Women from HIstory

Mexico City's most famous boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma, is dotted with important monuments such as the Monument to Mexican Independence.

But on either side of the boulevard, along its entire length, there are smaller bronze statues of famous men from Mexican history.  ("Famous" is a relative term, since I have never heard of many of them, even though I have studied Mexican history.  I doubt that most Mexicans know who all of them are.)

Last week when I took the Metrobus down Reforma, I noticed that along one section of the boulevard there were statues of women.  I did a bit of research and discovered that late in 2021 statues of Mexican heroines had been installed along the stretch between the Independence Monument and the entrance to Chapultepec Park.  So, I made a point of going back to Reforma to check out the new statues.

Leona Vicario (1789 - 1842) was one of the first female journalists in Mexico.  She used her large fortune to help finance the war of independence from Spain.  She also worked as a messenger and spy for the insurgents.

Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez (1768 - 1829) is commonly referred to as "La Corregidora" because she was married to the "corregidor" (magistrate) in the city of Querétaro.  She was a supporter of the independence movement, and her home became a meeting place for the conspirators.

  

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648 - 1695) was a philosopher, writer and poet.  She is considered the greatest poet of the colonial period in the Americas and a forerunner of modern feminism.

Matilde Montoya (1859 - 1939) was the first female physician in Mexico.  She was an advocate of equal educational opportunities for women.

Carmen Serdán (1875 - 1948), along with her brother Aquiles, was a revolutionary opposing the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.  In 1910 police attacked their home, killing Aquiles and wounding Carmen.  Carmen was an important voice in the Mexican Revolution.

Sara Peréz Romero (1870 - 1952) was the wife of Francisco Madero, the man who spearheaded the Mexican Revolution against dictator Porfirio Díaz.  She directed her husband's campaign for President and has been called "The First Lady of the Revolution".

Juana Belén Gutiérrez (1875 - 1942) was a feminist activist and journalist who was jailed several times because of her newspaper which opposed the regime of dictator Porfirio Díaz.

Gertrudis Bocanegra (1765 - 1817) served as a messenger for the insurgents during the War for Independence.  She was arrested and tortured by the Spanish.  When she refused to give them the names of other rebels, she was tried for treason and executed before a firing squad.

Margarita Maza was the wife of Mexico's most revered President, Benito Juárez.  She was the daughter of a prominent white family in Oaxaca, and she broke social convention by marrying Juárez, a full-blooded Zapotec.  During her husband's Presidency, Mexico was invaded by the French, and Maximillian von Hapsburg was installed as emperor as a French puppet.  While Juárez led the struggle against the French, Maza went into exile in the United States.  There she served as an unofficial ambassador, meeting with officials including U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.  The U.S. recognized Juárez as the legitimate leader of Mexico.

I certainly applaud these monuments honoring women from Mexico's history.  However, the cynical side of me suspects that their inclusion along Reforma is a gesture to pacify feminists who have been highly critical of the current administration.  The government should be addressing the issue of femicides, rapes and kidnappings in which the perpetrators of these crimes rarely face justice.    

Meanwhile Back in Ohio

Except for that winter storm that gripped much of the United States just before Christmas, it has been a quite a mild winter in Ohio with lots of rain instead of snow.

But yesterday my cousin Gail sent me this wintry photo.

I suspect, however, that by the time I post this, most of the snow will have disappeared.  Today's high temperature was supposed to reach 42 F, and more rain was in the forecast.

Here in Mexico City, I have enjoyed plenty of sunshine.  I don't think it has rained at all since I arrived here on January 5th.  Typical of January, the nights and mornings are chilly with temperatures going down into the 40's F.  By mid-afternoon, the mercury rises into the 70's.  I think that the temperatures are starting to warm up.  The last couple of days I have gone out in the morning wearing just a t-shirt and leaving the jacket behind.  At 10 AM it's still a bit chilly in the shade, but comfortable in the sun.  I definitely will take the weather here over Ohio's... even if they are having a relatively mild winter, 

Architectural Odds and Ends

While walking back from the Museum of Popular Art last week, I took some photos of buildings that caught my eye.

Artículo 123 Street, the edge of the Historic Center is a street of older, somewhat rundown buildings.  The entire facade of this structure has served as a canvas for a street artist.  On Google Maps, I learned that "La Paisana" on the ground floor was a restaurant that has permanently closed.

Farther down the street, at the intersection with busy Bucareli Avenue, a new high rise building is being constructed.  There were no signs identifying the project, so I don't know whether the completed building will house apartments or offices.

