Category Archives: Expat Kids and Family

Day of the Dead 2024 in Mazatlán

Day of the Dead in Mazatlán has been our favorite holiday for over a decade. It is important to many families: cleaning and celebrating at loved one’s graves, making altars to remember our ancestors and friends, visiting the Angela Peralta Theater, and walking in the callejoneada or alley parade. We were a bit worried as right during Day of the Dead we had the transition to our new mayor and city council, so we were not sure who would be directing CULTURA Mazatlán. Fortunately, it’s again our beloved and enormously talented Raul Rico González and his terrific team.

  • This year the crew of the CMA (Centro Municipal de Artes) and CULTURA put together the 150th anniversary of our beloved Angela Peralta Theater with a magnificent homage.
  • We all marveled at the gorgeous colored streamers hanging over Calle Venus, “Calle de los Espíritus” as it’s known among locals, and I tried to capture that magic in my photos.
  • Inside the Angela Peralta Theater, in addition to the ballet and modern dance, the opera, and incredible costumes, we were privileged to view six nine-foot-tall EDIBLE CATRINAS by Luis Antonio Rios (Momo)! The opening of this exposition is tonight, Monday, 4 November, at 7pm in Galería Rubio, so be sure to go check them out this week.
  • Finally, I believe everyone fell in love with the light-up alebrijes or fantastical creatures that ended the alley parade. They were absolutely breathtaking!

You, dear reader, may have noticed that I have not written here since February 5th of this year. Did you miss me? In December Greg and I traveled to Phoenix to help a friend with cancer. She had five cats, and I have slight allergies. Sadly I soon had bronchitis and then pneumonia. Returning home in early January, my doctor gave me a CT scan (thank you, dear cats!) and found what he said was lung cancer! I have never smoked, ever; still common, he told me. On Feb 28th a terrific surgeon removed the largest lobe of my lungs, followed by chemo and targeted therapy. While I was able to photograph the total solar eclipse on April 8th, Day of the Dead is the first time in nine months I’ve had enough energy to even consider attending an event, photographing it, editing the photographs, and writing a blog post. I trust you’ll enjoy it. It’s great to be getting back (I still tire very easily; but I’m good!). I promised Greg I’d only be out two hours, and fortunately I was able to keep my word.

ALTAR TO OUR FRIEND JORGE MEDINA
We left home at 6:30 pm to get to Casa del Caracol by 7 to join family and my book club members at the altar in memory of Jorge Medina, our dear friend and colleague. We worked with Jorge for over 20 years on the Chicken Breakfast and loved him dearly. He died from cancer, so the fact that my diagnosis came at the same time as his passing was personally poignant.

CRÓNICAS DEL TEATRO
We then headed back to the Plazuela and entered the theater at 7:30. This year, the performance was entitled “Crónicas del Teatro” or “History of the Theater.” Hundreds of our Municipal Arts Center students and professionals—dancers, singers, musicians, scenographers, artists, make up and costumers, audio-visual, choreographers, and theater arts made this always-stellar evening possible! I swear it becomes more popular every year! The entrance was also decorated, and the folkloric ballet performed in the kiosk of the Machado, while a percussion ensemble regaled revelers on Calle Niños Heroes. By far my favorite events in the theater were the six huge edible catrinas and the homage to LA MAYA, the famous mazatleca boxer. I read a book on this incredible woman, way ahead of her time, and I was delighted to witness this tribute to her! Click on any image to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

CALLE VENUS / CALLE DE LOS ESPÍRITUS AND OUR GORGEOUS CENTRO HISTÓRICO
Departing the theater we heard the fireworks indicating that the callejoneada was about to begin. I’d promised not to do the three laps front to back of the entire parade as I usually do, so we left the Plazuela out the other side and attempted to go around the parade. Before returning to the car, however, I was hoping to get a photograph of someone dressed as a catrina under the ribbons on Calle Venus. By the time we arrived, the crowds had packed the street. As always, so many of our neighbors and visitors outdid themselves with their costuming and makeup! My favorite were the Xoloitzcuintles (iconic Day of the Dead dogs, painted as skeletons, of course), the young women, the old women, and the families and kids. I guess that’s maybe… everybody? Oops. We are so blessed to live here and be able to enjoy this tradition!

