February 2nd, or Candlemas day (we call it día de la Candelaria) is the day when we conclude with Christmas celebrations in Mexico.

Candlemas falls on forty days after Jesus’s birth, and is celebrated by Catholics as the the “Feast of Purification” or as the “Presentation of Christ at the Temple.”  In Mexico we celebrate this day by going to the church and then gather with family and friends, when tamales and atole are served by the person who bit into the little baby Jesus figurine in their piece of Rosca on January’s Three King’s Day.

Tamales Bento via Popartichoke on Flickr.

Atole is a traditional masa-based hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado. It is typically accompanied with tamales, and very popular during the Christmas holiday season (Las Posadas).

Tamales are a traditional Pre-Columbian Mexican dish.  In Mexico we have over 200 different varieties of tamales.  Back in the day they were cooked with sweet chile, tomato and seeds, mixed with beef, turkey, pheasant and quails.  Today some are sweetened with molasses, others spiced with mole.  Some are plain, others filled with meats or vegetables.

Making tamales via Manuel W. on Flickr

In its essence, tamales consist of masa (a type of starchy corn dough) that has been wrapped in leaves, then steamed or boiled.  Some come bundled in corn husks, others in plantain or banana leaves.  My favorites are tamales with huitlacoche (corn smut), with chicken in a green sauce, corn tamales, and tamales with potatoes.  Today, tamales are often eaten during festivities, such as Christmas, the Day of the Dead, Las Posadas, Día de La Candelaria and Mexican Independence Day.

Making tamales #2 via Manuel W. on Flickr

The varieties of tamales are as big as the imagination of the person cooking them.   I wish you a wonderful Candlemas day, enjoy your tamales.

Cover photo: Romana Lilic, LA76, via flickr.

In the western Christian tradition, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. Here in Mexico we celebrate “Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos” (Three Wise Men Day), the day when the Kings arrived bearing gifts for just born baby Jesus. This day is a traditional day of exchanging gifts, and in some cases, like in my family, the Three Kings bring more presents for the children than Santa.

One thing I love about this day is the “Merienda de Reyes” (light dinner), a truly multicultural event. The Spaniards brought us the tradition of celebrating the Epiphany and sharing the Rosca de Reyes (sweet ring bread). We enjoy the Rosca served along with corn Tamales, which was the pre-Hispanic food per excellence, and hot chocolate, another Mexican discovery.

According to the custom, we place small porcelain baby Jesus figurines baked into the bread, the dolls are hidden because it symbolizes the need to find a secure place where Jesus could be born, a place where King Herod would not find Him.

We gather in family and each of us cuts his own slice of the Rosca. One by one we carefully inspect our slice, hopping not to get the figurine. Why is this? Because whoever gets the baby figurine shall be the host, and invite everyone present, to a new celebration on February 2, when we celebrate the Día de la Candelaria or Candle mass day, with tamales and atole.

How do you celebrate the Epiphany? I would love to hear of other traditions around the world on this day.

Photos of the three wise men by LA76 Strategic Design & Photography.

Around October 31 and November 1, a lot of people tend to get nationalistic in Mexico regarding the difference between the celebrations of the Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos) and Halloween. But what if I tell you how popular is these days to set up an offering altar for the day of the dead in the States?

It is widely known mexicans make fun of dead in every opportunity they have. And it is also said that “chicano” community allies with dead to laugh of “gringos”, but in the markets, in the offerings, in the stores and department stores across Mexico a ghost always floats: the ghost of Halloween.

Both the Day of the Dead and Halloween have common origins but very different social functions. To be able to analyze it without prejudices we will have to know first the history behind both holidays, and how these have transformed through the years.

Almost without exception, Mexicans (and a lots of foreigners as well) think that Día de los Muertos is a pure Mexican tradition that should remain intact, far from Halloween, trying to forget the old and ancient relationship between Mexico and the States. Some come, some go, merchandise and ideas move on both territories, as an untraceable quantity of signs that make the imaginary collective even more complex.

Halloween is a holiday that surfaced as we know it today in the United States, and today is related with plenty of commercial activity: massive costume sales, candies, horror movies and any other kind of exotic and dark paraphernalia related to death and “the world of the dead”. However, it’s origins trace back to the Celts and Druids (in France, Ireland, The U.K. and part of Spain), who in the last days of October (Oct 31 to Nov 2), celebrated “Samhain” or the end of the summer and the start of winter, a time of the year related back then to the dead of people due to cold weather.

