An Unusual Tradition

There is a superstition in Mexico that seems a bit bizarre to those of us who come from north of the border.  Some believe that if you wear red underwear on New Year's Day you will find romance.  And if you wear yellow underwear you will acquire wealth.

As Alejandro and I were passing the market in Colonia del Valle, we saw red and yellow underwear for sale in the stalls outside the market building.

Regardless of what color of underwear you wear, I wish my readers love, health and prosperity in the New Year!

Playing Tour Guide

My regular readers know that I thoroughly enjoy playing tour guide to friends, relatives and former students who visit Mexico.  The last time that I had the opportunity to do that was in June when a former student, Megan, and her husband John had planned a trip to Mexico City.  I had not yet made the permanent move down here, but I was here at the same time that they were.  They had already scheduled activities for most of their visit, but had some free time when we were able to get together and I was able to show them some sights.

This month Megan wrote to me that one of her classmates, Dan, and his wife Jessica, were coming down here for Christmas.  Dan was not one of my students, but I wrote to him with some recommendations, and told him that if they had any unplanned time in the city, Alejandro and I would be happy to meet up with them.  He wrote to me on Saturday that a tour that they had scheduled had been cancelled and that they had a free day.  So, we met them at their hotel in Condesa, and we took them to a couple of places that are a bit off the typical tourist track. Dan and Jessica are both seasoned travelers and were happy to delve a little deeper into the culture of the city away from the tourist crowds.

First we traveled by Metrobus and Metro to take one of Mexico City's new "cablebus" routes... the elevated gondola cars that travel above the city.  They were not built as a tourist attraction, but as public transport.  I suggested Route 2 of the "cablebus" which goes over the neighborhood of Iztapalapa.

The trip gave them a sense of the vastness of Mexico City and of the densely populated borough of Iztapalapa, home to 1.8 million people.

Since Jessica is an art teacher, I figured that the ride over Iztapalapa would be of special interest to her, since many of the houses under the "cablebus" route had murals painted on their flat rooftops.  That was slightly disappointing to me since in the three years since this "cablebus" opened, many of the paintings have faded or deteriorated.

Nevertheless, I think they enjoyed the opportunity to look down on a part of the city which they would have never seen otherwise.

From Iztapalapa we then took the subway to the Jamaica Market.  I had written many times about my favorite market in the city, and I always take visitors there.  First we had a lunch of  "tacos de carnitas" and "tepache" (a beverage made from slightly fermented pineapple) at one of the food stands in the market.  We then wandered around the market including the vast area devoted to flowers of every kind.

After the market, we accompanied them back to their hotel.  I hope that they had as much fun as Alejandro and I had.  We look forward to seeing them again when we visit Ohio next year, and I hope that someday we have a chance to play tour guide again and show them more of Mexico City.

 

Construction at Last

Things often move at a glacially slow pace in Mexico, and that is certainly the case with reconstruction after the earthquake that occurred in September of 2017.  More than seven years later, you still see empty lots and abandoned buildings that were structurally damaged.

I was not in Mexico when that quake occurred, but I was already renting the condominium apartment that I purchased last year when I decided to move permanently to Mexico City.  Fortunately my neighborhood stands on bedrock and suffered minimal damage.  In my apartment there was no damage at all other than a couple pieces of broken glassware.

However, you may recall that the building where I had rented an Airbnb apartment numerous times on earlier trips did suffer structural damage.  That building was in the Condesa neighborhood that was severely hit in the quake.  Unlike some nearby structures, it did not collapse, but the owners of the apartments had to leave the building while the decision was made whether or not it should be torn down.  If you are a long time reader of this blog, you may remember that I occasionally pass by to see what is going on there.  It was probably more than a year after the quake before the building was torn down.  For a long time the lot remained empty, blocked by a tall barrier with a sign saying that reconstruction would take place.  The pandemic most likely delayed rebuilding, but even after that, when I would go down that street and peer through cracks in the barrier, I could see no sign of work.  Finally, earlier this year, I saw some construction materials and a bulldozer on the site.  Then, the other day when I picked up my mail, there was a large piece of equipment and a half dozen workers.  Excavation had begun for building the foundation.

