city at night

city at night

Friday, April 3, 2015

Return to Mexico / Holy Week


The last two years I have traveled to Mexico City in April to be there for the birthday of my friend Alejandro.  I will be returning again this year.  I leave next Wednesday, and I will spend two weeks there.

Regular readers of my blog remember that last year my April visit coincided with Holy Week.  I had the opportunity for the first time to see some of the observances that occur in Mexico City during that time of year.  (If you are new to my blog, you might want to go to my blog archive to the side, click on April of 2014, and read about some of those events.) 

 
Last year's Good Friday observance in the Mexico City neighborhood of Santa María la Ribera

This year, Holy Week is currently underway.  The schools are closed, and many Mexican families go on vacation at the beaches or other destinations throughout the country.  I would suspect that a number of wealthy families are taking their children to Disney World this week, although the weak peso at this time may have cut down on the number of travelers heading north of the border.  Holy Week is a good time to visit Mexico City.  The notorious traffic is lighter because so many people have left the city, and with less traffic there is less air pollution.

Yesterday, as I was looking at some of the blogs that I frequently read, I ran across a link to this article written last year.  The writer discusses the Passion Play which is held each year in the Mexico City district of Iztapalapa.  Alejandro took me there last year, although we went on Holy Thursday rather than the main event, the reenactment of the Crucifixion on Good Friday, an event that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators.  (The author even writes about the earthquake which awakened me on the morning of Good Friday!)  It's always interesting to read an article such as that, and to be able to say, "I was there!" 

8 comments:

  1. Are ya'll coming up to San Miguel again? Hope so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought that you were going to be north of the border in April. I'll have to see what Alejandro has planned. I know that the first weekend we will have to stay in D.F. since he has to take his mom to a doctor's appointment.
      I will definitely return to San Miguel... I just don't know if it will be this trip.
      Saludos

      Delete
  2. Ok. I intend to leave as soon as I get the guest house leased...hopefully this coming week. Then I'll leave probably the third week, but, we can do it another time, for sure!

    OR I'll meet ya'll in DF some time. That would be fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was talking to Alejandro last night. It looks like we will go to Tequesquitengo my second weekend there.
      Yes, we could meet sometime in D.F. also. I am always free during the weekdays when I'm down there.
      Have a safe trip north of the border!

      Delete
  3. Hi and thank for commenting on my 2012 blog article "Stinking Badges." I've only taken a quick peek at your blog so far, but I promise to explore it in further depth.

    Also (and if you'll forgive me), here is own my article about last year's Good Friday Passion Play in Mexico City: http://gringopotpourri.com/2014/04/24/passion-runs-high-in-iztapalapa/

    Thanks again! Feliz Pascua!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting my blog, and for adding me to your blogroll.
      Your post on the Passion Play at Iztapalapa is excellent!
      Saludos,
      Bill

      Delete
  4. Easter isn't the same for me any more. Unless I've watched a good crucifixion, it all seems so pointless!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It all seems rather masochistic to me!

    ReplyDelete