Halloween shares dates with “Día de los Muertos”, because it was believed that in these dates the boundaries between live and dead blurred. Spirits wandered, and the entrances of houses had vegetables carved with scary faces to keep away the bad spirits. Because of tradition, people visited each house in the community and gave away food in exchange of praying for the souls. Streets used to get filled with candles to guide good spirits, and the people used costumes to disguise from the evil spirits.

Christians, always syncretic, grouped Samhain and started to call it “All Hallow’s Eve” or “All Saints Eve”, where a mass service was given in honor of the dead. Popular culture in The United Kingdom and Ireland continued the tradition to celebrate Hallowe’en on the night of October 31st, and here is where a lot of legends’ manners and traditions surfaced: the carved pumpkins, the costume and the famous “trick or treat”. Time after, this tradition traveled over the Atlantic and not only settled but flourished in the States.

Now getting back to Mexico, where the cult of the death is one of it’s more cultural characteristics. Origins go back to pre-columbian era, where in the ancient Mexican beliefs, the soul of men was immortal, and depending on which way the person died, they would go to specific places of the underworld (Omeyocan- for those killed in combat; Tlallocan- for the water-related dead; Mictlan- for those dead by natural causes). Those died by natural cause, had to travel a long 4 year journey to Mictlan. They where buried with a dog to be their companion in the trip and most of their belongings, useful for the long journey to Mictlan.

In the 10th month, ancient Mexicans celebrated “Ueymicaihuitl”, when they remembered the dead. When the Spaniard Colonization arrived, Cristianism again applied its very own syncretism to this festivity, transforming it into “Día de los Muertos”, on November 1st and 2nd, together with the “Día de Todos los Santos”.

Today “Día de los Muertos” is not an exclusive religious celebration, even completely non-religious groups set up offerings and altars to remember the dead. And let’s keep in mind that in Mexico each element of the altar has a symbolic and specific function: Candles- to guide the dead; Cempasuchitl flower- to symbolize light and glory; “Pan de Muerto” (Traditional sweet bread of Dia de los Muertos)- food and to remember the corporal remains; and Copal- to indicate solemnity and the openness to the mystic world.

Reality is Mexican traditions for the Day of the Dead and Halloween have merged because of globalization and intercultural exchange. For many, one represent resistance and the other dominance. However, Mexican offerings integrate more and more Halloween elements; media and marketing have done the same. Globalization and Halloween undermine the ancient Mexican cultural heritage? We don’t believe that, and at the same time we don’t consider them that antagonistic. Both are different forms of showing tribute and respect to death and the dead; they both celebrate the only possible certainty of humans: Death.

Ironic or not, every year it is more and more common to see traditional “Día de los Muertos” offerings in the United States. Both celebrations complement each other. More pumpkins in Mexico and more “Pan de Muerto” in California. And while Mexicans are the ones who take away their traditions, these are not rare to get popular like tacos, mariachi, and so on… Traditions are open to time: they generate new aesthetics with orange and purple colors, paper decorations and costume parties with tequila. Popular culture is alive, and that’s why it constantly changes.

This article is written by Mariano from LA76 Strategic Design, and photographs are by Romana @ LA76.

by Vickie M. Butler

In the original 1939 movie version of The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland, the main characters plead with the Wizard to give them a brain, a heart, courage and a home.  During the first three weekends of February, audiences for The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist will not only view those attributes as staged by the actors, but also will experience the real life use of them! Because of the courage, heart and brains of well-known director Isabel Smyth and contractor/musician Raul Cavazos, the community of Todos Santos is now home to the newly constructed Luna Azul stage. Located in an exquisite tropical setting, the multi-leveled stage is surrounded by beautifully bricked arches.  One can easily imagine all of the future theatrical and musical productions taking place as Director Smyth enthuses, “We’re so excited about building our own stage in Todos Santos. From now on, Blue Moon Productions will have this incredible venue to facilitate the performing arts in our community. The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist will be perfect for our first production on the permanent stage.”

