Tlaquepaque

This is a tree growing next to a house in Tlaquepaque. Guess what kind of a tree it is. Can you see the flowers? Look hard at the flowers and remember, it is TREE!





It is a poinsettia TREE! I had never seen a poinsettia tree before. There were quite a few in the Guadalajara area although I have not seen any in PV.

The poinsettia plant is native to Mexico and grows wild. The trees were gorgeous. They are selling many, many poinsettia plants, everywhere in Mexico, for Christmas, just like in the USA but these folks have their own tree in their yard!

As I was taking the picture, the Mexican family who lived there came out of the house, all dressed up, to go somewhere, so we started visiting. I learned they had just moved back to Mexico after living in Chicago for a while! Naturally, we talked a long time---lamenting the fact that we miss Chicago pizza (!), and talking about how beautiful the city is and how much we like Chicago. What a nice surprise! And they gave Rosario a cutting off the tree so she can plant it in her yard.

This is my new boyfriend!! I hope Mr. Neat doesn't get jealous!!

This lady was standing in the door of her shop in downtown Tlaquepaque selling handmade items.

Another option for food! Tortillas on the grill, a big pot of soup or pozole in the back. It all looks good but I must pass up the food being sold at puestos because I am not sure how healthy it would be for me. Food puestos (stalls) are abundant and usually there are people eating at every one of them. It seems to me that the Mexican people eat all the time---but they don't eat much at one time. "Eat little but often" must be their motto!

This photo is very bright and I will have to crop it when I get home, but I want you to see the two women making baskets to sell. The people are constantly making things to sell: weaving baskets, painting ceramics, carving wood, making jewelry. They are very industrious.

Tlaquepaque is a suburb of Guadalajara. (Tla-kay-pah-kay. Isn't that fun to say?) My friend, Rosario, and her family live there. There are 4 major suburbs around Guadalajara that make up the metropolitan area of the city.

Within each city, everywhere in Mexico, there are neighborhoods and each neighborhood, or colonia, has a name which is always used in the address of the home. For example, I live in the "Jardin del Puerto" colonia of Puerto Vallarta.

Guadalajara, the 2nd largest city in Mexico, is the home to several universities, has a wonderful historic area in the downtown, major shopping malls as well as the quaint areas where artisans sell their wares. The weather there is the best! You can get along without air-conditioning in the summer because the temperatures range in the high 70s-80s with a little breeze and low humidity. In the winter, they tell me it is chilly in the mornings and evenings but during the day there are comfortable 70 degree days. For the people living there, wintertime brings out parkas, scarves and mittens but for "us northerners" (ie, anyone living north of Texas!) a light jacket will suffice!

I really enjoy the city of Guadalajara and the people who live there are very hospitable. Planning a vacation to Mexico? I suggest Guadalajara as a number 1 stop on your itinerary!

Hasta luego.

Tonala

Tonala is another suburb of Guadalajara where there are lots of galleries and artisan shops. Every Thursday and Sunday there is a huge flea market there and Rosario and I spent Thursday morning browsing and shopping. I was exhausted after 3 hours of walking and she said we had only covered a small part of the market! Below are some of the puestos with interesting things to buy.



This man is selling sugar cane---a big treat for the Mexican children! He strips the green off the cane, cuts it into 3" pieces, bags it and sells the cane.

This watermelon stand was hard to pass up because it looked so inviting. The Delsey is a package of napkins and the white things next to it are plastic bags. He bags the watermelon, hands you a napkin, and says "Enjoy"! Watermelon is available everywhere in Mexico all the time and it tastes just like our "fourth of July watermelon"----nice and sweet.

This is a homeopathic medicine stand with herbs to cure almost any disease you can think of! The indigenous people, especially, use lots of herbs but I also notice a many homeopathic medicine stores, i.e. natural food stores, in Mexico.

Lots of painted ceramic is available and it is all interesting and pretty. I don't know where they get the actual pieces, but it is all handpainted. I wish I could bring home some of the pottery but it is too heavy and might break in my suitcase, so I must make do with pictures!

More pottery---dishes and in the front is a water jar. The water jars are really beautiful and even though we have safe tap water in the USA, I wish I could lug a water jar home and set it up in the kitchen. They are pieces of art if nothing else! (Don't worry, Mr. Neat, I won't bring home anything that has to be dusted!!)

Since we covered only a small part of the flea market, I guess I will have to make another trip to Tonala some year! Want to go with me?

Hasta luego.

