Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo

Here in Mexico City Christmas is celebrated in full glory...no Happy Holiday needed..they are predominately Catholic and proud of it. There were numerous beautiful "nacimientos" or nativity scenes throughout the city.

I had the opportunity to host one of my 3 daughters, Jessica in the D.F. for 6 days. She was amazed at how much there was to do and see here and we filled the days with non-stop touring of museums and other sites. We also took a bus trip to Guanajuato, which I think was her favorite. She learned about Don Quijote in the Museo Iconográfico del Quijote, one of my favorites and we climbed the pyramids of Teotihuacan here in the D.F. and the Pipila trail in Guanajuato. She was also fortunate to see one of the many ice skating rinks that the city had constructed for the people. One hour of skating could be had free of charge for those who came out early and waited in line daily. The one in the Zocolo area was claiming to be the biggest rink in the world!


My family and a couple of friends also had the opportunity to spend 16 days at a house in Pie de la Cuesta near Acapulco for our Christmas and New Year celebration.


Was one of the most relaxing times of my life, watching beautiful sunsets every day, swimming, and laying in the hammocks and a pleasant surprise of watching the whales, who migrate through this area in December.

The caretakers of the house, Ruth and Antonio shared their traditional celebrations with us, which included the Las Posadas Christmas Eve, a brindis toast for the New Year and Tres Reyes Magos celebration of gift-giving on January 6th. For this they had chocolate and the pastry with one doll hidden in it..the person to get the doll in their piece of cake will host the tamale party for the Candalaria celebration February 5th. This will celebrate the end of winter..a bit early I think? It does seem that one celebration leads into the next. Family is always of the utmost importance in all they do We felt very fortunate to be included in the traditional celebrations here. A beautiful memory for all who came.

Temazcal - An Experience in Pluralism

I'm sure everyone has had experiences that are hard to put into words in order for others to capture their full effect. I will try to describe my first trip to a Temazcal or 'cleansing igloo'.


My yoga instructor, Juan (whom everyone refers to as 'maestro')had invited us to attend a pre-Posada celebration and Temazcal cleansing trip, which he does once a month. This man is a true testament to the pluralism of two cultures. His heritage is Aztec Indian, and he practices worshiping this while including the Christian influence which could be seen during our pre-Posada activities.

The Temazcal was located at a small farm in a quaint mountain village called La Rosa. It was great being in the fresh air with animals everywhere...mostly poultry types like turkeys, chickens, rabbits and a parrot.












Our maestro went through each step carefully, beginning with sending thanks to the gods of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. We were each blessed before we went into the igloo in a beautiful event filled with all the ritual steps, which I'm sure are centuries old.


He speaks the native Indian language of Nahtual, as well as Spanish during his entire presentation. I can't begin to go through the complete process that took place inside and out of the Temazcal but suffice it to say it was overwhelming and we were inside for 3 hours!

This is the type of experience that you just must do to fully understand it's importance spiritually and physically. Maestro explained to us that the idea of the cleansing is being more accepted as a form of alternative medicine and there are two located at hospitals in Mexico including Chiapas.

After the cleansing ritual and a cold shower we were treated to enchiladas with homemade mole, a sauce that is a unique blend of chiles. The family that owned the farm and operated the Temazcal also served the dinners.

Next, we had our pre-Posada celebration. This is a Christian ritual, officially starting 26 December, imitating the night Mary and Joseph went in search of a place to stay for the birth of baby Jesus. Candles are held and there are certain songs that are sung to ask for entrance into a home and then the response from the home denying them entrance. Everyone seemed to know the songs from young to old people that were there. I was the only novice. So I settled for taking photos, which was hard because it was by now dark.
Finally, we broke the huge, colorful piñata with the maestro explaining that the hits represented the problems or sins we had committed and when it broke and the fruit and peanuts were released it represented your rewards for giving up sins. No candy was involved with our piñata.

The night ended with drinking the 'ponche' or hot fruit drink made from fruit that many had brought including sugar cane, apples and guayaba. It really hit the spot as we stood around the bond fire and shared stories about our experiences in the Temazcal and life in general in Mexico and the U.S. I was the only American.... hopefully, I represented us well. This is an experience I hope to repeat many times during my stay here ... without the pre-Posada experience of course.

Giving Thanks in Mexico

Homesickness finally set in.....it was Thursday this week, which happened to be Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Just another work day here in Mexico. I did take the opportunity to give my students a brief history of the holiday, which many weren't familiar with at all. I was able to talk to all my family, thanks to SKYPE...the free internet phone service! If you haven't discovered it you must. It seemed everyone at home had a wonderful time doing family dinners and American Football.

On Saturday our very considerate coordinator, Edith Salem decided to find a place to take us to help celebrate. There is a Marie Callender's (an American restaurant chain from CA) here in Mexico City. Their pies are wonderful and we had pumpkin and a variety of other flavors.

