{baby proofing} a Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda

I really didn't have the ganas to set up an ofrenda this year. After the continuous baby proofing that is on going in my house, the last thing I needed was another mega attraction for S and his curious hands.

Dia de los Muertos is one of the Mexican traditions I absolutely love, so I decided that I had to figure out a way to baby proof an ofrenda; and so with one mom's advice..."think small and high..." I set out to set up my altar.

After some slight modifications of three shelves I have in my living room: taaa-daaa! This year's ofrenda...definitely out of S' reach.

Our First Ofrenda!

With all that is happening, I'm amazed that we were actually able to set up our ofrenda for this year's dia de muertos. Although this post is slightly late (as usual!), I can assure you that our altar was indeed set up on the right day :)

There is SO much behind the concept of Dia de Muertos - that I won't do it justice by attempting to explain the traditions that surround this event. I'm sure there are websites out there that do a far better job of detailing the historic, cultural, and local beliefs that blend together into creating this fascinating holiday.

But I will give you a little rundown as I understand it:

• November 2nd is definitely one of the most important days on the Mexican calendar. People decorate altars inside their homes for loved ones who have passed. The idea is to create an offering so that when your loved one comes to "visit" on the 2nd, s/he finds an altar decorated with things that they loved during their life.
• The idea of skulls and skeletons bring to mind horrific images of death - but that isn't the case at all. Here they are used to represent the dead mimicking the living; in fact, some of the skulls are made of sugar and given to children. This allows them to realize early on that death is a part of life and they shouldn't fear it. 
• Come late October, Mexico is covered in the symbolic orange of the Cempazuchitl flowers (marigolds) and smells of the burning incense from its bark. 
• And last, but surely not least, one of the best parts of dia de muertos - Pan de Muertos. Only baked this time of the year, this sweet bread is made with anis and mandarin water, and also used as an offering on the altars. In our case, it was used day and night for a week to satisfy our carb cravings. We started looking like pan de muertos already. But it is oh-so-good!

So here are some photos of our humble altar in our space restricted apartment :) It's the first of I'm sure what will be many to come over the years... 

Here comes the 10th...

Another example of what wonders this country holds...the state of Coahuila.

Sonora

The latest video of the state of Sonora was aired on September 13th, right before the Bicentenario celebrations. I wonder if there are more videos to come still...even though we are supposedly done with independence celebrations. The city is already preparing for Christmas and it isn't even Halloween yet.

Dreaming of Chiapas from across the Pacific

I've been traveling for about a month now, but these clips remind me of why I can't wait to go back home to Mexico. I think Chiapas is definitely one of my favorites from the Estrellas del Bicentenario series...



I can't wait! When are we going gordo???

The Seventh!

I can't get enough of these videos! It makes it nearly impossible to decide where to vacation next!



The seventh in the series features Quintana Roo. Simply breathtaking. Gives me goosebumps.

To believe or not to believe?

As a kid I used to remember my yaya (nanny) flip out every time she would see a black butterfly or moth inside the house.

A huge part of Filipino culture centers around their superstitious beliefs. Although my family itself did not pay much attention to these "explanations", growing up around Espie and Rosal* pretty much guaranteed all sorts of crazy ideas, stories, signs, omens, and whatever it was they told themselves to justify strange or eerie occurrences.

After doing some research (read: internet browsing), I found that not just Filipinos, but most Asian cultures believe the black butterfly or moth to be the reincarnation of a spirit that has come to visit. European cultures seem to attach a more somber meaning to these creatures - as an omen of death.

I shouldn't really make this a habit...

...only blogging once a month, that is.

April and May have been a blur, but now that I've managed to make it through the first trimester (yes! I am pregnant!), I promise to be better at posting! I need to get organized and back into my routine.

So I hope, dear reader, that you understand my absence. I'll be back though.

Here is the latest Estrellas del Bicentenario video featuring Yucatan.

Almost a month later...

I know, I know...I've been gone for a while. Although I do have good reason, which shall be disclosed in due time (or I could just attribute it to sheer laziness...)