Along the same block, I noticed this building, which I would guess dates back to the 19th century.  A newer structure was built next to and over it... something that is not an uncommon sight here in Mexico City.  As I passed by, I could see that a renovation of the older structure is being done inside.

Artículo 123 runs into the Paseo de la Reforma, the city's most famous boulevard.  Just off the Paseo is a building project that I have mentioned before.  The 50-story residential and office tower, "Be Grand Reforma", appears to have reached its height of 679 feet, making it the seventh highest building in the city.  The opening of the building is planned for later this year.

Although the Paseo de la Reforma is now lined with modern skyscrapers, there are still some elegant buildings which date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  The Hotel Imperial was opened in 1904.

Just down the street is another hotel that dates back to an earlier era, the Hotel Emporio.

This building probably was one of the mansions which once stood along Reforma.  Today it is a branch of Scotiabank.

Another mansion along the boulevard was the Casa Gargollo.  The Gargollo family went bankrupt after the Mexican Revolution and was forced to sell their home.  It was bought by the University Club, an exclusive social club of university graduates from Mexico, Great Britain and the United States that was founded in 1905.  The building still serves as their headquarters.  Just behind the old building, a new residential tower, called University Tower is under construction.  It is scheduled to be completed this year, and will be just behind "Be Grand Reforma" (665 feet high) as the eighth tallest building in Mexico City.

Fabrics from the North

 Another special exhibit currently being presented at the Museum of Popular Art is one dealing with the textiles of Northern Mexico.

Much of northern Mexico is desert, and people often think that it is a cultural desert as well.  This exhibit seeks to dispel that notion through the diversity of fabrics and clothing from that region.  Even when the clothing is sewn from store-bought cloth, it reflects of cultures of the peoples that live there.

The city of Saltillo in the northern state of Coahuila has long been famous for its sarapes (blanket-like cloaks) and ponchos which are woven on looms.  There are a number of them dating from the 19th century on display.

A "quexquémetl" is a traditional woman's garment that is like triangular poncho.  These hand-woven and embroidered examples are from the state of San Luis Potosí.

This small rug and large poncho are woven from wool and come from the state of Sonora.

There were many examples of  traditional attire from different parts of northern Mexico.

These dance dresses come from the state of Chihuahua.

This dancer's dress comes from Baja California.

The "Matachines" are societies of men who perform ritual dances for religious occasions.  This "Matachín" costume comes from the state of Zacatecas.

There are around 100,000 Mennonites living in Mexico.  They immigrated to Mexico from Canada in the 1920s and established farming colonies mostly in the northern states of Chihuahua and Durango.  The women of the more conservative sects wear plain, modest attire.

The indigenous tribes of northern Mexico often live in remote desert and mountain areas, and maintain their traditional way of life and attire.

The Rarámuri tribe of Chihuahua

The Seri tribe of Sonora

The Tepahuán tribe of Durango

The Yaquis of Sonora

The Kickapoo of Coahuila are a branch of the tribe which lives in Oklahoma and Texas.

Arguably the most famous tribe of northern Mexico is the Tarahumara.

They live in the rugged mountains around the Copper Canyon of Chihuahua and have resisted outside influences and maintained their traditional way of life.

They are well-known for their skill as long-distance runners.  Both men and women compete in races which can last two days and cover a distance of up to 200 miles.

At the Museum of Popular Arts

 As I said in my previous post, last Thursday I went downtown to the Museum of Popular Art, my favorite smaller museum in Mexico City.   The museum is housed in an art deco building which used to the headquarters of the city's fire department.

There are, at this moment, two special exhibits at the museum.  The first is a collection of works by the artist Olegario Hernández, a native of Oaxaca.  For many of his pieces Hernández drew inspiration from "mezzotinta", a 17th century technique of monochromatic printmaking that yielded half tones from light to dark.

Hernández also does pieces of sculpture and decorates gourds.

From there I went upstairs to another special exhibit.

And the Winner Is...

You may remember my post from last October about the "alebrije" parade.  The parade is sponsored by the Mexico City's Museum of Popular Arts, and prizes are awarded for the best "alebrijes".  However, I have never been able to find online which ones were winners. 

Last Thursday, I went to the Museum of Popular Arts to see a couple of special exhibitions.  There were several "alebrijes" from past years on display in the museum courtyard, and at the entrance was the 1st place winner from the 2022 parade.

I remember this winged creature from the parade, although at the time it was not my favorite.  I recalled that its translucent wings reminded me of stained glass.

Looking closely at it, and observing the attention to detail, I have to say that it is certainly deserving of an award.  

I just wish that the other prize winners had been on display.