For Cuban music lovers

Wrong city, but right street.

A little history

This is the Casa de Montejo located on the northern side of the zocalo. All that remains of the original construction is the façade. It was built in 1540 by the son of the first Montejo, who was defeated in his initial conquest of the Mayan.
The sign on the front of the building says it is the best example of Plateresque architecture in Mexico. It also says that it “ displays iconographic elements allusive to the Spaniard’s conquest and domination over the Mayans, as well as references to the Montejo family, It features the sculptures of two Spanish soldiers of the 16th century, standing on individual heads with expressions of pain and terror, as well as other figures located underneath, armed with mallets. As recently as the 1980’s this house was inhabited by descendants of the Montejo family.”
Imagine walking out on that balcony to address the assembled masses. Standing on a pile of tortured heads makes quite a statement.

And this is the auditorium in the Casa del Pueblo

quite a striking setting with the columns and PRI curtain.

If you look, you can see the name of the progressive politician and women's and indigenous rights advocate, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, above the stage and he has a statue in front of the building as well. A note of interest, the pre-PRI had Puerto assassinated in 1924.

You can read of his tragic love story here.

Look at the figures at the base. Those are his Mayan supporters holding him up.

Tale of Two Cities

I was struck today as I continued my walking exploration of Merida. I am sure the epiphany was the result of a combination of things – heat, humidity, grit, exhaust and of course, euphoria.

It was as I walked into the large market near the hotel, a large 1950’s open structure, not all together attractive.
Actually, like many markets in Mexico, I think this one extended into other structures, maybe over a couple of blocks. I say this because in listening to others describe the market, it sure did not sound like the market I saw, but I digress…

Upon entering, I instantly thought of a similar market I visited in Thailand. And that was it - a tough and gritty city, with tight congested streets, bustling crowds, anything and everything for sale.

horse-drawn carriages,

elegant and ostentatious mansions.

So that's my epiphany - Merida is Bangkok with Mayans... and without all the golden topped temples.

They seem skeptical.

Well, maybe not, but they do have similar flavors.
(I do have lots of photos of Bangkok, but not with me.)
And both places really like their chilies.
At the end of the day in each place, you need a shower or a swim to wash the film off.

Lots of opportunities here. Housing prices are very cheap, but have risen in the last few years.
Having completely restored two houses in the past, I fantasized about some of the countless places that were just there for the taking.

Opportunities abound

Both Bangkok and Merida are big, dynamic tropical cities filled with culture and history.
More on the history shortly.

In both, there are motorcycles galore.

And fantastic nightlife. There were concerts, dance and drama performances every night. And as in all cities, great street performers.
And at night in Merida there seems to be a cop at every intersection keeping the traffic flowing. They really seem to have it together and other congested cities could learn a lot from this place.

Actos espontaneos de caridad

Random act of kindness...

They were giving "abrazos gratis" in the zocalo in Merida yesterday. If you don't know about the Free Hugs Campaign, you should.

There are numerous videos on Youtube.

I watched and shot photos for a half hour and was struck by the fact that only one in ten, if that, stopped and received/gave a hug. Anyone who wanted one, could have one, "no a la discriminacion."
There were lots of young people spread out in front of the catheral and the entrance to the zocalo, well-dressed, all smiles.

Every now and then someone would jump out of a car run through the traffic and get a hug, run back and jump back into their car while everyone cheered.

And an ocassional pedestrian would stop, but I was amazed that so few people partook in a simple joyous act.

The huggers were watching me watching them and videotaping me and as I left, I got my hugs.
What floored me was my reaction. Just a simple hug from a stranger in a strange city moved me to tears. Those who know me would say, "Still the same old Stowe."

Kindness is so powerful. I carried the feeling with me and did my best to pass it on.

No, I am not in jail because of it.

In amongst the Maya

Ek Balam

Merida - Palacio Municipal

One of the things I have enjoyed the most on this trip is drinking in just how different each city we have visited is. Juchitan was a vibrant indigenous city. Villahermosa was a sleek, fast-paced cosmopolitan petro-economy based center. Campeche looked like it was still back in the 1930’s, a pristine and serene jewel with a wall to keep out the pirates and some of the most beautifully painted buildings – and absolutely no graffiti.

The Cathederal

Merida is a large and gritty tropical city that I am about to venture out into again as we have one or two more days here.
I love how people like to say that after hundreds of years the Mayan civilization simply faded away. They should have had breakfast with us today. Our waitress had the most beautiful classic Mayan face. They did not fade away.

This is a modern Mayan city. They are everywhere you look.

Yes, there is a large Spanish influence and this place has what I think is a horrible 500-year history of indigenous repression and abuse. I have some wonderful photos to demonstrate that fact that I will post later today or tomorrow. Don’t get me going…

This city has some amazing architecture. The baroque plaster brocades and filigree that decorate the brightly painted buildings is remarkable and beautiful, completely over the top in a good way.
Again, lots of photos to post, but I want to get out and shoot, explore and drink in this place.
After spending a few days at the ancient Mayan cities, I want to take advantage of being in a modern one.