As I prepare for my slow return to the blogging world - here is the latest video of the Estrellas del Bicentenario, featuring the state of Veracruz.



More to come, stay tuned

Now I Want A Leopard!

The last three bicentenario videos featuring - Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, and Sinaloa - not only cover the indescribable natural beauty Mexico has to offer, but each has their own 'mascots', if you will. The first appearances were of the mountain lion and wolf, then the deer and eagle, followed by the black stallion. My favorites were the lion and horse - until today. Now I want a leopard, as seen in the fourth installment of the series all about the beautiful state of Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-ha-ca). I wouldn't mind the parrot either. Check it out:





The other animals I was sure you would find in Mexico, but I have to admit, I did doubt the leopard. But after some (internet) research and talking to my gordo, yes there are leopards in Oaxaca.


I have yet to go to Oaxaca (ahem! gordo!)...but all I've heard are amazing stories about the culture and history and the incredible beaches. Not to mention the ravings about the extensive Oaxacan cuisine - mole, chapulines, chocolate- and who can forget mezcal? I found a cool website about visiting Oaxaca here.


I would assume there has been a surge in national pride as these videos are being aired, I mean, who wouldn't be proud of seeing amazing footage of their country? These short clips are fantastic for tourists too. If you are thinking about coming to Mexico, wouldn't seeing any of these videos help in making a decision of where to go and what to do? It would defintely make for a more authentic experience.


Sans the local "pet" by your side.

Sinaloa

The latest in the series of las Estrellas del Bicentenario...Sinaloa.



Enjoy!

*If you need to figure out where Sinaloa is, check here.

The Second Star!

The second installment of Televisa's Estrellas del Bicentenario is here! This one features the state of Tamaulipas:





In case you are wondering, Tamaulipas is almost in the middle (latitude-wise) of the country, but it's on the eastern coast, which is the Gulf of Mexico.

[Map photo thanks to Mexico Cronicas, click to view larger.]

If you haven't seen the first video of Chihuahua, you must check it out here.

It's not all fun and games!

You may have read my post about all the excitement in the air now that we are finally in 2010 and the Bicentenario celebrations can begin, but...


Here is a different point of view from TIME magazine:

WHY MEXICO IS ANXIOUS ABOUT ITS BICENTENNIAL

Forget 2012. As far as many Mexicans are concerned, the ancient Mayas were being generous: the sky's actually going to fall next year. Why? Because it's 2010, Mexico's bicentennial, and Mexican history has an eerie way of repeating itself. Mexico's 1910 centennial, after all, saw the start of the bloody, decade-long Mexican Revolution, which killed more than a million people. And that cataclysm was precisely a century after the start of Mexico's bloody, decade-long War of Independence in 1810.

You get the picture. As a result, there's been no shortage of talk lately about possible unrest, especially in the form of armed rebel groups, erupting south of the border in 2010. But is there really a basis for concern? None as apparent as the popular grievances that existed in 1809 or 1909. But this is still Mexico; and while Spanish colonizers no longer oppress the country, and dictators like Porfirio Diaz aren't brutalizing campesinos, the country nonetheless is reeling from the worst criminal violence in its history and one of its hardest economic slumps. "We are very near a social crisis," José Narro, the director of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, said recently. "The conditions are there."(Will the world end in 2012? What the Mayan prophecy is and how the movies see it.)

Mexican insurrections often do coincide with important dates. Most recently, Zapatista guerrillas in the poor southern state of Chiapas started a revolt on Jan. 1, 1994, the day the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect. A big fear now is that Mexico's drug cartels, responsible for almost 15,000 killings in the past decade, are lending their resources and firepower to emerging guerrilla groups. If so, their plan may be to sow bicentennial terror and turn Mexicans against President Felipe Calderón's drug-war offensive. This past fall authorities say they seized an arsenal of large guns and grenades allegedly being sent from the Zetas, a vicious drug gang, to José Manuel Hernandez, a purported leader of the rebel group called the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR). The EPR in recent years has claimed responsibility for attacks on Mexican oil infrastructure, including the bombing of six pipelines in 2007. (Hernandez denies the charges.)(See how Mexico took down a major drug lord and why it may not make much of a difference.)

