Music Video from Mascaritas

Nothin' says lovin' American-style like Mexican Banda musicians in Indian costumes. I was, and remain, amazed.

RAB

It took awhile and I'm still not satisfied with this one, but you get the idea.

Las Mascaritas

Well, I labeled this under Jenny Winny Wino, but it might not exactly qualify. These are some pictures from a local bar called Mascaritas, "The little masks." Joe and Cita go here often, but I don't drink like those fish. I go sometimes. The bar is tiny but has the best jukebox in Tuxtepec. It is hot and the blood-sucking bugs get in, but it can be a fun place. They serve peanuts with chile powder and lime juice, and corn puff things with hot sauce on the side when you order a bunch of beer.
Odd, how I am living in the cradle of beer-land here (we are surrounded by mega-breweries for Corona in Tuxtepec. Well. One anyway.)and I would rather have wine most of the time. Go figure.

The Tower

My landlord is a Swiss named Billy. He designed and built the castle. When I first met him, he walked through the castle with me and showed me the spiral stairs that lead up to my floor from the tower. He explained that there is no rail and no center because he wanted to achieve a symmetric aesthetic, like a caracol. I can dig it. He also said, "Don't worry about falling - just keep to the sides."
Before Belly the Swiss got around to installing lights in the tower, it was pretty iffy at night and I had to stick to the walls.
Now the castle is illuminated and I get to enjoy the aesthetics.

my favorite student named Heidi

OK, I shouldn't say I have a favorite student, but I do. Her name is Heidi and she rocks! She studies quantum chemistry. She is totally cute and awesome. I do have other favorite students, I guess,, now that I think about it. And I have many many lug-nut idiot students that I hate. But I don't have pictures of them.
Here is Heidi in traditional dress, for a Chemistry Fair the school did. She had to usher some local school kids around the exhibits. And she, and everybody else, got out of class for it.
That's something I could complain about - the fact that nobody bothers to tell the English Department about ANY events so we don't know that our classes won't be happenening until we are the only ones that show up. I say I COULD complain about that, but anytime I get to spend a day without teaching, is a good time for me!

Burning the Bad

Carnaval:
Tuxtepec Style
The first night of Carnaval in Tuxtepec opens with the burning of the witch who represents all the bad feelings from the previous year. All the "mal humór."
We watched and took pictures and OF COURSE I was on the wrong side of the street to get a frontal view. Damn it.
But the witch was stuffed with fireworks so it got exciting and we had to stagger back as the little bottle rockets and sparklers went off.
Then we (the English Dept and friends) went to the Bar That Smells Like a Bar for some after-witch-burning drinkies.

Tuxtepec Piña Lady

When you cross the Papaloapan River coming into Tuxtepec from the direction of the UNPA, at the first major intersection you find the Piña Lady. They recently repainted her - which makes me think that they repaint her every year. Before they repainted her, she looked pretty Anglo - now she's darker, but still not as brown as the real people here.
There ARE still women who dress like this, but you don't see too many of them and they are mostly old women.
I see one most mornings walking to the Tux Van to come to work. She is always walking towards me on the sidewalk, dressed in her traditional costume and wearing no shoes - but with remarkably clean feet. I'm in awe. I wear shoes and my feet get filthy.