i have lived in d.f. for the past 6 months and these are my brushes:
i was riding a combi from el rosario (great saturday market for cheap used clothing!) on saturday afternoon and 2 kids jumped on- one brandishing a very small pistol & the other a plastic bag for the passengers to empty our belongings in. my boyfriend gave tossed in his empty monedero, i fumbled with the $260 pesos or so i had stuffed in my change purse- and lost all of it including a metro ticket. most of the other passengers were kids- one lost his discman & watch. it was fast and painless as far as muggings go.
my boyfriends wallet was lifted while we were making out on a semi crowded metro. interesting because it was the same wallet he has had his whole life & he's a chilango...This incident made me realize what a target i am, looking different than everyone else.
sitting on a hot parked bus in santa cruz de huatulco. i left my purse on my seat (nest to an open window) and turned to open another window. saw an arm reach in for my pretty party purse at the same time my sister did & we took off running. i was yelling in spanish "stop him! help me! that's my bag"
though i realized later that the short dress i was wearing was flying up around my waist as i ran- distracting would be helpers with views of my pretty pink panties. my sister almost got him & after about 3 blocks he gave up and gave my purse to some taxi drivers who were trying to intercept him. good thing too! i was on my way to guatemala & my bankcard had already been lifted so i need those $4000 pesos & passport & lipstick!!!
so as a former new yorker & miamian, the difference here is that you have to be aware that you are constantly being cased. But i don´t let that stop me. i shop in la lagunilla, teptio, el chopo...i ride taxis, buses, the metro... on public transportation & in crowds i try to stick with the señoras... when you ride taxis do a once over checking that the #s match- i always buy some time by asking how much he thinks the fare will be or how long the trip will take before i get in, lock the door when you get in & be aware of what the driver's doing. if he doesn't seem legit, say gracias and another taxi will be along.
don't let people follow you (i cross the street a lot, stop to look at things- someone is always following me)... keep your coins in a different place than your bills, credit cards in case you are mugged.
have fun in mexico! don't be afraid! (after that michael moore film, we gringos have a reputation)
from a lonelyplanet thread
Saturday
Tuesday
dia de muertos janitizo & patzcuaro, michoacan
I went to Patzcuaro, Michoacan for the weekend of dia de muertos. It was incredible. And crowded, like the metro.
first of all, the area of Patzcuaro and around is gorgeous- a little mountainy, lots of lakes, super green & misty. It is the center of the tarascan people- now known as the purpecha. They are known for their colorful fusion of their indigenous (& prehispanic) religion with catholicism. This fusion is especially present in the dia de muertos traditions- colorful altars with cempaxutil flowers (golden chrysanthemum or marigolds) 4 cardinal points, candles, copal incense, offerings of food and drink. Altars to the deceased are made in prominent corners of homes & then the nights of november 1 & 2 altars are erected in the cemetery & people stay up visiting their dead. Its all very beautiful & mystical, but the holiday in Patzcuaro attracts partying tourists who outnumber the locals maybe 5 to 1.
we rented a room from a family who maintains rooms for students. The rooms were at the top of steep stone stairs leading up from the street. The view was amazing. It overlooked Patzcuaro and looked at a mountain. It was kind of miraculous that we got rooms through asking at the first posada we saw in the centro. I had called every hotel & casa de huespedes & the tourist offices 2 months ago to make reservations & was told that everything is booked 6 months ahead of time. So I was thinking we would be staying up all night in the cemetery, as is the tradition.
The first place I visited was the large plaza, plaza vasco in the center of town. The buildings that line the plaza are colonial mansions and portals, most of which are restaurants, cafes & hotels. One side was full of tables piled high with chocolate and sugar skulls, pumpkins, tombs & little animals. Some were selling traditional candies (candied pumpkin, figs, sweet potatoes, dulce de leche, cocada, etc) in wheelbarrows and other had baskets of sweet breads shaped like dolls & pan de muertos. The plaza was full of tianguis- tent covered tables of local artesanias. Wooden toys and household items;copper pots and urns;ceramic dishes; clay dishes; woven scarves & linens;embroidered blouses & pillows; knit caps, scarves & gloves; baskets shaped like animals made of reeds; dolls made of papier mache. I spent nearly my entire paycheck. Women were selling fragrant fruit ponche all over the plaza and patzcuaro.
We wandered, visited la casa de once patios, a 17th century convent turned into a kind of workshop mini-mall. The gardens full of flowering pointsetta plants 10 feet tall & magenta bourganvillea. Later I realized that more than half of the artisans from once patios were in the center. We discovered the smaller plaza that was full of fondas. Everyone was eating enchiladas, in a variation I had never seen. There were giant comals cooking chicken, carrots and potatoes served with tortillas dipped in salsa then hot oil and a side salad of shredded cabbage topped with a blender salsa of tomato and chile. Delicious! We wandered a bit more, stopping to buy film in a turn of the century pharmacy & sampling local hot chocolate & pan de muerto.
