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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 5:47:06 GMT
The city is coming back to life. Yesterday, Holy Thursday, the church bells began ringing in the afternoon and rang and rang. I felt this was the cue for me and the dogs to take a little stroll downtown to see what we could see. We went down García Vigil as far as the zócalo, then returned home up Alcalá, the pedestrian street. All the festival food vendors were out in force on part of the sidewalk on García Vigil, but it was too crowded to step back & get a picture. Content yourselves with the baked banana man ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 6:07:39 GMT
Wandering up Alcalá ~ Such a happy girl! She was singing a lively song in a language I didn't recognize ~ A peek inside Sangre de Cristo church ~ People from Chiapas were performing on the street. He was moving so fast, that was the only shot I got that captured the machetes ~ They can't be too happy about having to follow that last act ~ These fiberglass images of women from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec have been in this spot for a while ~ The Agave in front of Santo Domingo church are blooming for mickthecactus ~ I believe this building -- prime real estate facing Sto. Domingo church -- closed sometime during the pandemic. Conjecture, but it sure seems indicative of how the economy has suffered ~ The jacarandas are still in bloom for Kimby ~ That's it for Holy Thursday. I have a bunch of pictures to show from today, Good Friday. Those will have to wait for tomorrow, as it's one in the morning here & I'm off to bed.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 16, 2022 6:26:58 GMT
That looks both lovely and lively, but there are still enough masks to remind us that life is not yet completely normal.
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Post by bjd on Apr 16, 2022 6:52:29 GMT
Exactly my reaction! I was thinking that a lot of people are wearing masks compared to here in France.
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Post by mich64 on Apr 16, 2022 13:38:16 GMT
So refreshing to see the bright colours and lovely to see all the smiles.
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Post by tod2 on Apr 16, 2022 14:01:49 GMT
Just fab Bixa! That horse...oh wow! Gorgeous colourful Mexico never disappoints.
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Post by fumobici on Apr 16, 2022 15:11:29 GMT
You certainly live in a far more photogenic place than most of us Bixa. Stunning images.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 16, 2022 15:20:53 GMT
Thank you for the Jacaranda fix, bixa.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 16:40:57 GMT
Thank you all so much for the kind & encouraging comments! I had to smile a little about the mask remarks -- my reaction when I was walking around was, "Wow, a lot of people aren't wearing masks any more!" It's still compulsory to wear them in any indoor space. Moving right along, in thread time we're at Good Friday, April 15: I went out for lunch. Saw a snake ~ After doing a little shopping, I headed home northward on the pedestrian street. This would be part of the route the Procession of Silence would be taking later in the evening. Having no plans to see the Procession this year, I was pleased to see some of the preparations so I could get pictures, at least ~ I asked these ladies if they were from San Felipe de Neri church, as I have pictures of that group going back to 2013. They said no, but graciously posed for a photo ~ Maybe one day Mexico will figure out what a bad visual this is! Our Lady of Solitude, patroness of Oaxaca ~ Procession-side spots are starting to fill up. Clever Bixa convinced a cop to let her through the barricade so she could walk up the center of the street. [img style="max-width:100%;" title="::cool:: " src="::cool:: Meeting of the modern and the traditional ~ I cut over to García Vigil street in order to go through the atrium of Carmen Alto church ~ score! They're bringing out their Christ figures for the Procession ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 17:45:07 GMT
What I failed to mention above what how ungodly hot it was yesterday afternoon. When I was walking up the pedestrian street, there was not a breath of air stirring, not even the tiny breeze generated by my own forward movement. That of course cemented my decision to skip the Procession of Silence. I got home, fed the dogs, then waited for true dusk and the time the weather would be bearable for the evening walk. We proceeded north on Porfirio Díaz, the big street perpendicular to mine, then crossed through the Arquitos to the northern end of García Vigil. There in the southward distance I saw the tell-tale signs of tall velvet banners. It seemed ordained that I would see the Procession of Silence. Some of the Procession is already proceeding south on García Vigil. Keen-eyed Anyporters will recognize that this is part of the plazuela de La Cruz de Piedra, as you have seen parades forming up here before. The arch on the right, just behind the crouching photographer, opens to an alley leading to Casa Bixa. That is also the arch against which Jack Black flexed his buttock muscles to impress the pretty nun in Nacho Libre ~