LA CALLEJONEADA
As I was getting waylaid by all the beautiful spectators along Calle de los Espíritus and the way getting there, suddenly the parade appeared! We had no choice but to watch it! This year’s catrina was In.Cre.Di.Ble. Some years they make her just too large and garish. This time she’s still as wide as the alley, and has a lot going on, but not quite so distracting as in some years. I loved photographing the performers as they marched and danced under the streamers. I especially loved the reflections of the colored streamers in the brass instruments!

I trust you have enjoyed viewing some of the pics. I sincerely hope you were able to participate in the festivities. Congratulations to Raul and the entire Cultura Mazatlán and CMA teams, as well as the various dance, art, and music schools involved. ¡Qué lindo es todo lo que hay en Mazatlán!

Lucha Libre Project

It’s already been nine months since I started this new photographic project. The learning curve has been steep! I’ve gained many friends and have achieved a basic understanding of a whole new world. Initially, I gave myself three years to complete this project, but not that I know the depth and complexity of this lucha libre world, it will no doubt take me longer.

King Trueno Jr makes a leap of faith onto the floor outside the ring,
in an attempt to crush his rivals Gargola, Tirano and Relámpago Jr.

Nearly every weekend I now attend a fight. I hate fighting; I am a lifelong mediator. But the lucha libre community is one of the most loving, tight, supportive, and joyous groups I’ve had the pleasure of working with. This is a multigenerational, family affair. I have grown to love foul-mouthed, hysterical grandmas engaging in their weekly catharsis from the stress of daily life; quite a few of the kids now hop into my lap or plead for me to take their photo; and I’m connecting the who’s who in these large, extended Mazatleco families. After three early injuries, I now have a better sense of the rhythm of the fights and can predict movements a bit better, though looking through a telephoto lens does not provide peripheral vision!! This project has been a blessing so far. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

Ninja Blanco jumping in for a kick
Destello closeup
Mexican Pacific Pair Championship Belts were won last night.
Shaggy, the referee, attacks one of the fighters!
Destello is pushed off by Gárgola.
Prince Astaroth in his new incarnation as a good guy Técnico
Relámpago Jr saults from the ring.
Super Calo Jr, one of my favorites.
When these giants land on the mat it’s like an earthquake!

The luchadores are athletes, first and foremost. Their muscles are real, their pain is real, their blood is real, as are their injuries. Yes, they slap the mat as they land a fall or a jump. Some may call that fake. The loud sound does add to the amazement, but the slap also helps break the fall and spreads out the impact of the crash. Yes, the rudos (heels) sort of catch the técnicos (good guys) to break their fall from flight, but without that reality we would not have their flying to delight us.

I am happy to say that I am finally learning who is who in our local lucha libre community. Meeting them in street clothes vs. masked and suited up, some of them with multiple characters, it’s been difficult for my brain-damaged memory to retain. Add to that the fact that they change outfits regularly, and even change masks—at least the colors or design details. Not to mention some of these warriors lose their masks and become unmasked, or vice-versa. Soon I will head to Japan to interview and hopefully photograph fighters there who have studied here in Mexico.

Last night was incredible. Soooooo much aerial work! The children had a field day, as did the adults. The most touching moment of the evening came after the fourth and final match. Antrax, the gargantuan co-founder of Project Lucha, lost his father on Saturday. And on Sunday he showed his professionalism and showed up for the main fight against Culiacán! My respect. I would never be able to show up for work the day after a parent died. He knelt in tribute to his father, as did his arch-rival, the Perro de Culiacán. The whole community joined him in his grief, and what better gift is there than to have friends like that?

Anthrax praying for his father

Defending a Lucha Libre Championship

Lightweight champion Prince Astaroth with Ref Shaggy and Trainer Antrax

Sunday night, November 26th, I learned how a luchador (lucha libre wrestler) defends a championship title. A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Prince Astaroth, a local luchador who works with Project Lucha out of Arena Mazatlán/Wrestlers’ Gym in Colonia Juárez. He told me he his proudest moment was winning his championship belt in the ligero or lightweight class.

