This weekend the study abroad program organized a three-day excursion to Cuernavaca, Taxco and Tepoztlán, with one day dedicated to each of these charming towns. Cuernavaca is appropriately referred to as the “city of eternal springtime.” The moment I stepped off the bus I sensed the tranquility of this town filled with flower-lined streets and a zócalo (town plaza) bustling with vendors selling food, inflated balloons and handicrafts. We began our visit to Cuernavaca with a tour of the Palacio de Hernán Cortés, which actually serves as a museum of the entire history of Mexico, beginning with ancient artifacts of the Olmecs to a mural by Diego Rivera. The tour guide ambitiously tried to lead us through ever moment in Mexico’s history detail by detail, so by the time that the tour ended three hours later we were ravenous for lunch. But it was worth the wait because we found a family-run restaurant down one of the side streets that served a fixed lunch (“comida corrida”). Consomé, rice, homemade tortillas, Jamaica juice and Encacuahuatado de pollo (chicken in a sauce made of peanuts, chiles and other spices) all for 35 pesos—not bad! After lunch we visited Robert Brady’s house, which is now a museum. Robert Brady was an American artist and art collector who lived in Cuernavaca for over 20 years. During his residency in Mexico he gradually converted his house into a living museum containing artwork from his world travels. Using his artistic eye, he decorated the rooms in themes such as a red oriental room and a yellow room with one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings. My favorite was the tile bathroom filled with ceramic frogs. It’s certainly the type of house to make any art enthusiast jealous.
Saturday was our day in Taxco, a city known for its silver and Greek appearance for the cliff lined white buildings. We essentially had the entire day free to wander the silver shops and craft markets, eat lunch and see the cathedral. In contrast with the European feel of Taxco, Sunday spent in Tepoztlán felt more like a journey into the Amazon. We spent the morning and early afternoon climbing a steep cliff to reach a pyramid at the top and gawk at the astounding view of the valley below us. Such a strenuous hike was rewarded with lunch at one of the restaurants below. The weather was hot enough to appreciate some tropical drinks and “nieblas” (like an icy gelato). The streets of Tepoztlán that day were packed with tourists and natives celebrating Carnaval. I felt like I was walking through a labyrinth of colors, confetti, cotton candy, people walking with cold beverages in hand and street vendors shouting out for people to buy freshly baked pan dulce. What a festive way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Excursion to Cuernavaca, Taxco and Tepoztlán
A fiesta that the exchange program hosted. These are four of my Mexican classmates whom I invited to the fiesta. My host family also came along.
Dinner was followed by dancing. What fun!
Cuernavaca
Main plaza of Cuernavaca
Robert Brady's kitchen. He was a very tall man so the sink is unusually high.
Robert Brady had many personal chefs, but his favorite was María, which happens to be the name that I use in Mexico!
Artwork in Robert Brady's house
Taxco: The city of silver
Doesn't Taxco remind you a bit of Greece?
Teopoztlán
Three students from the abroad program: Jaime, Miriam and Stephanie
At the top of the cliff!
Part of the cliff that we climbed
Refreshing piña colada after the morning hike
The streets were jammed in celebration of Carnaval.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
First month in Mexico
It’s difficult to believe that I’ve been in Mexico for an entire month already. I’ve learned a lot in the past few weeks, but there’s still much to learn (such as how to check out books from the library!). Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:
Academics: After three weeks of shadowing nearly twenty classes, I finally settled on four classes that are engaging in both the topic and classroom dynamics: History of Mexico, Literature (1900-present), Agriculture and Sustainability (Economics) and Sustainable Rural Development (Economics). I’m also hoping to dedicate time to research on the history of chocolate as an independent project this semester. Apparently my interest in the history of chocolate is not as crazy as it sounds; I recently had coffee (well, in my case hot chocolate) with a history student who wrote her thesis on the history of chocolate in Mexico. We chatted for nearly three hours, not just about chocolate but about the overall importance of family and cuisine in the formation of cultural identity. She and I have much in common!
Socially: I’m gradually getting to know my Mexican classmates and have begun spending time hanging out with them outside of the classroom setting. Last Monday a few of us went to la Lucha Libre (a wrestling match that’s held every Monday). Though wrestling is certainly something that I normally gravitate toward—in fact this was my first time watching a match—it’s apparently very popular in Mexico so I wanted to give it a try. When I came back to the house that night covered in confetti from the cheering crowds, my host mom made a very insightful remark that la Lucha that it is “muy mexicana” (a very Mexican thing). Indeed, la Lucha embodies so many elements of Mexican culture, even cuisine. The typical food to eat at la Lucha is a “cemita,” essentially a very elaborate hamburger with fried meat, potatoes, avocado and cheese.
