A New Plant for the Garden

When I lived in Ohio, I was a slave to my enormous flower garden.  Work would begin in the spring, and every day, weather permitting, I would spend several hours in the garden.  Now that I am in Mexico, my gardening consists of taking care of a handful of houseplants in the apartment.  A lot less work!

Last Thursday I was passing through the "tianguis" (outdoor market) that is held each week by the neighborhood park.  One of the vendors sells houseplants, and I noticed that he had a jade plant.  I had good luck with a jade plant back in Ohio, so I decided to buy it.  It was in a cheap plastic container, but the vendor also had ceramic pots for sale.  I picked out a piece of blue Talavera ware, a style of glazed pottery that is a specialty of the city of Puebla.  The other plants that I have in the living room are all in Talavera pots.  The vendor transplanted the jade plant for me.

The vendor told me that in Spanish it is called an "árbol de abundancia"... a tree of abundance.  I did a bit of research and found that they are also called money plants or lucky plants, and that in feng shui they are associated with prosperity.

The plants are very easy to care for. as long as they are not overwatered.  They can live for decades.  So, my jade plant might outlive me.  

Dancing for the World Cup

Numerous times I have mentioned "Dr. Simi", the rotund, elderly doctor who is the much beloved mascot of the drugstore chain "Farmacias Similares".  You will often see employees dressed as "Dr. Simi" dancing outside of the pharmacies.

Even "Dr. Simi" has caught the World Cup fever.  A few days ago I saw him wearing a soccer shirt similar to the jersey of the national team.

Reading the Book After Seeing the Film

A few months ago I wrote that we went to see the award-winning movie "Hamnet".  It was a superb film.  However, long before I saw the movie, the book upon which it was based was sitting unread on my bookshelf.  I finally got around to reading the novel.

Often film adaptations are not as good as the book.  In this case the movie set a very high bar, but I can say that the book is as good as the movie.

The novel was written by Irish-British novelist Maggie O'Farrell in 2020.  Very little is known about the family life of William Shakespeare, and in this novel the author imagines the relationship between the playwright and his wife and three children.  His only son was named Hamnet which is a variation of the name Hamlet.

It is interesting that not once in the book is the Bard called by his name.  He is referred to as "the tutor" or "the husband" or just "he".  If you didn't already know the premise of the novel, I suppose that it might take you a few chapters to realize the book is about Shakespeare and his family.  The fact that the wife, who is the central character of the book, is named Agnes muddies the waters a bit.  We learned in school that Shakespeare's wife was named Anne Hathaway.  However, we know from documents that her father called her Agnes, and that is the name the author uses.  In spite of that, I think that you would have to be pretty dense not to put the clues together...  the family lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, the husband goes to London and there he has success as the writer for a troupe of players.

I have not read anything else by O'Farrell, but I was thoroughly impressed by her skill as a writer.  There are passages in the book that I found deeply moving.

I am not going to give away the plot.  If you have not read the book or seen the movie, I highly recommend them both!     

The Purple-ization of Mexico City

Throughout Mexico City, walls, fences and pedestrian bridges are being painted purple.  A couple days ago I noticed that the pedestrian bridge that crosses the freeway not far from the apartment was receiving a paint job.

I thought that this was simply a part of the cosmetic beautification program that has been undertaken in preparation for this summer's World Cup.  However, I read that purple has a symbolic meaning; it is the color of feminism.  Mayor Clara Brugada has declared Mexico City to be "the capital of feminism".

The painting project has been mocked by many elements of the city's population.  Some critics call it a waste of money; money that should be used to address more important issues.  For example, the city's drainage system is woefully inadequate, and parts of the city flood every time we have a heavy rain.  Even feminist groups are unimpressed.  They say it is hypocrisy to call Mexico City "the capital of feminism" when violence against women, even feminicide, remains a serious problem.