Comprised of a 40+ member cast and crew, The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist will be a lively, colorful musical spoof based on the familiar movie story line – with one major exception: Dorothy is a fifty-nine year old recent transplant to Todos Santos who visits the craziness of Munchkinland, Emerald City and the Wizard of Oz because of a hurricane rather than a tornado! Talented veteran actress Roxanne Rosenblatt’s Dorothy promises to be a more relevant, cynical Dorothy whose encounters with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Witches are truly of out of this world!

Roxanne Rosenblatt (Dorothy); Donna Schultz (Wicked Witch); Anita Harris (Glinda) Middle: Vic Kirby (Tin Man); Sharon Morris (Lion); Peter Jackson (Wizard); Bottom: Isabel Smyth (Scarescrow)

Serendiptity Bed and Breakfast owner, Sharon Morris, relishes her role as the Cowardly Lion. “I look like Bert Lahr, the original movie Lion, and I really enjoy playing parts that can be exaggerated and are larger than life.  Learning the Lion’s expressions and songs is fun as well as a challenge for me.” (Local audiences may recall Morris as Mother Superior in Nunsense four years ago).  Joining her on the Oz adventure is Vic Kirby, an Oxford graduate, corporate consultant, author and photographer, who has been cast in the role of the creaky Tin Man, a man built without a heart.  “I’m a little rusty at the moment, but my lines with be polished by the time we get there!”

In addition to a fine acting ensemble, director and visionary Smyth has attracted a multitude of other talents including the choreographer, the costumer and the set designer. With an MA in Choreography from UCLA and experience with numerous productions in the western United States, Moonstone Mazzetti is enjoying working with both adult and child cast members.  “It’s fun working with non-dancers; I love the idea of a Todos Santos community theater troupe; and I especially enjoy the Wizard of Oz.  I probably have seen the movie twenty times!”

Multi-media artist Roxanne Sparks, head of Costuming and Prop Design for The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist, is making use of a broad and varied skill-base. Presently, her Todos Santos studio is filling up with creations that include a life-size mango tree and paper mache masks, ears, and tails amid an array of other imaginative costumes. “In my previous life, I worked as a graphic artist for several years.  I also created whimsical miniature houses and scenes that I called gnome houses under the name Gnome Sweet Home!  These were mixed media of paper mache, wood, bark and other natural and man made materials.  Happily for me, my gnome houses were collected by many devoted fans as well as gifted internationally! I also made special, and many times elaborate, costumes for my children, my husband and me.  The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist is a fun way to put some of my interests to work!”

Because of its ocean setting, moderate climate and growing reputation as an artists’ colony,  Todos Santos continues to attract a foreign population that brings a vast reservoir of experiences and interests. When combined with the welcoming, talented local Mexican community, Isabel Smyth’s vision of an on-going Todos Santos performing arts cadre is on its way to becoming a reality.

Plan to see this mixture of brains, heart, courage and home at Luna Azul during the production of The Wizard of Oz with a Todos Twist, 7:30 pm, on February 4, 5, 11, 12 and 18! Tickets can be purchased at Tecolote Bookstore, La Bodega de Todos Santos or Luna Azul. Please contact bluemooninbaja@yahoo.com.

The history of the Mexican people, its culture, traditions and heroes is very rich. Its hues denote the strength, bravery and courage of those who have written it. This year, in 2010, Mexico is jubilantly celebrating the Bicentennial of the Independence of Mexico, as well as the First Century of the Mexican Revolution. Two events marked by a thirst for change, written with the passion and blood of those who fought for their ideals in pursuit of a better country.

Taken together, these events led to the formation of governments and laws that guarantee the rights of freedom, education, health and job for everyone in Mexico. Let us briefly review these events.

Mexican Independence.

On the evening of September 15th 1810, the bells at Dolores Hidalgo rang loudly while a group of Mexican idealists summoned their fellow Mexicans to rise against the Spaniards. This event known as the Grito de Independencia, lead to a series of events that lasted 11 years, but at the end showed the way to Mexican Independence from Spain.

Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was the mastermind and leader of this movement. With a group of intellectual Mexicans they all dreamed of a free and independent nation. Months after the movement began, and after several victories of the insurgent army, during a battle the Spaniards arrested several leaders, including Hidalgo, and executed them in 1811. Prior to their capture, Hidalgo had instructed the priest Jose Maria Morelos to lead the movement in the south resulting in success during the following years. By the end of 1815, Morelos was captured, prosecuted and executed. Nonetheless, the movement continued with the patriots Guadalupe Victoria and Vicente Guerrero, who rallied Mexicans and Creoles (Mexican-born but of Spanish descendants) to their cause.