On Saturday two classmates and I toured around the Historic Center of Puebla. Even though it began to rain somewhat heavily mid-afternoon, that didn’t stop us from visiting half a dozen churches, the market, an antique sale and the Amparo Museum (a museum with ancient artifacts from the times of the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayans and more). Not surprisingly, our conversations often drifted toward the topic of food. It seems like there are countless dishes that are variations of the basic ingredients: tortilla, frijoles, chicken, lime, salt, chile and oil. That, paired with pan dulce (sweet bread) and a café for breakfast, could easily equate to a very typical day of eating. Many of my Mexican friends seem to be on a mission to expose me to the cuisine of Puebla dish by dish. For lunch we ate posole, a rich soup made with a meat broth (in this case pork) with corn kernels, chile, lime, oregano and other spices. It’s eaten with fried tortilla chips, the perfect dish for a rainy afternoon.
Family: Naturally, food is a big component of any family get-together. My host mom’s side of the family is not only large, but also within the close vicinity of the house so it’s not uncommon for one of the daughters or a son-in-law to spontaneously drop by the house and chat in the kitchen for a while. On the weekend there is always a big family lunch (though it’s more like a dinner to me because we don’t eat until 4 or 5 pm). The three daughters and their families meet at a restaurant, the family owned taquería or someone’s home and converse for up to five hours. This weekend we met twice because Monday was a holiday. One of the highlights of the most recent meal together was playing Twister and dancing to traditional Mexican music with my host mom’s five-year old granddaughter.
There’s so much more to tell, but I’m afraid that this is already a rather long post! Thanks for reading my blog.
Academics: After three weeks of shadowing nearly twenty classes, I finally settled on four classes that are engaging in both the topic and classroom dynamics: History of Mexico, Literature (1900-present), Agriculture and Sustainability (Economics) and Sustainable Rural Development (Economics). I’m also hoping to dedicate time to research on the history of chocolate as an independent project this semester. Apparently my interest in the history of chocolate is not as crazy as it sounds; I recently had coffee (well, in my case hot chocolate) with a history student who wrote her thesis on the history of chocolate in Mexico. We chatted for nearly three hours, not just about chocolate but about the overall importance of family and cuisine in the formation of cultural identity. She and I have much in common!
Socially: I’m gradually getting to know my Mexican classmates and have begun spending time hanging out with them outside of the classroom setting. Last Monday a few of us went to la Lucha Libre (a wrestling match that’s held every Monday). Though wrestling is certainly something that I normally gravitate toward—in fact this was my first time watching a match—it’s apparently very popular in Mexico so I wanted to give it a try. When I came back to the house that night covered in confetti from the cheering crowds, my host mom made a very insightful remark that la Lucha that it is “muy mexicana” (a very Mexican thing). Indeed, la Lucha embodies so many elements of Mexican culture, even cuisine. The typical food to eat at la Lucha is a “cemita,” essentially a very elaborate hamburger with fried meat, potatoes, avocado and cheese.
On Saturday two classmates and I toured around the Historic Center of Puebla. Even though it began to rain somewhat heavily mid-afternoon, that didn’t stop us from visiting half a dozen churches, the market, an antique sale and the Amparo Museum (a museum with ancient artifacts from the times of the Olmecs, Aztecs, Mayans and more). Not surprisingly, our conversations often drifted toward the topic of food. It seems like there are countless dishes that are variations of the basic ingredients: tortilla, frijoles, chicken, lime, salt, chile and oil. That, paired with pan dulce (sweet bread) and a café for breakfast, could easily equate to a very typical day of eating. Many of my Mexican friends seem to be on a mission to expose me to the cuisine of Puebla dish by dish. For lunch we ate posole, a rich soup made with a meat broth (in this case pork) with corn kernels, chile, lime, oregano and other spices. It’s eaten with fried tortilla chips, the perfect dish for a rainy afternoon.
Family: Naturally, food is a big component of any family get-together. My host mom’s side of the family is not only large, but also within the close vicinity of the house so it’s not uncommon for one of the daughters or a son-in-law to spontaneously drop by the house and chat in the kitchen for a while. On the weekend there is always a big family lunch (though it’s more like a dinner to me because we don’t eat until 4 or 5 pm). The three daughters and their families meet at a restaurant, the family owned taquería or someone’s home and converse for up to five hours. This weekend we met twice because Monday was a holiday. One of the highlights of the most recent meal together was playing Twister and dancing to traditional Mexican music with my host mom’s five-year old granddaughter.
There’s so much more to tell, but I’m afraid that this is already a rather long post! Thanks for reading my blog.
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