¡Feliz Navidad!

Here in Mexico City, it is Christmas morning.  It is time to reveal my Christmas card for this year.

The subject of this year´s card is Heidelberg Castle.  Last year I traveled to Germany and Switzerland.  One of the places that I visited was the historic city of Heidelberg, Germany.  Perched on a hill overlooking the city is the medieval castle which is partially in ruins. As my readers know, each year I do a painting which I then use for my Christmas card.  I used one of the photos that I took of the castle as the basis for my painting.  I was there on a warm, sunny September day, but I converted the picture into a snowy winter scene for the card.

Since moving to Mexico, I have been finishing the cards...  doing the painting, having the cards printed, and making them out... months ahead of time so that I can give them to friend when I visit Ohio.  He mailed them out the day after Thanksgiving.  This year, however, it seemed that the U.S. Postal Service was very slow.  It took weeks for some of my cards to arrive to friends within the United States.  I am seriously considering sending the cards... well in advance... from Mexico next year.

To all of my readers, wherever you may be, I wish you a very joyous holiday season and a happy 2026!  

More Christmas Music

 Here are some more video excerpts from the Christmas concert last Sunday by the "Sinfónica de Minería".  For the second half, the conductor had changed from his white tie and tails into a more casual holiday sweater.

"Bugler's Holiday" by Leroy Anderson

Tenor Alan Pingarrón returned to the stage dressed in a "charro" outfit to sing some traditional Mexican Christmas songs.

The audience joined in singing "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano.

This song from Spain, "Hacia Belén Va Un Burro" (A Burro Goes Toward Bethlehem) brought back memories.  It's a Christmas song we learned in one of my college Spanish classes.

"Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson

The "posada" song is sung during the neighborhood processions which represent Joseph and Mary looking for lodging.  The tenor and chorus sang the verses of Joseph and Mary asking for room at the inn, and the audience sang the responses from within the inn.

After the "posada", the "piñata" song is sung while the children attempt to break the piñata.  "Dale, dale, dale..."  "Hit it, hit it, hit it..."

It was a wonderfully enjoyable concert, and we hope to make it an annual holiday tradition!

Christmas Music

 Last week, Alejandro told me abouts a Christmas concert to be performed by the "Sinfónica de Minería", an orchestra affiliated with the National University of Mexico.  It was going to be held on Sunday just down the street at the Pepsi Center, the concert venue of the World Trade Center.  I asked him if he wanted to go, and he said "yes".  I immediately walked over to the ticket window of the Pepsi Center and bought tickets.

The symphony orchestra was very good.  The Christmas concert gave the musicians a chance to let loose and have some fun, and to dress in holiday sweaters and caps.  Accompanying the orchestra was the orchestra choir, and an excellent blind tenor by the name of Alan Pingarrón.

Ironically, after having seen "The Nutcracker" ballet the night before, this concert began with excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite". 

Next, Alan Pingarrón appeared on stage to sing "Oh, Holy Night" in the original French.

The orchestra and choir performed a spectacular medley of familiar carols in English.  I have  exactly same arrangement on one of my of the Cleveland Orchestra Christmas CDs.

 The first half of the concert ended with the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah".

More from this festive concert, later today.

Another Snowy Peak

Another place where you could enjoy a white, and very cold, Christmas would be on the slopes of Mexico's tallest mountain, Pico de Orizaba (altitude 18,491 feet).

This photo was taken by Alejandro's friend Andrés, who lives in the city of Orizaba, which lies at the foot of the peak.

The Nutcracker

I have to admit that I am not a fan of classical ballet.  But it's hard to resist "The Nutcracker" at Christmastime.  There is the score by Tchaikovsky with so many beloved tunes that have become a part of the holiday season, and the magical story of the Nutcracker Prince who comes to life on Christmas Eve.  So, when we saw that "The Nutcracker" was being presented at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, we bought tickets.  We attended last Saturday's performance.