Thanksgiving Day---The Mexican Way!

There was no turkey. No cranberries. Not a pumpkin pie in sight! And (sigh) no football on TV to coordinate the dinner with.

A few people did remember that Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in the USA and asked me about it. We celebrated by going to a small restaurant which served typical food from Jalisco (the state I am living in).

Birria is either beef (res) or goat (chiva) meat, cooked and served in a broth with tortillas. All over Jalisco there are Birrierias (places that serve Birria) and each brags that theirs is the best.

I had Birria de Chivo and the tortillas, and I do think it was the best Birria I have eaten.



Rosario's daughter snapped the picture too soon; she is on the phone; but it is a good photo of the table and the food. On my plate is the birria and in the pot behind the napkins is the broth to put over the meat. Tortillas are in the basket in front of me; in the tiny glasses is tequila and sangrita; a bowl of salt; and a tall jar of hot sauce. Rosario is eating a plate of Sole, a thick tortilla with cheese and frijoles that is put under a broiler until light brown. On the far right is a bowl of chile sauce and just out of the photo is the plate of limes.

The kitchen was out in the open, as many kitchens are, and I thought it interesting enough to take a picture. There is a large cooler of soft drinks behind the woman.

I try to be discreet when I take a picture of people but if they notice me with my camera, I always ask if I can take a photo. I wanted this picture of the other part of the kitchen and I asked the ladies if I could take a picture. They said "yes" and immediately began smoothing their hair and the one lady removed her apron and they posed for the picture. Women are the same everywhere!!

Anyway, see the big pot on the stove in the back? And the casseroles next to it. In the front is another stove with a large casserole type pan. Their workspace is very limited, isn't it?

It certainly was a very different way to spend Thanksgiving. I missed my family, of course, and I think we may just to have another special "Thanksgiving" dinner in January when I get back! My grandkids can't do without a turkey drumstick and Z won't forgive me if we don't have a pumpkin pie!

Hasta luego.

Restaurants!

And while on the subject of eating....



Here are a few fun pictures of different restsaurants I visited while on vacation.













At El Patio restaurant in Tlaquepaque (don't you just love that word??!!) the mariachis are women. Mariachis always have certain instruments in their group: violins, trumpets, guitars, and a guitarron. Ocasionally there is a harp. The young lady in the picture playing the trumpet looked to be no more than a teenager.

I know, it looks like a big guitar but it isn't. It is the guitarron--a bass instrument. It is almost bigger than she is but she could play it well.

They even look pretty from the back---with flowers in their hair! The fountain is in the middle of the restaurant and, yes, it is an open air area. This is a very pretty restaurant with good food.

Next is a restaurant that I didn't eat in but I took this photo to show you a typical place where the Mexicans themselves eat.

This is breakfast time in a place in Rosario's neighborhood in Tlaquepaque. This is a typical eating area in an indoor mall that has puestos (stalls) selling goods (clothing, fruit, vegetables, soap, shampoos, whatever,) but there are many different places like this one to eat. Just walk along, see what is being offered, and sit or stand and eat.

Look at the stove in the background and the pots and pans---casseroles, really---that she is using.

Now for the real fun!!

This is the Casa Bariachi, a restaurant in Guadalajara where we went on Friday night. The place is huge, with a stageshow, and look at the giant pinatas hanging from the ceiling! The colored paper is "papel picado" which is actually plastic with intricate designs cut into the paper, and is used inside and outside to decorate. There was a singer, 4 ballet folklorico dancers who danced regional dances, and a 16 person mariachi band! Some good tequila and a great evening with friends listening to Mexican music! What a way to wind up a vacation!

Hasta luego.

Aguascalientes

Aguascalientes (Hot Waters) is a neighboring state to the north of Jalisco. It is one of the 3 smallest states in Mexico with only 7 cities and the rest of the state is country, small towns and ranchos. It was named because of the abundance of thermal springs in the area.



The capital city, also named Aguascalientes, was founded in 1575 and is a city of about 1 million people. It is an industrial city, and now Nissan has a huge plant there where they make cars. Because of the factory, quite a few Japanese people live in the city.



Originally the city/state was an outpost to keep the Indians at bay but soon provided a link between Mexico City and the silver mines in the state of Zacatecas.











This is the Plaza de la Patria in the centro (downtown) of the city. The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Assumption (Catedral Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion) has beautiful paintings from a famous Mexican artist inside. As you can see, there is a large plaza and behind me is the city plaza (the park) and on my left, out of the photo, is the state government building. The history of Aguascalientes is painted in murals on the walls of this building. A student of the Mexican painter Oroszco did the murals.