At the same time, political observers like Denise Maerker, a prominent columnist for the Mexico City daily El Universal, fear that provincial governments in places like Chiapas, where the weapons were found, are using 2010 fears as a pretext for cracking down on social activists. "They're drawing questionable links between advocates for the poor and armed groups," says Maerker, who adds there's little evidence that Hernandez is an EPR boss.(See pictures from Ciudad Juarez, the most dangerous city in the Americas.)

Either way, the drug cartels have already shown they're willing to use high-profile national celebrations as a stage for narco-terror. Last year, during Independence Day festivities in drug-infested Michoacan state, narcos killed seven people with fragmentation-grenade blasts. Mexicans were rattled again in September when bombs went off at three Mexico City banks and another at a car dealership. No one was injured, but to many chilangos, or capital residents, the explosions seemed a warning of things to come.

Aside from inflated drug and guerrilla violence, another specter is unrest resulting from Mexico's deflated economy. Given its enormous reliance on the U.S. market — and on remittances from Mexican workers there, which have declined sharply this year — the global recession has hit Mexico especially hard. Its GDP, in fact, will contract more than 5% in 2009, exacerbating unemployment as well as Mexico's chronic poverty. A report this year by the Colegio de Mexico, one of the country's top universities, warned, "A national social explosion is knocking at the door." Said top Roman Catholic Bishop Gustavo Rodriguez, "We cannot separate the economic crisis from the violence and criminal crisis that we live day by day."

But while many fear the bicentennial year could galvanize that discontent, especially with the symbolic hype surrounding 1810 and 1910, Calderón insists the country will break the ominous century-cycle next year and make 2010 "a moment of peaceful transformation." Last month, he predicted next year will see "Mexico on a different trajectory toward development and progress." Calderón tried to get the ball rolling this month with a major political reform proposal that would allow re-election for Mexican office holders like mayors and legislators, a change he insists will give voters more power. It would still limit Presidents to one six-year term; but the move is significant, especially on the eve of 2010, because the ban on re-election was a pillar of the 1910 revolution.

Before Calderón can turn the bicentennial into a transformative engine, however, he has to get it jump-started. The economic crisis has forced chronic delays for a quarter of the more than 600 bicentennial projects Mexico had on the drawing board. Rather than being afraid of 2010, says Maerker, Mexicans are instead "just weary, especially of the economic situation." The year 2010 might not offer the fireworks of a revolution, but, unless Mexico can escape its general malaise, the bicentennial might see a quiet but dispiriting national devolution.

____________________________________________________________________

Thoughts?

Sunday Strollin'

If I remember correctly, I visited Tepoztlan on my very first trip to Mexico. And ever since then, every time we go, we end up at El Ciruelo for lunch. There is no better way to end the weekend than with an ice cold clamato con cerveza on a lazy Sunday with not a care in the world. And their sopes con queso de cabra* are to die for.

*these sopes are little corn tortillas (a little thicker than a normal tortilla you use for tacos) filled with beans and topped with goat cheese, lettuce, and fresh cream. Add a little salsa verde and you are all set!

In 2001, Mexico's Secretary of Tourism launched a program called Pueblos Magicos in an effort to promote towns across the country that are places with "symbolism, legends, history, important events, day-to-day life, in other words "magic" in its social and cultural manifestations, with great opportunities for tourism." The complete list of pueblos magicos can be found on their website, and I've also posted it here:

You may have noticed that Tepoztlan is currently not part of actual list, but it was one of the first towns to be added in 2002. To be considered a pueblo magico, the town must comply with certain requirements that are upheld every year, and unfortunately, Tepoztlan was not able to. Their prestigious title was removed last year.

