Alebrijes

All of Mexico is preparing for one of the county's great national festivals, Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead.  Día de Muertos bears some resemblance to the US celebration of Halloween, as they share the same root: both are related to the Christian Holy Day celebrated on November 1, which is All Saints' Day.  Día de Muertos, however, is celebrated on the second of November, when many families not only decorate the graves of their departed loved ones, but will actually make an outing of the visitation of the gravesite and share a picnic at the cemetery, often preparing and serving the favorite foods of the departed. 

This time of year also coincides with a folk art exhibition sponsored by the Museo de Artes Populares here in Mexico City. Artists from all over the Federal District create enormous folk sculptures of fantastical creatures, decorated in vivid colors and garish designs.  The alebrijes are entered in a parade through the historic heart of the city, after which they are displayed along the Paseo de la Reforma, which is one of the main thoroughfares through the city.  The outlandish creatures show off their creators' imagination and artistic vision in a unique and fascinating colloquial art form.  Some of the alebrijes are as much as ten feet tall -- they are constructed of wire frames overlaid with papier-mache and then painted.  You can see that on many there is great attention to the details of the colorful designs. 

 

Folks who work in that section of the city, tourists visiting, and others stroll up and down the avenue to see the alebrijes during the two weeks or so that they remain there. 

Here are a few of the individual pieces -- I took several dozen pictures, so I'm sharing just a few of my favorites:



 

Nigeria Day at Christ Church

October 1st is Nigerian Independence Day.  What's that got to do with ministry in Mexico?  Here at Christ Church, an international Christian community, we have about a dozen or so active members who come from Nigeria.  Here are the core group of them, dressed in traditional garb for the festivities:

Since we have already celebrated US Independence Day, Canada Day, and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth I of the United Kingdom, it only made sense to celebrate the special day of the homeland of another group of our members. 

And what a celebration it was!  Far more than the usual number of Nigerians came to worship on Sunday -- there were thirty or forty of them -- including the ambassador...who at the last moment was invited to be the lector.  Here he is with the rector following the service:

 

Not only did the Ambassador read the scriptures on Sunday, he also asked to address the congregation 'briefly' at the end of the service.  Then we had prayers of Thanksgiving for Nigeria and the Nigerians in Mexico, and then we sang the Nigerian national anthem.  (It is short and to the point -- unlike the Mexican national anthem which, while musically interesting, is about as simple to sing as an operatic aria!)  The choir, as usual, rose to the occasion, offering some African music, including the Sanctus from the Missa Luba.  

This being an Anglican Church, naturally we had refreshments following the service.  Actually, it wasn't just refreshments, we had a lavish African feast, with plenty to eat and drink. 

 

They had also brought in a recorded music, so there was dancing, too.  I believe the style, a fusion of traditional African melody and rhythm with American Jazz and funk, is known as Afrobeat. Anyway, it was African, and it had a beat... 

 



Down South

Of course, I am  down south -- "South of the Border" as they used to say.  But Saturday I went even further down south, to the southern portion of the city, which is a world unto itself.  A tour was sponsored by the Newcomers Club (a bit of a misnomer, as some of the "newcomers" have been here for years -- I suppose it sounds better than the 'friendship club,' which is what it really seems to be.) 

 

We began with a stop in Coyoacan, which has mcuh more of a 'neighborhood' or even a small town feel than much of the rest of the city.  Over the years, it has been very much of an artists' colony -- a bit more relaxed, open, and 'bohemian.'  This is the central plaza and the colonial church of St. John Baptist.

The interior of the church is richly decorated, although it did not seem as 'over the top' as some of the other colonial era churches I have seen. 

 

 

 

 

The painted ceiling with gilt trim was particularly beautiful. 

 

It's a colorful neighborhod in many ways:

One of the street vendors had a trained bird that picked out your 'fortune' from a stack of cards.  It was actually a bit creepy...

 

We then visited Casa Azul,  "The Blue House," the home where Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born and grew up.  Eventually she also died there, after a life that seems to have been tumultuous.  She was married to Diego Rivera, another Mexican artist (and divorced from him and remarried to him -- twice, I think).  She was in constant and severe pain due to injuries from a car accident; she was a communist; she was one of the great champions of indigenous Mexican art and culture.  Many of her works are on display in the house, along with several rooms of her furniture and her studio.  The house appeared to be a series of interconnected buildings surrounding a lovely courtyard garden. 

 From Frida's collection of indigenous and folk art that was on display:

 

We stopped briefly at the National University -- which boasts something like 120,000 students.  The most famous landmark at the University (locally called UNAM -- Universidad Nacional Autonomo de Mexico) is the library.  The facade appears to be covered by a brightly painted mural -- it's not, it is a mosaic, designed by the Mexican artist Juan O'Gorman.

The mosaic depicts not only the history of Mexico, but also traces the Western cultural heritage of faith and reason. 

 

The highlight of the day was the trip to Xochimilco.  It's hard to imagine from the appearance of modern day Mexico City, but for many hundreds of years, the Aztec capital was actually situated in a lake.  Not on or near a lake, but it was an island surrounded by an elaborate grid of canals.  The Spaniards got the bright idea to drain the lakebed to build their capital of New Spain, which is why nowadays the historic center of the city is sinking, and many of the buildings downtown are leaning to one side or another.  Xochimilco is what remains of that watery city -- it is a place for recreation and relaxation. 

 

Colorfully decorated boats known is trajineras ply the waters. They are named after women, and the drivers use long poles to reach down into the lake bottom to push the boats along. 

 

 

 

As you can see above, down the center of the long, narrow boat there is a table, with seats on two sides.  This is perfect for putting drinks or food, and as we floated along the canal other boats came alongside us selling soft drinks, beer, and food.  This picture gives something of an idea of the traffic on the canal:

 

 

Other boats had musicians, including both marimba and mariachi bands.  For a small fee, they were happy to play and sing for our entertainment.

 

 

 

All in all...a great day!