Day of the Dead

We celebrated the Day of the Dead with the building of our own altar dedicated to humanity. Everyone contributed something meaningful to them. We first had a wonderful speaker who talked about the symbolism of the celebration and how it has evolved over the years into a fusion of Mesoamerica and Spanish practices. We are always seeking the perfect group photo to hang on the "Wall of Fame" along with photos from many other years. This one may be a keeper.

Just the altar.

We also enjoyed the dishes that are traditional here in Yucatán to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Interestingly, I had never had any of the food that was offered as all of the various regions in Mexico have their own dishes. These were completely new to me, but I look forward to having them again next year.

All for now...I am off to Wales in the morning. Have laptop and camera, may post photos!

Missing in Action

Wow...my last post was October 14 and today is the 26th!?!?! How could that be? Let´s see...students had fall break and took the opportunity to travel in all different directions on their own which meant there were no field trip photos. The parents of two students visited for the long weekend. A Central professor arrived on Saturday, the 18th and returned to Iowa yesterday. I have been swamped with the paperwork involved in getting next semester's program up and running. I am also planning a conference for a group of professors from a number of colleges in Iowa for January 3-10. And there are still lots of things going on here. We have an interesting seminar/activity planned for the Day of the Dead...look for the post on Thursday night. I leave for Wales on Friday but plan to take camera and laptop with me so loyal readers stay informed.





These photos were taken on our Friday field trip to several small towns in the area that have the some of the largest Catholic churches in the area. All were build over ancient Mayan ruins, using the stones from the pyramids and temples as the church´s way to first wipe out the Mayan religion and secondly to then impose their own theology on the indigenous population. There were some nasty things done in this area in the name of Christianity.




This Mayan woman was waiting for a bus. I just liked how she looked standing in the shade of the tree and near the wall of the church we were visiting and asked to take her picture. About half of the women in this town continue to wear the Mayan ipil.

This gives you some idea of the size of the building as well as the carvings. The inside is plain, in the Franciscan style. The bell pull adds nothing to the shot!

Windows open, AC off

Today is the first day since early May that I have not used the air conditioner in my office. Although the temp remains its usual 90, the humidity is only at 67% compared with an average humidity of 92%. One of the students reported that a young woman who lives with her host family was complaining of the cold this morning. While none of us are complaining (or reaching for sweaters), we are marveling at the change.

A perfect Sunday

I woke up with an irrational urge to do some cleaning and organizing. First on my list was getting out my winter clothes in anticipation of a trip to Wales for a directors' meeting the first week in November. I decided to sort things that needed dry cleaning, aired and/or hand washing. The black clothes you see hanging here are from that list. I also polished my black boots and leather bag. At the same time, I had an inspiration about caring for my favorite Naturalizer espadrilles that work so well for me in the climate here. I hate it when the rope soles get dirty so I decided to wash them with the upholstery foam I use on my car seats and then spray them with Scotch Guard to see if they will stay cleaner, longer. Working on the needs for two different seasons while stepping over and around my lovely pool made me laugh. I have more work to do, and then will have Sunday dinner with the students followed by a new episode of Grey's. Sounds like a good day to me!

Chichen Itza - One of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World

Here we are at Chichen Izta that dates from around AD 500 to AD 1200. The site had been abandoned many years before the Spanish conquest in the mid-1500s. When I was a student, back in the day, Chichen was wide open for exploration. For example, the custom for each class was to spell out "CUI" on one of the stairways of the pyramid of El Castillo pictured here. Today, given that an average of 8,000(!) tourists visit Chichen daily, none of the buildings are accessible.
Notebooks in hand as our own Indiana Jones, Dr. Lane Fargher, talks about what we are seeing!




Sack lunch time.

Tortilla and Salsa (the food, not the dance) Class

Today was our first cooking class with Claudina, the house administrator, and Doña Lupita, the best cook in the world. What was on the menu? Handmade tortillas and 3 different types of salsas -- a red sauce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. The students soon discovered chopping and slicing are the keys to making most Mexican food.
Patting out the tortillas was also not as easy as it looks.


The reality is that the tortillas that the students eat with their meals are purchased from the neighborhood tortillería. Making them by hand is too time consuming, but, from time to time, the results are worth the effort.

First archeological sites of the semester

Isaac (he of the hanging vines) is ready for the trek though the caves of Lol tun.
A restored arch at Sayil
Uxmal
More Uxmal
Taking a well-deserved break