Christmas is Coming?

I got out my paints and brushes, and there's a canvas on the easel.  It's time to start on the painting that will be my Christmas card for 2026.  Of course, the subject of the painting will be a secret until December.

I know that it may seem ridiculously early to be thinking about Christmas.  But I have to paint the picture, scan it, take the image to a printer to have the cards made.  Then I have to make them out so that I have them ready to take with me when I plan to travel back to Ohio in October.  I will get stamps for them (that will cost a small fortune!) and have a friend send them out from there after Thanksgiving.

That has been the routine since I made the permanent move to Mexico.  However, the problem is that that in 2027 I do not plan to travel to the U.S.  You may remember that in April of this year I did an experiment.  I went to a post office here and sent three cards to friends to see how long delivery via the Mexican postal service would take.  

They were sent on April 15th, and the gentlemen at the post office told me they would take between 4 to 6 weeks to arrive.  One card was sent to my cousin in England.  It arrived on May 20th, so that was within the time frame that the postal clerk told me.

Another card was sent to my friend Frank in Ohio.  He has still not received the card, and it has been over eight weeks.  Even more concerning is the case of my friend and former teaching colleague Katie.  She also lives in Ohio.  In 2025 she never received the card which had been sent from a location in Ohio that was just 40 miles away!  When I found out that she had never received her card, I sent another one from Mexico City on January 16th.  She finally wrote me that she received that card on May 19th... four months later!  It only took the Mayflower two months to travel across the Atlantic in 1620!!  The Pony Express delivered mail across the country in 10 days!!  Obviously Katie has still not received the card that I sent in April.

Given the fact that my card to England arrived within the time frame I was told, but the cards to the U.S. have not (plus the fact that Katie never received the first card sent to her from Ohio), I am beginning to believe that the problem is not just with the Mexican postal service, but with the U.S. Postal Service!  The way that the current administration is gutting federal agencies, I have a feeling that the USPS is becoming worse than a third world country!

Rain!

(image taken from the internet)

June is traditionally when the rainy season begins here in Mexico City, and it has definitely arrived with a vengeance this year.  Over the past week there have been heavy rains that have turned the streets of some parts of the metropolitan area into rivers.  Fortunately, the neighborhood where our apartment is located was not heavily affected.

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Paseo de la Reforma.  The forecast called for rain, so we took our rain jackets and umbrellas.  However, we only had a few drops, not even enough to open the umbrellas.  

Later, around 7:30 in the evening, we went out to eat at a nearby restaurant located in a small shopping mall.  Weather Channel said that there was only a 25% chance of rain.  Although I put on my rain jacket, Alejandro wore a cotton hoodie.  Neither one of us took umbrellas.  When we finished our meal there was a downpour outside.  We walked around the mall for about a half hour, waiting for the rain to stop.  Finally, the rain was light enough that we decided to head back to the apartment.  The problem was not the rain (we were not that soaked by the time we got home) but rather trying to cross the streets.  We had to go out of our way to find places where the streets were not under water. 

However, what we had was nothing compared to some parts of the city where the streets were under ten inches of water.  I suspect that this summer will see above average rainfall, just as last year was unusually rainy.   We will see if it puts a damper on the World Cup games and activities.

Even More "Fútbol" Handicrafts

Here is one more post of objects in the current exhibition at the Palace of Iturbide.  "Copa de Arte Popular" (Popular Art Cup) showcases handicrafts and popular art with a soccer theme.

Embroidery from Oaxaca featuring a soccer ball, players and the World Cup trophy.

Would you believe that this extremely realistic picture of a jaguar with a soccer ball is created from painted pieces of broom straws?

Three sarapes (a woven blanket-like cloak) with soccer themes from the states of Oaxaca and Tlaxcala.

A weaving from Oaxaca which combines the pre-Hispanic ball game with modern soccer players.

This weaving from Oaxaca combines traditional Zapotec designs with a soccer ball and soccer fields.

A "charro" outfit embroidered with images of soccer players.

The Huichol tribe is famous for creating works of art covered with thousands of glass beads.  This piece has a soccer ball resting on the antlers of a blue deer, a sacred animal in their mythology.

The traditional feather dancers of Oaxaca on the soccer field.

This tribute to the World Cup in Mexico City is created from feathers.

These traditional dolls from the state of Querétaro are wearing Mexican soccer jerseys.

This soccer stadium, modeled from clay, comes from the state of Puebla.