The picture below is the history museum.

The museum was very small but the people are proud of it! Notice the street has "pavers", (bricks). It is not cobblestone and thus is smooth. A few of the streets in the downtown area had pavers. That is me standing in front of the museum.

After leaving the downtown area, we went to the Jardin de San Marcos. This is where the oldest, (since 1604!) largest and most famous fair in Mexico is held for 3 weeks every year, in April/May. The actual garden has trees, flowers, and a kiosk, but the surrounding area has increased into a plaza where the church is (of course!) and also a large mall area. During the fair there are parades, rodeos, bullfights, cockfights, folkloric dancing, games as well as many cultural events. Of course there is a lot of food being sold! The Mexicans seem to eat all the time!

The picture below is the gate to the garden.

Next you see Rosario standing under the huge "Festival Calaveras" sign which was for the Dia de los Muertos" and behind her begins the mall.

The Calaveras decorations were still up and I am not sure if they remain there year around or not. Anyway, there were a lot of them and they may be part of the city decorations. There was also a big electric sign counting down the weeks, days, hours and minutes until the next fair!

My girlfriend, La Catrina!

Other interesting tidbits about Aguascalientes:

• The people there are known for their handwork, embroidery and lace making. We went shopping in a store where I could have bought everything! Tablecoths, placemats, napkins, shawls, blouses, everything hand made. Gorgeous handiwork. You will have to see the pretty things I did buy there!


• It is a very Roman Catholics area and there are a lot of churches. We must have passed at least 4 while walking from the parking garage to the main Plaza Patria and (it being Sunday morning) the churches were overflowing with people.

I was very glad to get to see another area of Mexico, to meet some of the people, and to learn about another state. I appreciate Rosario taking me there.

Hasta luego.

November 20th---A National Holiday

November 20th is a national holiday in Mexico. They celebrate the Mexican Revolution of 1910 when Francisco Madero denounced Porfirio Diaz, who was the President at that time, and declared himself to be President, and called for a national insurrection. Land had been taken away from the poor and given to the rich who controlled everything in the country. Short of giving you a complete course in Mexican history, I will mention Pancho Villa, who was in the north, and Emiliano Zapata, in the south, took control of their areas. President Diaz was unable to control them and finally resigned and Madero declared himself to be President.

Schools and government agencies are closed to celebrate the holiday. This year (and I don't know the reason why) the schools were closed on Monday, Nov. 19. So on Tuesday the 20th, the school that Rosario's kids attend had a parade and got out early! Below are some pictures of the school parade and the school.

Tlaquepaque is the name of the suburb where Rosario and her family live, so the school is the "Educational Center of Tlaquepaque".




The school is preschool through grade 6. The preschoolers and kindergartners rode in pick-up trucks for the parade!

The older students walked, following the flag, and playing tambourines. Everyone had balloons with the school name and the date on them.

We waited inside the school for the students to be released. As you can see, it is a very pretty school.

It is not a large school and although you can see some playground equipment for the younger students, there is no where for the older ones to play---no soccer field, no place to run and play.

The students learn English in the school but are very reluctant to speak it. Actually I have noticed that everyone in Mexico who studies English says that they need to practice speaking it but are very, very hesitant to do so. I encourage them to be brave, like my speaking Spanish, and just plunge right in and make mistakes! I certainly make many, many mistakes when I speak Spanish but they can understand me and that is the important thing!

The parade was fun to watch, the school interesting to visit, and it made for a nice celebration for the kids and parents.

Hasta luego.

San Juan de los Lagos

During my visit to Guadalajara, Rosario took me to the little town of San Juan de los Lagos, in the northern part of the state, (about 75 miles northeast of Guadalajara) to see the very famous basilica there. During February, people from all over Mexico make pilgrimages to this church: the Cathedral of San Juan de los Lagos. It is the second most visited pilgrimage in Mexico (after the one to Guadalupe in Mexico City). When the Pope visited Mexico about 10 years ago, he visited this cathedral.





The church was built in the 1700s and the story goes that the daughter of Indian peasants was gravely ill. The parents prayed to the Virgin and the girl recovered. The statue above the altar was made by Indians and is venerated by all.

Although the festival is in February, every day, people come to the church to ask for special favors from the Virgin, often walking for miles, and at times walking on their knees, to the church. At the entrance of the nave, many of the walkers drop to their knees and walk the last distance kneeling.

