tourguidetalesofsanmiguel

2006-11-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

The craft market in Patzcuaro over Dia de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead, was once again filled with wonderful handicrafts from all over the area. My friends and clients had a great time and are now waiting for their purchases t0 arrive at their homes in the States.

We took a trip out around Lake Patzcuaro to visit some of the cemeteries that aren't usually seen by most people. The villagers had begun to decorate the graves with the traditional cempasúchil (marigolds), cockscomb, tuber roses and palm leaves. Some of the graves are very elaborate with arches over the graves made up of flowers and breads in the shape of little people. It's traditional that on the morning of November 2nd to eat one of these little "dead guys" and have a cup of hot chocolate...this will insure good luck for the next year!

We had a lovely comida at the "trout farm" out along Lake Patzcuaro. Sitting outside, looking out over the many ponds and ordering from an extensive menu was a real treat. For me the carrot/raisin salad is worth the drive from San Miguel. After comida we continued on to a little pueblo that has some very famous mask makers and we visited a few of them.

"Our" hotel in Patzcuaro is a charming and comfortable place to stay. While we were there a new gallery was opened in the hotel and we were able to attend the opening. The space is wonderful and it was interesting to see the "gringos" that live in Patzcuaro come out for the opening. I didn't think there were that many living in Patzcuaro but apparently it's trying to catch up with San Miguel. I hope it never does or it will be truly spoiled for me. One of the reasons I enjoy Patzcuaro and love taking people there is it's so different from San Miguel...more like stepping back 75 years into "old Mexico". I fear it's changing but it still retains it's old charm for the most part. And now out of the other side of my mouth I'll say there is an incredible Italian restaurant there that I will put up against any in San Miguel or the States!

The next big market coming up will be the Palm Sunday market in Uruapan and I can't wait to go as it's even bigger than the Patzucaro market.

2006-10-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

The news of the Sanmiguelada, running of the bulls in San Miguel, is late because of my disgust for the entire event. The promoters of this free for all are rethinking about doing it again next year. Last year 20,000 people came...mainly between the ages of 17 to 25, all intent on getting roaring drunk and using the streets as their very own bathrooms! This year an estimated 50,000 of the above came and the police, ambulances and a security force of 325 local and state police officers were overwhelmed. For the first time someone fired a gun into the crowd and two men were hit and taken to the hospital, fights broke out here and there and one of the bulls broke it's leg and had to be destroyed. This was not San Miguel at it's finest and most of us that live here either left town or stayed home.

The following weekend was a wonderful time to be in San Miguel, and as a grocery store owner near my house said, "This holiday is for the people of San Miguel, last week was for the "gamberros", i.e. hooligans. The first weekend in October is San Miguel's birthday and it begins on Saturday morning at 4:00 a.m. with the "Alborado", two hours of non-stop fireworks. The entire town gets up to go to the jardin to witness this event. Because he is our patron saint there is a great fiesta with more nightly fireworks and two parades. This year there were a number of different groups from all over Mexico. I loved the group from Tlaxcala...it features men and women in costume and you can't tell the difference as they're all wearing masks. The masks are beautifully carved of wood and have moving eyes so they can be very flirtatious. They're all dancing with open umbrellas and this year were accompanied by women, not wearing masks, in their late teens all wearing identical very fashion forward lime green dresses and high heels. As anyone that has been to San Miguel knows most of our streets are cobblestone so one can only imagine what it must have been like to walk the two mile parade route in heels, on cobblestones, dancing at the same time with great big smiles for everyone along the parade route! I admired those women tremendously.

There were also a number of "Conchero" dancers, so called because they blow on conch shells during their dance. They have amazingly beautiful costumes of gold, silver and blue lame fabric that has been embroidered with sequins depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Mexican eagle, images of Christ and sometimes tigers and snakes. Their headdresses are made of pheasant feathers plus parrot and other types of feathers that tower over them. Their costumes remind me of Brazilian samba groups but the Conchero's are very religious and their dancing, which honors the cardinal points, is not about a party. The rhythm is provided by a huge drum, usually made out of an oil drum, and is lifted on either side by two men while one man walks behind keeping the beat. I was rather dismayed to see one group this year walking behind a cuatro-moto, or four wheel off road vehicle, that the drum was mounted on. I guess it is progress but took away some of the "mystery" of the dancers.

Today is a day to warm the heart of a "Midwesterner", which I am. It is a misty, gloomy day and the town is very quiet even though it's the Virgin of Salud's feast day. She is one of my favorite virgins in San Miguel and is prayed to for reasons of health. This particular virgin wears a vestment that looks like a cross between Glenda the Good Witch and Barbie going to the prom. She is quite beautiful and has been dressed for the occasion in a new soft lilac dress with glitter. At the moment there is a celebration going on in front of the church with food booths and one of those "bouncing castles" for the children. Next to all this the "alfinique" or Dia de Los Muertos sugar market has begun to open. Lots of sugar skulls and skeletons not to mention chickens, sheep, shoes and other objects all made from sugar and egg whites. We're gearing up for my favorite part of the year and I'll be going to Patzcuaro with a tour for the craft market over Dia de Los Muertos...wish you could come with.

2006-09-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated the War of Independencia from Spain. On the night of September 15th, 1810, a priest by the name of Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla stood on the steps of the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Dolores and delivered a very short rallying cry know as the "Grito". The reenactment of this event takes place in every town in Mexico on this night. It's a time to recognize the leaders of the War of Independence and the begining of the end of Spanish dominance. All the towns are decorated in red, green and white the colors of the Mexican bandera, flag, and there are non-stop fireworks beginning at 11:00 p.m., the hour at which the "Grito" is delivered. I wanted to go to our "jardin", center of town, to witness this happy occasion last week but alas we had a monster rain and thunderstorm. I could hear the fireworks from my house but there was so much cloud cover it was impossible to see anything.

Meanwhile in Dolores Hidaglo, named after the priest that had a hand in starting all this, President Vincente Fox came to deliver the "Grito" there. It is a tradition for the outgoing President of Mexico to come to Dolores Hidalgo at this time and the entire town turns out to welcome him plus hundreds of people from surrounding villages. I watched it on t.v. and hoped that the rain we were having would not get to Dolores, about 22 miles away, until the "Grito" was given. Unfortunately...not the case! What I did see was President Fox and our governor in Guanajuato, Juan Carlos Romero Hicks, walk in the open streets, pausing to shake hands, and yes, kiss some babies, while the rains came down with a vengance. I saw no secert service men around them, no umbrellas being held over them and never once saw either one of them take a swipe at their faces which I'm sure were very wet by the time they got to the church. I am an American but on this night I am always muy Mexicana! ¡Viva Mexico!

This weekend, the 23rd of September, the "pamplonada" comes to San Miguel and if I don't get run over by a bull I'll have a bit to say about that.