A week or so later I had the privilege of taking his portrait, and Prince Astaroth proudly brought his championship belt along for the photo session. Astaroth is a demon, and no, we did not actually light Devil’s Cave on fire. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

Portrait of Prince Astaroth
with his sword
Prince Astaroth jumping
into the fire at Devil’s Cave
Watch out for this incendiary demon!
Astaroth does seem to respect his ancestors
Prince Astaroth shoots fire at my camera
during a portrait session

Imagine my surprise, then, when the announcement for the following week’s Sunday evening fight was for him to defend that title! His challenger would be Hijo del Relámpago (son of Relámpago), a member of a local familia luchística (luchador family or dynasty). His father is Relámpago (Lightning Bolt), who is his trainer, and his brother is Relámpago Junior.

As with any match, it began with grand entrances (at Arena Mazatlán the wrestlers come downstairs into the ring area). Prince Astaroth of course entered proudly with his championship belt in hand. Once his contender had also entered the ring, the referee was introduced. Tonight’s ref would be the enormously popular rudo (heel or “bad guy”), Shaggy. A first for me, however, was that next Marcelo, the administrator of the local branch of the National Lucha Libre Wrestling Association entered the ring. I had not witnessed that before. His job, he told me, was to supervise that this championship match would be clean, fair, and orderly.

Prince Astaroth, the defending lightweight champion
Posing before the match began
The championship belt
Marcelo the Wrestlling Association administrator

The match then proceeded for the usual three rounds, with the winner of each round pinning the loser for a count of three. The belt would go to the winner of two out of three. It was an enormously physical match, with both fighters flying out of the ring multiple times. There were flying kicks to the head and mat-bound kicks to the groin.

Prince Astaroth in red, Hijo del Relámpago in white
Prince Astaroth in red, Hijo del Relámpago in white
Prince Astaroth in red,
Hijo del Relámpago in white

Both Prince Astaroth and Hijo del Relámpago are incredible flyers and fighters. Below is a sequence of three photos showing the defending champion leaping from the turnbuckle or top rope onto his challenger.

Astaroth jumps from the turnbuckle
Jumping down onto Hijo del Relámpago
Almost making contact with the challenger on the floor

The highlight of the fight was Prince Astaroth setting up a wooden door against a chair. Once he’d subdued Hijo del Relámpago, he once again climbed up to the turnbuckle and lept down on top of his opponent. His target was conscious enough to be able to roll out of the line of Astaroth’s landing, and the champ crashed through the door, breaking the chair. Hijo del Relámpago then quickly got up to switch places and pin the champion, as shown in the sequence of seven photos below.

Prince Astaroth above, Hijo del Relámpago lying on the door below
Astaroth jumps toward his challenger
Hijo del Relámpago rolls and Astaroth himself hits the wooden door
Prince Astaroth has broken both the wooden door and the plastic chair
He seems to be stunned
Astaroth seems dizzy
Hijo del Relámpago quickly seizes the moment and pins the champ

In the end, Prince Astaroth was declared victorious and retained his championship belt. Both fighters were completely exhausted; the defending champ had to be held up to be declared victor. 

Prince Astaroth retains the lightweight title.

The trainers for each of the two wrestlers were ringside, and what was particularly interesting is they appeared to hate one another.  They wrestled each other on the floor several times. Prince Astaroth’s traine, Antrax,r threw punches and attacked both Hijo del Relámpago and his trainer, Relámpago. The ref, Shaggy, in true form, failed to intervene in time to prevent the illegal fights, and he was angry at Astaroth throughout the match. Even after Prince Astaroth won and was declared to retain his championship, he joined forces with his trainer in classic rudo form to kick and roll the losing Hijo del Relámpago out of the ring, much to the consternation of his father (pointing on the left of the third photo below).

