A Novel of the Gilded Age

 After having watched the HBO TV series "The Gilded Age", I thought that it would be appropriate to read a classic novel set in that era, Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Age of Innocence".

"The Age of Innocence", just like "The Gilded Age", takes place in New York City in the late 19th century and portrays with the rigid societal norms of the upper class.  The author was a child of that era, the daughter of a wealthy New York family.  Wharton was expected to be a society matron, but she flouted conventions.  She established herself as a successful writer, moved to Europe, took a lover, and divorced her husband.

As I began the novel, I could not help but compare it to the HBO series.  The opening chapter takes place at an opera performance at the Academy of Music.  The small opera house had a limited number of boxes, which meant that the "nouveau riche" families were shut out.  There is mention of plans to build a larger opera house (what would become the Metropolitan) which did not please the "old money" families.  The so-called "opera war" was one of the themes of the TV series.

The protagonist of the novel is Newland Archer, who comes from a proper "old money" family.  He is engaged to marry May Welland, who is also from a suitable family.  It is at the opera that he is introduced to May's cousin, Ellen Olenska.  Ellen has escaped an abusive marriage to a Polish nobleman and has returned to her family in New York.  In spite of the scandalous situation, her New York relatives manage to have her accepted in "society", although eventually they urge her to return to her husband.  Newland marries May, but he has fallen in love with the enigmatic Countess Olenska.  Does he repress his desire for Ellen and live according to societal standards, or does he run away with her?

This is a quiet novel that is certainly not for someone who craves suspenseful or action-packed books.  However, it does give us an excellent portrayal of life among the upper class of that period.

Now, perhaps taking a cue from the popularity of HBO's "The Gilded Age", Netflix is making an adaptation of "The Age of Innocence".  "The Gilded Age" returns for its fourth season this fall, so I will be looking forward to a double dose of life in old New York.

A Noisy Week

Mexico is a very noisy country... honking horns, the loudspeakers of street vendors, barking dogs, church bells at dawn, and firecrackers at all hours of the day for every saint's day, funeral or holiday.  Fortunately, my street is relatively quiet.  Sure, there are traffic noises and the junk dealers and vendors of tamales passing by.  But the neighborhood dogs are generally quiet, there are no church bell towers nearby, and, thank goodness, no firecrackers!

However, all last week there was a lot of noise.  At the nearby World Trade Center, the ruling party Morena and its allies were holding a convention.  According to what I read, the event was for aspiring candidates to register for gubernatorial races.  I don't know how much was actually going on inside the convention center, because all week it seemed as if all the action was going on in the streets.  Throngs of people were gathered outside the World Trade Center, at times blocking the street.  They were chanting, blowing horns, banging on drums.  There were brass bands playing.  They did not stay by the World Trade Center... they blocked nearby streets as they rallied for their favorite candidates.  There was a parade on my street (unfortunately I was not able to grab my camera quickly enough) with a band and girls dressed in colorful, traditional attire.

  

These are some of the young ladies dressed in local attire who paraded down my street.  It mades me chuckle to see them glued to their cell phones.

The event was still going strong on Saturday.  When Alejandro and I went out for breakfast, he captured some photos of a colorfully dressed group from the state of Tlaxcala.

For six days the noise was incessant, but at least they broke up by late afternoon each day.  This week the neighborhood is back to normal with just the usual level of background noise.

Vandalism

It seems to me that graffiti has become a much worse problem in the past year or two.  Pieces of lovely street art are often defaced by punks with no respect for anything.  A few days ago, I noticed that the Monument to Motherhood was covered in graffiti.

I was a bit surprised that the vandals had targeted this monument given the fact that mothers are so highly revered in Mexican society.  What's next?  Graffiti on the Basilica of Guadalupe?

Perhaps the city government, instead of "beautification projects" such as painting the pedestrian bridges purple, could address this problem.  

It's Everywhere!

In case you haven't already noticed, you can hardly go anywhere in Mexico City without being aware that the city is one of the hosts of the World Cup.

Here are some more miscellaneous photos...

These two giant figures of soccer players are on the plaza by the Monument to Motherhood.  One is sponsored by GNP, an insurance company, and the other is sponsored by Uber.

 

At the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue there is a light display, although I have not been by here at night to see it lit up.

Dr. Simi, the beloved mascot of the drug store chain, Farmacias Similares, is portrayed on this mural as a "fútbol" hero.

And here is the dear doctor, posing in his soccer jersey.

