Mexico has been in the news again this week, and once again it’s water related. Not, for once, because the stuff is running out. But because there was too much of it. Heavy rainfall, and crappy drainage systems (pun intended) unable to cope, left parts of Mexico City flooded and caused landslides and flooding elsewhere in the country that caused a number of fatalities. On the plus side, if you can look past the dead bodies for a moment, the rain has helped refill the nearly empty reservoirs that supply the city with water, or so I have read.
There’s another plus side though. This is, technically, dry season. Rainy season doesn’t come till May. And typically at this time of the year, pollution in the city is terrible. The cold temperatures trap dirty air in the Valley of Mexico, and the lack of rain means none of it gets washed away. The torrential downpours over the last week have though cleaned our skies. Really cleaned them. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it’s been raining Clorox, the housewives favourite bleach.
The result? Popocatapetl and Iztaccihuatl, the two giant volcanoes sitting a few hours drive outside of the city have become visible. It’s like looking at an old postcard from the city, of decades ago, when they were regularly visible, cloud cover permitting. In my nearly five years here, I’d only ever once before seen them poke their giant frames through the pollution, that being at Christmas in 2008 when there is less traffic in the city, a little less smoke, and temporarily cleaner skies.
You can see in my video below how much snow there is on the mountains too – it has been a cold, cold winter. I’ve included a photo of Popo from November 2008 so that you can see how little snow there usually is on the peak. I also grabbed a few photos to put up on my Flickr page – click here to see them.
Near Cuernavaca is a small town called Tepoztlan, home of some crazy dancers who don some pretty far out costumes before parading through the streets to the sound of a marching band. I took a video of a gang of them last year in Xochimilco. Anyway, I found a cool postcard featuring these guys. Want it? It can be yours….all you need to do is leave a comment claiming the card and then send me the address you want it posted to using my Contact page. Has it already been claimed? Perhaps there’s another card waiting to be claiming – check out the Postcard page.
In the not so distant future, Mexico City will be renamed Paradise City. And the drugs gangs will have been brought to heel. Security established. A clean environment won for the citizens. Modern and swish buildings will tower over revitalised landmarks. The year is 2033. According to this new sci-fi film about to open in Mexico. I might just go and see it, even if I won’t be able to follow the storyline exactly!
Around Mexico City there are a number of old glass and steel buildings, put up in the 50’s and 60’s. The most famous being the iconic Torre Latinoamericana, a major landmark in the city, which was finished in 1956. The metalwork looks weather beaten and scratched, the glass is stained and dull with age. But it has a presence, as do the other steel and glass buildings. It has a feeling of solidity, having survived several massive earthquakes relatively unscathed. It harks back to an age gone by. To an forthcoming new era of prosperity and stability. It has stood and seen the comings and goings of numerous presidents, Rivera and (nearly!) Kahlo and many other makers and shakers. The building in my photo is, I suspect, much more recent. Or has had a good facelift.
I’ve read a few books, old books, telling of life in Mexico City in that decade. My favourite, despite its literary shortcomings, was a book called Mexican Jumping Bean, by Pepe Romero, probably published in the 50’s or soon after. It painted an enchanting picture of a lively art scene, life, inspired citizens going about their daily business. The 1960’s brought the Olympics and the 70’s and 80’s the World Cup, twice. Golden times indeed.
Of course, the past is always golden. The student massacre of ‘68 is still spoke of in hushed and sorrowful terms, but it was so long ago. The economic crisis brought about by the December Mistake in the mid 90’s hurt, but it’s just so not ‘now’, when there is a current economic crisis to worry about. The fact that the effective dictatorship of the PRI party, lasting 70 years from Revolution till the end of the century, stifled democracy in the country is just so very yesterday. Perhaps it was, as it has been referred to, the ‘perfect dictatorship’.
It seems to me that Mexicans want those golden years back. I don’t blame them. The days gone by are always golden when compared to the troubles of the present, no matter how trifling the problems of the present are. Not that Mexico’s current problems are trifling, but still. Every student, friend and stranger I ask, tells me that the PRI will win the next election, probably with the present governor of the State of Mexico, Peña Nieto, as president. I am reasonably surprised at how much support they are getting. People who voted PAN (centre-right) and PRD (left) at the last election seem to have abandoned those parties en masse. It would mark quite a comeback for PRI after their complete implosion and capitulation in the 2006 presidential election. But enough. I’m waffling.
It seems ages ago since last I had a photo poll going. I guess it was ages – my 365 finished mid October last year. Still, my new photo project started on January 1st of this year, and as I have a months worth of Faces gathered up, it seems a good time to start a new poll. I took a total of twelve photos and have selected the nine best. You can see the photos and poll on my photo blog by clicking here. You can choose three photos to vote for by the by…
Having done the Zapata trail, we headed into Cuernavaca’s Centro Historico. Considering the city’s close proximity to Mexico City, it’s a little surprising that I’d never been there before. Even more surprising, Paola and her father had never been there before. It turns out, we hadn’t missed much. Not that there’s anything wrong with the place, but there isn’t too much special about it either. It’s no Guanajuato or Taxco. It’s not even a Queretaro. We have no plans to return. So if you want this postcard, leave a comment quickly. First come, first served, and an offer never to be repeated for this place! Anyone can claim it. Just leave that comment and send me an address to post it to using the Contact form.