Regardless, we still had a good time strolling the streets after our delicious lunch. To be fair though, you should be prepared to share the quaint streets with a million other tourists there to do the same thing as you. The Sunday flea market attracts plenty of attention.

As the sun was setting and the vendors were packing up, I added another 'to-do' on my never ending list:

VISIT TEPOZ DURING THE WEEK

I'm sure there is a completely different vibe without the hoards of people.

Tepoztlan

View Larger Map

El Ciruelo

Zaragoza 17

Barrio la Santisima

Tepoztlan, Morelos

(739)3951203

200 years in the making...

If you happen to live in Mexico or have spent time here recently (or if you are Mexican I should hope you know this) you may have gathered that 2010 is the Bicentenario - 200 years since the Independence of Mexico on September 15th 1810.

Mexican Declaration of Independence

Since we moved here 6 months ago, one of the first things I noticed were these signs that seemingly popped up everywhere:

Ruta 2010 signs are on highways around the country to mark important routes used by the revolutionaries during the fight for freedom from the Spanish Crown. The other stamp is on everything the government declares is part of the celebration; which of course is everything.

As we fast approach September (and if 2010 flies like 2009 did, that will feel like next week!), you get a sense that people are really gearing up for this year's grito celebrations. If on any ordinary year it is already a huge party, I imagine that 2010 is going to be a never ending fiesta.

As part of the preparations, Televisa is producing a number of short clips called the Estrellas del Bicentenario, which feature different states of Mexico. The first one out is of Chihuahua:

Now, doesn't that make you want to take a year off and go visit every place imaginable in Mexico, starting with running through el Desierto de Samalayuca with a flow-y white dress? What a beautiful country, no? I can't wait until the rest of the clips are available.

Lots to celebrate, but also a lot to learn. I remember studying Mexican history back in university for a Latin American Business course, but of course it is only hitting home now. I started at the Castillo de Chapultepec, but there are many incredible museums to visit around the city. If the cold is keeping you in your pantuflas however, check out the website of the Bicentenario for some lessons - and of course there is always Wikipedia.

3 Kings and a New Year....here we go!

Today is the feast day of the Epiphany. The Three Kings. Los Reyes Magos. When the 3 old wise men visit and pay their respects to Jesus in Bethlehem, bringing with them gold, myrrh, and frankincense.

Of all the holiday festivities over the Christmas season, I would dare to say that January 6th is probably the most anticipated and the most celebrated by Mexicans.

Christmas Day does bring gifts from Santa Claus, but the majority of presents for chamacos and chamacas (kids) come from the 3 Kings. Instead of leaving milk and cookies for Ole' Saint Nick (I personally used to leave him whiskey - according to my Pappi: last thing Santa wanted after trekking around the globe was milk*) - children leave grass and hay for the camels the Reyes Magos rode in on. Come to think of it, they should leave that for the reindeer on the 24th too...how come only Santa gets refreshments? And...they also leave their shoes out in the hopes that they will be filled with goodies.

*you can imagine how long my fantasy of Santa lasted...deprived child here.

Growing up, I remember all the beautifully decorated mangers at churches and in front of people's homes over the holidays...so it's not like this feast is foreign to me. However, Christmas Day was really more of the celebration during my childhood. On Three Kings, we would go to mass and then come home and finally take down the tree and all the decor. But no more gifts!

So in 2005, during my first trip to Mexico, I also got to experience my first Dia de Reyes - with the Rosca de Reyes and the hot chocolate and all the warmth of family and friends.

The Rosca de Reyes is a sweet bread baked in the form of a ring with a little doll (representing baby Jesus) hidden inside.

Tradition is that whoever finds it has to host a party at their house a month later for Dia de la Candelaria.

As we get older (I say we, 'cause I'm not the only one getting old dear reader!), January 6th has also come to represent something of equal importance: el fin de Guadalupe-Reyes!!! December 12th is Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe; and the start of all the holiday festivities in Mexico.

Thus, for the next 25 days, everyone is engaged in a marathon of family comidas, end-of-the-year office parties, get-togethers with friends, and new year celebrations. It literally does not STOP.

