One Festive Plaza de Armas





Catedral de Santiago

The last weekend of November, we were wandering around downtown, probably with a big to-do list, but we found ourselves at the Plaza de Armas while they were decorating for Christmas.  The Plaza de Armas is always a good place to stop and rest, particularly when it´s decorated for Christmas.  It dawned on me that I´ve never blogged about the Plaza de Armas.  For a blog that´s largely about Saltillo, that needed to be corrected.  Fortunately, I had my camera.  Plaza de Armas--documented!  



Elsewhere in the country (farther south) the main square of any city is referred to as the zocalo--an Aztec word.  Since Saltillo is in the far-removed north, where the Aztecs didn´t bother to venture, the main squares in towns in the north are referred to as Plazas de Armas.  I believe this linguistic phenomenon begins around San Luis Potosí, which seems to be the dividing point between central Mexico and northern Mexico. 





One of the nymphs that surround the fountain.







 Every Plaza de Armas (or zocalo) is bordered on one side by the municipal or state government building, and the town´s main church on another side.  Particularly charming Plazas de Armas (like Saltillo´s) have a row of stores on another side, and the sidewalk in front of these stores is roofed and walled with a series of arches.   So that side of the Plaza is commonly referred to as ¨los arcos¨ (the arches). 

The final side of Saltillo´s Plaza de Armas is occupied by the state university´s art school.  They host a great art sale every December (this year, from the 5th to the 15th).  Unique gifts for anyone on your list who might be interested in original art.

There´s a fountain in the center of the Plaza de Armas, but during December, it´s covered up by the enormous Christmas three.  So, this month, all the pigeons have to take their water breaks by the fountain on the backside of the government building.



Clara, in front of los arcos.



Despite that, there were still pigeons all over the place.  A girl very near us wanted to get her picture taken as she startled  a massive pile of pigeons.  It took a good 15 tries or more for her to get a passable picture (or give up).  The people who sell candy on the Plaza de Armas must also sell little bags of rice to feed the pigeons, because she kept coming back with more and more rice for the birds.  We enjoyed her antics, and it was the first time that my kids were willing to consider chasing the pigeons, too.     



As I mentioned earlier, they were setting up the Christmas tree, which is taller than the government building.  I don´t think it´s quite as tall as the cathedral, but it certainly competes with it for height awards.  We stood gawking for a good 15 minutes or more as the men who were attaching the star were lowered down by crane.  Fascinating, yet terrifing!  (At least, for me.  I´m afraid of heights.)  As I watched the second man manouver himself into the crane´s harness, it looked like he was properly attached to the tree with locked carabiners on his belt--and did not unlock them until he was securely in the crane´s harness.  I´m glad there are people willing to do that job, because I sure couldn´t! 


The tree trimmers, returning to earth.





The Christmas decorations are different every year.  They´ve always got a nativity scene and little cottages (presumably for Santa´s elves) and the trees are liberally decked with white garlands, pretending to be snow.  Last year, the Christmas decorations coincided with an exposition of Leona Carrington´s sculptures.  She was a surrealist artist, and I love her paintings, but her sculptures are big and black and bizarre--a distinct clash with happy Christmas decorations.  Fortunately this year, no big creepy black birds or ringwraiths of Leona Carrington´s imagination are putting a macabre edge to Saltillo´s Christmas! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year.  It´s such a simple, pure, honest holiday--getting together with family and friends to give thanks for whatever we have to be grateful for.  And then eating a lot of really excellent food.  Can this holiday be any more edifying or beautiful? 

But, outside of the US (and Canada, mid-October), who else celebrates this holiday? 

Here in Mexico, those in favor of traditional Mexican holidays are justly concerned that Halloween is upstaging the Day of the Dead and Santa Claus is crowding out the Three Kings from their spotlight at Christmas.  While I´m American, and do celebrate my holidays American-style, I am sad that all the gore and gifts are overshadowing the real meaning of very significant holidays in this country. 

While I realize that there are a plethora of reasons why American holidays are crowding out Mexican holidays in this country (namely by the entertainment and consumer industries), why is it that Thanksgiving hasn´t crossed the border yet? 

True, thanks to Lincoln proclaiming Thanksgiving a national holiday, it is more of a civic holiday than a religious one (which unsuprisingly is most likely Reason #1 why Thanksgiving the Holiday will never be widespread here).  But it´s such a beautiful holiday that people of any or no religion can get behind and support.  We all have something to be thankful for. 

If, as a culture, we are exporting our holidays all over the world, shouldn´t this be the one that we most actively export? 

And don´t tell me that it´s not marketable.  I´ll eat my hat if grocery stores all over the US aren´t doing at least a little more business this week that they did in any given week in August.

