notes and reflections

If you have an opinon to express or a cause to champion, the time to do so seems to be Sunday morning.  This past weekend there were two groups of paraders along the main street of Morelia.  The first group of over 1,000 was dressed in white and was registering its complaint against abortion. Closely following was the second, an equal number, endorsing a political candidate. This group wore bright red shirts with the letter F on them.  The two groups made an interesting contrast, the first serious, generally quiet and religious although armed with drums and many banners, the second more fun-loving with small girls turning handsprings, stiltwalkers, dancers and young men with bodies and heads painted silver and juggling flaming torches. Two political statements yet two very distinct methods of expression.

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Just a block west and south of the Basilica in Patzcuaro is the large city plaza dedicated to Don Vasco de Quiroga, the savior priest of the city.  There are three fountains in the plaza, with a statue of Don Vasco gracing the center and largest. Across the boundry streets on all sides are arcaded walkways with shops and restaurants where you can sit and enjoy a meal or a much needed piece of chocolate cake and a cup of coffee.  On Saturday and Sunday evenings the walkways and plaza are crowded with couples and families and, as in other plazas around Michoacan, here you can see troops of dancers performing the Baile de los Viejitos, the dance of the little old men.

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In a Catholic city in a Catholic country the bells of countless churches peal out their messages not simply on Sunday but every day of the week. Most of the population of Morelia probably lives within walking distance of a church and most probably wake at least once a week to the insistant clamor of bells.  Probably too, most citizens understand the message the bells are trying to convey.  To someone unaccustoned to the culture however, the message is confounding since the often repetitive ringing doesn´t seem to signal the passage of the hour exactly nor occur at any specific time but rather seems to be issuing a long demanding appeal to the city´s citizens to wake up, pay attention, come to worship or if you´re so lost in sinfulness that you won´t come to church, at least consider the source of this voice and consider the rewards of renunciation. 

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The city of Uruapan in the state of Michoacan is famous for its abundance of water which in turn makes possible the area`s fertile agricultural production, particularly the cultivation of avacados and grapefruit.  The major source of this water is the river Cupatitzio which flows through the city creating the Eduardo Ruiz National Park, a rich, dense, sprawling tropical garden of bubbling rapids, waterfall-fed pools and spectacular fountains.

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