Festival of San Miguel 2012

The festival of San Miguel begins in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow so I thought I would publish the schedule of events which varies little from year to year. Along with it, slideshows of years 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Click on the photo below to view the 2007 Slideshow

Click on the photo below to view the 2008 Slideshow

SATURDAY
3 am: Meeting of the dnacers & Mojigangas, corner of San Francisco/Nunez & procession to Jardin
4 am: Alborada – fireworks in the Jardin
7 am: Mananitas – happy birthday to San Miguel at the Parroquia
8-11am: Dancers in the Jardin & Plaza Civica
11 am: Mass to honor San Miguel Arcangel, Parroquia
12 noon – horseback riders from the ranchos parade from the train station to the Parroquia.
1pm: Voladores of Papantal in the Jardin
2pm: Blowing up the paper mache monos in the Jardin, 2pm (Parade down Calle San Francisco before)
5pm: Big Parade! Mojigangas, Xuchiles, dancers from all over Mexico (Calzada Estacion to Jardin)
7pm: dancers in Jardin
8pm: voladores
9pm: Rockets and fireworks

Click on the photo below to view the 2009 Slideshow

SUNDAY
7-9am: Dancers in the Jardin
11am: Another big parade through the downtown starting on Zacateros near Calle Nuevo
1pm: tribute to San Juan de San Miguel, the city founder
3pm: 7pm Voladores
9pm: The BIG fireworks

Click on the photo below to view the 2011 Festival Slideshow:

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Cañada de la Virgen Pyramid Site

Today we visited Cañada de la Virgen, the pyramid site outside of San Miguel de Allende.  The site was built by the Otomí Indians around 500 BC and was inhabited until the 1500’s.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO BELOW TO VIEW THE SLIDESHOW

You go with a guide and are driven to within a 20-25 minute walk of the pyramid site & you hike in climbing volcanic rock steps.  Besides the Otomí, we were told that the Toltecs also used the site during this time, however they were a nomadic tribe who did not settle permanently here.

The pyramid is situated so the light of both the sun and moon come directly into the center at specific dates of the year during which ceremonial activities were performed.

As you can see the landscape after a good rain year is lush and green and today, in full bloom.

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Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum

One Reason to love Mexico City:
Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum in Coyoacan.
Over his lifetime, Diego Rivera collected 50,000 pieces of pre-hispanic art. According to the museum staff he bought from ‘archaeologists’ who robbed temple sites and had a hand in taking pieces himself.

In return, he built this volcanic rock house which mimics a pyramid inside, to give the historic art collection a home and share them with the Mexican people.
The house took 28 years to build and was unfinished upon his death.  With the generous support of Dolores Olmeda, the house was finished and opened to the public.  I have to say it is an amazing piece of architecture that they say was built with some consultation from Frank Lloyd Wright.

Inside, you are walking inside a pyramid laden with stone mosaics of prehispanic images on both the floor and ceilings, the walls made of volcanic rock from the land the house sits on.  The top floor is home to some of his large mural sketches and houses contemporary shows. It’s beautiful and a must see if you are in Mexico city.

View the slideshow below:

© Suzanne da Rosa 2012

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New Church Announcement

They came by at 6am this morning, rockets and all. The procession wound through town, past all the other churches for a blessing, then returned to our street about 1pm.

The new church in our neighborhood opened its doors today and this is the formal announcement, followed by the man with the black collection box.  If you open your door to watch, you are expected to make a donation.

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Virgen de Guadalupe

Last night was the 6th Novena for the Guadalupe in our neighborhood.
Each day more people come and live music arrived on the fourth Novena. (Video below)

Don’t let the peacefulness of it fool you or make you nostalgic for simpler times because once it got started, about 30 boys under 12 showed up.

Half of them went down into the arroyo behind me to play soccer and yell, lighting sparklers that caused a raging bonfire
and causing every rooftop dog to bark like crazy while everyone recited prayers and sang and ignored the cacophony.

2011 6th Novena for the Virgin of Guadalupe from Suzanne da Rosa on Vimeo.

Click on the photo to view the video of this Novena

The rest of the boys stood in front of me pushing and shoving each other around for fun, their mothers slapping at them as they ducked away. By the end of the night, it was almost an old time religious revival with people singing, clapping and dancing, every bit of it heartfelt with love.

These novenas are a crescendo building toward the big party they have at the end, you can feel it coming.

If it’s anything like last year’s party on the 12th, it’s going to be fun, locos and all.

 

 

© 2011 Suzanne da Rosa

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The Blessing of San Miguel

Pilgrimage of San Miguel to the Parroquia to be blessed for the upcoming town celebration – The Festival of San Miguel 

This Weekend’s Festivities:
Midnight Friday:  Procession of the estrellas to the Parroquia for las mañanitas
4 a.m Saturday:  The Alborada and fireworks in the Jardin
2 p.m Saturday: Parade of los monos to the Jardin to be blown up
5 p.m Saturday:  The procession of the Xúchiles and dancers
9:30 – 10 p.m Saturday night: Castillo fireworks in the Jardin
11 a.m. Sunday: The big parade of dancers up Zacateros, around town and to the Jardin
9:30 – 10 p.m Saturday night: Castillo fireworks in the Jardin

Throughout the day the Voladores perform in front of the Parroquia

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Museo Antropologia

Mexico City, the museum of anthropology.

There’s more than I can write pecking a letter at a time on my iPhone so here’s some photos until I can get to my computer

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