Keeping Tradition Alive...The Grande Finale of my Mexican Life

Our best laid plans all came true.  With our Mexican loving amigos, Mike and Dee who live in Zihuatanejo 8 months of the year,  Gene prepared our faithful "steed", our highly dependable but well-aged Ford Explorer with the Thule rack on the roof for added storage space and off we went to the "largest craft fair in Latin America".  This is my fifth time at the "Domingo de Ramos" fair and it has become for me, a tradition to mark the end of my Mexican life for another year.  

 

The drive itself is a welcome relief from the warm, humid air on the Southern Mexico coast.  Only 3 hours away, but several thousand feet above sea level, the pine trees and avocado plantations in the volcanic mountain-ringed town of Uruapan are just one indicator of the cultural variety that is in store for visitors to Michoacan.  Jacaranda trees in full bloom lined the bustling agricultural periphery, but as always we headed to our favorite lunch stop adjacent to Rio Cupatitzio's beautiful park,  the  Restaurant La Trucha. Their signature dish, trout with macadamia nuts put a smile on Mike's face and for me, the wonderful Guacayama drink that blends the regional Hass avocado with local citrus juices was perfect.  Delicious!

 

After checking in to our favorite Hotel Mi Solar in El Centro we began familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the fair...luckily tradition trumps novelty and familiar vendors of things small and large were in their usual locations.  It's a feast for the senses.

 

The next morning begins with a parade of artisans, so we threaded our way through the building crowds to find the perfect place to watch.   

 After the parade, the crowds line up outside the Casa de Cultura for entry into the juried competition.  The crème de la crème of art, grouped by gendre and bought up by the savvy shop owners, travellers who have come to Uruapan for this special opportunity. 

 

 A new addition to the fair this year was the music stage with a Mexican philharmonic orchestra playing at sunset while we dined at Hotel Plaza overlooking the lively street scene. 

 The full moon rising over the lights of the cathedral looked so beautiful.

 For many of the indigenous people, Palm Sunday is the focus.  Highly decorative weavings of palms and some with more of a "glitz" factor are lined up around the streets outside the churches. 

 And the ever popular demonstration and food court featuring locally prepared traditional foods was a crowd success...so successful that we decided to avoid the crowds this year and return next year with our Mexican friend Monica who will accompany us on our next tour focusing on the women's art and tradition of preparing foods over wood fired stoves.  Note the new effective blue and white corn being rolled on the metate for fresh woodfire grilled tortillas...hmmm...next year!

 Uruapan has just the right climate to grow plants that thrive in the cool, fresh air and daytime heat.  And just like the plants that abound...we too found the fresh air and beauty of the fair just the treat we needed to energize us to begin the pack up that ends my Mexican Life for this season.   

Back in Zihua, the sad reality is we have to say goodbye to friends and neighbours whom we love.  10 days from today we will once again bring Cori back to his adopted home of Canada.  I'm ready to begin becoming Canadian yet again....