Mexico: Son Huasteco

son-huasteco_01.jpg
Huasteca Region, Mexico

As mentioned previously, I had hoped to write a little on my recent trip to Mexico but I’ve been having trouble finding a place to start. So much has changed since my last visit there seven years earlier. I can’t tell if Mexico is more American, the US is more Mexican or if it’s just that I’m finally beginning to understand both cultures. In any case, there’s too much to wrap my head around, there are race and class issues I simply do not have the skills to write about. (Like what’s up with all the vendors and ambulantes calling me “huera” when I have the same morena skin as them?) Then there’s the commercialization of El Chopo, the high prices of La Lagunilla and the intensity of Mercado Merced, all of these subjects are coincidentally being covered by Los Angeles journalist Daniel Hernandez who has been sharing his cultural observations of Mexico DF on his excellent blog: Intersections. I’ll leave the good writing and the insightful analysis to him. Instead, I’ll focus on two subjects that partly inspired this visit to Mexico: Son Huasteco music and Filigree jewelry.
Continue reading

Yu-Mex

milic.jpg
Milić Ljubomir

[post transferred over from an old myspace blog entry]

Did you know Mexican music was popular with Yugoslavians in the 50s? I didn’t either! But here’s a webpage to prove it:
Jugoslovanska Mehika
It’s worth visiting for the album covers and mp3s. Ay, watch out Chente!

When we were in London many years ago, we went into a Turkish chip shop and there was a small crowd of veiled women gathered around an old TV which was blaring an unexpected tune. I peeked through them to see the infamously dingy Thalia in the opening credits of her hit telenovela Marimar. With the exception of the theme song, it was all dubbed into Turkish. It was a nice bit of familiarity so far from home.
I can’t say I felt the same way when we discovered a can of corn tortillas in the international food section of Harrod’s department store (appropriately located under the escalator in the basement). Yes, a can of corn tortillas for 10 pounds (like $15 dollars).

update:
Apparently, older Germans also like Mexican music:


Fiesta Mexicana!

Saint Patrick’s Day

san-patricio.jpg
San Patricio Battalion Flag

It can be argued that St Patrick’s Day is like a local holiday in my neighborhood, despite the fact there is no sizable Irish community in this area. Here in Lincoln Heights, it’s common to see people wearing shamrock paraphernalia all year round. As was recently pointed out to me, stores in Lincoln Heights will stock green colored clothing more frequently as it tends to sell more quickly than other colors. Shamrocks magically grace the walls after long weekend nights, spreading the luck of the Irish throughout our little hood.
Continue reading

Dia de Muertos y Halloween

altarjpg.JPG
A short post from Oaxaca:

For many years we have attempted to combine the spirit of both Dia de Muertos and Halloween in the way we´ve decorated, in our parties that featured jack o´lanterns and ofrendas, in the way we´ve recreated panteones between the stuffed monsters in our front yard. Its a method of navigating a life between cultures but more than that, of creating our own culture based on the world around us. To me this is what it means to be Chicana.
So to my surprise, I´ve found the same process existing here in Mexico. Halloween is huge here, bigger than in the US and the costumes much more original and entertaining. There are no little princesses and sexy nurses here! The streets are filled little lloranas, bloody mummies, werewolves, viudas negras, brujitas and vampiros, marching and dancing to tamborazos on streets filled with cempasuchil, amaranta and copal. It´s an amazing mix of traditions that seem to blend in seamlessly.
Take that purists!

Halloween song from DF:
Somos las calaveritas
Venimos por los dulces
Si no nos dan los dulces
Los vamos a espantar!

More when I get back…

Favorite Video of the Week: Duranguense


Baile estilo Duranguense

It was very difficult to pick a video of the week this time around, too many to choose from! And yes I know, my blog depends heavily on Youtube references so it’s not like I’m limiting myself. Ultimately, I decided to go with this video of Duranguense* dancers (the male dancer in the pink shirt and matching boots was the clincher). Besides, I’m headed to Mexico next week, so might as well get in the mood. My grandfather was from Guanacevi, Durango, so you can say it’s part of my heritage but… not totally. The current craze of Duranguense music and dancing was started in Chicago by Mexican immigrants. I’d love to learn this dance but considering how horrible I was at my attempts at Quebradita (see example below), I doubt I’ll do much better with Duranguense.
Enjoy!
Continue reading