At maybe 11pm or midnight we headed to the docks for the Island of Janitzo. The traffic and lines to buy ferry tickets were staggering- even for me a former newyorker & present chilanga. After waiting in line 20 minutes we found a shorter line at the ticket office and headed out. Nearly avoiding catastrophe when the boat we were to board didn't work and the small dock was flooded with people. We all fit on one of the long boats and were entertained by a rowdy group of students from Queretero singing futbol cheers.
The island of Janitzo is stunning- its a little mountain in the middle of a lake sprinkled with lights. The population is maybe 2000, but there had to be 10 times that many tourists and revellers. When we arrived from the docks there werefragrantt comals and vendors sending ceramic mugs (including the famous boob shaped mug present in every tourist town) only for this event, you could have your mug filled with michoacan tequila & squirt! Then we saw the crowds- like a subway platform at rush hour, only that the narrow cobblestone streets went straight up! And it had been raining all afternoon so the steep paths were covered with a slick coating of mud !
We chose a winding path that seemed a little less crowded and steep. The paths were lined with things to buy- crafts, beers, food...We stopped a beautiful catholic church that was filled with cempaxutil flowers and copal incense. There was an old woman tending a traditional ofrenda that covered the floor. Jorge saw a drunk tourist knock over one of the candles and said that the sad looking old woman just looked sadder. It was hard to understand.
We talked a lot about how these people feel. This is a sacred holiday and there are drunk people every where, shouting, climbing on things, their garbage everywhere. But many working people we spoke with - taxi drivers, old couples tending shop & selling beers- said this day is once a year & for the money they make they can withstand anything. A woman selling beers at 4 AM said " I´m not tired, I can sleep the rest of the year. Tonight is for business" Even the children who go around collecting pumpkins in their candlelit jack o'lanterns didn't seem to sleep.
We made it back to our rented room around 5:30 AM. The scene at the dock was a bit scary. Thousands of people trying to crowd onto the ferries. Absolutely no order. Lots of pushing & shoving, but miraculously no one seemed to get hurt and i didn't see anyone fall in the water! Things just work differently here...
Sunday we slept late and explored, shopped and ate a little more. We strolled through the food market. I saw a truck full of cempaxutil flowers. We tried a candy made of the fiber of maguey soaked in pilloncillo sugar. We drank warm licuados, ate sweet bread shaped like dolls and also the local version of tamales corunadas-small tamales, some versions filled with beans, pork or cheese, covered with sour cream and salsa. A much more palatable way to eat tamales, which are often so dry, in my opinion.
After visiting the Basí­lica de la Virgen de la Salud, where we couldn't exactly find the famous Virgin of Health, though the posted milagros were interesting Ricardo shot some beautiful video (everywhere but especially in) this semi cheesy new age cafe. We drank spiked cappuccinos while he filmed the candles hung on the lavendar walls in an unremarkable way. The video was remarkable. I hope he puts some stills on his website.
I was really impressed with the Patzcuaro area. I can't wait to return on a mellower weekend. There are a lot of villages nearby that specialize in different crafts. I am glad that i went despite the crowds. Coming from a big city, the lines and traffic jams weren't such a shock to my system. I loved seeing the beautiful altars in homes and businesses and it was amazing to see women carrying bunches of flowers
first of all, the area of Patzcuaro and around is gorgeous- a little mountainy, lots of lakes, super green & misty. It is the center of the tarascan people- now known as the purpecha. They are known for their colorful fusion of their indigenous (& prehispanic) religion with catholicism. This fusion is especially present in the dia de muertos traditions- colorful altars with cempaxutil flowers (golden chrysanthemum or marigolds) 4 cardinal points, candles, copal incense, offerings of food and drink. Altars to the deceased are made in prominent corners of homes & then the nights of november 1 & 2 altars are erected in the cemetery & people stay up visiting their dead. Its all very beautiful & mystical, but the holiday in Patzcuaro attracts partying tourists who outnumber the locals maybe 5 to 1.
we rented a room from a family who maintains rooms for students. The rooms were at the top of steep stone stairs leading up from the street. The view was amazing. It overlooked Patzcuaro and looked at a mountain. It was kind of miraculous that we got rooms through asking at the first posada we saw in the centro. I had called every hotel & casa de huespedes & the tourist offices 2 months ago to make reservations & was told that everything is booked 6 months ahead of time. So I was thinking we would be staying up all night in the cemetery, as is the tradition.
