A Morbid Exhibit

A couple weeks ago I made another visit to the San Carlos Museum to see another special exhibit.   The exhibit is called "El Beso de la Muerte" ("The Kiss of Death").  It opened on the 23rd of October... a very appropriate show for the Day of the Dead season... but it will run until March of next year.  

The show deals with the depiction of death in 19th century art.  It is obviously a morbid exhibit, and some of the images are distressing.  (There is even a warning sign at the entrance to that effect.)

The show is divided into four parts.  The first part is called "The Waiting Room for Death", which depicts illness.  In that era, before modern medical techniques and treatments, even a seemingly innocuous illness could be the prelude to death.  

For some, the only hope was prayer to the saints.  If the person recovered, a small painting on metal, known as an ex-voto, would commemorate the answered prayers.

This ex-voto tells of a women who was gravely ill and vomiting blood.  Her prayers to the Virgin of los Remedios and the Holy Child of Atocha were answered, and she recovered.

This booklet called "Health in the Home" contains 300 useful medical prescriptions.  The illustration was done by the famous Mexican engraver José Guadalupe Posada.

This bronze statue of the "Dying Napoleon" was done by Swiss sculptor Vincenzo Vela in 1867.

The second part of the exhibit is called "Face to Face with Death", and it deals with the inevitability of death.

"This Is the Mirror that Does Not Deceive You"

by Tomás Mondragón

1856

Wood carvings by an unknown 18th century artist

"The Funeral March of Chopin"

by Severo Amador

"The Dream of a Gentleman"

by an unknown 19th century painter

The next part of the exhibit is entitled "Death Portrayed".  It contains representations (paintings, photographs and sculptures) of the deceased.

"Dead Mother"

by Julio Ruelas

1901

"Portrait of a Dead Nun"

"Woman Dressed as a Bride"

"The Death of Bernardina Madrueña"

unknown artist

1857

"Portrait of a Dead Child"

"Woman with Dead Baby"

Death mask of President Benito Juárez

Cadaver of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico after his execution by firing squad

The final portion is called "Places of Memory" which deals with the customs of mourning.

Grave markers of girls who died in infancy

Cemetery sculpture

A widow's visiting card

Items used by a woman in mourning

"Woman Dressed in Black"

by Germán Gedovius

1909

I promise that my next entry will be more cheerful!

 

The First to Arrive

Thanksgiving Day is just another Thursday in Mexico.  But on that day I received my first Christmas card, and it came all the way from England.

The last time that I had a video chat with my cousin Kevin in the U.K., he told me that he was going to send me a Christmas card the next day so that it would arrive before Christmas.  That was on November 12th, and, true to his word, the postmark on the envelope was November 13th.  What was amazing was that it arrived from all the way across the pond in exactly two  weeks!

For a long time, my opinion of the Mexican postal service has been very negative.  I probably already told you the story that after meeting Alejandro, I sent him a Christmas card from Ohio right after Thanksgiving with the rest of my cards.  The card arrived in time for Easter.  But it seems as if the service has improved.  I have received a number of pieces of mail from the United States that arrived in a month or less.  However, this card from England breaks a record.

On my last trip to Ohio, I gave my friend Frank my Christmas cards to send out the day after Thanksgiving.  It will be interesting to see if my card to Kevin and his family takes longer than two weeks to arrive.  I would laugh if the Mexican postal service is better than the USPS! 

A Taste of India

Mexico City's gastronomic excellence includes a wide variety of international cuisines.  One which is well represented here is Indian cuisine.  About a block away from the apartment we have an excellent restaurant called Dawat.  I don't know if I have ever written about on the blog, but we have eaten there numerous times.

A couple weeks ago we noticed a little place called "Indian Grill", located on a quiet street an easy walk from the apartment.

The restaurant is cozy, and the staff is very friendly.  We both ordered the same thing.  We started with a lentil soup that was very tasty.

For our main course, we ordered lamb in "rogan josh" curry.  Along with it we had lemon rice and garlic naan (Indian flatbread).

Although our regular place, Dawat, is a bit better and about the same in price, we were very satisfied with our meal.  We will probably return.

The Phantom of the Opera is Here!

"El Fantasma de la Opera" is now playing at the historic Insurgentes Theater down the avenue from us.  It is one of my favorite musicals.  I first saw "Phantom" years ago in Toronto, and later it came on tour to Cleveland.  I saw the movie, and I have the original cast recording.  Obviously I bought tickets for us as soon as I saw that it was going to be here.  I know the show so well that it wouldn't matter a bit if I didn't catch all the lyrics and dialog in Spanish.

Last Saturday, we took the Metrobus to the theater.

 We have been to shows at this theater twice before, and they were excellent, very professional productions.  Still, I was a little bit concerned that I might be disappointed by this "Phantom".  I had read that it was a new production that had been adapted for smaller theaters.

I need not have worried.  Yes, the stage sets were scaled back.  The journey to the Phantom's subterranean lair was simplified, and the crashing chandelier did not swing out over the audience.  But in all other respects the production was as good as the others that I had seen.  The performers had excellent voices, and were able to handle the operatic score.  So, we have seen three show at Insugentes Theater... "The Man of La Mancha", "Cabaret", and now "Phantom"... and all have been top-notch.

Christmas Is On Its Way

Christmas decorations are going up throughout the city. 

At Dakota 95, a small shopping mall down the street, the tree is in place.

  

The tree is up in front of the World Trade Center.

And visitors entering the World Trade Center are greeted by a large inflatable Santa.

I guess that the tree at the Metropoli Mall is supposed to represent an elf's cap, because his legs are sticking out from under the tree.

