San Antonino, a bust, but fun, sort of ...

[bixaorellana]

Yesterday I had an extended trip planned. I wanted to go to Ocotlán de Morelos, which has a huge Friday market plus some craft villages nearby.

Because I had to attend two memorial services yesterday, at 10 in the morning and six in the evening, my day was curtailed and I couldn't see all I'd planned.
No matter. I love that drive into the countryside and will make it again and report on it here.

There are Suburbans and buses that travel this route. I took a Suburban & that's part of my driver's nose & forelock in the far left of the first pic.
The reason I was so close to him was because my seat was atop the console.

The reason for stopping at San Antonino on the way to Ocotlán is that it also has its tianguis/weekly market on Friday. San Antonino is known for the colorfully embroidered muu-muu style dresses sometimes known as "Mexican wedding dresses". I look like a mescaline vision of a gospel choir director in one of those things, but do admire the artistry involved in making them. So great, let's go to San Antonino ~~

My, what a long, hot, empty street.
That, combined with the sight of this campaign poster, convinced me I really wanted to hop a moto-taxi for the rest of the ride in.


And now I'm here and absolutely nothing seems to be going on.

Here is the front of the regular market ....


... and a view down the entry street at a vegetable vendor and some housewives clustered in front of a meat stall.


This vendor's look may have turned me into a vegetarian ~

[bixaorellana]

So far, this is most unpromising, but the glimpse of the church's dome is intriguing ~~


I'm always so taken by these tiled domes, and the architectural embellishments and delicate black tracery on this one are lovely.


Might as well stroll through the market, even though it's like a thousand others of its kind.


Since the market is butted right up to the church, a quick right turn out of it and I've got an even better view of that wonderful dome.


The church itself is a flight of marzipan fancy ~
               



Would you all care to walk through the interior?






          





OKAY! Now for everyone choking on the smell of incense, take heart, as we're going outside to look around.

[bixaorellana]

Well, here we are in the town square. Hello, horsey!


The young bullock seems to be coyly posing -- either that or scratching his neck on the horse cart in front of him.


The square is rather delightful, and this group of figures starts an earworm --
CCR's Looking Out My Back Door


But what's that on the far right, behind the tallest figure? Why, it seems to be a Mexican Simpson!

Yes, yes -- all very charming, but limited. Where's the action? I ask a man sweeping the square and he says I want the barratilla. Oh, that would be the place we passed on the way in -- the one I asked the Suburban driver about, who told me it was a used car market. The man sweeping assures me it's what I want, though.

I hop into a moto-taxi and take a pretty long ride out to a huge area that is ................

[bixaorellana]

.......... a used car market!

But wait ~~ it's also an animal market. There are trucks arriving and departing with animals.


There are guys looking at animals ~


There's a huge area to wander around and try to decide what kind of cooked animal parts you want to eat ~


The vehicles-for-sale area is vast.

Even though this truck is older than my car and I don't need anything this big, it comes with all this nice ornamentation.


Since this is Mexico and there are crowds, other vendors take advantage of the potential customer situation ~


What a shame. Because of the glare, I didn't really get a good look at these items until I saw this photo.
Wow -- Guatemalan cedar niño dioses (reply#2). I really like the face on the first one.


That's all very well, but the baby Jesuses are the only craft item I've seen.
A man I ask informs me that occasionally the embroidered dress sellers come, but they're not here today.

Fine, then. I'll just head back to where I came in and grab transportation on over to Ocotlán.

[bixaorellana]

On the way out I cruise what people have bought, peering into pick-up trucks at slumbering piggies ~


And into high-sided trucks at friendly, curious sheep who are mentally urging me to let them out of there ~


Almost there, I pass this tack shop and refreshment stand ~


Whoops -- caught in the act of taking pictures!


Here's the rest of that refreshment area ~


Finally reaching the transportation area, I find I have to climb into the back of a truck.

There were four of us to a side, and two guys standing (rather too casually, I thought) on the tail gate.

This is the kind of truck it was. The one I took was nicer, with rigid supports for the tail gate and a window to peer through into the cab.


Next stop ~~ Ocotlán!

[spindrift]

My goodness! that's great. This is a photo-essay with a difference. I love the slide show of the interior of the church that you've incorporated into the thread. Please let us know how you did that.

I am amazed that the floor of the market is so clean; it's really spick and span with not a dropped leaf in sight. I love the dome of the church ~ so artistic.

I really need to understand how to place script with my pictures the way you do.

Thanks Bixa.

[Deleted]

This is indeed a remarkable thread, Bixa, from the fact that the saint's beard is considered the most important item to highlight to the nasty butcher woman and the baby jesuses who should be selling Kewpie Tarako noodles.

[bixaorellana]

Thank you, Spindrift. It's gratifying that you always notice how a photo thread is put together. That's probably because you work so hard to make your own so well-designed and interesting.

The text w/pics thing is covered in Port Authority, and is greatly a matter of previewing & tweaking.

The short version of the slide show directions is: make a slide show in Photobucket. Paste the direct url here, highlight it, then click on the blue photobucket button over the message box.

Thanks, Kerouac -- sometimes one must do what one can with what one has!

Jul 18, 2010 0:46:10 GMT bixaorellana said:

Next stop ~~ Ocotlán!

All aboard for a visit to lively, fascinating, and beautiful Ocotlán:
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=mexico&thread=4272&page=1#85614

[Deleted]

Well done Bixa,thoroughly enjoyed seeing this. I love the piglets sleeping in the bed of the truck,so cuuute.
Looking forward to the next installation.
You really capture what it feels like to be there so well.
Thank you!

[fumobici]

Really interesting collection of photos We await Ocotlán.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks so much, Casimira and Fumobici.

Fumobici, if you'll just hop into the back of one of the transport trucks, we can go on over to Ocotlán now:
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=mexico&action=display&thread=4272&page=1