Not that I want to impose my culure on another.  Not at all.  I´m just mystified why Halloween is such a big draw and yet Thanksgiving--this most beautiful of holidays-- is nearly unheard of. 

Fortunately, in Saltillo, we´re changing that up a little bit.  In the past, at the International Church, the American pastors invited other American families over to their house to celebrate Thanksgiving together.  This year (perhaps because the pastors are in the US for a month) , we´re all meeting at the church on Friday night for a big, church-family, Thanksgiving potluck.  I´ve heard a hot rumor that turkeys will indeed be served.  This year, I´m pretty excited to be sharing this holiday, not only with my American friends, but with Mexcian, Canadian, British, Korean, El Salvadorian, German, and Brazilian friends.  They way it was meant to be. 

Sure, it won´t be as cozy and intimate as hanging out at the Tripps´ house in our little gringo club.  But to share such a nice holiday with so many more people . . . it will be a bit more authentic. 

Halloween and Day of the Dead Recap

Yes, I know Halloween and Day of the Dead were a good two weeks ago.  But I had such nice pictures, that I just had to share.  Even if I´m sharing late! 

Halloween turned out to be a crazy, crazy day.  Not only did we wait to carve our pumpkins until the 31st, but Clara´s teacher gave us a homework assignment of bringing in an Day of the Dead mini-altar for the 1st (as the 2ed fell on Saturday this year), AND I was signed up to host the neighborhood rosary on October 31st.  Awesome. 

Clara skipped her nap, just so we could get her homework and pumpkin carving done.  These were our first jack ´o lanterns, so it was a bit of a big deal.  I saved the seeds, and scraped as much of the pumpkin walls as I could, rendering enough pumpkin puree (which broke our blender on its way to being puree) for 2 pies.  Being in Mexico, living near some families who I know are having a hard time putting enough food on the table, I feel terribly wasteful using pumpkins--a huge, expensive, EDIBLE fruit--for mere decoration.  While I know my neighbors don´t know that we are eating as much of these pumpkins as possible, my conscience is lightened. 

These were the first real jack ´o lanterns that I have ever seen on display in my eight years of living in Mexico.  Our garage got quite a few stares as the trick or treaters came around.  Clara was a big, big fan.  And I was pretty happy with them, too.  I´m not one to ge super excited about Halloween (now that I´m an adult).  However, there´s just something special about jack ´o lanterns! 

Unfortunately for me, I was in a bit of a dilemma with the rosary ladies coming over.  There don´t seem to be many things that Mexican Protestants and Catholics agree on, but being adamantly against Halloween is one of those things.  And here I was, inviting a bunch of little, old church ladies over to my house.  On Halloween.  With jack ´o lanterns on display.  [Signs of the devil, no doubt!  ;P  *gasp!*]  To be fair, if I were a traditional 100% Mexican lady, I´d probably be against Halloween, too.  It is kind of sad that it encroaches on Mexican traditions.  However, I am a gringa, and I celebrate Halloween, dang it!   But, just to cover all my bases, and in an attempt to not rain down judgement on me and my house (at least not little, old church lady judgement), I waited to put out the pumpkins until after they left.  In the end, the little old ladies probably would not have minded terribly.   

Anyway, we loved how pretty the jack ´o lanterns were, Clara and Joey got dressed up to go trick or treating.  Note:  ours seems to be the only private residence that gives out Halloween candy.  We hit up all the corner stores (and the tortilla store, of course) within a block radius of our house.  And, for future reference, the OXXO does NOT give out candy!  ;)  No real surprise there!

On Friday, Clara received more candy at school.  Presumably for Day of the Dead, but I realized that goody bags for kids were a traditional part of the Day of the Dead.  But who am I kidding?  This is Mexico and candy bags for kiddos seem to be a crucial part to ANY celebration.  

One of classrooms at Clara´s school was decorated with an elaborate ofrenda for Day of the Dead.  Another classroom sported a graveyard.  (We missed that one!  Oops!)  Clara´s class had their mini-altars on display, and another KIII class made skeleton paper dolls with very elaborate dresses.  Kids were allowed to come in costumes.  There were maybe two pumpkins, one mummy, two kids sporting horribly Freddy Kruger-type masks, but most were dressed as catrins or catrinas--skeletons dressed in elaborate turn-of-the-twentieth-century costumes--THE symbol of the Day of the Dead.    

We celebraed Day of the Dead by making pan de muerto--traditional bread that I eat far too much of during September and October.  I used a different recipe than last year.  It was good bread, but it didn´t call for orange extract, so it just didn´t taste like pan de muerto.  We´ll try a different recipe next year.  

