. Sullivan"  1976

(Sullivan was a famous 19th century boxer from the U.S.)

"Sudden Death in Ladies' Singles"  1981

"The Leap of Luck"  1988

"Solitary Runner in Central Park"  1978

"Billiard Player"  1971

"Soccer Game" 1974

This cartoon was published after the 1978 World Cup.

In Mexico there are more sports newspapers than in the rest of the world.

In Mexico 12 newspapers dedicated solely to SOCCER are published.

In Mexico 30% of the television time and 45% of radio time is dedicated to transmissions and commentaries of SOCCER.

Mexico is the only country that has soccer philosophers.

The fruits of this masochistic passion...

TUNISIA 3 - MEXICO 1

GERMANY 6 - MEXICO 0

Psychologists ask, "What do the Mexican people need to shake off their complexes?"

More education?

Honesty in the administration?

Confidence in their Revolution?

Better quality in their foods?

No - what is needed is to WIN in soccer.