Diciembre en Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico

We have been back in Progreso since December 2 and have settled into our place here for the next three months. We flew into Merida which is the capital city of the Yucatan and then drove to Progreso, a beach town about 20 kms north on the Gulf of Mexico.

Most people only know Cancun and the Mayan Rivera which are tourist areas in the Yucatan. We are west of that and when we flew into Cancun in other years it took us 5 hours by bus to get here. So flying into Merida this year was so much easier since the owners of our rental picked us up at the airport and we were here in no time.

 

Since it is the beginning of December in Mexico it is Guadelupe's time...the first twelve days of December are devoted to Our Lady of Guadelupe and her symbol is everywhere. Guadelupe is the symbol of Catholic Mexicans, the Virgin who appeared in 1531 on a hillside in Mexico City and subsequently performed many miracles.

 

All over Mexico there are celebrations in her honor, in all the churches...

Don paying his respects...

One tradition is to have parades both large and small...

On one Sunday there was a calvacade of motorcycles coming down the Malecon, the beachfront street. They were from all over Mexico.

We were sitting on the beach that day enjoying the weather...

 

Another day I saw a small group of people following this truck that had her statue in the back...

( by the time I took the picture they had taken her elsewhere)

Groups of people also run all over Mexico where they make a promise to The Lady that they will lead better lives and run to prove it...

 

On December 12, the Day of the Virgin, there are masses and celebrations held in many places. On the way to my school in Chixculub, a small town a few kms away I came across one in the town square. It was sponsored by the taxi drivers as Dec 12 was the special day for them. They held Mass, fed the people of the town and then did a presentation of Guadelupe. In talking to some of the drivers I found out they had run from their town to Vallollidid which is over 100 kms away. These traditions are very interesting to me and I find out a little more about them everytime I visit.

Gathering for Mass

 

These people were cutting up the roasted pig which they served to the crowd. Chixculub is a very poor village so most every family was there for the feast which meant there were very few children in our English class that day. First things first!

Presenting Her Lady...

 

People also set up altars in front of their houses...

 

December is a month full of music here in Progreso with many events, most of them taking place in the main church. One of the families I met last year has a daughter who plays in the Young People's Orchestra of Progreso so we were invited to the concert one Saturday night. The music and singing were just beautiful with a large orchestra and choir. Bernardo, the father, says the instructors are Professors of Music from the University in Merida. A few pictures that aren't great as I was regulated to the back of the church but hopefully will give you a sense of the concert.

 

 

 

 

The month of December here in Progreso also brings a number of Nortes, cold fronts that move in with lots of wind and rain. The night of the concert one came and in an hour a lot of rain fell, so when the concert was over the few of us visitors got up to leave even though it was still pouring outside. None of the Mexicans were leaving and looked at us as if we were crazy. Finally one of the woman came over to say it was dangerous to walk and they would give us a ride which we gratefully accepted especially when we saw the conditions outside...

The Center of town was flooded, many cars submerged and water running everywhere. In this place there are very few drains so the water stays on top and floods whatever is around. We could now see why the locals said it was dangerous!

 

The beach also becomes deserted during the Nortes...

 

Not many people under the palapas today!

When the weather clears we spend a lot of time in our pool which is in the back of the house...

Also the best clothesline ever...with the sun and wind clothes dry almost instantly!

Don in the pool on Christmas Day!

 

Here there is not a tradition of gift giving at Christmas though there are some signs that people are starting...

The Main Street in Progreso was very busy when we walked there on Christmas Eve. However the vendors were only selling small toys like balls and trucks and little dolls. Others were buying piñatas which are hung here during the year at many celebrations...

 

On Christmas Eve families attend church, then go home to a big family dinner that lasts for hours and then December 25 is much like any other day. There is a lot of emphasis on the Nativity but the Baby Jesus is not placed in the manager until December 25 after the church service where he is blessed.

Notice there isn't a baby in the manager when I took the picture on Christmas Eve but there would be one the next day.

We went to two services on Christmas Eve, the first in the Presbyterian Church which held an English speaking Candlelight Carol...

A small but welcoming church

 

We then went to the Catholic Mass which is the highlight of Christmas here. The place was filled to the brim inside and crowds lined up outside. The service starts with the blessing of the Baby Jesus, and ends with many bringing their dolls to be blessed before they place them in the family's nativity scene. Also quite an upbeat service with lots of singing and clapping....

