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Sunday, October 31, 2010
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| Ofrenda in the centro of Coyoacan |
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| An installation representing souls of deceased migrants |
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| Skeletons playing various childhood games |
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| Ofrendas representing the canals and trajineras in Xochimilco |
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| the Chocolate and Pan de Muerto Fair |
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| lots of food mostly representative of other Mexican States |
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| Chapulines (grasshoppers) -- I tried one. Not terrible, but not my favorite |
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| We ate pan de muerto filled with chantilly, a tamal with mole, hot chocolate,and a drink from Chiapas made with cacao, corn and cinnamon |
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| Sugar skulls and other Dia de los Muertos treats |
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| more skeletons -- El Pachuco |
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| the paleta (popsicle) seller |
The black cardigan is a must-have piece for ur wardrobe. ShopNastyGal.com
*Photo Credits: shopnastygal.com
Supermodel Kate Moss modeling her final Topshop collection which will be available on November 2nd.
The new MUST HAVE nail polish from Chanel for spring 2011 RIVA will be available from November 15th.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Alebrijes are (according to Wikipedia) "brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures." The Museum of Popular Art hosted a parade of giant alebrijes last week and, while I missed the parade, I went to see them lined up along Paseo de la Reforma.
The Zocalo has lots going on for Dia de los Muertos. On Saturday afternoon there was:
- a huge "Arbol de la Muerte Florida"
- various displays and ofrendas
- people making "pan de muerto" (the typical bread for Dia de los Muertos)
- an elaborate stage/structure with a cirque du soleil-style performance
- Aztec dancers
- and a ton of people!
Observations, courtesy of Jeff, my first visitor in Mexico
- Tacos -- "they're like good fast food"
- They show TV programs on different networks (like a Fox game on ESPN) and use the US feed with Spanish text overtop (so it says "vivo", but has the advertisements for US programming)
- There's a lot more trees than I expected
- The cops use revolvers and keep the bullets on their belts
- There are videocameras at the front entrance to a lot of the houses (at least in the nicer neighborhoods
- Even when it's hot out in the middle of the day, there are people wearing heavy coats
Friday we visited the UNAM campus -- and got to see more than we expected!
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an important celebration in Mexico. November 1st is for infants and children who have died and November 2nd is for adults who have died and it is believed that the souls return to earth on these days to spend time with the family. Unlike in the US, where the topic of death is more likely to be avoided, here the lives of the deceased are remembered and celebrated on these days. Families build ofrendas (altars) for the deceased, usually with food and drink that the person liked. Marigolds (cempasúchitl) are used to lead the souls to the altar.
Right now there is a "mega ofrenda" all throughout the "islands" (commons) at UNAM, with ofrendas built by the diferent facultades (departments/schools) as well as high schools associated with UNAM.
Tuesday I skipped history class to go see some history. We went to Teotihuacan, known mostly for its Piramide del Sol (Sun Pyramid -- 3rd largest in the world?) and Piramide de la Luna (Moon Pyramid). It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
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| The Zocalo, like much of the city, is sinking (since Mexico City is built on a drained lake). They add/remove dirt to try to even out the buildings, but this measures the tilt of the floor. |
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| Statue of Pope John Paul II |
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| ...made out of keys |