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Post by lugg on Apr 16, 2022 19:21:57 GMT
Wow just fabulous ; lovely to see a return to normalcy; such vibrancy and so many people out and about. I cut over to García Vigil street in order to go through the atrium of Carmen Bajo church ~ score! They're bringing out their Christ figures for the Procession ~ Great timing - those tree trunks are amazing too. My fave image so far is No 2 of post #1 I will try not to feel miffed that you did not mention me in the jacaranda post as well as Kimby
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 22:41:20 GMT
Oh dearest Lugg ~ lover of cypress knees, brilliant photographer of plants, gardens, and landscapes!!! How did I not know you were a jacaranda fan?! I am so sorry and will now always remember that. I am not a completely terrible person, as I have been out taking pictures in order to have something to show for today. That doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it was 96/35.5 today & supposed to be just as bad tomorrow.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2022 23:49:02 GMT
Okay, back to the Procession of Silence & thus finishing off Good Friday so we can go on to Saturday, which was today.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2022 0:00:12 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2022 4:42:11 GMT
It is still Saturday here in Oaxaca, although in less than a half hour it will be Easter Sunday. So let's go through my Easter Saturday of 2022. First of all, I ate with one of my favorite people at Adamá, a lovely middle eastern restaurant in the "arquitos" of Oaxaca. That is the nickname for the street and neighborhood built into and around the 18th century aqueduct that served the city until 1940. We'll take a look at it and at some of the Lenten decorations. First, the restaurant ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2022 5:01:22 GMT
This is the arch wherein the restaurant is located. It's rather a landmark because of the angel statue ~ Stepping out onto Rufino Tamayo street, which becomes García Vigil further south, where the arquitos (aqueduct arches) end ~ Moving northward ~ Here we are at the end of the aqueduct, on Highway 190, aka Niños Heroes de Chapultepec. The aqueduct must have kept going north into San Felipe del Agua in the old days. The fountain is from the early 1980s ~ Looking back southward ~ This alley runs from Rufino Tamayo down to Alcalá, the pedestrian street ~ Looking south down Rufino Tamayo, you can see how thick the arches are. I believe the (non-functioning) fountain is quite old ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2022 5:19:10 GMT
We're now walking back south to the plazuela of the Cruz de Piedra, where we viewed yesterday's Procession of Silence ~ Real overkill on the Lenten decorations. They appear to have been piled on top of whatever was left from Christmas ~ The area has been partly gentrified, but many of the older dwellings remain ~ Here is a whole enclave of older houses. Some arches, such as the one where the restaurant is, have a street that goes through to a major north-south street west of Rufino Tamayo, but other arches, such as this one, are closed off and hold one or several houses ~ I took this picture from under the arch shown in the 1st photo in reply #9 above -- at the right forefront of the picture. We are looking due east at the plazuela of the Cruz de Piedra where we viewed yesterday's Procession of Silence ~ And here is the Cruz de Piedra -- a modern sculpture replacing a broken cross that used to be closer to the arches ~ ~ Thus endeth Saturday ~
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 17, 2022 10:51:17 GMT
...gush gush gush...
Hhhhwell..I don't know where to start! Fabulous photos, you've really brightened up my spring. Like Tod I love the horse...the festival atmosphere really comes through and the decorated walls, gaily dressed people and buildings are fabulous. Religion really leads the way but obviously the pre-christian traditions and beliefs emerge and waggle their bits in glorious abandon. And that bougainvillea (how on earth do you spell it? The pink thing!) I love this thread.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 17, 2022 11:09:10 GMT
Ouch for the bare feet of the cross bearers on the hot flagstones!
Some of the other costumes, particularly the black ones, look like the wearers would be very quickly dripping with sweat, except for the fact that those of us who sweat a lot always notice that these people seem to be completely sweat free.
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Post by whatagain on Apr 17, 2022 14:41:17 GMT
So many colors, so much joy. And then the church - so much black and white, so much suffeeing with the crosses, the christ bleeding on the cross. The more i look at processions, the more it strucks me that christianity is all about interdictions, pain, no fun. Thou shall not... be quiet, be a virgin until marriage, have sex only to procreate etc.. Id like a 'get fun, drink, dance, have sex' instead. Just my 2 cents about how i perceive a religion that worships a nailed god who took my son at the age of 12. (And sorry if I offended some - not my intention - there is a lot of good in the religion too, and believers are often better people than atheists).
