Children, Puppies and Pinwheels

We spent most of yesterday in Coyoacan, loosely translated as Land of the Coyotes with one of Ry's former students Viviana. It used to be a small country town outside of the DF, now it's like a suburb, but it still maintains some of its small-town country charm. Before heading out to Coyoacan, we each got a huge fresh-squeezed juice (Me- strawberry, pineapple, orange Ry - grapefruit) and stopped at a popular bakery called Ideal where you grab a tray and tongs to select whatever baked goods look delicious. We grabbed a bunch, of course! They wrap each up in a neat little package and tie your larger bundle or box with a web of strings that make them easy to carry with a few fingers. We went home where we enjoyed coffee, a baked treat and our juices.


A "Happy Day" cake in Ideal. This one is for my mom, since her name is Dia. Happy Day Mom!

We rode the Metro out to Coyoacan. Ry had prepared me for the worst knowing the DF is the largest (debated with Tokyo) city in the world and my extreme claustrophobia in crowds. It was full, but very pleasant. There was a gorgeous little baby sitting across the aisle from us and people kept cycling through our car selling goods - the most interesting were the bootleg CD sellers who wear backpacks blasting samples of their mix CDs. We walked a ways to get to the center of Coyoacan, where we met Viviana in front of the statue of the two coyotes that sits in a fountain in the middle of a small park next to the main square.

Following a balloon seller into Coyoacan.


Bougainvilla on a house in the neighborhood.

Colorful mailbox.


Church in the main square.


Organ grinder off the main square.


Green space and flowers in the main square.


Coyote fountain in small park where we met Viviana.


Fountain moon mosaic detail.


Fountain sun mosaic detail.


There were a million people out celebrating Easter with their families, having picnics, playing catch, walking dogs, and people watching. There were also a ton of balloon salesman and pinwheel saleswomen for the kids. I really wanted a pin wheel and Ry bought a small handmade, rainbow pinwheel for me that I carried around for the rest of the day. It made me endlessly happy! There were so many children and families - it was wonderful to see that getting out with your relatives, young and old was an important way to pass the holiest of holy holidays in Mexico. I had baby and puppy fever with each new group we passed. The children were so precious and free, nobody had them roped to a kid-leash and their parents were letting them go wild enjoying themselves. Several groups of teenagers had puppies for sale and Viviana went up to pet them. I snuck in a few little soft snuggles too. There were also many homeless indigenous families families begging and Federales police wearing belts of bullets on the streets, but somehow it all fit together to build a cheerful holiday celebration centered around family values.

The three of us had beers at a cantina and talked for a long while about our life in the US and what it's like to be a college student here in Mexico. We traveled together to the Coyoacan daily market where we feasted on huaraches, huge homemade tortillas smeared with black bean paste, white cheese, strips of cecina (think cuts of cured steak), roasted onions and nopales. To get to Pepe Coyote's, the food stand where we ate, we walked through skinny aisles of goods piled high including baskets, trinkets, pottery, clothes, used electronics and bird cages with little tweeters for sale.

With Viviana at the cantina.


Ryan blowing my homemade pinwheel.

We said goodbye to Viviana and walked a long way through the neighborhood to get to our metro stop. Along the way we stopped in a small little square with an old country church painted yellow where an Easter mass was taking place. We watched through the heavy open doors as the streetlights were starting to come on. People who didn't fit in the church were out beyond the doors kneeling and praying. I could see the Easter lilies up on the alter with a beautiful icon on the Virgin De Guadelupe.

When we arrived home we met up with Sarah and Arturo only to find that water to the entire building was still cut off due to the problem with the electricity the day before. Arturo was out in the courtyard with a hose snaked up to our apartment furiously trying to pump water from the street system. While he was working we went up to their apartment where Sarah made us fresh margaritas and regaled us with stories of their journey to the DF together five years ago from London. They are both artists and their apartment is filled to the brim with books and creative treasures. I felt blessed to be welcomed into their home and to experience some of what their daily life is like here. We went up to bed and Arturo had magically fixed the building's water pump! I rejoiced in a long, hot shower after a day of dirty, crazy hair with only a glimpse into what life is like in a place where utility services are not consistent.

On another note I am suffering from some of the most horrible mosquito bites that I have ever experienced. I have ridiculously sensitive skin and these rival bites I got in Venice six years ago. They are huge, red, swollen raised things that both itch and ache. To reduce the skeeters in our apartment while we slept we closed all of the windows and plugged in an electrical repelent do-dad Arturo gave us. Ryan's not being bugged by them at all, but for some reason I have a plethora of bites. Before we go out today I'm going to slather myself in aloe and wear long pants (maybe long sleeves).

We are off to Xochimilco, a system of ancient canals and raised gardens that the Aztecs used for farming. We're going to hop on a famous flat-bed boat cruise and experience this ancient treasure. If we have enough time we may head back to Coyoacan to visit the Frida Khalo house where we'll see some of her art and visit with the Xoloesquinle, hairless ancient dogs which she helped bring back from extinction.