Yesterday turned into something of a magical mystery revolutionary tour. We set off, a little late, for some pyramids. But after lunch, changed the itinerary and chased after the historical bits and pieces of General Emiliano Zapata that lie in the countryside and towns surrounding Cuernavaca. First stop, the remnants of the house he was born in, with it’s ‘closed for refurbishment museum’ and a rather grand mural along one lengthy wall.
Next stop, the hacienda he went to in order to meet with a defector to his side (a defector that never was) which is now also a museum, albeit a ramshackle affair that is quickly falling to pieces. The photographs, newspapers and pictures make it worth the stop though. But beware, if you should ever visit – the place has no lighting. It’s no good arriving after dark. We arrived at dusk, just early enough to see some detail, too late to read any fine print.
Final stop, just around the corner from the hacienda – the monument and plaza marking the spot where, in 1919, enemy forces ambushed and gunned down Zapata. There are a few faded pieces on the wall that must have once been a grand mural, and a statue of Zapata upon his mighty steed as it rears up, above the exact spot of his killing.
We recieved a sort of guided tour by an old chap, very much dressed up for the part, with his Zapata style sombrero, who regaled us with tales of his father and uncle who apparently participated in the war. He told a good story, although simple maths suggest that, whilst possible, his family account in a war that finished more than 90 years ago was perhaps a little embellished. The alcohol induced slur added to my suspicions. But still, he told a good story. And sold Paola a pirate copy of Viva Zapata starring Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn for a frankly outrageous 50 pesos.
The Mexican Revolution ran from 1910 to 1920. A little longer if you include sporadic outbreaks of violence after that. Hundreds of thousands died. Perhaps a million. Perhaps two million. It’s hard to say, and there is no firm agreement. The bad guys were the ones with guns. No matter which side they were technically on. Revolutionary or governmental, forces would rape and plunder as they travelled. The lasting effects were profound though. The death penalty was abolished. And a new political party, the PRI was born. They would rule until 2000. I have something in mind to write about them soon. Until then, click here for some Zapatista photos I took.
I’ve been waiting for this to happen since I arrived. I wasn’t sure it would. But in May it will. Mexico are travelling to Wembley to play England in a friendly match as part of both teams preparations for the World Cup in South Africa. I am a huge football fan, and have quite a few friends and students who are as equally enthralled by the beautiful game. Bragging rights are up for grabs. I’m sure they will be mine!
England have played Mexico 8 times, winning five of them, drawing once and losing twice. England have won the last three, with Mexico’s last win coming in 1985, a 1-0 victory in the Estadio Azteca. Less than a year later they played again, in the US, which England won 3-0. Mexico’s other win was also on Mexican soil, way back in 1959 in the first game they played against each other, at the Estadio Olimpico. The result was 2-1. The sole draw between the two teams was also in Mexico, at the Azteca.
When playing in England Mexico have fared less well. England have won all four games, scoring a total of 16 goals, including an 8-0 win back in 1961. In fact Mexico have never even managed to score a goal against England outside of Mexico. History is on my country’s side. So is current form. I’m going to make a prediction for the May match – England 4 Mexico 0. Of course, it is just a friendly. The real business starts a month later. Mexico could theoretically play England in the Quarter Finals. They have played each other once before in a World Cup match. Back in 1966….such a glorious year!
I posted a piece about the Haiti earthquake last week, and mentioned (at length) the earthquake that devastated Mexico City in 1985. I included a photo of a monument put up at one end or Alameda park, marking the spot where a hotel came down, killing many of those inside the building. I looked around the net for more info on that hotel, and discovered that behind the park is a small museum, Museo Mural Diego Rivera. All these years I’ve been living in Mexico City, all those times I’ve walked past that spot, and I’ve never once noticed it.
It is, in my defense, a fairly plain and innocuous building. Not a place to catch your eye. From the outside, anyway. On the inside…that is a different matter. It houses a huge mural, one of Rivera’s finest. One I’ve seen images of many a time. But never the real thing, till today. I parted with the 15 peso entry fee, paid an extra 5 pesos to allow me to use my camera, and checked it out. The (rather poor quality) panoramic photo I took of the famous mural is below. It was previously housed in the destroyed hotel, and was one of the few things salvaged, restored and put back on display. The photos I took can be seen on Flickr by clicking here.
I know, the celebrations are still months away, but all the big institutions are already gearing up. I found this video on the official Bicentenario website with some grand old footage.