Then on Sunday, the kids were finally allowed to eat their sugar skulls!   They only had a few pieces.  We had five skulls, once for every person in our house.  Two weeks later, there are still four skulls left, as I´m the only one who has eaten theirs (in its entirety).  Give me another day or two, and I´ll be starting in on others´ sugar skulls!  Muahaha!

Joey, attempting to break open his sugar skull.  Great symbolism of how Jesus broke the power that death has over us.  Granted, that may not be the traditional symbolism behind sugar skulls (given Day of the Dead´s strongAztec roots), but that´s the story I´m sticking to!  ;) 

Don´t Come Visit Us This Week

As much as I would love to have visitors, it´s just not going to work this week.

I´m not even sure that Mario will be able to get home tonight.

Or, better put, Mario will get home.  But I´m not sure where the car will be, as this is the view from our driveway.  

That trench right in front of our driveway?  Yeah, that´s at least four feet deep.  And it´s currently raining, so I´m doubtful that the construction workers will be able to lay the pipes today.  

On watching their progress up our street, they seem to do a very good job about starting work (aka:  ripping up the street) after most people are at work.  And, impressively, they finish or at least make the road passable, by 7pm when most people are coming back from work.   

 
 But, with the rain tonight, I´m not sure how they´re going to do that. 

But, on the bright side, the kids are REALLY entertained by watching the progress! 

Clearly, we are NOT taking the car anywhere this week.

Despite my nearly empty fridge.  

Thank goodness for corner stores and the butchers across the street! 

UN Day and Cascarones

Last week was another dress up day, but only for one of the 3-year-old classes.  Nuts.  I´m starting to consider sending Joey next year.  

They celebrated the United Nations, and those that dressed up, all represented different countries from all over the world.  My friend´s son, below, did a very handsome job of representing Germany!  (And flag-fighting with the Uruguayan and Panamanian boys.) 

 There was cuteness overload. It was fantastic.  However,  as it wasn´t my kids being cute and wearing costumes, I didn´t feel at liberty to take too many pictures of strange children.  Particularly with the purposes of posting said pictures on the internet. 

 After the UN honors, the PTA sponsored a kermess--lunch at a variety of booths selling snacky, lunch things (corn on a cob, burritos, chicharones, cake, tostadas, etc.)  And they sold the cascarones.  One of Clara´s first homework assignments.  They were intended for the kermess to celebrate Independence Day.  It rained on the 17th.  So the cascarones were packed away until . . . last week! 

What is a cascaron?  Egg shells.  Stuffed with confetti.  Or flour (but that just seems mean).   

 Lucky for you all, I documented the process of making one.  Or five. 




 





What does one do with a cascaron?  Unsurprisingly, you smash them on top of you friends´ heads.  However, as my very careful children spent quite some time observing, the preferred method of breaking cascarones among the preschool set it to launch them in the air and then gleefully enjoy the crash as they smash on the concrete.  Joey was OK with that.  He even made it one step simpler by smashing his cascaron on the concrete.  (And the living room floor as soon as we got home, as one of the teachers took pity on him as he was sad to leave the school and gave him ANOTHER cascaron.  Awesome.)   



Playing with the confetti is also super-fun. 

It´s the Little Things

Today is that point of the week where I´m starting to feel a little overwhelmed. 

But then I take a look at that grocery list. 

That is the awesomest grocery list.

Ever.

Notes on a Kid-Sized Guyabera

Sometime this year, my mother-in-law came back from Cancun with a beautiful, pint-sized guyabera shirt for Joey.  Gorgeous.  What to make the boy wear to Uncle Dan´s wedding?  Solved.

Guyaberas are traditional dress shirts for men from coastal areas and elsewhere in the Carribean.  I believe Raul Castro is seen wearing them often.  They´re not meant to be tucked in and made out of linen or cotton to make them extra cool.  Literally--not as in ¨cool¨--like I said, they´re worn in very hot and humid places.   They´re elaborately embroidered and tucked, a real work of art.   I was rather thrilled that Joey has the opportunity to look so dapper at such a young age. 

And apparently the child size 4 shirts are made every bit as authentically as the adult sizes.  When washing Joey´s, I was intrigued that the teeny-tiny pocket actually had a pocket sewn into it.  Not just a mock pocket, as is the case in so many toddler clothes.     

A very long, skinny pocket.  What the heck?  Why is this pocket so long and skinny? 

Of course.  For tucking one´s cigars into one´s guyabera. 

In a child´s size 4 guyabera. 

Can´t say it´s not authentic!

Just to prove how handsome he was in his cigarless guyabera.