So today - the Three Kings have finally brought an end to the non-stop socializing and holiday rush, some time to detox (at least a little!), and to once again start anew on all those resolutions we make, but never seem to keep.

Maybe this year...

City Touring

WOW. If I thought time flew by fast leading up to the wedding - the three weeks post-wedding have just disappeared into thin air. Any R&R I thought I was going to get after tying the knot was really just wishful thinking on my part...I'll start with week one:

When we lived in China, we had lots of friends and family from around the world come to visit. Seriously, every other month we had someone looking to discover Shanghai - this of course meant us putting on our tour guide caps. There were occasions where we needed a little more motivation to get off the couch to go see something we had seen before, but at the end of the day, we were always surprised. There was always something waiting to be discovered in Shanghai - seeing a new art exhibit, eating at a fantastic restaurant, walking down a charming street...

One of our metas (goals) was to see something new about Mexico City every month. We didn't count on the fact that moving here, creating a home, a new job, and wedding plans would consume every waking moment of our existence. So when I had the chance to play amateur tour guide for my Mom, we decided to hop on the Mexico City Turibus. I may be biased because this is my second time on board, but - it does happen to be a pretty decent way to get a feel for the city. Especially when you get lucky with beautiful weather.

Remember how I was saying that there is always something waiting to be discovered in each city? This time for me it was another reminder of how close Mexico and the Philippines are intertwined.

We capped up the day at the Castillo de Chapultepec, right in the heart of Bosque de Chapultepec - kind of like Mexico City's version of Central Park. Not many people know that there is an actual castle in Mexico City - but yup - and it was the humble home (ahem! imperial palace) of Hapsburg Archduke Maximilian in 1864 - Emperor of Mexico. That's just a little tidbit from its vast history. Appropriately, the castle is now home to the Museo Nacional de Historia.

Of the many exhibitions throughout the museum, I spent most of my time admiring all the remaining artifacts from the Manila-Acapulco Galleons.

The trade between Mexico and the Philippines started in 1565 and continued until 1815, thus explaining so much of the similarity seen within both cultures. If you didn't get a chance to read one of my first posts, check out some of what I'm talking about here.

To really immerse yourself and get the best experience possible out of any place, whether you live there or are just visiting, you must learn its history. I've had so many Aha! moments since visiting the castillo. This is definitely one part of the city I would mind being a tour guide to again and again.

Castillo de Chapultepec

Primera Sección del Bosque de Chapultepec

Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00-17;00

$51 pesos, Sunday free

Metro: Auditorio y Chapultepec

¡Viva Mexico!

September 15 in Mexico is a BIG deal! All the preparations since the beginning of the month lead up to this night where the whole country becomes one to celebrate it's Independence. People get off work early (if they even go to start with), families and friends get together, pozole is cooking, and millions gather in zocalos around the nation to listen to the grito!

I, of course, had to come down with the flu. Typical.

It was a rainy night here in Mexico City, but that did not stop everyone from gathering to shout alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderon (check out some photos here).


As I was missing out on all the festivities, I spent time perusing through our photos of Independence Day(s) spent in Shanghai the last couple of years. If it were possible to be even more nationalistic, the Mexican community in Shanghai certainly delivers.

Although celebrating half way across the world, we did so in typical Mexican fashion with mariachis, cerveza, and lots of the indispensable tequila. (It would not be a Mexican celebration without it!)



Chinese waitress handing out ice cold Coronas...


Partying lasted long into the night...as it does here too...what else is the 16th good for if not to crudear!


Yes, that is me (que pena!) dutifully taking a shot of tequila for my new home country. Ni modo, gotta do what you gotta do in the name of patriotism!


Until next year!

Celebration Times

Almost every country I can think of has some sort of an Independence Day or National Day. While the norm in most of them is to take the day off (maybe two, so it's a long weekend) to celebrate its freedom from some evil empire.


But of course in Mexico, as things here are done with so much more passion, we take the opportunity to spend the whole month celebrating. September 16th is the day of the famous grito, back in the year 1810 when Mexico declared itself independent from the Spanish empire.


