Our Maize Harvest

One of the best aspects of living in rural Mexico has been learning about how people farm their crops by having our own little field of maize. Everything is done by hand -- it is a lot of work, but very gratifying work. I realize that this is very easy for me to say as we are farming in order to learn and to feed our animals. For the people of Zacango, farming maize is life -- it means food (corn to make tortillas) and the connection that people have with maize is profound.

Zacate Harvest

The zacate (dried leaves from the maize stalks) is the first to be harvested and is used to feed donkeys during the dry season when there is a lack of fresh grass and weeds for them to eat. We do not produce enough zacate in our small field to feed our three donkeys for the 8 or so months that we need to feed them, so we buy zacate from our neighbours to supplement our small supply.
We store our zacate on our roof.

The Happy Family is Back in Town

About a month ago we brought our "family" of donkeys in from pasture where they had spent the summer months grazing. We hadn't had them in our yard or in their nearby coral for nearly 3 months (Miguel had them together with his donkeys about a half hour walk away and would go and water and check on them daily) and it is so great to have them back home. While baby Cecina has grown she continues to be quite a homely (but loveable) little creature.

A Visit from Some Very Cool Folks

It seems rather dream-like, but it actually did happen...we were treated to a visit from my beautiful friend Judith and her husband Simon at the beginning of this month. Judith and I grew up together in Altona and it was so amazing to share our home here with such a long-time friend whom I trust and love so dearly!
We began our time together in Mexico City where we took in a ton of "must see" attractions that only Mexico City has to offer! We went to: Teothiuacan (the Pyrimid of the Sun), Frida Khaloe's Blue House, and the famous Anthropology Museum. We were on the go from morning till night for three days in Mexico City before heading to Zacango for a different kind of busy.
Unfortunately some kind of bug decided to take over Judith and Simon's bodies shortly before arriving in Zacango so they took it easy for the first three days at our house. However, after their recovery they were able to treat the community to a few concerts (Judith and Simon are musicians -- they call themselved "The Land"-- google them, they're great) in community member's homes and in the church, as well as enjoy Zacango's legendary hospitality by eating all kinds of great Mexican food and visiting with people in their homes.
The best part was that Judith and I had the chance to do some serious catching up and bonding, and the kids couldn't get enough of these fine folks...they are still talking about all things Simon and Judith! Thanks so much for coming you guys...we love you!

Days of the Dead

This is the last year that we will be in Mexico to celebrate the Days of the Dead -- two extremely important days that people here set aside to celebrate the lives of their family and friends who have died (Nov. 1 celebrates children who have died and Nov. 2 the adults are remembered). It is sad holiday but rather a holiday that shows respect for those who have passed on by setting up an alter or offering displaying their picture, the things they loved to eat, and symbols of things they like to do.
Being our last year here, we decided to go all out with our "ofrenda" and it was great having Simon and Judith here to join in on the fun! The youth art group led the way as they accompanied us to Olinala and showed us all the things we needed to buy for our ofrenda. The youth then joined us for the rest of the day as they basically constructed the offering for us and we did whatever token jobs we could to aid in their expertise at tying knots and constucting the flower filled frame. It was a complete hoot! (see collage below)
Judith and I had a wonderful time reminiscing about our grandparents and loved ones as we admired our ofrenda.

The bells in the church are rung every 5 minutes for 24 hours straight (from midnight on Nov. 1 to midnight on Nov. 2) to show respect for those who have died. A group of young men slept in the church tower to take turns with this duty.

The Ofrendas of Zacango

Here is a glimpse of some of the astounding ofrendas (offering alters) that people in Zacango constructed for their loved ones who have passed on.

Tlaxcalis

One of the most fascinating things to watch and be a part of during the Days of the Dead celebrations is the massive production of the special Day of the Dead cookies called Tlaxcalis. It is no small production as the women begin early in the day by preparing a masa (dough) made from lard, suger, baking powder, cinamon, and maize flour (from blue, red, or white maize). The cookie making goes on into the night as people rotate hundreds of cookies through huge brick ovens (which are constructed and used for the sole purpose of making Tlaxcalis -- meaning the ovens are only used once a year) .

Trick or Treating Through Day of the Dead

While Halloween has nothing to do with Day of the Dead, they are close together on the calender. While the Halloween tradition has made its way into the larger centers in Mexico it is not celebrated in Zacango. However, on the last evening of the Day of the Dead celebrations (Nov. 2) the kids do go around requesting the bread, fruit, and other goodies from the alters. It was great to watch our kids get so excited about their collection of fruit and bread as they proudly spread it out on their beds at the end of the night.

Egg Shell Mosaics

My favourite classes during the week are the youth art classes. They are such a fun group to work with! We just finished creating egg shell mosaics and have started working on some painting projects. As I've mentioned numerous times, all of the kids in the group no longer attend school so the art group meetings are a great chance for them to hang out together.

The Making of Tortas

The Zacango women's baking group has been continuing to give me my Mexican cooking lessons (interspersed with cake baking). A couple of months back they taught me how to make tortas (fried egg and cheese patties served in mole sauce). The women are very concerned that I learn how to make all of our favourite dishes before we leave this summer.