Almost towards the end of these fighting years, General Agustin de Iturbide resigned from the Spanish ranks to support the insurrecting army, and at the beginning of 1821, met with Vicente Guerrero. Together they proclaimed the Iguala Plan, a plan whose interest focused on 3 important points: to establish the Independence of Mexico from Spain, declare the Catholic religion as the sole religion and to integrate all the social groups.

The result of this plan and of the past years of insurrection concluded with the marching of the Trigarante Army (Army of the Three Guarantees) into Mexico City on September 27th 1821, the day when Mexico was declared an independent country.

Mexican Revolution

The so longed Mexican independence brought a series of governants periods in which the nation grew, but with many gaps in the social and cultural areas. The political atmosphere before the revolution was of a dictatorship from the Oaxacan military Porfirio Díaz. It is undeniable the growth Mexico had during Díaz’s leadership, but his autocracy of over 30 years also brought the discontent of all the classes, since the social inequality was a palpable factor.

The Mexican Revolution began on November 20th, 1917, as a socially armed movement against the unjust social situation that prevailed in the country. It was led by Francisco I. Madero whom amongst other things, was looking to overthrow the dictatorship of Diaz, the establishment of democratic elections and restore the land of the Mexican peasants that was taken away from them during the last years. When Diaz realized the movement was growing, he submitted his resignation and went into exile to France, dying a few years after.

The conflict extended during several years more, where revolutionaries like Emiliano Zapata, Francisco Villa and Venustiano Carranza led the Mexicans by defending their ideals, and the interests of the people. It was in 1917 when Carranza became president of the country, but the much desired peace was not practical until after 1920. It is since then that Mexico has walked the path of independence and began its development as a productive and equitable nation.

The main result of the Mexican Revolution is reflected in the drafting and enactment of the current Mexican Constitution, ratified by the Constituent Congress on February 5th 1917, originally based on the constitution of 1857. Its articles contain major reforms on the social order as well as the individual rights of all Mexicans, including freedom of association, strike, education and regulation of the property.

The history of Mexico is ever changing, evolving and growing. These two representative movements have marked the path to where the nation is going. Each and every one of its participants, good or bad, have come to reinforce the idea of a strong, active and constantly learning society. And now, two hundred years later, we are the leaders of Mexico through our actions and decisions. Take the example of those who gave their lives to defend our rights and let us build together a better present. Meanwhile, let’s all say: Viva Mexico!

One doesn’t arrive in El Triunfo as much as you stumble upon it. Only a few blocks long and even fewer wide, on the high winding road between the gulf and the main road between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, you could be excused for missing it.

A collection of rustic brick facades, with cracked mortar and empty windows, stand perilously close to the narrow road asking to be noticed. It has that colonial feel – a faded glory. Further off, a few streets beyond those facades and over a cobblestone bridge, two testaments to a bygone era are less shy in grabbing attention. And if you’re fortunate enough to stop, and maybe listen, you’ll come to know this special town of music and minerals, of ivory and silver.

Silver was first discovered in El Triunfo in 1862. New fortune seekers and those who failed in the fabled rush of 1849 in California (so called “forty niners”) came in droves. English, Americans, Russians, Italians and Chinese all found their way deep into the peninsula and toiled in the hills hoping for redemption in this far away place. For the fortunate the hills opened up and shared their bounty. For others it was not so kind. Many ended their lives in El Triunfo and are laid to rest beneath simple stone markets in the ethnic cemeteries dotting the hillsides.

At about this time Francisca Mendoza – famed musician from California – came at the request of the well heeled and began hosting piano concertos in the shade of warm summer days. At one point El Triunfo boasted more pianos per capita than all cities in Mexico. The Piano Museum, on the main road and open for hosted tours, happily plays on your imagination.

When the pianos fell silent the great smokestacks played on. La Ramona – over ten stories high – was designed by none other than the famed Gustave Eiffel (yes, of Eiffel Tower fame).

In 1865 the population of El Triunfo was 10,000 people – the largest in southern Baja at the time. And now, with the mines largely silent (the largest mining company closed operations in 1926) the tall columns of a former glory stand silent over a quiet town of not more than 400. But stop. Take the time to listen. Walk quietly along the cobblestones. You’ll hear the music still.