The Filipinos didn't oust the Spaniards until almost a century later - in 1898. FIY just in case you were curious. It didn't really count as independence though - to end the war, Spain handed us to the United States and we were considered a Commonwealth up until after WWII.


Anyway, back to Mexico..


I suddenly noticed that the city was being draped in red, white, and green - and I thought - gasp! This is exactly like the Philippines - preparing for Christmas 3 months early!!! Then it of course dawned on me a short while later, that yes - those are the colors of the flag. (*blush*). But hey, I'm trying to find similarities, ok!?


This is going to be my first Independence Day in Mexico, although having spent the last couple of years with the Mexican community in Shanghai, I have gotten a taste for how important celebrating this day is.


This blog is already dedicated to discovering all things Mexicans, but there is a way to make it even more patriotic. We walked around the zocalo the other day and just happened to stumble upon the daily 6 p.m. flag ceremony.










.


So there you go - they do that every day - twice. The flag gets up there somehow. It was fun, aside from the crowd and the fact I was worried we were going to be caught up in another one of Mexican Mother Nature's past times. No harm done though.


To continue with the celebrations this month, my comadre is dedicating her cooking blog to Mexican dishes and tales from the kitchen of her home town...worth a look for some mouth watering photos on her blog aromasysabores. I'm still a novice in the Mexican kitchen, but maybe my suegra will have some secrets she is willing to share... ;)

Everyday should be Churros and Hot Chocolate Day...

But it can't. And I should actually thank my lucky stars that it can't be that way, because if that were the case, I would end up looking like a churro. Hmm...that doesn't make sense considering churros are tall and skinny...but I'm sure you catch my drift, right?


Last night we ventured into our 'hood: Coyoacan or land of the coyotes, as the name suggests from the its Nahuatl origin of Coyohuacan. There are lots of websites that explain the history and culture of this area of Mexico City, but I think the best way to discover it, as is with any other place, is to go check it out yourself. However, if you don't find yourself in Mexico City at the moment, I realize that may be a tad difficult...so I'll try my best to explain the little I found out last night.


First and foremost, the best hot chocolate in the city (according to me) is from Cafe El Jarocho. I do not know what they mix in it, but for 12 pesos, you are given a little cup of heaven. I can't wait for the colder months to come already so we have even more excuses to sit around a sip on hot coco. The plus side being that you can cover up all the extra kilitos side effects with winter wear. Anyway, this famous cafe has a cult following among the inhabitants of Coyoacan, and as evidenced by their long history (1950's), they live up to their reputation for serving up some damn good java. Word to the wise though, if you are not used to strong coffee - maybe you ought to stick to their normal brew - to avoid palpitations and dizziness.



Considering how expansive the Distrito Federal is, it makes sense that the city is divided up into different delegaciones, or areas, if you will; each one a piece of the huge puzzle that is Mexico City. Like in every metropolis, each neighborhood has its own charm or feel. Coyoacan has long been known as the artsy, bohemian, intellectual part of town.


I admit I have not one iota of creativity in me, at least not in the sense of being able to draw or paint or play and instrument. I don't dress hippie cause I really don't know how. I don't tend to spend hours at cafes endlessly philosophising life. But I felt pretty at ease in Coyoacan. It has a certain je ne sais quoi about it. There are lots of cool cafes, bars, cantinas, and trendy restaurants to check out, museums to explore, and streets to get lost on. I just hope with its booming popularity and influx of chilangos over the weekend, Coyoacan makes sure to keep its charm.


Things to do around Coyoacan:


- walk around Plaza Hidalgo


- visit the Frida Kahlo museum


- definitely have coffee at Cafe El Jarocho


- check out the Leon Trotsky museum


- eat great Mexican food at Los Danzantes


- have a shot of mezcal at Oh Mayatl


- kick back and enjoy a few beers at a cantina like La Guadalupana or La Coyoacana


Enjoy! ;)