La Cañada Pyramid

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Pyramid maintenance is an on going chore.

Canada de la Virgin is an archeological site 30 km from San Miguel.  It was opened to the public last year after many years of legal wrangling.  The German who owned the land that this complex of Otomi pyramids were ondid not want to give the public access.  But he lost and a nine kilometer long road was built in the traditional style of this area - roads built by hand with simple tools.  

I am happy to report that I was able to understand at least half of what our tour guide told us during the two hour tour.  This site was used for celestial observation and it was aligned to indicate equinoxes and rainy seasons.  There is the beginnings of what promises to become a very interesting garden laid out in a swirling pattern with each section filled with plants that represent the vast knowledge of plant life by indigenous people.  This is a place that will look very different after the spring rains turn the desert landscape green.

Giving the Devil His Due

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The devil is a major character in Mexico’s Christmas festivities.  This scene, which is taller than me, occupies a place of honor in the jardin- across from the traditional creche scene- the one with Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the elephants….  

 

Lucifer is the star of the pastorela, a Latin American version of a medieval miracle play, traditionally performed at Christmas.  It involves shepherds on their way to see baby Jesus and devils and angels trying to direct things in often comedic ways.

Knowing this, makes the sight of children singing Christmas carols with devil horns a little less jarring.

 

 

Santa Heads South

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On the road from Leon to San Miguel, there are all sorts of roadside stands, selling everything from auto parts to fried chicken.  Nothing really sparked my interest, until herds of reindeer appeared along the roaside- creatures both large and small made from woven twigs and many with Christmas lights.  Laplands comes to Central Mexico.  And then on my first stroll about town with my camra, I found this version of frosty the snow man.

Sunday Dawn

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Seventeen days from the winter solstice and the sun now rises almost at its most southerly point in the sky.  Deep rose and rich amethyst tones fill the horizon lighting my southern facing beach with its best exposure.  In those magic minutes before the sun breaks the horizon, the waves are purple black, but with a stripe of deep pink at the base. Ephemeral and fast moving in the rising light, my frozen fingers didn’t synch quickly enough. 

Nonetheless it was a gorgeous tableau- velvet textures on a moving sea.

A Creche Scene for the Times

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I am not one for Christmas Pageantry, but this morning, the creche in front of Amicable Congregational Church in Tiverton, RI, stopped me in my tracks.  There, gathered around a 55 gallon drum, were wooden figures whose chiseled tears and black eyes told volumes about hard times.  The shopping cart in this tableau was not one filled with Christmas gifts and gaudy packages. It’s emptiness tells a story about homelessness, loss and the deprivation of human dignity - a powerful message in this season of consumerism excess.