Road rugs for Mary Magdalene

[bixaorellana]

On Wednesday I visited the town of Xico, Veracruz to take in a little of its homage to its patron saint. This takes place over several days every July, with different events each day. Mary Magdalene is carried through the streets every day, wearing a different outfit each time -- there is even a museum where her dresses can be seen. That was not the objective on Wednesday, though. Rather, I was there with friends to admire the elaborate carpets of colored sawdust created on the streets of the town. A friend who lives in Xico had arranged a spot for us on a restaurant balcony overlooking a main street.

A neighbor & I went from Coatepec where we live, to wait next to a highway restaurant in San Marcos, which is between Coatepec and Xico
We were met there by a cab which took us to Xico. There I bounced out of the cab and went off to see what I could see.

Across from the meeting point ~


Image of a clown holding a castanet and a maraca. Clowns figure prominently in the fiestas of this region.
Supposedly they were introduced by the Spaniards as a religious teaching device, but huh? ~


We're here and wow! Looking in one direction ...


... and then in the other ~


This bread, which I have not tried, is sold all over on the streets in this area.
Take note of the man on the left & see if you can figure out his profession ~


I decide to follow the rugs to one end of town and then to backtrack & go to the church ~




One of the many depictions of bulls being sold. There will be a bullfight and a running of the bulls ~

[bixaorellana]

Street musicians ~


There were tons of this poster ~

[bixaorellana]

Finally gained this end of town. The little square is used for all kinds of events. such as folkloric dancers ~


Beautiful vistas in every direction ~

[bixaorellana]

Passing more carpets as I head toward the church.
One part had several images like these, apparently depictions of traditional figures ~





Ah ha ~ a food pavilion!


Looks just like The Tent in GBBO ~


What joy ~ I haven't had tripas in ages. I'll go check out the church & return to this stand ~




Pottery from Puebla ~


A hive of activity in front of the church




Heading back to meet my friends, all of whom opted for restaurant food, I hit the taco mecca ~


Finally back at the restaurant overlooking the street.


It turned out that the procession wasn't until @10 pm, so we opted to call it a day.

This was not a crushing disappointment, as Coatepec's fiesta of St. Jerome is coming up in September.
It will also have fancy rugs, lifting of the arches, the traditional clowns, processions etc. Stay tuned!

Xico is a charmingly picturesque town and offered this pleasant sight on the walk to meet our car ~


~~ That's all, folks! ~~

[bjd]

Nice to see that your new home is as colourful as Oaxaca. Those road rugs impressive -- I wonder how long it takes, even using stencils since they have to be careful to lift them without disturbing any of the sand. Was the guy with the sprayer wetting the sand to keep it down?

As for the man whose profession you asked us to guess -- maybe something musical? I see he had a crank to turn.

[mickthecactus]

Amazing report! Thank you.

[onlyMark]

bjd, I'm going to jump in and say it isn't sand, Bixa mentions it to be sawdust - though I also do wonder about the answers to your questions. I'd like to be there to see how they do it so perfectly.

[onlyMark]

Jul 23, 2023 5:12:02 GMT bixaorellana said:

Take note of the man on the left & see if you can figure out his profession

First I thought a coffee grinder man but decided on a music man.

[mickthecactus]

Why doesn’t it blow away?

[kerouac2]

I know about sand art, but I had never heard of sawdust art. Remarkable. Which makes me wonder, do they recycle it as fuel when it is swept up?

As for people with cranks in tropical countries, I always think of sugar cane presses, but that isn't set up like one of those.

[bixaorellana]

Your responses are really gratifying ~ thanks so much!

Jul 23, 2023 6:27:20 GMT bjd said:

I wonder how long it takes, even using stencils since they have to be careful to lift them without disturbing any of the sand. Was the guy with the sprayer wetting the sand to keep it down?

Bjd, as Mark says, it is very fine sawdust, not sand. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the sawdust is mixed with some other material to make it work better. This article suggests that might be the case.
And yes, the sprayer guys were keeping the carpets damp to keep the sawdust in place.

Mark, I too would like to see a sawdust carpet being made. I've seen grave decorations being made in Oaxaca, but I think they use sand. Those were all free-handed, but of course much smaller. It must be experts doing these street carpets. As Bjd points out, it can't be easy even with stencils. The friend who lives in Xico says that when it rains the carpets are hurriedly remade -- not as good, but still nice. I find that amazing.

There were places where people had blundered into the carpet & messed it up and I saw another place with large dog foot prints. Something I saw that infuriated me were two nauseatingly self-impressed young men. One was seated on the ground next to the carpet. He was picking up the sawdust and letting it sprinkle out from his languid fingers while his cohort videoed it. I would have taken a picture, but was too busy keeping myself from kicking him in the kidneys.

Kerouac, re: recycling ~ good question, but I have no idea. It may be toxic to burn, or simply remains too damp. I saw some of this on the street, whether left over or gathered after a section was messed up, I don't know. You can see how damp-looking it is ~
                     

Any who guessed music about the crank man, bingo, as that is indeed a street organ. They're still to be seen around Mexico, even in Mexico city. They all wear khaki clothes and that captain-style cap you see atop his street organ. They don't use monkeys any more, although some put a stuffed one on the organ. I read an article in a Mexican paper pleading with people to always tip the organ grinder so this wonderful tradition (their words, not mine) would not die out.

[kerouac2]

We still have an old woman organ grinder in the Buttes Chaumont in Paris. And of course she sings at the same time.

[onlyMark]

Quite a unique thing these are. I doubt the sawdust is "painted" on and just distributed on a stencil using a sieve like you'd do icing sugar or out of the hand for smaller bits. You mention the procession, I presume they just walk straight over all of it?
My thought is also of the colouring material, now vegetable dye but wasn't in the past?
Afterwards I bet they just sweep it all up and dump it somewhere. It is biodegradable after all.

[bixaorellana]

The singing lady in the Buttes Chaumont is doing something. But turning a crank & sticking out your cap for coins is pretty much just begging with noise.

Yes, the carpet gets destroyed by the procession passing over it. There must be tons of the stuff, as you can see the 3-D effect exactly like a real carpet.

I did find some guidance on dying the sawdust, in case you want to try this at home: riversofsteel.com/heritage-highlights-holy-martyrs-sawdust-carpets/ Skip down to "The Making of the Sawdust Carpets", as it's a wordy article.

I'm looking forward to Coatepec's patron saint day(s), since that's where I live & it will be easier to get out and experience it.
Xico's went on for several days, with a different special event each day. It's not far away, but all the traffic makes getting there tedious and time consuming -- thus the two-part trip to Xico on Wednesday & why we opted to skip the procession.

[kerouac2]

Obvioulsy no relation to Mexico, but I felt compelled to dig up my Parisian organ grinder.