Team Astaroth kick and roll
Hijo del Relámpago out of the ring
Team Astaroth kick the challenger onto the floor in true rudo/heel fashion
Relámpago, the challenger’s trainer, angrily curses at Team Astaroth

Many Sundays at 7:00 p.m. there are lucha libre matches in Arena Mazatlán. Please note that this pin will take you right to the arena, Wrestler’s gym, on José Maria Pino Suarez street. The next fight night will be December 3rd: announcement below. Entrance costs $80 pesos/person. Lucha libre is a Mexican tradition and cultural heritage with a lot of richness and complexity. Originally imported from Mexican-Americans in the USA in the 1930s, Mexico has made professional wrestling its own and even exported it to Japan and beyond.

You are cordially invited to the next fight on Sunday December 3rd. The fight’s
announced for 7:00 p.m., and usually starts about 8:00 p.m.

You will find all ages at the matches; the children play in the ring between matches and have the time of their lives. Everyone shouts and laughs, and only hard-core fans want to sit in the front row (wrestlers frequently fly out of the ring at those seats). Lucha libre is a whole lot of campy fun. You can buy ceviche, snacks, soda and drinks, or bring your own beer. If you love a roaring good, family-friendly time, follow Project Lucha on Facebook. They announce all the matches early in the week. Quite a few times a year there are matches at Cancha German Evers. Those will usually be announced on the Project Lucha page.

Fans on the far side of the ring last Sunday included Sandra and her granddaughters, as well as a young masked, pajama-clad boy with his Dad. There is LOTS of audience participation!

I hope to see you at a match soon! Please help us support these wrestlers who work out every single day and practice tirelessly, in the hopes of realizing their dreams and with the commitment to stay in shape and entertain.

Sponsor a Tarámari Child This Christmas

Indigenous people around the world have been marginalized for centuries, and México is sadly no exception. Please join me this holiday season to make a difference in the life of a native child by helping Tarámari schoolchildren here in Sinaloa. These kids live in unbelievably poor families, in isolated communities, and make herculean efforts to get to school. Their families often need them at home, so sticking with an education takes enormous the hard work and commitment of the entire family, plus a bit of luck.

We will work with the the Sinaloan Taramari Collective to support Tarámari children living right here in our state of Sinaloa. There are three terrific ways you can help:

1. Let us know you want to sponsor a child. We’ll get you the child’s name, gender, age and town of residence. You fill a backpack for them as you wish: you might include new toys, school or art supplies, and perhaps a set of clothing for your godchild. Please turn the backpack in by December 15th.

2. Donate money to the Colectivo Tarámari Sinaloense, and they will share with you a ticket that proves your donation went to buy products for the children. In the photo below are card numbers for you to transfer money to (you can pay at any OXXO if you don’t have a local bank account). The leader, Hortensia López Gaxiola, is well-known and trusted nationally for her social activism.

3. Donate non-perishable food items, basic food supplies. Local Mazatlán coordinator, Angela Mar Camacho, will pick them up.

Please pass the word around and thank you for your help. Let’s show these kids that Mazatlán’s foreign community supports them! ❤❤❤

Ho, ho, ho!!! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Heri za Kwanzaa! Blessed New Year!

Terrific Long Weekend from MZT

A couple of blue-footed boobies. They love to touch beaks; could it be a boobie kiss?

I recently had the enormous pleasure of spending two nights of rustic camping at an unbelievably gorgeous spot: Isla Isabel, Nayarit. It is a mini Galapagos three hours’ boat ride from San Blas, which is about a three hour drive south of Mazatlán. I went with a few biologists, an astronomer, an ornithologist and a few friends; eight people in all. The trip was incredible!

Watch till the end: a family of blue-footed boobies will greet you.

On the boat on the ride to the island we were able to jump into the Pacific with our snorkels and masks and swim with whale sharks! We were cautioned not to touch them, but mine came right up to me and stayed beside me, touching me, for a good 30 seconds while she ate from the plankton in the channel. Heaven on earth!!! Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow. All photos are available as prints; contact me privately and thank you for supporting my efforts!

Swimming with whale sharks

Also on the journey to the island we saw dozens of humpback whales, either courting, which is when you see the males hitting each other with their fins, or with their babies. While my long-held dream of catching one fully breaching went unfulfilled, I took many photos of them spewing and of that wonderful tail in the air pose.

