SolMate Santiago
Log #74, November 2008
Posted Sunday, 30 November, 2008
And Then There Were Three
Bucky, Chivo and Gale
We lost the custody battle. Chata's been repossessed. Shoulda hired a lawyer.
The repo is actually a good thing, on many levels.
- Chata's family misses her so much, she's going to New York to be with them. A loved kitty is always a good thing.
- And so is a lovey kitty. Now that his one-and-only isn't taking up all of his time, Chivo is becoming more human friendly. He may develop into a lap-cat, yet.
- Fewer poopers in the house extends the human travel limit. With four litter boxes and three bottoms, we'll be able to escape on longer trips abroad.
Bucky and Chivo enjoyed their funny little muffin of a playmate. But there's no pining away for the empty space she left - SolMate Santiago is a happy-go-lucky, free-for-all kitty playground. 3's enough!
Posted Tuesday, 18 November, 2008
Day of the Dead Tour, Fin
It's just natural that one should stuff oneself to the gills at a botanero when in Comala. So we did, tacos de arrachera, adobada, asada, lengua (tongue); tostadas de quacamole and pico de gallo. Then we waddled off to the bed half of Jupiter's bed and breakfast and snoozed it off under a benevolent ceiling fan.
One of Rangel's Christmas cards
Refreshed, the four of us DoD tourists gathered in the inner courtyard to learn from Jupiter how to construct an alter. The subject of our talent, Comala's favorite son, romantic artist of UNICEF Christmas card fame, Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo.
MJ, Jupiter, and Becky with our tribute to Rangel,
his picture, crosses made of beans and marigolds,
some of his favorite foods, and a bottle of tequila.
Admiring our handywork for the requisite amount of time, Jupiter encouraged us to venture forth into the streets of Comala for dinner. Well, after the huge botana lunch we had gorged only a few hours before, none of us was interested in food, so we wandered the streets and explored some of the tourist trap shops. Dark found us back at the B&B, queued for the ride to Suchitlan's cemetery.
Candles light the way for the dearly departeds' return
Suchitlan is one of the few cemeteries left in the country (or so they say), that has retained its small-town flavor. Apparently, other towns and other cemeteries are now overrun with tourists and commercialism.
Following a fun-filled day traipsing about tombs, cemeteries, alters and graves, our last stop was icing - the mask maker of Suchitlan. I won't bore you with the tourist blurb, cuz Susan has done a much better job of explaining the guy's art and the history....
Carved and primed
Finished
Modeled
Posted Thursday, 13 November, 2008
Day of the Dead Tour, Parte Dos
On to a Colima museum, Museo Universitario de Artes Populares, for a temporary exhibit for Day of the Dead.
Catrina figures
Catrina began "life" as a satirical political cartoon, but has since been adapted for general DoD use. The original premise was the age-old contrast between haves and have-nots. Today, Catrina figures abound around alters and gravesites, along with other skeletal depictions, skeleton candies, skeleton straw figures....
Grinning like a skull
After showing us the mock-ups of alters in the museum, and explaining some of the symbolism, Jupiter took us to the Colima mercado, one of the cleanest and most attractive markets I've visited. There, we gathered materials for building our own alter at Jupiter's bed and breakfast in Comala.
Jupiter and Becky shopping for beans
Posted Friday, 7 November, 2008
Day of the Dead Tour
First stop, the tombs of La Campana in Colima to get the feel of the old burial customs ... like a couple of thousand years old.
Pyramid at La Campana, restored with modern cement
The ruins stretch for miles, and the restored area
covers only a small fraction of the original settlement
Jupiter, our guide, and Stan opening the tomb
Becky and Doug climbing down into the tomb
Pottery and bones in the tomb at La Campana
SolMate Santiago contact: mj(at)solmatesantiago(dot)com
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