I have so much to give thanks for...my faith, my family and friends, my health and the experience here in Mexico. We are soooo fortunate to have Edith as our coordinator here. Edith and I were also able to spend the day together in the city doing some errands, like checking out the bus schedules for the holidays trips I'll be taking and making several stops before arriving at the restaurant. It's so easy to fill 8 hours with interesting places here in the D.F. not really having a plan. We passed the main campus of the IPN University...it is massive with many attractions of its own...like a planetarium, sports facilities, huge library and art attractions.

We made several other stops including a 1500 century Franciscan chapel with a cemetery that had obviously been decorated for the Dia de los Muertos. We also drove around the area where the Virgin de Guadalupe cathedrals (there are 3) are located. I will be taking my family there when they come. Can't wait.

Finally, before our dinner and pie we stopped at a wonderful park called "Hundido" or hidden park. In the park are individually colored trails of the routes the Olmec, Mayan, and Toltec Indians took with replicas of the stone carvings from each group. It also contains the first outdoor amphitheatre in the D.F. where classical music was playing... Beautiful area!

Our dinner was great...in attendance were my Fulbright colleagues, Melissa, her daughter Graciela, Brenda and of course Edith. Muchas gracias Edith!

There are places I'll remember....

As one of my favorite Beatle songs goes....our 1st semester at the IPN just ended today. I didn't realize how attached I had become to my classes until I had to say good-bye. As a teacher or person, you sometimes form stronger bonds with a particular group or individuals that you just can't deny. This was the case with my second class and individuals in my first and third.

My second period surprised me with a fiesta...complete with tinga, which is a delightful blend of spiced chicken, to be put on a taco shell with cream, lettuce and cheese. All had been prepared by the mamá of one of my students...Sweet Lilian.


Sweet Janai brought in a delicious peach pastry.

She's the one on the left of Isaac, and to the right is Nancy. They were so considerate to make sure that I understood what I was eating and how it was to be eaten. I felt like a queen, being served and doted upon. It was hard to stop the tears from flowing as they said a cheer for me and we all shared abrazos (hugs), several times before they left. Daniel, an advanced English speaker in class tried to sum it up for everyone in a speech that I will never forget...saying that I was one of the best teachers they had ever had at the IPN. I felt like they didn't want to leave even though I had another class waiting to come in....and I certainly didn't want them to leave. The good-bye scene was repeated for my next class, very emotional for me indeed...

Next, we have a couple of weeks of testing and then the semester officially ends. Wow...hard to believe...feel like I just got off the plane. The second semester I may have some of the same students but probably not because I'm changing schedules to come in earlier and leave before darkness. My wonderful students made an impression on me about how much people can care for one another and not be afraid to express it verbally and every other way. They are people I will remember all my life.....

Museo de Arte Popular

I've lost count of how many museums I've visited so far...if you count the churches then it's in the 100's. Sunday we visited this creative museum of Popular or Contemporary Art. There were a variety of materials used for the creations exhibited here: including metal, wax, paper, wood, beads...just about anything imaginable, they can create something beautiful and colorful. On special exhibit for the coming Navidad or Christmas celebration was an amazing exhibit of piñatas!
My other favorites are something that looks like giant shields, brightly decorated in themes...such as "The Tree of Life" "The Wedding" and my favorite "Arts and Crafts!













They start them young, as I observed at a workshop for children at the museums...they were making pinwheels and paper turtles.

Día de Revolución

Here are the main points of this celebration: It was a civil war that began with the purpose of overthrowing Porfirio Diaz, a dictator with the desire to exploit land from the natives to enrich his own chosen group of citizen, both Mexican but mostly international. It was initiated by Mexican leaders such as Francisco Madero, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. It ended in 1911 with Mexicans trying to redeem the damage of property loss that had been initiated by Diaz.
In Chapultapec Park we ran across a celebration of the Mexican Air Force, honoring soliders from World War II.












There were also several other demonstrations that include present day conflicts, for example Obrador, who calls himself the President-elect. His situation was similiar to the very close Presidential race we had in the U.S. the last go round.

Día de los Muertos

I'm a little late in describing what I saw here in the D.F during this fantastic and colorful celebration in Mexico. It is a time in Mexico when they celebrate the return of the souls of their loved ones..November 1st being for the children who have passed and November 2 for the adults. Everywhere you go there are "ofrendas"(altars) colorfully decorated with candles, marigolds, incense (important to give the souls guidance) and all the favorite foods and items of the persons they are honoring. Taking a quote from one of Mexico's finest authors, Octavio Paz "Our deaths illuminate our lives" Loved ones have the responsibility of keeping the memories of
their loved ones alive and this is the designated week to do so. I have included a variety of photos, including one for Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo, Dolores Olmedo (whose house in Xochimilco was donated and is now a museum)









Another extremely artistic tribute to this celebration were a collection of skulls, each uniquely decorated to depict the artist style. They were displayed on a main road where all can enjoy.