I have no idea where the former residents of the building have lived in the intervening years, or if they will return when the new condominium is completed.  Time will tell how long it takes for a new building to rise on this site where I had spent many pleasant trips to Mexico City.  

Sculptures in the Metro

There are frequently exhibits of art in the Mexico City subway stations.  Currently at the Zócalo station there are a number of sculptures by an artist by the name of Javier Reivaj.  His sculptures are done in wood and epoxy and painted with acrylics.  The works in the exhibit are all inspired by Mayan mythology and stories from the Mayan holy book of the "Popol Vuh".

Thousands upon thousands of people go through the Zócalo station every day, but a few, such as I, take the time to observe the exquisite work of this artist.

Cards Arriving

I mentioned in an earlier post that the first Christmas card that I received was from my cousin Kevin in England.  The Friday before Christmas I received an email from my private mailing service that more mail had arrived at the Mexico City Mailboxes Etc. office.  However, I was not able to get there before their closing time, and they are closed on weekends.  It was not convenient to go to the office when I was at Alejandro's family's house on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  So, it was not until yesterday that I was able to pick up my mail.  There were four items, one was a mailing from Medicare, the other three were Christmas cards.  Then today, I was notified that more mail had arrived, and the email came early enough that I made it to the office before closing.  This time there were twelve cards for me!  

Among them were a card from my cousin Vera in Switzerland and my cousin Hans Peter in Norway.  There are many more on their way.  I am constantly getting emails saying that something has arrived at the office in Miami or that something is on its way to Mexico.

The Christmas season in Mexico lasts until January 6th, so I don't consider any of the cards that are on their way to be late.  And even if they arrive later in January, I still look forward to receiving them.  

A Breakfast Bargain

Across the street from the Mexico City World Trade Center there is a seafood restaurant called "De Costa a Costa".  Since I do not like shellfish, we have never been there for dinner.  However, they used to be open for breakfast and had some very good items on their menu.  It was one of the places that I would take visitors for breakfast.  Even though the food was very tasty, we would usually be the only customers at that hour.  So, I was not really surprised when at some point they no longer opened in the morning.

A couple weekends ago as Alejandro and I were on our way to breakfast, we noticed that the restaurant was open.  We asked the hostess at the entrance, and she said that they were once again opening at 8 AM for breakfast.  So last Saturday morning we went there.

Somehow, we did not notice the big banner hanging on the building... through the month of December their breakfasts are 50% off.  We had a very good meal, accompanied by sweet bread, juice or fruit, and coffee with refills.  The service was also exceptionally good.  We were surprised when the bill for the two of us was just 240 pesos... that's less than 12 U.S. dollars. Where else could you get a breakfast like that in a nice, white tablecloth restaurant for just 6 dollars?

The next morning, on Sunday, we returned and had another tasty and inexpensive breakfast.

I had "enchiladas suizas" (Swiss enchiladas) which get their name from the creamy, cheesy sauce that covers them.

Alejandro had an omelet covered with a poblano pepper sauce.

With such a discount, it is not surprising that we were not the only people there.  I hope that customers continue to come even after the bargain prices are gone.  The delicious breakfasts are certainly worth it even at double the price.  I suspect that we will return this weekend to take advantage of their December discount.  Even in the new year, I think that we will come back here for breakfast from time to time.

  

When Is Santa Claus Arriving?

Perhaps it was because of my mother's German and Swiss heritage, but back in Ohio where I grew up, we always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve.  Here in Mexico, the traditional day for the giving of gifts is January 6th, the Day of the Magi Kings.  However, those families who exchange presents at Christmas, usually open them at midnight on Christmas Eve.

Before I moved down here, I would usually arrive in Mexico for my winter trip in time for the Day of the Magi Kings, so that is when I would give presents to Alejandro and his family.  But now that I live in Mexico, when do we open gifts?  I figured that we could do it on Christmas Eve after supper.  Last year, my first Christmas with my Mexican family, my sister-in-law and nephew were both under the weather, and did not feel like opening presents until late afternoon on Christmas Day.

