Update on the Printer

This morning I wrote that the printer was supposed to call me today to let me know that she had a sample of my Christmas card ready for approval.  True to her word, she called around 11 o'clock this morning.  I went back to the location in Condesa, and when I arrived, she met me at the door with the sample.  The quality of the picture was very good, and the English words were all spelled correctly.  I told her to go ahead and print the cards.  They will be ready next Thursday.  The print shop that I went to previously could certainly learn a lesson on customer service from this lady with her humble, at-home business.

Of course, the subject of my painting is always a secret.  You will have to wait until December after the cards have been sent and received before I will show you what the card looks like.

Here are a few of the cards from years past...

2017 - Dusk at Tlalpujahua, Mexico

2019 - Street in Coyoacán, Mexico

2020 - Lake Hallwil, Switzerland

And here's the painting for the first Christmas card that I did...

2004 - New England Winter

 

Nativity Scenes

Yesterday I went to the National Museum of Popular Culture to see a display of the winners of a national competition of Nativity scenes.

The Nativity scene originated in Italy, and from there spread to other European countries and on to the Americas.  In Mexico, the Nativity scene, or "Nacimiento", has long been an important part of the Christmas celebration.  Long before the idea of the Christmas tree made its way to Mexico from the United States, Mexican families would display "nacimientos" in their homes during the holiday seasons.  These nativity scenes could be quite large and elaborate, and often take up most of a room or courtyard.

The winners from this competition represent a wide variety of handicrafts from different parts of Mexico.

 This clay "nacimiento" is from the state of Veracruz.

 

 The painted, wooden figures of this Nativity scene are reminiscent of the "alebrijes" of Oaxaca.  In fact, the figures are from San Martín Tilcajete, a village in the state of Oaxaca famous for its "alebrijes".

Notice the intricate, painted designs which are typical of the best "alebrijes".

This extremely realistic "nacimiento" is made of wax.

It is from the state of Michoacán.

This glazed pottery Nativity scene is done in the style of a Tree of Life.

It is from the town of Metepec which is famous for its Trees of Life.

Finally, this is a detail from what I assumed was a painting hanging on the wall.

Closer inspection revealed that the "painting" is actually made from feathers.

¡Tamales!

Today I traveled by subway to the pleasant Mexico City neighborhood of Coyoacán.  My destination was the National Museum of Popular Cultures.  I have been to the museum once before, and I was not impressed.  However, I had read in a magazine that the winners from a national contest of Nativity scenes were to be on exhibit there until February, so I decided to go back.

Before I had even found the Nativity scenes, I realized that the museum was holding its annual festival of tamales in its patio.  Tamales are made from a special corn dough, are stuffed with either savory or sweet fillings, are wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and are steamed.  

Please note: The singular of "tamales" is not "tamale", but "tamal", which comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs.

The museum courtyard was filled with vendors from different parts of Mexico selling a wide variety of tamales.  There were also vendors from Central America serving their versions, and South Americans who were preparing their own corn dough dishes such as "arepas" from Colombia.

 Making "arepas"

It was around lunch time, so I decided to try some of the vendors' wares.  I bought a Colombian "arepa", a couple of "corundas" from the Mexican state of Michoacán ("corundas" are little triangles of corn dough topped with frijoles or "mole"), a black "mole" tamal from Oaxaca, and a pork tamal from Veracruz.  

I had never had an "arepa" before, and I thought that it was rather bland, even served with salsa.  Of the others that I tried, the best was the pork tamal.  Very yummy!  

The festival of tamales was an unexpected and tasty treat!

 

Back to Coyoacán

One of my favorite areas in Mexico City is the neighborhood of Coyoacán.  It was a pre-Hispanic settlement on the southern shore of the (now vanished) lake which surrounded the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán.  In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, Coyoacán means "Place of the Coyotes".

Until well into the twentieth century Coyoacán remained a separate town on the outskirts of Mexico City.  Although it has been swallowed up by the capital, it still retains a unique atmosphere.

I had visited Coyoacán a few years ago, but when Alejandro and I returned there for a couple hours on Palm Sunday, I decided to spend some more time exploring the neighborhood.  This morning I took the subway to the Viveros station.  From there I walked south a couple blocks to Avenida Francisco Sosa, one of Coyoacán's most picturesque streets.  The shady avenue is lined with lovely homes, as well as small shops, restaurants and cultural institutions.  Many of the buildings date back to colonial times.

This interesting colonial house with a beautiful courtyard is called "la Casa de Alvarado".  Today it is an archive for the preservation of historic audio recordings. I wondered if the house might have been the home of Pedro de Alvarado, one of the officers with the army of the conquistador Hernán Cortés.  The guards inside weren't able to tell me, but they did tell me that in more recent times it was the home of the famous writer Octavio Paz.