In the picture above you can see some people walking on their knees as well as the statue of the Virgin above the altar below the light.

The altar with gold candlesticks and the Virgin.

On the right side of the church is a room with the walls papered with thank-you notes and articles to the Virgin for favors granted. There are thank-yous for everything from recovery from illness, to weddings, to thanksgiving for babies, food, homes.

Outside the church and for a block or two around the church are puestos (stalls) selling religious things as well as food, souvenirs and other trinkets. During the festival in February, there are more puestos, music, fireworks and the overall feeling of spiritual joy.

It was interesting to see but the area around the church was very crowded even on this day in November. I can only imagine how it is in February.

Hasta luego.

Guadalajara, Here I Come!

Tomorrow morning I am off to another adventure! I have friends in Guadalajara from my trip there in 2005 and they have invited me to visit them. I look forward to spending a few days with them.

Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico, is about 225 miles east of PV. It will be a 5 hour trip on a first-class bus. We will go through the Sierra Madre mountains, on a two-lane road, to reach the main highway. Then is it is a divided highway all the way to the city. I actually made this journey on the bus when I was here before. It isn't a bad trip, just a long time to sit on a bus, but the mountain scenery is lovely.

I will not have a computer available on a daily basis while I am gone, so no more blogging until I return. I am sure I will have
much to write about when I get back (and pictures too)! So until then...

Hasta luego.

Casa Hogar Orphanage

Some members of the Community Christian Church (the one that I have attended several times) go twice a week to an orphanage to be with the children. Gaye and Todd have been doing this for 5 years and they invite anyone who cares to accompany them to meet at the church, take a bus to the orphanage, and interact with the children for an hour. This morning I joined them. Two ladies on vacation here from Canada also went with us.

The Casa Hogar (casa = house; hogar = home) orphanage takes children from newborn to age 16 who are orphans; have been abandoned; come from abused homes; or whose families cannot take care of them and place them there on a temporary basis. Most of the children do live there permanently.

The children attend the local public school in 3 shifts: morning, afternoon or evening. The older ones go in the morning so today the children we saw ranged in age from about 4-12 (elementary school age).

There is a separate section of the building for the babies and Gaye took us to see them. There were 10 babies from about 6 months to 12 months, in cribs, in one room. All the cribs had clean sheets and the babies were clean. Outside the room the laundry hung on lines to dry. I think all the them had just been cleaned up for the day and were ready for some loving and playtime! One little girl held her arms out to me. When I picked her up, she would point and I would take her to where she pointed. We took a stuffed animal from a shelf and played with it. She was ok when I had to put her back in her crib but most of the others cried when returned to their beds.

Gaye and Todd brought coloring books and crayolas and a big bag of the large Legos for the kids to play with. When Todd sat down on the floor, many of the kids ran to him and sat on him, wrestled with him, and enjoyed being touched and played with the way a father can play with his children. I was glad to see that interaction.

Gaye dumped out the Legos and the kids immediately started building towers with her. She also had 2 boxes of Dominos and 2 of the older boys took them and played with them. Finally the coloring books came out and, lying on their tummies, some kids created beautiful pictures!!

One little girl had a pen and a 5x7 spiral notebook and was writing names of her friends in it. We started talking and she told me she knew English and she counted to 20 for me. I asked her if she knew what "Buenos Dias" means in English. She said no so I told her. She asked me to write it for her. I wrote the Spanish phrase and the English equivalent and she was thrilled! That was the beginning of our "English lesson"! She kept reading what I wrote and asking me to write more for her. She called her friend over and said "We can learn English!!" We had fun together.

This is the front of the building. Inside there is a large patio with rooms surrounding it. There is a small pharmacy in the main building and a room with clothes (presumably in many sizes) stacked on shelves. We didn't see the dining room or bedrooms.

Here I am with my "English class"!

Gaye and the kids play Legos.

Young artists at work!

A 5th and 6th grade boy enjoy Dominos.

The Casa Hogar is one of several orphanages in PV. At least the children have a home and are not begging on the streets.

Hasta luego.

Churches

Since I have been in PV, I have attended several different churches so that I can get a flavor of how people worship here. Of course, most people are Roman Catholic, but I was surprised to learn that there are also Baptist, Mormon, and Seventh Day Adventist as well. (I have a child in my class who belongs to the Seventh Day Adventist church.)

I have included some pictures and a little bit about each church that I went to.