Here at the apartment, decorating has only just begun.  The wreath, hand made in Mexico, that I bought last year is now on the door.

It is time to haul the boxes from the shelf in the walk-in closet and start getting to work.

Return to Oz

 In 1995, writer Gregory Maguire wrote the best selling fantasy novel "Wicked".  It is a revision of the "Wizard of Oz" in which the life of Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, is presented in a sympathetic light.  Maguire's novel was later used as the basis for the hit Broadway musical.  The musical in turn spawned a two-part movie.  Alejandro and I saw the first part last year.  Although we enjoyed the movie, I thought that Hollywood was milking it for all they could by turning it into a two-part movie.  Nevertheless, last Saturday afternoon, we went to see part two, "Wicked: For Good".

Although some critics have panned the second part of the movie, I thought that it was better than the first part.  I can also see that the reason behind making the musical into a two-part movie was not entirely a matter of money-grubbing.  The movies delve much more deeply into the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda the Good as well as the political situation of Oz.  The musical (as I remember it) largely ignored politics.  However, the second part of the movie is closer to Maguire's novel in that it portrays the government of Oz as an authoritarian regime in which the sapient, talking animals are repressed, murdered, or enslaved.  Elphaba is more of a freedom fighter than a wicked witch.  It is the government's propaganda machine that vilifies her.  The Wizard is neither wonderful nor magical, but simply an opportunistic conman.  (Hmmm... sound familiar?)

The lead roles of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) are excellently acted and sung.  However, I do have one criticism of modern musicals in general.  In most shows nowadays the songs are completely forgettable.  You don't leave the theater humming the melodies.  Gone are the days of Rogers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Lowe whose shows were filled with memorable songs that became standard classics.  (Think of shows like "South Pacific", "The Sound of Music" or "My Fair Lady".)

Although I doubt that the movie will win big at next year's Academy Awards, I do suspect that it will garner many well-deserved nominations.

Big Heart

In the past, the advertising slogan for the Mexico City tourism department was "The City That Has Everything".  Now there is a new ad campaign, and the slogan is "Ciudad de México, Corazón Grande"  ("Mexico City, Big Heart").

I have seen a couple of the new posters.  This one is in a nearby subway station.

 The photo shows a taco vendor standing next to the "trompo", the rotisserie on which the meat for "tacos al pastor" (the city's best known variety of taco) is cooked.

The caption says...

"The flavor is big"

"The gastronomical offerings of our city are unique in the world."

I certainly agree with that!

Too Low or Too High

As I mentioned earlier, last weekend we bought a new mattress for the guest room of the apartment.  As you can see, the bed with the existing mattress was extremely low to the ground.

We figured that if we put another mattress on top of it, the bed would be a reasonable height.

The new mattress was supposed to be delivered last Friday.  In the morning I received a message that it would arrive between 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM.  I stayed in the apartment waiting for the delivery.  2:30 came and went.  By 5:00 I called customer assistance, and the fellow assured me that it would arrive that day.  By 8:00 PM, I figured they would not going to come, and I was annoyed, to say the least..  However, then I received another message that they would be there at 9:00 PM.   Shortly after nine the delivery truck pulled up in front of the building.  Two men carried the mattress up to the apartment. (Fortunately, they were able to fit it in the elevator.)  They placed the new mattress on top of the existing one.

After they left, I looked at the bed and said to myself, "Now it's too high".

The old mattress is about seven inches high.  The new one is about 14 inches high.  If I get rid of the old mattress, and just use the new one, the additional seven inches should bring the bed up to a fairly reasonable height.

Here in Mexico City, we have junk dealers that come around in their trucks and buy old mattresses, refrigerators, etc.  On an almost daily basis, you hear the sing-songy recording from the trucks... "Se compran colchones, tambores, refrigeradores, estufas, etc..." (We are buying mattresses, bedframes, refrigerators, stoves etc...)  I guess next week, I am going to have to catch one of those trucks as it passes through the neighborhood, and have them take away the old mattress.

The Mariachi Police

Last week, as I was walking toward the "Glorieta de Insurgentes", the traffic circle that serves as a transportation hub for the subway and the Metrobus, I heard mariachi music.  Beneath the underpass leading into the "glorieta" there was a mariachi band composed of Mexico City policemen.

Apparently they perform here on a regular basis, because  a couple weeks ago they were playing as I passed by.

The Rest of the Alphabet

Let's continue with the current exhibition at the "Museo del Objeto del Objeto".  For this exhibit, they chose one or more words for each letter of the alphabet, and then displayed objects related to those words.

M is for "música" (music)

Different means of mechanically reproducing music through the decades

N is for "negocio" (business)

O is for "olimpiada" (Olympiad)

Memorabilia from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City

P is for "plancha" (iron)  (Not the metal, but the household appliance)

Q is for "quirófano" (operating room)  (That's a word I didn't know.)

R is for "refresco" (soft drink)

S is for "sabores" (flavors)

Cans of food and tins of spices long past their expiration date, I am sure.

Antique cookbooks

T is for "teléfono" (telephone)

U is for "utensilio" (utensil)

V is for "vidrio" (glass)

W is for "watt"  (The only words in Spanish that begin with "w" are some words taken from other languages.)

"Demand General Electric lightbulbs."

X is for "XL"  (Extra large)  (X is another problematic letter.  I guess they didn't have any xylophones in their collection.)

I suspect that these enormous objects might have been used as decorations or advertising for businesses.

Y is for "yo" (I)

I can see myself in the mirror.

Z is for "zapato" (shoe)

A variety of shoe shine boxes

It was one of the most entertaining exhibits that "Museo del Objeto del Objeto" has put on.