This year on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Alejandro and I drove across town to the house of his cousin Silvia and her family.  We had some goodies to take to them, and Silvia had made "bacalao a la vizcaína" (Basque-style cod) for us to take home.  "Bacalao" is one of the most typical dishes for Christmas Eve supper.  Of course we couldn't just deliver our goodies, take the "bacalao", and dash off.  We stayed for more than an hour and had a nice visit.  Then we drove to the home of Alejandro's favorite aunt and uncle.  We had more goodies for them, and his Aunt Araceli had "picadillo" (a Mexican ground beef hash) and a big bowl of apple salad for us to take back.  Again, we sat and talked for a while.  By the time we got back to the house, it was after 9:00 P.M. and it was 10:00 before we sat down for our very late Christmas Eve dinner.  It was midnight by the time we were done, and it was decided that the gifts would have to wait until Christmas Day after breakfast.  I was tired, and even though the neighbors across the street were setting off fireworks, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.  

Everyone, except for me, slept in, so our breakfast was late too.  We had the leftover "bacalao", "picadillo", and apple salad plus another traditional Christmas dish, "romeritos", a kind of wild greens that are served in a "mole" sauce.

With breakfast finally over, I brought in the gifts that Alejandro and I had bought for the family.  I piled them up on the dining room table.

  

Alejandro's father Pedro is always cold and is always bundled up in several layers of clothing.  (Yes, it gets chilly in Mexico City, especially in the winter.)  So we bought him warm, snuggly things to wear, such as this silly cap, knitted gloves and a sweater made in Peru.  We found all these items at the Christmas market along Paseo de la Reforma a couple weeks ago.

For Alejandro's sister Sandra we bought mainly clothes, including the cap with butterflies (she loves butterflies) and a shawl-like wrap for cool mornings and evenings.

Sandra's son Ezra also got a lot of clothing.  He will start high school next year, and, since he will not longer be wearing a school uniform, he is going to need a lot of clothes. But he (like the rest of the family) loves dogs.  So, I always buy him a calendar with pictures of dogs to hang in his bedroom.

My big present to Alejandro was something that he has mentioned a couple of times in the past.  I went to Radio Shack and bought him a drone.

Finally, I bought something for the entire family, a very nice fondue set that I found at the Liverpool Department Store.  Alejandro and I have eaten a number of times at a fondue restaurant close to the apartment.  But Pedro, Sandra and Ezra have never eaten fondue.  I also bought them a couple of vacuum packed boxes of fondue cheese imported from Switzerland.

And then, Alejandro brought out a gift for me... a large, heavy box.  It was something that I really needed, a printer!

So, Santa arrived a little later than expected, but he was very good to everyone!

The Christmas Card

My regular readers know that every year I paint a picture which I use for my Christmas card. By summer of this year, I had finished the painting, found someone to print the cards, and had them all made out.  Since the Mexican postal service is notoriously slow and unreliable, I did not want to send them from here. When I traveled to Europe in September, I took the cards for my Swiss cousins with me.  The wife of one of my cousins kindly offered to put them in the mail before Christmas.  In October, when I went to Ohio, I took the rest of the cards, went to the post office for stamps, and gave them to a high school friend.  She sent them out the day before Thanksgiving.  My reputation remained intact... mine was the first Christmas card that most people received.

Since everyone has received their card by now, it is safe to show you the painting that I used this year...

Early this year, a friend of Alejandro had sent him a photo that he had taken of the dormant volcano Iztaccíhuatl.  The mountain is located 43 miles to the southeast of Mexico City.  There had just been a heavy rain here in the city, and the precipitation at the mountain's elevation of over 17,000 feet had fallen as snow.  The photo of the snow-covered peak emerging amidst the clouds was very dramatic.  I decided to use it as the basis for my Christmas painting.

To all my readers, best wishes for a very merry Christmas!

At the Gran Hotel

One of the most beautiful hotels in Mexico City is the Gran Hotel de la Ciudad de Mexico.  The elegant art nouveau building which stands on the Zócalo was built in 1899.  It was originally an upscale department store, "el Centro Mercantil", which offered the latest in fashions and merchandise imported from Europe.  The building featured a stained glass roof done by a French artist in the style of Tiffany.  The department store closed in 1958, and ten years later it reopened as a hotel.  Its elegant decor and magnificent glass roof were preserved.