A wood carving from the state of Chiapas

In some indigenous mythologies, the earth is carried on the back of a turtle.  Here the turtle carries a soccer stadium on its back.

The exhibit ends with three large, very elaborate Trees of Life.

More "Fútbol" Handicrafts

Here are some more items from the "Copa Arte Popular" (Popular Arts Cup) exhibition in the Palace of Iturbide...

An assemblage of devils on their way to the World Cup.  These clay figures are from the state of Michoacán.

"We're going to the World Cup"

More devils from Michoacán.  Here we have a World Cup game with players, fans and even reporters.

The World Cup trophy sits on the table in front of the reporters.

Go team! You can do it!

A family of devils watches the game on the TV.

A couple of papier maché skeletons play foosball.  The devil appears to ready to interfere by placing his hand over one of the player's eyes.  Made in Guanajuato.

A full-size wooden foosball table from the state of Tlaxcala.

The figures are attired as Mayan ball players, and Mayan carvings and glyphs decorate the sides and goal nets.

  

A larger-than-life, papier maché jaguar from Mexico City is dressed as a Mayan ball player.

A wooden carving from the state of Guanajuato in the style of a baroque church altarpiece.  Each niche is occupied, not by a saint, but by a soccer player.

Wooden carving from the state of Chiapas

Old and new combine in this wood carving from the State of México.  The player is dressed in pre-Hispanic garb but is wearing modern soccer shoes and is kicking a modern soccer ball.

These enameled "soccer balls" from the State of México are decorated in the style of  traditional Talavera pottery.

This Tree of Life features soccer balls and at the base the jersey of the Mexican National Team.

This sculpture from Michoacán is modeled from bees wax.  A winged victory is seated upon the World Cup trophy above players from the Mexican team.

Still more to come from this exhibit...

"Fútbol" Handicrafts

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the impressive exhibit of Mexican pottery and ceramics in the courtyard of the Palace of Iturbide.  I alluded to the fact that there was going to be another exhibit upstairs related to soccer.  This was not going to be a collection of memorabilia from past World Cups.  Instead it was a display of traditional Mexican handicrafts and popular art with the theme of "fútbol".

The colonial era Palace of Iturbide is the the headquarters of the "Fomento Cultural" division of Banamex (the Bank of Mexico).  The goal of the "Fomento Cultural" is to promote Mexico's cultural traditions.  In anticipation of the year's World Cup, Banamex sent invitations to artisans and creators of popular art to participate in the "Popular Art Cup" with works that reflect Mexico's love of soccer.

The response was amazing.  877 pieces from 29 of Mexico's 32 states were submitted to the contest.  The works are on display in the three cities in Mexico which will host World Cup games... Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

You know that I love Mexican handicrafts, so this exhibit for me was more fun than the pottery show downstairs.

Here are some of the entries...

The city of Metepec in the State of Mexico is famous for it clay sculptures known as "Trees of Life".  This one is a tree of "fútbol'.

It is accompanied by several smaller pieces, including this one which depicts the ballgame of pre-Hispanic Mexico.

This group of clay figures from the state of Michoacán represents a soccer game, complete with a stand full of cheering fans.

However, the members of one of the teams are all devils.

This bus, modeled from clay, is also from Metepec.  It is full of soccer fans... perhaps on their way to the World Cup.

This painting with a soccer theme is done on bark paper.  It is from the state of Guerrero.

This soccer ball carved from obsidian is from the town of San Martín de las Pirámides, located near the archaeological site of Teotihuacan.  Since pre-Hispanic times obsidian has been mined in the region.

Soccer players decorate this piece of pottery from the state of Guerrero.

This sculpture carved from copal wood is from San Martín Tilcajete, Oaxaca, the town famous for its "alebrijes".  It shows a soccer player as an eagle.

Humorous figures of skeletons have long been a part of Mexico's Day of the Dead tradition.  Here, these papier maché skeletons from Mexico City are playing soccer.  Notice that the referee is a devil.

Another clay Tree of Life from Metepec.  This one is unpainted, and honors Mexico and its participation in the World Cup.

This wooden soccer ball from the state of Hidalgo is incrusted with abalone and mother of pearl shell.

This soccer ball, inscribed with traditional designs of the Zapotec tribe, is an example of the famous black pottery of Oaxaca.

Yet another Tree of Life from Metepec

Another painting on bark paper from the state of Guerrero depicts a local soccer match.

More to come from this delightful exhibit...