Saturday, January 10, 2015

Saying Goodbye to Puebla

                     

              The pyramid at Cholula, about thirty minutes from Puebla.

Bob and I are standing on top of the The Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest pyramid in the world. It's much larger than the great pyramids of Egypt. A lot of excavation still has to be completed in order to see its immensity.

Before Eureopeans colonized the area, Cholula was a large city of Aztecs and the religious capital of highland Mexico. The Great Pyramid was built in four stages beginning around the 2nd century BC. The earliest structure was built in 100 BC and archeolgists have discovered painted insect-like designs in red, yellow and black.

The second structure, built right over the first, was very different with stairs covering all four sides so that people could get to the top from any direction. Indigeneous people, the Toltecs, conquered this area in 1200 AD and left the huge pyramid to the ravages of weather. By the time the Spanish conquered Cholula in the 1500s, the Great Pyramid looked like a wonderful hill top site for a Roman Catholic church.

One of the objects uncovered in the pyramid ruins is a 165-foot long colourful mural of life-sized human figures. It has been called "The Drunkards" because it depicts inebriation probably from a hallucinogenic potion from mushrooms. So we've been enjoying getting high for a long time.


            

                        Cholula is a big city now.

                            

           The church, way in the background, is built on top of the pyramid.

                  

                      The city gets in the way of a good photo.

                                

         A beautiful church even though the Spaniards killed 6 000 Aztecs after they arrived.
     
                       

                                 Rings of fruit bread are still on sale.

It's a treat that there are no street dogs at all and almost no garbage. Mexico is suffering a lot from the effects of NAFTA and of course gangs and violence driven mostly by our drug culture. I think by providing some free university, the government is moving in the right direction.

                                            

We'll remember Puebla for its beautiful tile, clean streets and churches. Oaxaca has more music, theatre and art galleries than here and I miss that culture in Puebla. Something strange though, we've seen only one pregnant woman (today) since arriving in Mexico.

                                     

                                         Plastic sheep and --


                                     

                                                   Beauty.


As we walked into our hotel tonight, I looked up to the brightly lit cathedral high above and thought of the deer and wild turkies on our lawn in Caledon. It will be good to sleep in our own beds tomorrow night. We are all so lucky to be living where we are and with what we have.


                                              

                           Gymnasts at The Tree of Life. We are all connected.



We are on the Estrella Roja bus en route to the airport in Mexico City. Keep enjoying yourselves and be well.  Lynda




Friday, January 9, 2015

Culture in Puebla


We're finding many surprises tucked away in corners, rising high into the air, placed on walls, on display in arts and culture buildings or walking down the street like these three women who were definite oddities receiving money for their efforts.

                       

I used a 300 mm lens for this photo. Even so, the woman on the right might have spotted me.

                

                

           

          The exteriors of many buildings have exquisite tiles.

         

                       Last night in town.

          

                       

                       

                                             Our lunch haunt.


                      

      

      

        Corn used to be small like the cobs on either side.

         

                          Tilling the earth.


          

         The arts and cultura building

        

                    An ancient grinding stone.

       

     

        This beautiful example of Alebrijes work is priced at US $300.

     

       

                The Red Cross operates here.

                

                 

                       A typical breakfast spot.


The Chapel of the Rosary, the Eighth Wonder of the World, is a baroque jewel of the 17th century, noted for its gold foil.

                                     

              Photos don't do this church justice. It's stunningly eye popping.

                 

           

Gold everywhere.

          

          

                  Tiled pulpit.

       

             

       

                 The tabernacle.

         


              See you in Cholula tomorrow.  Hope you are cosy wherever you are.

































Thursday, January 8, 2015

Life is Curious

                                                 

Last night Bob slept with a towel wrapped around his legs to ward off the cold. Now he's in bed looking like a Roman Catholic sister with one of my scarves around his head. The temp drops to 5 degrees at night and rooms have no heat. 

After more than three weeks travelling with Susan, Alan and the boys, life seems strange, a bit lonely and definitely more leisurely. We're sauntering along looking at tile work and seeing buildings dating back to the 1600s. 

            





           


Puebla is famous for its tile work begun by the indigenous people and enhanced by the Spaniards.