Performing were the National Dance Company of Mexico and the Orchestra of the Theater of Fine Arts.  Not being an expert on ballet, I really can't judge whether the dance company is a world-class troupe, but their performance seemed to be very good, as was the orchestra.  The production values were definitely first-rate with beautiful stage settings and costumes that made it a lovely spectacle to behold.  It was certainly well received by the nearly sold-out house.

One thing which puzzled me was an addition that they made to the performance.  I may not know ballet, but I do know Tchaikovsky's music.  Toward the end of the second act a piece of music from "Swan Lake" was inserted.  Alejandro and I think that it was added in order to showcase two of their principal dancers in what I think is referred to as a "pas a deux".

Cameras were not allowed for the show, but many in the audience were taking videos with their cell phones.  Alejandro finally took a few snippets with his phone.  Here is a short clip from one of the ballet's most popular dances, the Russian trepak.  The audience was encouraged to clap along with the music.

  It was an enjoyable evening of a holiday classic.

Underground Passage

Last Friday, after spending some time downtown, I wanted to return to the apartment by taking the newly renovated Line 1 of the subway from the Pino Suárez station to the Glorieta de Insurgentes.  From there I could take the Metrobus the rest of the way home.  From the Zócalo, it´s less than a half mile walk to the Pino Suárez station.

However, the street is always crowded with people, and it was even worse than usual with holiday shoppers.  So, I decided to take another route that I had not taken in years.  I don't know if that many residents know about it, and I wasn't even sure if it still existed.  There was an underground passageway that goes between the Zócalo station and the Pino Suárez station.

I descended down into the Zócalo station, and, before going through the turnstile, I asked a policeman if the passage still existed.  He said "Sí" and pointed me in the right direction.

The cool thing about the passageway is that it is not just a tunnel.  It is a veritable shopping mall of bookstores. It is called "Un paseo por los libros" (a stroll through the books), and the 650 meters are lined with several dozen bookstores.

The passage was opened in 1997 as a joint effort of the Mexico City government, the Public Transport System, the subway's Cultural Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Mexican Publishing Industry.

This route avoids all the hustle and bustle of the street above, but is not so deserted as to feel lonely and unsafe.  There were a few stores that had gone out of business, and some were closed, probably for Christmas vacation.  But there were plenty of stores that were open, and, if I had the time, I could have spent much of the day perusing the vast selection which ranged from children's books to tomes on Mexican law.

Porrúa, one of the nation's major bookstore chains, had not one, but two stores in the passage.

 

How ironic that in the United States bookstores are struggling to survive, but here beneath Mexico City's streets there is a booklover's paradise.

A White Christmas on the Mountaintop?

The last several nights here in Mexico City have been quite chilly with overnight lows dipping down to 44 degrees Fahrenheit.  Although there has been no precipitation here in the city recently, it must have snowed up in the nearby mountains.  This morning I took a look a the webcam of Popocatépetl (elevation 17,694 feet), and I saw that "Popo", fuming as always, was covered with a mantle of snow.

Although climbing of the active volcano has been prohibited for years, if you are dreaming of a white Christmas, you could drive up to the nearby mountain pass and probably see some of the white stuff that you are yearning for.

A World's Fair of Sorts

Many years ago, an international fair was held on the Zócalo.  If I remember correctly, it was called the Fair of Friendly Cultures, and it was an annual event.  The enormous plaza was filled with pavilions representing nations from all over the world.  The booths were staffed by people from those countries, many of them dressed in traditional attire.  A wide variety of handicrafts and souvenirs were for sale.  A few blocks away, on the Plaza of Santo Domingo, a culinary tent was set up with food from all over the world to enjoy.  It was a wonderful festival, and I hoped that it would return to the Zócalo.  Unfortunately, I think it went by the wayside with the pandemic.

There have been some smaller events which go by the name of "Feria del Mundo" (World's Fair"), but they have been a shadow of that festival years ago.  I saw an advertisement for one of these "World's Fairs" to be held this weekend... Friday through Sunday.