                    Another colonial mansion down the street is today a cultural center.

The Chapel of Santa Catarina dates back to the sixteenth century.

Many of the cross streets are narrow residential lanes called "callejones" or "privadas".  These quiet little streets seem a thousand miles from the hustle and bustle of Mexico City.

Even though we have had strong thunderstorms the last two evenings, some of the jacaranda trees are still hanging on to their blossoms.  The sidewalks beneath them are carpeted with purple petals.

                           Bougainvillea are ubiquitous throughout the neighborhood.

 

The avenue eventually leads to the neighborhood's central plaza and the beautiful sixteenth century church of San Juan Bautista.

  

Alejandro and I had poked our heads in here on Palm Sunday.  He had been surprised that the images and altars had not been covered with draperies as is the custom in Mexican churches during Lent.  However today I saw that they were starting to cover the altars.  I suspect that by Good Friday, everything will be covered.

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                           Most of the church's ornate decoration was still on display.

 

 

 It is said that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world.  Some of them are spectacular... and others are underwhelming.  There were two museums in Coyoacán that I had not seen, so I paid them a visit.

First I went to the National Museum of Popular Culture.   Pretty impressive name, but I was in and out in ten minutes. The only thing of interest was a 10 foot high "tree of life" at the entrance.  (Instead, I would recommend the excellent Museum of Popular Arts downtown.)

I passed by the most famous museum in Coyoacán, the "Casa Azul"  (Blue House) where the celebrated painters Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera lived.  I went to the "Casa Azul" a few years ago, ánd I would normally recommend it.  However today the line to enter the museum stretched down the block.  Unless you're a real Frida fanatic, I'm not sure that it is worth the long wait. (When I was there, I didn't have to wait at all.)

A few blocks away from the "Casa Azul" is the other museum which I had not visited... the Trotsky House.  Leon Trotsky was one of the main leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.  When his rival Stalin came to power, Trotsky was forced into exile.  In 1937 he and his wife came to Mexico, and for a time they stayed at the "Casa Azul" as guests of Frida and Diego.  (Trotsky and Frida reportedly had an affair.)  The Trotskys eventually moved to a place of their own.  It was there in 1940 that an agent of Stalin murdered Trotsky.

 The Trotsky House

The windows were all bricked over after an earlier, unsuccessful attempt on Trotsky's life.

This is Trotsky's office where he was murdered,

The assassin, a Spaniard by the name of Ramón Mercader, had gained the confidence of the household by becoming the lover of the sister of Trotsky's secretary.

Mercader pulled an ice pick from his coat and smashed it into Trotsky's skull.

Trotsky's ashes are buried in the garden of the house under a monument engraved with a hammer and sickle.

For those with an interest in history (or an interest in the macabre), the Trotsky House is worth a brief visit if you are in Coyoacán.

Palm Sunday in Coyoacán

Yesterday was Palm Sunday.  Alejandro and I were invited to the birthday party of one of his friends.  We had some time to kill (nobody in Mexico arrives at a party at the stated hour!), so Alejandro drove us to the picturesque neighborhood of Coyoacán on the south side of Mexico City.  Coyoacán is always a popular place on weekends, and since it is Holy Week, it was even more crowded.  We drove around for a while before we finally found a place to park the car.  We walked to the neighborhood's principal church, San Juan Bautista.

 

Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, mass was still being said.  Alejandro told me that in Mexican churches all of the altars and images are covered with draperies during Lent.  They are then uncovered on Easter Sunday.  He found it odd that nothing was covered in this church.  Perhaps it is because this very beautiful church is visited by many tourists.

Outside the church there were a large number of vendors selling small decorations made out of palm leaves.  These are called "palmitas".  Worshipers take their "palmitas" to the Palm Sunday mass to be blessed.  The decorations are then taken home and hung behind the door for the rest of the year.  Then the "palmitas" are taken to church prior to the beginning of Lent the following year.  They are burned, and the ashes are used on Ash Wednesday.

 We took a different street to return to the car.  I'm glad that we did, because we ran across an outdoor art market in one of the parks.

I'm a sucker for art shows like this.  Since I have participated myself in a number of art shows, I know how much even a small purchase is appreciated.  I didn't leave the show empty handed.

This gentleman, who is hearing-impaired, was painting miniatures in oils.  I bought one of his little paintings for only 30 pesos ($2.50).

An artist by the name of Rosa María Rodríguez Cervantes was displaying these charming acrylic paintings.

I bought this one for about $17 U.S.   I will put it aside when I return home and donate it to next year's charity auction.