I'm taking a few Spanish classes and can see that within a couple of months I'd be very comfortable in the language. We both prefer Puebla to Oaxaca for a few reasons. There are no street vendors here -- at least in the historic centre.

That means no mess on the streets and way more room to walk because vendors take up a lot of the sidewalk. Also there's a visible professional class in Puebla, folks walking around with briefcases and so forth and more expensive items for purchase in stores.



               

                      Streets during siesta.

               

         

             Bridesmaid dresses.

       

 Many Mexicans are well dressed in this city and have disposable income. On the other hand newspapers are filled with political strife and mayhem. Thankfully not here.

       


This is still a land of contrasts. Despite the visible professional class, today I got almost knocked over by a guy coming out of a lane carrying a mattress on his shoulders. I'm protective of my purse and camera. But Bob said that a guy who was working on his computer in a restaurant left his table with everthing on it to go to the bathroom. So who knows.

We are definitely oddities here. When we stop to check our map, people ask to help. Folks are friendly and security everywhere -- armed federal, state, municipal, traffic and tourist police. Today on the way to class, I passed an older man sitting in the midst of five municipal police. He had collapsed and they were assisting him. The police are professional. They observe and don't seem to miss much.

People are educated. The Puebla university is mostly free, supported by the government and by the private sector that receives tax concessions in return -- although entrance comes with good marks. Book stores are everywhere and well stocked. A good sign.

           

I can't imagine living here though -- mostly because of the food. I don't like bread and sugar. People love tortillas, tacos, beans, eggs and pastry. They get their veggies cooked in salsa. So we both long for fresh fruit and vegetables. My clothes are getting looser!

              
   
On Saturday we're going to visit Cholula, a city not far from here and the site of the largest pyramid in the world and we've never even heard of it. Bonkers.

I guess the chilly air is preparing us for home on Sunday. As an aside, if you want to purchase prescription glasses or have dental work done, this is the country. I had two pair of glasses made at less than half the cost today. Teeth are next.

More to follow :)



Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Day of the Holy Kings


           

Christmas is in full swing here until January 6 because today, Ephiphany, is a big affair and a school holiday for the kids who line up in the park by the hundreds for a piece of Rosca de reyes, a wreath shaped fruity baked bread. Imagine an oval of sliced bread 200 feet wide -- that's about 800 feet of cake arranged on tables with a gazillion kids waiting for a piece. Some pieces of cake contain a ceramic or plastic figure of the baby Jesus.

I'd forgotten all about the day when the three wise men were supposed to have visited Jesus. I asked a young woman what was going on this morning and she gave her friend a kind of "who is this bozo" look. Christmas carols filled the air yet again and I had to pinch myself that we hadn't stumbled into a time warp. So Mexican children receive Christmas and Ephiphany presents.




All last weekend the Zocalo was packed with people lining up to ice skate -- or mostly stumble and fall on an ice rink or tube down two story ice slides. Even in Mexico, Santa comes from the land of ice and snow.  

           These four guys are hanging on for dear life to the rink's edge.

                     


              

               
             Disney is alive and well here.
     
 

The Arabe is stacked pork layered with onions and herbs and often grilled next to charcoal or a gas flame. Another type, The Pastor, is marinated pork, cilantro and pineapple.

               

                     The Pastor

The Biblioteca Palafoxiana library

The Biblioteca Palafoxiana library is an eye opener because the books date back to the 1500s. It was founded in 1646, was the first public library in colonial Mexico, often considered the first in the Americas and has more than 41,000 books and manuscripts from the 15th to the 20th century. In 2005, it was listed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.


                  Walls of ancient books.

In 1646, the bishop of Puebla donated 5,000 of his own books and manuscripts to the Colegio de San Juan on the condition that they be made available to the general public. About one hundred years later the current library was built and more books added including those confiscated from the Jesuits when they were expelled in 1767. This is an earthquake zone and so old buildings like the library have suffered and been restored.

                 

                  

                                            A 1600s book.

                    

                    Stacks from floor to high ceiling.

                 

                     

  As the guide said, this is history's internet -- a rotating wheel to place the documents you are reading.

                           

                                  Ancient entrance door.

Tomorrow Susan and Alan leave for Nelson through LA and Spokane. We have a few more days to explore at a more leisurely pace. Life has been very, very active these last three weeks! More pics to follow. I hope all is well where you are.