Even though I figured that I would be disappointed, I went downtown on Friday to see it anyways.  You may recall that I send dolls to the daughters of a friend of mine, and I hoped to find some dolls from different countries.

The fair was held in a building in the Historic Center called "el Palacio de la Autonomía" (The Palace of Autonomy).  

The ornate building stands on the site of a colonial convent.  In the late 19th century, the current structure was built, and it served as the National Teachers' School.  In 1929 an agreement was signed here in which the National University of Mexico was granted complete autonomy, free from government interference.  Hence the name of the building, and the official name of the university... "Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México" (UNAM).  Even though the University moved from the city center to its new campus in the 1950s, the "Palacio de Autonomía" still belongs to UNAM.  Events and expositions are held here.

This "World's Fair" was indeed a disappointment.  Supposedly, there were 40 countries represented, although I don't think there were that many.  The booths were small, and most of the merchandise was clothing or touristy souvenirs.  The  U.S.A. booth was selling cheap fur coats.  What the heck?!

To top it off, I did not see any dolls for sale!

Fortunately, admission to this sad excuse for an international fair was free.   

The one experience that kept my visit from being a total waste of time came as I was about to leave.  There were several stalls selling foods from different countries, and I decided to stop and have a bite to eat.  There was a booth set up by a French pastry shop located in Mexico City, and a variety of sweet and savory pastries were for sale.  I had a chicken roll with bechamel sauce that was quite tasty.  I had a very nice conversation with the owner of the "patiserrie".  He is Mexican, but he studied cooking in Lyon, France.  When he returned to Mexico, he opened a shop in the neighborhood of Lindavista, which is not too far from where Alejandro's family live.

So, at least I ended my trip to the event on a pleasant note.  We might visit this fellow's pastry shop some day, but I am not going to bother with any more festivals that label themselves as "World's Fairs"! 

A Race to Christmas

Yesterday I went to the Zócalo, Mexico City's main plaza, where work is going on for the annual "Verbena navideña" (Christmas festival).  The festival is supposed to start today, but there was a lot of work to be done.  I couldn't help but thinking, "How are they going to get everything completed in time?" 

From the descriptions that I have read, it seems that the festival will be about the same as it has been for the last two years...  a tunnel of lights, three Christmas trees created from live poinsettia plants, a giant Nativity scene, a handicrafts market.  I'm not sure that I am going to bother going again this year and battle the crowds.

The Christmas lights are in place on the buildings around the Zócalo and have been turned on the last several nights.

Last year when Alejandro and I went to see the lights on a weekend evening, the crush of people was so insanely intense that it was the first time I have ever feared for my physical safety in Mexico City.  I may just pass entirely on the Zócalo this year.

(I checked the Zócalo webcam at 7:00 this morning, and work looks far from complete.  I don't know at what time they were planning to open the "verbena" today, but they are going to have to hustle to finish everything.)

More Christmas Pictures

Last Saturday, Alejandro and I went to the Paseo de la Reforma.  Last year, a long stretch of the boulevard was lined with a Christmas market with probably more than a hundred vendors' stalls. There was also the annual poinsettia festival with local flower growers selling not only poinsettias but a wide variety of other plants.  This year there was nothing, nada, zip.  In fact, other than a couple of festively decorated hotels, and a couple of displays set up by a Mexican insurance company, you would never know that it is the Christmas season along Mexico City's most famous street.  Given that the city government had gone all out decorating Reforma for the Day of the Dead, I thought that perhaps they would do the same for Christmas this year.

At the intersection of Reforma and Sevilla along the pedestrian walkway, the insurance company GNP had set up a "Santa Claus house".  We looked through the windows, and the interior was decorated, and there was a big chair.  It would seem that Santa is there at certain hours to hear children's requests, but he wasn't there at that time.

"Vivir es increíble" (Living is incredible) is the slogan of the insurance company.