In the middle of the Glorieta de Insurgentes is this giant inflatable soccer ball which was created by seven prisoners at the Penitentiary Center.  It is decorated with the image of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god of pre-Hispanic Mexico.

 

Mexico Here

Not far from Paseo de la Reforma, on the plaza in front of the Monument to Motherhood, a large tent-like structure has been erected.  It houses a so-called "immersive experience" called "México Aquí" (Mexico Here).  Over the years there have been several other similar "immersive experiences" located on this site.  The first, which appeared just before the pandemic, was the best of all of them... a "Van Gogh experience" in which images of the artist's paintings were projected all around you.  The other exhibits have paled in comparison.  Nevertheless, I decided to check out "México Aquí" on Wednesday.  Although it was mildly interesting, it was not worth the rather steep admission fee of 490 pesos (about 28 U.S. dollars).  In spite of the large number of visitors to Mexico City for the World Cup, I was the only person at the "experience".

The concept of the show is to experience Mexico City through each of your five senses.  After watching a short video about the city, you enter a room devoted to the sense of touch.  You can touch some volcanic stones.  Then there is a collection of stone sculptures that date from pre-Hispanic times to the present day.  (No, you are not allowed to touch the sculptures.)

At first I thought that these sculptures were replicas, but they are all originals from private collections.

A sculpture from the Zapotec civilization dating from between 600 and 950

A colonial sculpture of a lion from the 17th century

An abstract contemporary sculpture

 

The next room is devoted to the sense of hearing.  There is a recording of the sounds of the city...  the music (the traditional song "Cielito Lindo") played by an organ grinder with all sorts of street noises in the background.

Next was the sense of sight.  First there was a screen on which classic movies from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema were projected.

It was followed by photographs (some of them vintage) of life in Mexico City.

The next room was the sense of smell.  You were supposed to be able to smell typical scents, such as "copal", the incense which is burned for the Day of the Dead.  But I didn't smell anything!  I think the "smell machine" was not working.

Finally the sense of taste.  Here there was an early machine for mass producing tortillas, and a display of typical kitchen implements such as tortilla presses and a kettle for steaming tamales.

And that was it.  Not really worth the time or money.

Two Victories

Yesterday, I was eager to see the results of two games of the World Cup.

In the afternoon Switzerland played against Canada.  I have nothing against Canada, but I was hoping that Switzerland would win.  As my readers know, some of my ancestors came from Switzerland, and I still have distant cousins that live there.

I was passing through "Reforma 222", a shopping mall along Paseo de la Reforma.  A TV screen had been set up there, and the Swiss - Canadian match was being televised.

It was nearly the end of the first half, and neither team had yet scored a goal.  When I returned to the apartment, I checked the score on the internet.  The game was over.  In spite of the fact that the game was played in Vancouver, Switzerland had defeated the home team by 2 - 1!  Hurray Switzerland!

The big game yesterday evening was between Mexico and Czechia here at the Azteca Stadium.  Mexico had already secured the top position in its group, and, according to what I read, the coach was going to substitute some of the top players to give them a rest before the next game.

About half-way through the game it began to rain heavily here at the apartment,  Mexico City covers a large area, and it can be pouring rain in one spot while there is not a drop in another place.  From what I understand, the game can continue even if it is raining.  However, it there is any lightning, play will be delayed.  After a while, I heard thunder, and I hoped that they would be able to finish the match.  Apparently the weather was cooperative in the southern part of the city where the stadium is located.  I kept checking the score on my cell phone, and the game was continuing.  It concluded at around 9 PM, and it was a decisive victory for Mexico with a score of 3 - 0!  Later, after the rain had stopped, I could hear car horns honking in celebration.

There are twelve groups of four teams competing in this World Cup.  Mexico is in group A, and Switzerland is in group B.  The initial games for A and B are now completed, and, as you can see from this chart, Mexico and Switzerland have dominated their respective groups.

Mexico won all three of their games, and Switzerland had two wins and one draw.  I have no idea how they calculate the final point total for each team, nor do I understand the tournament's complicated elimination process.  But obviously, Mexico and Switzerland will continue to play again.

If Mexico and Switzerland should happen to play each other in a future match it will be a problem for me.  I won't know for whom I should root... my adopted country or my ancestral homeland!  
 

Flag Waving

The excitement is palpable as Mexico City awaits the national team's third game this evening at Azteca Stadium.

At the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and Insurgentes Avenue, vendors were out in force selling Mexican flags and banners for fans to wave at the game.