Soccer Shirts

I cannot call myself a "fútbol" afficionado, but I do like soccer tee shirts.  I have shirts of all the professional teams in Mexico City, a couple from teams beyond the capital, and even some shirts from teams in Spain.  When I wear one of them, it is not unusual for someone to ask me if I am a fan of that team.  I will admit that I don't know much about soccer.  I just like the shirts.  Alejandro has warned me on a few occasions when there was going to be an important match, not to wear a shirt of one of the competitors.

Now that some of the World Cup games are going to be held in Mexico, I have several tee shirts for Mexico's national team.

They all have the emblem of the national team.

On the back, just below the neckline, all of them say "Somos México". (We are Mexico.)

A couple of the shirts have tags saying that they are an "authentic licensed product".

However, I really doubt that.  I bought them for a reasonable price at the "tianguis" (outdoor market) or at a sidewalk stand.  Authentic soccer shirts cost 100 U.S. dollars or more.

Authentic or not, I will be wearing them during the World Cup, and I will probably take them with me when I travel to England and Switzerland.

More Pottery

Here are some more photos from the exhibition on Mexican pottery and ceramics that is currently on display at the Palace of Iturbide...

Ceramic fish from Tonalá, Jalisco

Ceramic jar from Guanajuato, 1980

Pottery from Guanajuato decorated with the national emblem of the eagle and the serpent

1995

Salad bowl decorated with monkeys from Michoacán, 2025

Ceramic pieces inspired by nature, 2025

Banana vase from Guadalajara, 2016

Pitchers for "pulque" (a traditional fermented beverage made from an agave plant)

Ceramic piece depicting the legend of the volcanoes, Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl

Made in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, around 1950

Ceramic piece from Xalapa, Veracruz, 2025

Salad plate from Yucatán, 2025

Platter from San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, 2025

Jar from the state of Oaxaca, 2025

Ceramic platter from Coatepec, Veracruz, 2010

Platter with traditional landscape from the state of MIchoacán, 1987

Ceramic tiles from Puebla, 18th century

Large ceramic statue of the Virgin from Puebla, 19th century

Large clay figures of women from the state of Oaxaca, 1978

I will probably return to the Palace of Iturbide this week, because, in addition to the pottery exhibit, upstairs they are opening a show dealing with the World Cup.

3000 Years of Pottery and Ceramics

I have written many times about the free expositions held at the Palace of Iturbide in the heart of the city's historic center.  The colonial mansion is the headquarters of the cultural division of Banamex, the Bank of Mexico, and each year they hold several exhibits.  The current show is entitled "Clay and Ceramics in Mexico".  670 pieces of pottery and ceramics, ranging from pre-Hispanic objects to contemporary creations are on display.

 

It is most definitely an impressive show, although I found it rather disorganized.  The curators of the exhibit admit that they did not organize the works by conventional categories such as date or region of origin.  I also found it skewed toward modern pieces and that short shrift was given to some of the country's traditional art forms.  For example, I only saw a few pieces of Oaxaca's famous black pottery.

Here are some of the objects in this exhibition...

Some pre-Hispanic pieces

During the colonial period the trade route from Asia to the Mexican port of Acapulco brought Chinese ceramics whose designs inspired the Talavera ware made in Puebla.

Art nouveau platters from the 1920s

English-inspired ceramic dogs from the 1980s

A 1960s tea set by Anfora, a company which is still a major producer of dinnerware.

Dinnerware by Anfora decorated with images of Mexico City landmarks

1940s vase with a pre-Hispanic design

1940s jar decorated with an Aztec eagle

Examples of dinnerware made in the 1960s in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, a town in the state of Jalisco famous for their pottery.

A platter from Oaxaca decorated with fish

1950s coffee set from Oaxaca with pre-Hispanic decoration

1970s dinnerware from Tlaquepaque, Jalisco

Dinnerware from Tonalá featuring the Olympic rings in honor of the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

Lamp from the 1970s with a ceramic base from Tonalá

More from this exhibition in the next post...