Along the walkway on the opposite side of the boulevard, the same company had set up a Christmas tree.

The St. Regis Hotel, located at that intersection, was nicely decorated for the season.

A block farther down the boulevard, the Marquis Reforma Hotel, is always nicely decked out for holiday seasons.  (You may recall the photos I posted of the hotel for the Day of the Dead.)

Thinking that perhaps the Christmas market and the poinsettia festival had not yet been set up, I returned to Reforma on Thursday, but there still was nothing.

Fireworks, Begone!

The government of Mexico City has begun an ad campaign trying to discourage the use of fireworks.

"Let's celebrate without risks

for your family, your market, your city.

The holidays shine more without fire(works).

The unauthorized use of fireworks is prohibited in Mexico City, although the law is widely ignored and probably rarely enforced.  I could not find any statistics on how many people in the city are injured or killed each year from fireworks.  In 1988 a fireworks explosion at the Merced Market in central Mexico City resulted in 62 deaths and 82 injuries.  In 1999 an explosion in a fireworks warehouse in Celaya left 62 dead and 348 people injured.  The town of Tultepec on the outskirts of Mexico City is a center for the pyrotechnics industry, and in 2016 a massive explosion in the San Pablito Market in that town killed 36 and injured 84.  Among the injured were six children.  One girl, with burns over 90% of her body was sent to a Shriners' Hospital in Texas for treatment.

Fortunately, in the neighborhood of our apartment, fireworks are not a problem.  However, in the neighborhood where Alejandro's family lives the noise of firecrackers is a constant.  For every saint's day, every funeral, every holiday, religious or civil, firecrackers are set off, often in the wee hours of the morning.  Don't say that it is simply a part of Mexican culture that you have to accept.  It is part of SOME Mexicans' culture, but there are plenty of people, including Alejandro's family, who are sick and tired of not being able to get a good night's sleep.

I hope that this ad campaign is a sign of better enforcement of the existing laws.  Alejandro noticed that this year there were not as many firecrackers set off for the feast day of the Virgen of Guadalupe.  (Their home is just a couple blocks away from a route that many pilgrims take to the Basilica.)  I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I won't hold my breath.  

 

A Tradition Renewed

If you have been following this blog through the years, you know that when I was living in Ohio I would make fudge every year at Christmastime. It was a recipe for "soldier's fudge" that my father used to make.  After he passed away, I continued the tradition.  I would make batch after batch to give to friends and relatives.  I eventually changed the recipe a bit, and instead of putting in chopped nuts, I used dried cherries.  Most people preferred that.

"Soldier's fudge" is a recipe that has been around for a long time.  During the World Wars, people would make the confection for their loved ones serving in the military.  Because it does not require refrigeration and lasts for weeks, if not months, it could be sent to soldiers overseas.

I had not made any fudge since I moved to Mexico, but this year I decided to renew the tradition.  The question was, would I be able to find all the ingredients?  I figured that chocolate and vanilla would not be a problem.  After all they originated in Mexico.  The sweetened condensed milk would not be a problem either.  Instead of "Eagle Brand", here they have the "La Lechera" brand made by Nestle.

  

The one ingredient that I could not find, however, was dried cherries.  When my friends Al and Stew were here, they told me that I could find dried cherries at Costco.  So, Alejandro and I made a special trip to Costco, and after a bit of searching, we found the cherries.  I bought three large bags, more than enough for my batches of fudge.

I purchased a couple of metal pans at Woolworths, but I could not find a double boiler at any of the stores that carry housewares.  There is a word in Spanish for a double boiler.  It's called a "baño María" (Mary's bath).  However, nobody at any of the stores knew what I was talking about.  I guess that's something I should have shipped down from Ohio when I moved!  I had to improvise and set a small pot in a larger pot.  Water is boiled in the bottom pot, and the chocolate is melted in the smaller pot without scorching.  It was awkward, but it worked.