 

The Children's Choir

A Capella Choir...one of the best we have ever heard! Both these choirs performed before the Mass started.

One of the processions...

Bringing the family's Baby Jesus to be blessed...

Lining up to kiss the Baby Jesus which was blessed by the priest at the beginning of the service, this is the last part of the service.

The crowds lining up outside to receive the blessing of the Baby Jesus.

As we walked home the main square was full and in the houses we passed families gathering for their traditional meal.

The Christmas tree in the Square

On Christmas Day we were invited to dinner with our hosts and some other ex pats that live here in Progreso...

The meal prepared by Pam was delicious and tasted like home!

 

So that was our Christmas in Progreso and as I write this post on December 27 there are few signs of what we know as a traditional season. People are back to work, the ones on holidays are on the beach and we are into our Mexican routine which is quite laid back and relaxed.

So we hope you are enjoying your Christmas wherever you are and I will post again soon about our trip to a Mayan village and our welcome to the new year here in Mexico.

 

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The last post from Rome

We have been very busy since we came to Rome but have just scratched the surface of all there is to see here. This post will highlight some of the places we have seen.

Our first glimpse of St. Peter'sBasilica

St. Peter's Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world was started in 1526 and consecrated in 1626. It is built over the burial place of St. Peter, the first Pope.

 

The Baslica is built at the top of St.Peter's Square which is formed by two colonades with statues of saints at the top.

In the Square there is a plaque showing the spot where Pope John Paul was shot.

There are always people either lined up to go in or just coming out of the church.

 

The Holy Door which is only opened every 25 years to allow pilgrims to enter.

This church is huge and the scale is almost impossible to realize even when you are there.

Michelangelo's Pieta, done when he was in his 20s depicting Mary and Jesus.

Don by the remains of Pope John Paul which are in a very simple coffin.

The massive altar

Lots of gold everywhere

 

The view of the square from the porch of the church, quiet an impressive visit here.

But so many other sites to see....The Pantheon, the best preserved building from Roman times.It is now a church where the bodies of many of the early martyrs are buried.

 

It was quite amazing to think this was rebuilt in 126AD by the Emperor Hadrian and is in such great shape.

Then there is the Coliseum which is the largest amphitheatre in the world and buillt in only ten years from 70-80AD using thousands of slaves. It was considered to be one of the great engineering feats of its' time and even today is hard to believe how it was built.

 

 

 

The theatre was used for gladiatorial events, public spectacles and was even flooded to have warship battles. It seated up to 80,000 people. When we were there it was easy to imagine the cheers of the crowd and the roars of the lions.

A view from the top level where the women and lower classes were allowed.

These are a reconstruction of the marble seats where the Emperor and associates would sit.

Here you can also see part of the reconstruction of the floor which was made of sand to absorb the blood and had trap doors through which the gladiators and animals would pop up. There was a lot of theatre involved in producing the games.

 

The underground would house the animals, gladiators and slaves who were involved in the matches. There was a tunnel that would run from the residences of the gladiators and slaves as they would not be allowed in the free world.

A Christian cross to commemorate the Christians who were killed there.

Original brick work from 7th century.

Just down the via are the Imperial forums which were the center of Roman life, business and religion.They are not as well preserved as over the centuries the building materials were recycled for other building projects around Rome.

Blocks of marble are lying around the grounds.

Walking through this section of Rome definitely felt like we were walking through history.

 

Our final day we went underground to see some of the layers of history that Rome is built on. We visited San Clemente church which was built in the 12th century but due to running water keeping the priest awake he started digging to see where it originated and discovered three more layers dating back to 1AD

 

 

The 12th century church today.

We literally walked down through layers of churches built one on the other, here is the 2nd century church.

We also visited the Catacombs where both the Pagans and Christians buried their dead as they were not permitted to bury them in the city. Again there are layers upon layers of tombs, the one we visited was over 17 acres. Here you can see the holes in the walls where they buried the dead.

We then visited a church where the monks have used the bones of their brethern to decorate a number of rooms...

The skull room, yes they are real skulls.

Decoration on one of the ceilings,a very creative use of bones!

So our trip has come to an end and as we reflect on the last 7 weeks there were so many highlights and wonderful experiences. Switzerland and Italy are both countries we would like to revisit,but with so much on our list we don't know when that might be. So we are happy that we got to the opportunity to enjoy them now.

Our last picture from Rome...

 

 

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