The All About San Miguel Mexico Newsletter
Volume i-4
October 16, 2003

Brought to you by:
www.internetsanmiguel.com and www.thesanmiguelchronicles.com 

The Weather & Flowers in San Miguel

Some of the worst flooding in 30 years has hit most of Mexico�in particular the Federal District, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Yucat�n, Quer�taro and Guanajuato.

Here in San Miguel de Allende floods have been limited to low-lying agricultural areas but the rains still continue. At night, our sleep is disturbed by loud thunderbolts and our gardens are soaked through.

As ever, the sun makes brave attempts to shine through the daytime hours. The positive side of the rains is that the countryside is a-bloom with purple cosmos, blue morning glories and other wild flowers in a riot of colors that make a drive in the countryside a must.

If you can't drive, a walk under the portales in the Jard�n will be equally delightful as the flower vendors collect and sell masses of wildflowers�they are short-lived but their colors will brighten your home even if for a brief moment.

The Day of the Dead

Celebrations for the Day of the Dead are considered the most traditional of all Mexican fiestas, the origins or which date back to pre-Hispanic times and are celebrated throughout the country.

The festivities can be traced back to those held in the Aztec month of Miccailhuitontli that the Spanish conquerors later changed to the Christian celebration of All Saints' Day on November 1st. The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 2nd the busiest time at all local cemeteries. Click to learn more about Mexican Fiestas and Religious Celebrations.

In San Miguel de Allende, the first signs of these celebrations are the stalls laden with calaveras (skulls) made from a sugar paste (alfe�ique), often personalized with the most popular Christian names. In the panader�as the shelves are laden with pan de muertos�one of the many offerings that will be placed on the festive altars found in homes and public places throughout the town.

Altars usually commemorate the death of a close relative or important public figure with a framed photograph, a profusion of flowers�mostly the traditional zempazuchitl (marigold)� mementoes, fruits and favorite foods of the departed. This is also the time of year when cemeteries are spruced up and the living attend to the graves of their relatives with much fresh paint, fresh flowers and in preparation for the night vigil, offerings of food and beverages to sustain the living. Candles everywhere provide lighting and create the appropriate atmosphere for contemplation.

On of the more spectacular celebrations of the Day of the Dead takes place in nearby Patzcuaro in the state of Michoac�n. Tourists from many countries come to see the festivities on the island of Janitzio lit up at night with thousands of candles and the famous cemetery at Tzintzuntzan, capital of the ancient pur�pecha kingdom.

An additional attraction in Patzcuaro, is the annual arts and crafts festival held in the big Plaza de Don Vasco the week prior to the Day of the Dead celebrations. Michoacan's artists and artisans are recognized as some of the most original and creative in Mexico (see Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art published by Fomento Cultural Banamex A.C.) and the opportunity to purchase some truly special pottery, ceramics, copper, wood carvings, silver or hand woven rebozos, often directly from the artisan who made them, make shopping here a unique experience. Click for a Photo Tour of Patzcuaro

The quality of the articles found here is top notch�witness the buyers from such classy stores as Neiman Marcus! �and the prices match the quality. For cheaper souvenirs wander over to the market.

Patzcuaro�s gigantic plazas are the best places to sit, have a cup of coffee and munch on traditional dishes such as corundas steamed in banana leaves or huichopes a variety of corn tamales.

This being a very busy time of the year, most hotels there are booked solidly but you can stay in Morelia, just a half hour away.

Getting there from San Miguel: Primera Plus runs 'express' busses to Celaya from 5.55 a.m to 18.05 p.m. on an hourly basis. Fare $30 pesos. From Celaya to Morelia busses run from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fare $95 pesos. From Morelia to Patzcuaro busses run every 30 minutes. Fare $40 pesos.

Day of the Dead Evening at Villa Jacaranda

An interesting Day of the Dead Evening will be held at the Villa Jacaranda on Saturday, November 1st from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free to the public and refreshments will be served.

An altar-making ceremony will be conducted in the Kiosk by Mar�a Teresa Valenzuela, a Mexican indigenous teacher and healer. All are invited and you can bring photographs of your loved ones and other mementos. Flowers and candles will be provided.

Camilla Sands will exhibit a series of monoprints relating to the Day of the Dead. Partial proceeds will be donated to Feed the Hungry.

A book-signing will be held by best-selling authors Linda Lowery for her new children's picture book 'Day of the Dead' (CarolRhoda Books 2003) and Richard Keep for his upcoming 'Clatter Bash' (Peachtree Press 2004), as well as their collaborative children's book 'Trick or Treat, It's Halloween' (Random House 2001).

The Festival Internacional Cervantino

It is time to start thinking about the Festival Internacional Cervantino, which opens this week in Guanajuato from October 15th through November 2nd.

This year the guests of honor are Germany, France and the State of Michoac�n. Over the 19 days of the Festival, 807 Mexican artists and 1,218 foreign artists will stage performances of opera, theater, dance, classic and contemporary music as well as jazz.