I went to Walmart to see what they had in the way of chocolate.  I was willing to settle for Hershey's for the unsweetened chocolate (one square goes into each batch), but for the rest I wanted a better quality of chocolate.  I went down the street to a branch of "Estado Natural", and chain of stores that sells natural foods in bulk.  My recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate chips, but they had semi-bitter chips.  However, next to it was a bin filled with "trocitos" (little pieces) of chocolate.  Those had a somewhat higher sugar content so I figured that they would work.  The chocolate pieces were 100% Mexican from the state of Tabasco.

I now had all my ingredients, so I could start making fudge.  I melted the chocolate with the sweetened condensed milk in the improvised double boiler.  When it was velvety smooth, I turned off the flame and stirred in the vanilla and a generous helping of cherries.

I poured the fudge into one of my Woolworth pans and let it cool.  The fudge was still quite soft, so after wrapping the pan carefully, I put it in the freezer just long enough to let it set more.  I must say that with the Mexican chocolate, the fudge is even better than what I used to make in Ohio.

I have already made four batches.

Bill's Christmas fudge kitchen is in full swing!

Songs of Christmas

This year our nephew began his first year of high school at a "prepa", a public preparatory school affiliated with the National University of Mexico.  He has joined the high school choir, and last week we attended their Christmas concert.

The first portion of the concert consisted of Christmas songs from around the world (all sung in Spanish, of course).  All but one of them were familiar to me.

The second part of the program consisted of Mexican Christmas songs.

I left the concert in a Christmas spirit!

Flashing Lights

As Christmas approaches, many homes are decorated with lights for the holiday season.  It seems to me that here in Mexico people have a much greater penchant for flashing lights than in the United States.  It seems as if on every house that has outdoor decorations, the lights are blinking and flashing.  Here are a few examples in the neighborhood where Alejandro's family lives...

A Nativity Extravaganza

I have frequently mentioned the colonial mansion in the Historic Center of Mexico City known as Iturbide's Palace.  The building is now owned by Banamex (the Bank of Mexico), and is the headquarters of their cultural foundation.  Each year there are several exhibits held at the palace.  Perhaps the most eagerly awaited show is their annual exposition of "nacimientos" (Nativity scenes).  367 Nativity scenes created by more than 200 master artisans are on display.  They represent the vast variety of popular arts to be found throughout Mexico.

After I took Al and Stew to the top of the Latin American Tower, we walked a short distance down Madero Street to the palace.  The exhibit was one of the highlights of their visit to Mexico City.  The Nativity scenes are, for the most part, the same each year, but I always enjoy seeing them again.  I have written about the exposition here a number of times so I will simply share a few photographs.  Those of you have been reading my blog for a number of years might even recognize some of these Nativity scenes from earlier posts.

This scene is from San Bartolo Coyotepec in the state of Oaxaca.  The town is famous for its black pottery.  All of the Nativity figures are portrayed wearing traditional attire of the state.  The Three Kings are wearing the headdresses of the "feather dancers" of Oaxaca.

The town of Metepec in the State of Mexico is famous for elaborate clay pieces known as "Trees of Life".  The exhibit included several depicting the Nativity.

This whimsical wooden figure is from the state of Yucatán.  Joseph, Mary and the Baby, and the Three Kings are shown riding a carrousel.

This stone carving, also from Yucatán, portrays the Holy Family and an angel in the garb of the ancients Mayas.

An exquisite scene from the state of Michoacán with figures modeled from wax wearing hand woven clothing

A colorful painting from the state of Guerrero done on "amate" paper made from the bark of the fig tree.

One of the specialties of the Huichol people of western Mexico is to create pictures by gluing colored yarn onto a board.

These clay figures were done by one of the Aguilar sisters, well-known artisans from the town of Ocotlán de Morelos in Oaxaca.

These charming figures come from the pottery town of Tonalá in the state of Jalisco.

Al just posted an entry on his blog about our visit.  You can read it and see more photos here...

The Nativity Reinvented – El Rancho Santa Clara