On Saturday, when Alejandro and I were downtown, we stepped inside to admire the lobby which is decorated for Christmas.

Alejandro took these photos...

A Posada - Dance Party

For nine nights prior to Christmas, "posadas", processions representing Joseph and Mary seeking lodging, are held throughout Mexico.  Last night a "posada" was held in Alejandro's neighborhood.

Alejandro and I were inside a neighbor's house, part of the "inside" group.  The other neighbors were outside, singing the "posada" litany, asking for lodging.  Those inside kept turning them away.  Finally, the insiders sing, "You are José?  Your wife is María?  Enter pilgrims.  I did not recognize you."  The doors are flung open.

 

Hot Christmas punch was served to everyone, and then the fun part for the children began... the breaking of the piñatas.  We had a total of eight piñatas!  Alejandro provided two of them and earlier that day had bought candy to fill them.  A rope from which the piñatas were hung was strung across the street.  A neighbor stood in a balcony and held one end of the rope.  He kept pulling on the rope to make the piñata a moving target.

The piñata originally had a religious meaning.  It traditionally has seven cones representing the seven deadly sins.  When you break the piñata, you are symbolically defeating sin and receiving the reward of the goodies inside.

To make things a bit more difficult, some of the children were blindfolded.

Even the toddlers were given a chance to poke at the piñata.

When the children had all had a turn, the adults tried their luck.  Here is Alejandro swinging at the piñata.

Even I was given a chance.  I gave it a couple of good whacks but didn't break it.

Nobody actually broke any of the piñatas.  When they were reduced to their papier mache core, an adult would rip them apart, and the children would scurry to grab the candy.

But that was not the end of the evening's festivities.  One of the neighbors who is a musician served as DJ and there was dancing in the street.

Eventually, I, the "gringo" with two left feet, was dragged in to take part.

The fun continued until eleven.

It was definitely the best "posada" that I have ever attended.

A Christmas Carol

When Alejandro and I went downtown on Saturday, as we were walking down Juárez Avenue, we saw something I had never seen before in Mexico City... a group of carolers singing familiar Christmas songs.

There are a few carols that always get to me.  I have to admit that a wave of nostalgia came over me and tears came to my eyes as they sang "Noche de Paz".

Afternoon and Evening on the Zócalo

As mentioned previously, on Saturday Alejandro and I planned to go to the Zócalo to see the Christmas festival.  We arrived there mid-afternoon.

The plaza was busy but not overly crowded.  There were, however, a lot of people crowded around the more photogenic spots, so I was glad that I had come a couple days earlier to take photos.

We went into the large tent that housed a handicrafts market.

This fellow was weaving fabric on a backstrap loom.

I was priding myself on being a good boy and not buying anything.

But then I came to the stall of this vendor from the state of Michoacán.

He had hand-painted wooden plates, spoons and jewelry.

I bought a couple of the miniature plates, one for myself, and one with butterflies to set aside as a birthday present for Alejandro's sister.

We left the Zócalo and went to our favorite restaurant, Testal, for dinner.  By the time we finished, it was after dark.  We headed back to the plaza to see the Christmas lights.  In the intervening time, the city government had set up metal barrier fences all around the Zócalo, with only a few places to enter and exit the festival... an absolutely idiotic move.  Even in this enormous city of 22 million people, I have NEVER experienced such a crush as the crowd pushed and struggled to enter or leave the festival.  It was the first time I have ever felt fearful for my safety in Mexico City.  It was like one of those situations you read about in the news where people are trampled underfoot.  Meanwhile, the police watched impassively.

After we finally entered, it was less dangerously congested, but still uncomfortably crowded.  We took a few photos, and then got out of there.

(photo taken by Alejandro)

We walked from the plaza for a block down 20 de Noviembre Avenue to where two of the city's department stores, Liverpool and Palacio de Hierro, across the street from each other, are nicely decorated for the holidays.

We survived Mexico City's Christmas Festival!