The Christian Community Church meets at the First Baptist Church (a Mexican church) in downtown PV. The service is in English and is attended by Americans and Canadians who live here year around; those who live here part-time; and those who vacation here and are only in PV for 1 or 2 or a few weeks. In the low season there are only a few members, 30 perhaps, but as the season goes on, the attendance grows. There is one service for most of the year but in January they have to add a second service because there are so many people who come.

I have gone to this church several times. It is nice to hear the Word in English and to meet other Americans. After the service, anyone who cares to, walks a block to the Hotel Rosita and we have brunch together there. It is a nice time to visit and meet new people.

The church members visit an orphanage twice a week and also help at the Salvation Army Children's Center. They help with homework, feeding and playing with the children.

My friend, Emma, and her family belong to the Church of the Latter Day Saints (the Mormon church) and they invited me to go with them to a service. It was the first time I had ever visited a Mormon church and I enjoyed participating in the service and learning about their church.

We went to a church service first, followed by Sunday School, and that was followed by a Bible Study. The morning was 3 hours long. They have a beautiful new building and I learned that there are 3 Mormon churches in PV.

The Sunday I went, the elementary school age children presented a musical program during the service. They did very well. They sang, 2 children played the violin and flute to accompany the singing, and others directed the songs. I was very impressed! Emma's daughter, Daniela (4th grade) sang and directed one song. Also, Emma's oldest daughter, Carla, played the piano prelude before the service. She plays very well.

Although not in PV, I attended a very special church service on Nov. 4th: St. David's Episcopal Church in Roswell, Georgia! AE and C's son, MA, made his First Communion. Here is the first communion class with MA looking handsome in the back row, wearing his cool new blazer! Aren't they cute?

I love this picture of MA and just had to show it to you. The family was together for the service and a brunch following at a restaurant. MA was very happy that day. I was glad to be able to attend and share his special day with him.

In the next post, you will see more churches in PV that I have gone to.

Hasta luego.

More Churches

These are 3 more churches that I have attended in PV.




This is the church that the Colegio Mexico-Americano is affiliated with. The name is: Centro Cristiano Nuevo Amanecer (The New Dawn Christian Center). Church is held in this room in a building near the hotel section of PV. It is a pentecostal type church. They have singing for 1/2 hour before the service starts and they also use some video during the service. Many people who work at the school attend this church as well as quite a few parents of the students. I went a couple of Sundays so I could get familiar with the church. My roommate, Aurora, is very active in this church.

This is the cathedral in PV---La Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe). It is a beautiful church in downtown PV. I went to mass there with my friends Leticia and Guillermina.

Divina Provendencia (Divine Providence) is the name of my neighborhood Catholic church. I attended a mass there and afterwards there was a baptism which I stayed for.

The altar in the Divina Provendencia church.

And here is a little one being baptized! The priest is using a shell, provided by the family, to pour the water. Four babies were baptized that Sunday, and my, were they dressed up!

I had hoped to be able to include an Episcopal church in my church post but the Episcopal priest who lives here for 6 months of the year, said he won't be in PV until December. I hope to be able to go to an Episcopal service when he arrives.

So far, these have been my church experiences here and they have been very interesting for me.

Hasta luego.

El Dia de Los Muertos---The Day of the Dead

El Dia de Los Muertos is one of Mexico's most traditional holidays. Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, the holiday stems from Indian celebrations combined with the Spanish Christian celebration of All Saints and All Souls Days in the church. Churches in the USA celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day but not to the extent that it is celebrated in Mexico.

In this post and in the next few posts, I will try to explain a little about the tradition and show you some photos I took here in Puerto Vallarta on Nov. 1st.

The celebration is an opportunity for families to gather and remember those who have died. Tradition says that on one day of the year, the souls of those who have passed will return to earth and must be welcomed by the family. Nov. 1 is the day of the "angelitos" (the children) who have died and Nov. 2 is the day to remember the adults who have passed away.

Families make an altar, called an ofrenda, or an offering, in their home and dedicate it to a loved one who is dead. On the night of Nov. 2, the family gathers at the family burial plot in the cemetery for a family reunion and to celebrate the life of the one they are honoring. They prepare special foods, have a picnic, beer, tequila or soft drinks, sometimes have mariachias who play music for sing-a-longs, and often fireworks are part of the celebration.