Mark Edward

photos: Romana Lilic and Mark Edward

On September 16th Mexico is celebrating memorable 200 years of independence. While the whole country is preparing for celebrations one way or the other, Los Cabos will be celebrating the Bicentennial with the revelation of Cultural Pavilion. The Pavilion is the first building of it’s kind in the state of Baja California Sur and aims to cultivate the artistic and cultural expressions of this particular region of Mexico.

Located along the Cabo San Lucas Marina with beautiful views of the iconic El Arco, the Cultural Pavilion will be compromised of six buildings upon completion. The project is meant to create a unified space where residents and tourists alike can enjoy traditional Mexican concerts, dances, art exhibits and expositions, international seminars and much more. The Arts and Biodiversity Pavilion, the first of several buildings to open to the public, will be unveiled in September 2010.

“We are honored that Los Cabos was chosen as the building site for this exciting project,” said Gonzalo Franyutti De La Parra, President of the Los Cabos Convention & Visitors Bureau, “The goal behind the Cultural Pavilion is to promote and preserve the Mexican culture and to further attract visitors to this premiere vacation destination.”

Once completed, the Cultural Pavilion will feature theatres (both closed and open-air), shopping centers, cinemas, a museum, library and restaurants.

The new Cultural Pavilion has been raising many questions and eyebrows; at least for 3 things:

1) The cost: it will cost around $40 mio MXN pesos (current information)

2) The size of the building – it is seems that it doesn’t obey any rules as other hotels and beach side buildings have: the Pavilion is much higher than any adjacent hotel/building and it blocks many views of the homes in the Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas and surrounding areas to the marina.

3) (FREE) Parking space – We do hope the Pavilion will offer plenty of (free?) parking space; many of you will remember that on the location of the Pavilion there was the only free big parking lot in Cabo San Lucas.

Source: Los Cabos Convention & Visitor’s Bureau press release, comments by ESCAPES.

Photo sources: header photo via http://photography.la76.com and article photo via www.cabora.com

Dates: 1 – 7 March, 2010, Todos Santos

The 7th Todos Santos Film Festival brings to Todos Santos and La Paz Latin American cinematography of great artistic and educational merit, while celebrating local and national Mexican film culture. This year the festival offers a selection of the best and most recent fiction, documentary and short films from Latin America and Mexico.

The Festival promotes youth education through film and supports women in film while avoiding stereotypes and violence as entertainment. It also supports the protection of the environment and the fight against domestic violence. Film transports us to unknown territories and challenges us with eclectic and provocative ideas.

Film, with its light, illuminates us.

The welcome words by Sylvia Perel, Founder Director of Todos Santos Film Festival

A catalogue of the Festival with movie schedules and more you can download here.

This tradition with Hispanic roots, is based in religion and is a celebration of life and tribute to the dead. Contrary to what many may believe, the Day of the Dead is a celebration to honor those who have passed away by preparing them an altar with their favorite dishes and beverages: fruit, tamales, mole, sweets and the traditional pan de muerto (sweet bread typical for this day). The altar is decorated with typical flowers, candles, incense and images of saints and/or of the dead one. You can also put a chair by the altar so the spirit of the dead can sit and enjoy the food that was prepared especially for him or her, while their favorite music is played by a live band.

A very special character in this celebration, which has become an icon of Mexican culture, is La Catrina. Originally created as a metaphoric representation of the high-end social class in Mexican society in early 1900, it is now know as the Death. La Catrina is always dressed up with tasteful and colorful clothes with an elegant and stylish pose. It is present in the celebrations of the death to remind those who are alive that life is today, and will forever be, and that the different music, culinary or artistic expressions, are just a tiny way to honor our beloved ones that have passed away.

On the photo: the decoration of Pineda Covalin store for the Day of the Dead in Puerto Paraiso, Cabo San Lucas.

In Mexico, as in everywhere else, a New Year signifies the opportunity to begin something new, celebrate the year that is passing and welcoming the coming one, to analyze old goals and make New Year’s resolutions and celebrate. It is common to find families and friends celebrating on the eve of New Year, to toast right at midnight, eating 12 grapes, a grape for each month of the new year, and wishing something as eating each of them.