Other countries participating are the United States, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Spain, Poland, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Croatia, Singapore, Colombia, India, South Africa, Australia, Finland, Morocco and Turkey.

Some of the highlights are: a performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (October 18th) and a gala evening of opera (October 27th) with Mexican tenor Ram�n Vargas and soprano Ver�nica Villaroel from Chile.

Germany has sent two of their leading theater companies: the Deutches Theater Berlin and the Volksbuhne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

The former presents a play titled 'Emilia Galotti'�with seven actors and a corps of 40 dancers, devoid of scenery that emphasizes the body language of the actors.

The latter is presenting a play titled 'A Streetcar Named America' loosely based on Tennessee Williams play 'A Streetcar Named Desire'. Directed by Frank Castorf, who was born in East Berlin. The play addresses the contradictory effects of the consumer society and even if your knowledge of German is limited to words like gemutlichkeit or zeitgeist, the play is bound to spark divergent opinions as it has already done at its opening earlier this week in Mexico City.

The grand finale will be held at the Teatro Manuel Doblado on November 2nd with the Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Since there are over 169 functions it is impossible to list them all. But help is at hand at with a complete list and location of all events of the Festival Internacional Cervantino. Official website is: www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx. Further help is available through www.tickemaster.com.mx through which you can purchase tickets and thereby avoid a trip to Guanajuato.

Our New Director of Tourism

In his second day in office, our new Director of Tourism and Economic Development, Guillermo Gonz�lez Engelbrecht, was kind enough to receive us and inform us of his plans for encouraging tourism to San Miguel.

A graduate of the Universidad Lasalle del Baj�o, where he obtained a degree in Tourism and Hotel Management, he was previously associated with the Instituto Allende. There he was Dean of Enrollment and was active in developing the Instituto's tours and promotion of San Miguel in conjunction with Aerom�xico, Expedia and Travelocity.

Along with the newly formed Municipal Council for Tourism and Culture�a citizens' group that involves all those providing services to tourists and representatives of the many cultural institutions� Gonz�lez is confident that San Miguel de Allende's many attractions will be enhanced and attract an ever wider group of tourists.

One of Gonz�lez first objectives is to prepare a yearly calendar of events, which should be ready by the end of the month. This will be very useful for tourists who can plan ahead to enjoy events of particular interest to them.

Upcoming is the Feria de Lana y Lat�n, where San Miguel de Allende's artisans and craftsmen will be able to show off their wares in the newly refurbished Colegio Salesiano, opposite the Plaza C�vica, opening on November 20th and running for the next ten days. A great place to do your Christmas shopping!

Other subjects on Gonz�lez agenda include the reality of the construction of a suitable parking garage that the town desperately needs. The Ca�ada de la Virgen archeological site is under development by SECTUR and it is hoped it will soon be open to the public.

Questioned regarding the Las Puertas Golf Club, Gonz�lez said the project is definitely going ahead with an opening date scheduled for 2005. More information on the development will soon be available. Since this is a Jack Nicklaus course it is bound to attract golfers from around the world.

Finally it was suggested to Gonz�lez that it would be great if a late night bus service from Guanajuato could be organized for those who would like to attend some of the performances at the Cervantino Festival. He promised to check on that!

Fourth Cycle of Didactic Jazz Appreciation

Local jazz musician and educator Antonio Lozoya, bassist with the San Miguel Jazz Cats, will give a series of classes on the "History and Appreciation of Jazz", beginning Saturday, October 18, 5 p.m., Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez El Nigromante (Bellas Artes) Theater, Hernandez Macias 75.

Classes are presented in both Spanish and English.

The series is sponsored by the International Jazz Festival, in association with Bellas Artes, as a means of providing the residents of San Miguel de Allende with an opportunity to learn more about this unique musical phenomenon and prepare for the popular annual San Miguel Jazz Festival, November 27 to 29, this year celebrating its tenth anniversary.

In the first class, Saturday, October 18, Lozoya will trace the evolution of jazz from its African roots and the blues, from its birth in turn-of-the-century New Orleans to its northern migration to Chicago in the 1920s. Subsequent classes explore the flowering of swing and the big bands in the 1930s. Saturday October 25, explore the bebop revolution of the 1940s; on November 8, the cool jazz of the 1960s; on Saturday November 15, jazz fusion, Latin jazz and finally on Saturday November 22, the important jazz stylists of the last two decades.

Classic recordings from each period will be played, along with some live demonstrations (some with special guest artists).

All the leading figures who have shaped the music's evolution will be discussed, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie Perker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Wynton Marsalis.

Each hour-long class begins at 5 p.m. Classes are designed for a general audience, with no prior musical knowledge or training necessary.

Everyone is welcome. A donation of $50 pesos per class is requested. If you come to the lectures, there will be a free jazz film shown afterward.

From its inception about 100 years ago, jazz has been both reviled as the devil's music and celebrated as America's greatest contribution to the arts. The esteemed composer and critic Virgil Thompson even went so far as to call jazz "the most astounding spontaneous musical event to happen anywhere since the Reformation."

For information, call 152-0289 or 152-7599.

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