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Post by tod2 on Apr 17, 2022 14:56:43 GMT
As a non-religious person I can still enjoy the religion of other people in their happy environment. It is colourful and entertaining to say the least. And brought to us by our No.1 sleuth in Oaxaca! You did a great job. For us here, so much further along in the time zones, we have just enjoyed our Sunday dinner 5pm(usually a lunch) but its just the two of us so we please ourselves.
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Brigid Finucane
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Post by Brigid Finucane on Apr 17, 2022 16:50:09 GMT
So wonderful! Thank you for these photos. They really captured the the magic and majesty of Easter. Enjoyed the captions, learned some new things (always good) AND found out about Adama restaurant!
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Post by lugg on Apr 17, 2022 19:37:23 GMT
Thank you Bixa for braving that "ungodly" heat and transporting me to Easter in your part of the world ; outstanding photos as ever. I think am enjoying them even more as I am stuck here in my Covid isolation; now please tell me what you ate at Adama ? Lovely moon shot - apparantly it is a pink moon.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2022 20:37:03 GMT
Cheery, thank you for those lovely words. I note that, great gardener that you are, you spelled that thorny word correctly! Too true about the heavily clothed -- some in black, no less -- participants. I thought I'd faint taking the picture of the ladies in the black dresses, and I was dressed appropriately for the heat. Dear Whatagain, if this resonates with you, take it for your own: God (by whatever name you call it) IS love. But by the same token, it is indifferent to us and that is as it should be. Religion is simply taking literally humans' explanations for what cannot be explained. I have known people whose sanity I think was saved in hard times by their religious faith. But by the same token, one of the most ethical people I've ever known is an atheist, so I guess to each his own. I do agree with you that this world is hard and that a belief system that should be about love shouldn't be making it harder and uglier. Thank you, dear Tod! I know you & your dear husband had a lovely Easter Sunday together, not least because every one of your meals is a feast because of your cooking talents. Brigid, I am thrilled that you enjoyed the report, especially since you've seen the real thing for yourself. Do try Adamá as soon as you can -- what a different & lovely experience! Lugg, I haven't been following the Covid thread -- I'm so sorry to hear that you got it & am fervently hoping that you're asymptomatic or at least not feeling too poorly. Adamá serves family style, which I like when with a congenial eating companion. We had tabbouleh, baba ganoush, mujadara (1st time for both of us -- delicious, more than the sum of its parts), roasted cauliflower with tahini & pomegranate molasses, homemade flatbread, a red (hrissa?) and a green (chile & herbs) hot sauce, and finally little baklavas for dessert. Am I telling you this while you're subsisting on canned chicken soup in your isolation?
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Post by lagatta on Apr 17, 2022 23:01:20 GMT
Bixa, were you tempted by the abandoned puppies?
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 18, 2022 1:11:33 GMT
LaGatta, not the teeniest bit. One of the reasons I quit rescuing dogs was because it wasn't fair to my guys & it really wouldn't be now that they're older. I thought it was so sweet that those two girls were trying, as it seemed obvious they didn't have the means to keep them. There were a couple of ladies in front of the cathedral petting my dogs & I tried to get them to go look at the puppies, but no luck. At any rate, I need to round off this weekend. Here it is a little after 8 pm where I am, and I'm only now saying to all of you ~ Hippety hoppety happity Easter!
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Post by casimira on Apr 18, 2022 16:52:22 GMT
Fabulous report Bixa!
The pageantry and solemn demeanor of the parade participants is perfectly portrayed.
I can't imagine how the ladies in black were able to endure the intense heat. (I wondered the same when I was in Istanbul and saw groups of women walking around dressed head to toe in black in the heat).
I thought the same about asking you about the puppies. I hope they got adopted. (our dog 'Papi', we adopted on Easter Sunday 14 years ago) under the same circumstances).
Thank you for braving the heat to share yet another portrait of your beautiful adopted home.
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Post by whatagain on Apr 18, 2022 19:22:13 GMT
On a doggy note, my daughter adopted a dog last week She calls him Manhattan, we call him 'Man', with the french pronunciation. He is 4, a mix of a lot of german shepherd, some mastiff and whatmore. Very quiet and affectionate. I'll try to take a pic next time.
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Post by htmb on Apr 19, 2022 12:28:33 GMT
I’m just now catching up on this outstanding report. Wow! You’ve got some great photos, Bixa! Colorful and interesting, too, though some of the local traditions do kind of "creep me out.”
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Post by tod2 on Apr 19, 2022 15:59:17 GMT
Yes Whataggain, I would love to see that mongrel of a dog. The mixed breeds make the most affectionate and loyal pets.
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