A Global Village

One of the events of the World Cup that I am most looking forward to is the "Global Village" that will be set up in Chapultepec Park.  There will be handicrafts, food, and music of the nations participating in the Cup.

Two weekends ago, after Alejandro and I went to the Fonart store in Chapultepec, we walked all the way across Section 1 of the park.  As we neared the main entrance on Paseo de la Reforma, we came across the area where the "village" was being constructed.  The sign said that 48 nations will be represented.

The names of many countries are written differently in Spanish.  Can you figure them out?

The pavilions of the nations were under construction as we passed through.

This map on the website shows where the pavilions of each nation will be located.  It is perhaps fortunate that Iran and the United States will be on opposite sides of the "village".  It might have even been deliberately planned that way.

According to the information at that time, the "Global Village" would be open on Saturday, June 6th.  So last Saturday Alejandro and I returned to Chapultepec Park, but we discovered that they had changed the date.  It would not open until Tuesday, June 9th.  I have found that it is not uncommon for the dates of events to be changed at the last minute.  I find it very annoying.  Nevertheless, I plan to visit the "village"... perhaps, numerous times... if the rainy weather permits.

Have a Drink on Us!

It seems as if everyone is getting into the World Cup spirit.

"De Costa de Costa" is a seafood restaurant not far from the apartment.  they also serve good breakfasts, and we usually go there each weekend for breakfast.  On our last visit we noticed this little sign on the table.

"Celebrate each Mexican goal with a drink on the house!"

Of course, all of the games of the Mexican national team will be televised at the restaurant.  If you order a drink of your choice, each time the home team scores a goal you will receive another one for free.

(Fortunately soccer is usually a low-scoring sport, or else they might end up with some very drunk customers!)

Handicrafts and Food

A couple weekends ago, Alejandro and I went to Chapultepec Park to visit the Fonart Store that is located there.  Fonart is a government agency that promotes the creation of high quality Mexican handicrafts, and it operates a number of stores throughout the city.

This Fonart is unique in that there is an adjoining store called Cencalli which sells Mexican artisanal food products.  ("Cencalli" is a word from the Aztec language of Nahuatl which means granary.  It comes from the words "centli" - corn and "calli" - house.)

We came here primarily to visit the food store.  One of my Swiss cousins likes spicy food, and we wanted to see if we could find some gourmet salsas as a gift for when we travel to Switzerland. 

Cencalli has a wide variety of products, but I have to say that I was hoping that they would have a wider selection of salsas.  However I did find a couple of small jars to buy for my cousin.

Of course, as long as we were there we had to look around the handicrafts store.  Fonart always has such beautiful merchandise.

Many of the pieces here are quite expensive, but there are also items at an accessible price.  I rarely leave a Fonart store empty handed, and I ended up buying a few things.  However, I was a good boy.  The purchases were not for myself. They were small, easily packed gifts to take to Switzerland.

My gift shopping for my cousins in now officially completed! 

The "Fútbol" Angel

A couple weeks ago I wrote that painters were busy painting murals in anticipation of the World Cup at the "Glorieta de Insurgentes", a busy transportation hub.  Last weekend we passed through there again, and we saw an interesting painting that was not there previously.

The golden winged victory (known by everyone as the Angel) which stands atop the Monument to Independence is here transformed into a soccer player.

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.