Halloweentown

Mexicans have been prepping for the Dia de Los Muertos festivities for days now. The above and below photos were taken several days ago-the beginnings of the display in the Zocalo in DF.



We have been in Puebla, a large but not bustling city about two hours from DF. When we arrived on the 29, it was already Halloween, meaning kids with costumes were swarming around the streets with tiny plastic skulls, asking for "Una Comida por mi Calaverita?" -Something for my little skull to eat? (Skulls also eat small change, but eventually we got smart, and stocked up at a candy store. This was just one aisle in a two roomed store stacked floor to ceiling with CANDY. Do it, Mexico!


Along with the nightly calaverita feedings, people have also begun erecting Altares, with candy skulls, Pan de los Muertos (reader, we ate it. It was delicious. Soft, sweet, slightly tinged with orange extract. Perfectly pleasing to the living), liquor, cigarettes, Santos, and whatever else the celebrated dead enjoyed in life. Miniature version found in our hostel-


Marigolds are the flower of choice for the festivities.

The marigolds are left on altars and also, unsettlingly, at the death sites of loved ones. Traffic poles are well ornamented this week.

Local sites in Puebla have included Cathedrals, Gilded Catherdrals, MORE Gilded Cathedrals, and Ave Maria, many, maaany Marias. You've all seen churches but they are beautiful here, so feast those eyes on some GOLD LEAF!



We took a trip to a neighboring town, Cholula, because they have a massive old Aztec temple there that the Spanish, seeing a good real estate opportunity, planted a church atop like a big old yellow cherry.



It looks like a mountain, right? So while I was jazzed to see this anomalous church, I was NOT pleased, nor expecting to take the tunnel THROUGH THE OLD TEMPLE dug by archeologists in recent decades. Not a fan of tight, small, dark places, I especially dislike such places in areas of heavy seismic activity. The presence of two large active volcanoes nearby does nothing to assuage these fears. We managed to avoid being entombed alive. Here is my happy face-


Lots more to share but running out of time. Before I go- some food porn-


Above, the local sandwich, called a Cemita. Enchiladas with 3 types of mole,(pumpkin seed- amazing) and tacos arabes.

Made a new amigo. He's a little shy. Happy Halloween!

Distrito Federal

Mexico. Our fascinating downstairs neighbor who for far too long, we somehow neglected to visit. As of yesterday, that has all changed.

After two days of intrepid exploration, el Distrito Federal seems crammed full of slightly dilapidated yet still incredibly majestic old buildings. Huge churches pop up around every corner, and walking inside them is often a trippy exercise in maintaining equilibrium on floors and huge stone walls that slope in several directions at once.

But the thing that I love best is being here right in time for the Day of the Dead celebrations. Haven't yet sampled the pan de muertos (too full of tacos y tortas) or the candy calaveras (they also come in chocolate, because Mexicans know what's up) but it is sure to happen soon. Expect a full report.

The Dia de los Muertos art is everywhere, and all of it is colorful, macabre and very funny. Here is just a small sampling-

There's also just some great scary Halloween creepiness in unexpected places-

In our short time here, we've witnessed a massive peaceful public demonstration (socialists against a huge sale to a petroleum company...I think. Spanish is a little rusty but the general gist of Big Monies keeping la patria/working man down was crystal clear). The crowds were just beginning to amass in this picture, but by noon, the zocalo was packed with thousands watching the rally, shopping amongst the myriad vendors, and of course snacking. That this peaceful but important gathering was taking place exactly where a few hundred years ago, poors and prisoners were getting mass-sacrificed by the thousands, and a another hundred years later, Conquistadors were wreaking bloody havoc, well, it's a bit mind-bending and not uninspiring. We're doing better, civilization!

Final peek of just one small section of the crowd over the right shoulder of the Catedral-

More from Puebla, internets permitting!