On the days previous to Nov. 2, the family cleans the area of the cemetery and spruces up the grave site, and then decorates it with wreaths, flowers, candles, streamers and many marigolds, which are considered the "flower for the dead". Just as poinsettias are thought of in the USA as our "Christmas flower", the marigold is thought of as the "flower for El Dia de los Muertos" in Mexico, so you will see many, many marigolds in the displays.

Altars in the homes are prepared in a certain way. There are usually 7 steps, or levels, to the altar, although most families now may not have 7 levels but the important thing is to have a few levels to your altar. On the altars are 4 elements: earth, wind, water and fire and each is represented in some way by objects put on the altar.

Earth represents crops. The souls are fed by the aroma of food so you will find food on an altar. Wind is represented by a moving object, usually tissue paper which is intricately cut and is called papel picado. Water is to quench the thirst of the soul after his long journey back and there will be water, atole (a corn drink), or if the person liked a stronger beverage (!) there will be beer or tequila on the altar. Fire is remembered by using candles.

Some of the typical items found on an altar include incense, called copal. This is a special incense from a tree and it is supposed to help the soul find his way back to earth. Skeletons are everywhere. The most well known skeleton is called La Catrina and she is a fancy lady skeleton made famous by a Mexican artist many, many years ago. You will find skulls made of sugar (las calaveras) and the name of the person remembered will be on the skull. Skeletons are dressed up in many, many different ways as you will see in the pictures.

Candles and votive lights, marigolds and other flowers, and pan de muerto, which is a sweet bread made especially for the festival. The bread is round and has a knob of dough representing the head and bones in a criss-cross pattern on top of the bread. There is usually a photograph of the person being remembered on the altar, and also the favorite foods and beverages of that person. There may be meat or chicken in mole sauce, rice, frijoles and if it is a child, there will be toys and sweets of some kind.

I hope you enjoy looking at the altars in the following blogs and learn that the "Day of the Dead" is not a grim, morbid holiday, but one of happiness in remembering loved ones who have passed away.

Hasta luego.

El Dia de Los Muertos---The School Altar

This is one of my two favorite altars. It is dedicated to school children who have died. The skeleton is dressed in a school uniform. (Most school children in Mexico wear uniforms.) He is holding a pencil in his hand and on his feet are gym shoes. In his lap is the dedication sign which reads:




"This altar is dedicated to those who went before us."

This is the top level of the altar with pictures of school children who have lost their lives. There is a glass of water, a sugar skull (calavera), candles, a uniform shirt, a sign for the Chivas (a professional soccer team in Guadalajara) and the sign on the right explains about the altar.

The middle level of the altar was really interesting. I wish you could see it better. It had school supplies: pencils, glue stick, crayolas, colored pencils sticking out of the pan de muerto, a bottle of soda, a game, and a picture drawn by a child. The papel picado is in the background and the "children crossing" sign in the front.

The bottom level of the altar has the Mexican flag, school books, marigolds, candles, and sweets (some kinds of candies).

There was so much to see at this altar. I spent a long time just looking at each thing on it.

Next you will see my other favorite altar!

Hasta luego.

El Dia de Los Muertos---Chicago Version

This was the other of my favorite altars. Ogden Elementary School is the local elementary school in the neighborhood where Mr. Neat and I lived in Chicago. On many days I watched the children walk to school since it was only a few blocks from our apartment.

And...the people being honored on this altar are those who have lost their life to breast cancer!

The picture below explains about the altar and the poster behind is the place where you can sign the name of someone who has died from breast cancer. I will translate for you...





"We are from the Ogden Elementary School in Chicago. We are a group of students from the CHOICE program. Our group studies International Studies and various cultures. Our altar is dedicated to the women who have lost the battle from breast cancer. Please sign the name of someone you love who lost the battle."

This is their altar. At the top left there are the Mexican and American flags, the pink cross above the large pink ribbon. On the left (partially obscured by the tree) is a large pink cross and on the right a black cross. Next come the marigolds, and you can see better in the following photos.....

This is the base of the altar. You can see the leaves and flowers, the dedication sign and poster for the names, the marigolds surrounding the altar on the floor, and the tablecloth on the altar had the words "In memory of those who lost the battle".

The middle of the altar is the next picture....

Here is the papel picado. The black has the skeleton and the words "the dead". Also on the altar are: pan de muerto, sugar skulls (calaveras), candles, a bottle of water, food, and the incense (copal), and, of course, more marigolds.

As you can imagine I was quite surprised when I saw this altar from a Chicago school and also honoring women with breast cancer. I think they did a very good job with their altar, don't you?

Hasta luego.