The first place I visited was the large plaza, plaza vasco in the center of town. The buildings that line the plaza are colonial mansions and portals, most of which are restaurants, cafes & hotels. One side was full of tables piled high with chocolate and sugar skulls, pumpkins, tombs & little animals. Some were selling traditional candies (candied pumpkin, figs, sweet potatoes, dulce de leche, cocada, etc) in wheelbarrows and other had baskets of sweet breads shaped like dolls & pan de muertos. The plaza was full of tianguis- tent covered tables of local artesanias. Wooden toys and household items;copper pots and urns;ceramic dishes; clay dishes; woven scarves & linens;embroidered blouses & pillows; knit caps, scarves & gloves; baskets shaped like animals made of reeds; dolls made of papier mache. I spent nearly my entire paycheck. Women were selling fragrant fruit ponche all over the plaza and patzcuaro.
We wandered, visited la casa de once patios, a 17th century convent turned into a kind of workshop mini-mall. The gardens full of flowering pointsetta plants 10 feet tall & magenta bourganvillea. Later I realized that more than half of the artisans from once patios were in the center. We discovered the smaller plaza that was full of fondas. Everyone was eating enchiladas, in a variation I had never seen. There were giant comals cooking chicken, carrots and potatoes served with tortillas dipped in salsa then hot oil and a side salad of shredded cabbage topped with a blender salsa of tomato and chile. Delicious! We wandered a bit more, stopping to buy film in a turn of the century pharmacy & sampling local hot chocolate & pan de muerto.
At maybe 11pm or midnight we headed to the docks for the Island of Janitzo. The traffic and lines to buy ferry tickets were staggering- even for me a former newyorker & present chilanga. After waiting in line 20 minutes we found a shorter line at the ticket office and headed out. Nearly avoiding catastrophe when the boat we were to board didn't work and the small dock was flooded with people. We all fit on one of the long boats and were entertained by a rowdy group of students from Queretero singing futbol cheers.
The island of Janitzo is stunning- its a little mountain in the middle of a lake sprinkled with lights. The population is maybe 2000, but there had to be 10 times that many tourists and revellers. When we arrived from the docks there werefragrantt comals and vendors sending ceramic mugs (including the famous boob shaped mug present in every tourist town) only for this event, you could have your mug filled with michoacan tequila & squirt! Then we saw the crowds- like a subway platform at rush hour, only that the narrow cobblestone streets went straight up! And it had been raining all afternoon so the steep paths were covered with a slick coating of mud !
We chose a winding path that seemed a little less crowded and steep. The paths were lined with things to buy- crafts, beers, food...We stopped a beautiful catholic church that was filled with cempaxutil flowers and copal incense. There was an old woman tending a traditional ofrenda that covered the floor. Jorge saw a drunk tourist knock over one of the candles and said that the sad looking old woman just looked sadder. It was hard to understand.
We talked a lot about how these people feel. This is a sacred holiday and there are drunk people every where, shouting, climbing on things, their garbage everywhere. But many working people we spoke with - taxi drivers, old couples tending shop & selling beers- said this day is once a year & for the money they make they can withstand anything. A woman selling beers at 4 AM said " I´m not tired, I can sleep the rest of the year. Tonight is for business" Even the children who go around collecting pumpkins in their candlelit jack o'lanterns didn't seem to sleep.
We made it back to our rented room around 5:30 AM. The scene at the dock was a bit scary. Thousands of people trying to crowd onto the ferries. Absolutely no order. Lots of pushing & shoving, but miraculously no one seemed to get hurt and i didn't see anyone fall in the water! Things just work differently here...
Sunday we slept late and explored, shopped and ate a little more. We strolled through the food market. I saw a truck full of cempaxutil flowers. We tried a candy made of the fiber of maguey soaked in pilloncillo sugar. We drank warm licuados, ate sweet bread shaped like dolls and also the local version of tamales corunadas-small tamales, some versions filled with beans, pork or cheese, covered with sour cream and salsa. A much more palatable way to eat tamales, which are often so dry, in my opinion.
After visiting the Basí­lica de la Virgen de la Salud, where we couldn't exactly find the famous Virgin of Health, though the posted milagros were interesting Ricardo shot some beautiful video (everywhere but especially in) this semi cheesy new age cafe. We drank spiked cappuccinos while he filmed the candles hung on the lavendar walls in an unremarkable way. The video was remarkable. I hope he puts some stills on his website.
I was really impressed with the Patzcuaro area. I can't wait to return on a mellower weekend. There are a lot of villages nearby that specialize in different crafts. I am glad that i went despite the crowds. Coming from a big city, the lines and traffic jams weren't such a shock to my system. I loved seeing the beautiful altars in homes and businesses and it was amazing to see women carrying bunches of flowers
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