Not much or a preppie now, am I? Not that I ever was.

On the Road

Campeche

A bit back, I wrote about living and blogging and how sometimes one has to choose – to blog or to live. This is one of those times. Living the life wins out.

But I know how I read blogs and if too long a period goes by with no posts, people stop checking in.

My favorite example of that is The Luck of Dennis St. Michel, Viscount Stokington-The Life, Times, and Misadventures of Dennis St. Michel, Viscount of Stokington, Soldier, Gambler, Diplomat, Scoundrel, Notorious Rakehell, and Lord of Menacing House, in his Own Words. It is very well written, funny and I highly recommend it. As far as I could tell it had a good following, but on The Yule, 2007, Dennis disappeared. People kept waiting, but the posts stopped in mid adventure. Now I only check in every now hoping he has returned, but alas, he has become ether(net.)

Merida

I am currently in Merida, in a nice cool room at the Dolores Alba Hotel, contemplating how to get caught up after five days on the road in the midst of a very strange and excellent adventure.

We left Oaxaca last Friday and have made our way through the cactus forests and mountains to the flat coastal plains of Tabasco and Campeche onto the huge calcium ledge that is the Yucatan. We have seen the major cities and lots of small villages. We have visited the major Mayan sites and some lesser knowns, too.
Then there are the 600 photos to go through. It’s a tough life.

But today, I will slough through it and try not to enjoy the beautiful pool right below me too much.

To work.

Return to the mixteca alta

Yesterday we returned to the mixteca alta, Mixtec country, to Noxchitlan, Yanhuitlan and Teposcolula. Check out this map.

Henry is back in town putting all sorts of new books in Amate Books. The selection is fantastic. You could just sit and read for days. So many of them are on Mexico, but he really has a remarkable and wide-ranging selection, full of jewels. Of course, he would be the first to tell you, he is addicted to books.
He had given me an out of print book Week in Yanhuitlan by Ross Parmenter, former music critic for The New York Times. Parmenter describes a stay in the village he had in 1953 in which he experiences village life and spends ten days drawing and describing the Dominican church and monastery. It is a great read. See if you can find it.

Even though I have an aversion to music critics after being in so many battles with them, Parmenter won me over with his keen ability for description and detail. And he genuinely loved Oaxaca as I do.

The book is steeped with history and detail, so it was a pleasure to return to the place where we had been exactly one month before, on February 2, Candeleria. My appreciation for the structure was greatly enhanced by the knowledge I gained from my reading.
The degree and diversity of detail of the site is remarkable. Everywhere is a seal or emblem carved in stone. The highly detailed doors are all different. The windows, all different.
It was fun to share with Henry that one had to walk a certain path to better see the details. The monks followed a daily series of prayers and services and the building was designed to enhance those moments. So if one walks counterclockwise, one sees niches and altars, but if one walks clockwise, one sees blank walls.
Above all, the sheer size and scale of the place is amazing. One good thing the current governor is doing is pushing to make the Mixtec region a new tourist destination. It should be, for the place is unique, the landscapes breath taking and the history runs back for thousands of years.
The church was started in the 1550’s and they were newcomers. The mixteca alta has some rich history and is well worth the visit.

We continued up the road for another 30 minutes to San Pedro y San Paulo Teposcolua where there is another Dominican church built right around the same time. The area is known for its pine forest and logging
The atmosphere that surrounds this church is entirely different. There is a sense of warmth that is completely lacking at Yanhuitlan. Here is a church that people still use where in Yanhuitlan the towns people basically ignore the church, choosing to attend services elsewhere.
The decoration at Teposcolula has more whimsy, maybe a more indigenous flavor to it. Again, the stonework is impressive.
Impressive also to see that they are restoring the church and hand carving the replacements on the spot.

The two churches are so different. Henry offered that Yanhuitlan was all about order and authority and Teposcolua was about servicing the people and making them feel welcome.

The most impressive aspect of the latter is the huge open area capilla or chapel area. It could accommodate thousands and was designed acoustically so that all could hear.
The Mixtec were a large and powerful nation, tough as nails, who gave the Aztecs and others real hard times. There was a need for a huge space to service such a population, but within a generation after the conquistadores invaded, that population had suffered devastation from the diseases that the Spanish brought with them. Some speculate there was a 95 percent kill rate.

Now it is one tranquil town. We both commented that it was unnaturally quiet.

Both churches are famous for their retablos, but both are currently under restoration and we could not see them.
But we did make our way through the museum and nosed our way into storage areas that were full of pieces.
While we were there, a service was taking place for someone who had died the week before. It was a follow-up to the funeral and the people left the church processed across the large open area.
They carried flowers and a band accompanied them across the field and up the stairs, down the street to a large tent where the celebration continued long after we were gone.