Humpback whales with their babies

Arriving to the island I was struck by the clear blue water and the volcanic rock. The first thing we did after setting up our tents was put on our swim suits and jump into the “pozos,” naturally occurring swimming holes that surround the island. They were terrific! The waves crash into them keeping things fresh, and if you have a mask and snorkel you can see loads of fish, star fish, crabs, etc.

Swimming in the pozos or volcanic rock pools surrounding Isla Isabel

The island is well known for “Las Monas” or nearby rock outcroppings. We were able to snorkel around them from our boat. There are also a couple of nice sandy beaches.

The rock outcroppings were great for snorkeling

We chose to go in March as the boobies are nesting then. And boy, did we see boobies! Loads of my favorite blue-footed variety, as well as the brown- and red-footed boobies. The babies are cute and fluffy, with blue eyes to match their feet. Mom and Dad both tend to the nest and the offspring. On the whole the boobies were very friendly and curious. I suppose because Isla Isabel is a nature preserve, they do not seem to feel threatened by human presence. I kept my distance from the nests, however, using a long lens to get the close-up shots.

Nesting of the blue-footed boobies

I especially loved to watch the boobies fly. Their wings are apparently jointed in the middle, and as they fly they bend them vertically in the center, up and down. When they come in for a landing it is downright comical: their big round eyes look surprised or scared, their huge blue feet stick out in front of them as if to say, “Watch out! I’m coming in! Aaaahhhh!” The folding of their wings up and down at ninety degree angles is a sight to behold. In addition to my photos, I will share with you a beautiful video filmed by my dear friend Omar Calvario.

Humorous landings of the boobies with their double-jointed wings.

Wait for it! It’s worth watching the landing! Video by Omar Calvario.

During our stay the frigate birds were also nesting. As with the boobies, both parents take care of the nest and the babies. Sadly, we witnessed at least three babies fall from their nests. The biologists told us that once the baby falls to the ground, the parents abandon it. It was heart-wrenching to refrain from giving these fallen birds food or water, to preserve the natural order. They were soooo cute and very forlorn. The male frigate birds develop bright red gullets during mating season, which they inflate like balloons. They then release the air in those inflated red gullets slowly to make their mating call, which sounds like a guttural vibration or “tap tap tap.” At first I thought they were snapping their beaks together.

Nesting frigate birds; red gullets are the males

Isla Isabel is also covered with iguanas; they are everywhere. Between the huge quantity of birds, the smell of guano, and having to watch your step to avoid iguanas, I really felt that we were visiting the Land that Time Forgot. It seemed to me to be the time of the dinosaurs—a time long ago before humans ruined the natural environment of Pachamama. Below are photos of a couple of tropic birds.

Tropic birds in flight

A final blessing of our trip were clear, cloudless skies! We went during the new moon, hoping to photograph the Milky Way. We were blessed with two nights for photography. My only disappointment was that there was a sailboat off the island, exactly toward the galactic center, and it had a bright light on top of its mast. As it was inevitable, I choose to think it adds to the beauty of the photographs. I was also able to capture photos of the nesting frigates, who nest in the trees, with the Milky Way overhead. My dream had been to capture nesting boobies with the galactic center, but as they nest on the ground this was a bit more problematic. I guess I’ll just have to make another trip.

The Milky Way and galactic center as seen over Las Monas, the beach,
the small fishing port, and a frigate bird nest, all Isla Isabel.

I came home with numerous cuts, scratches, bruises and splinters. Ten days later I am still removing splinters from various spots on my body. Isla Isabel is not high-end luxury travel. I fell in love with the place and can’t wait to return. I am fearful, however, because the Mexican government is building a terminal in San Blas that will have daily ferry service to Isla Isabel as well as the Islas Marías. While they say the trips offered will be eco-touristic, it frightens me that these gorgeous nature preserves may soon be ruined. I am guessing that ferry service may make the islands more accessible as day trips, which could be nice. If you want to go, I urge you to do so soon, before it’s too late. We went with:
SARTIAGUIN TOURS Y EXPEDICIONES, Calle Valentín Canalizo, 63740 San Blas, México, Tel. 311 117 1123, e-mail: emiliosartiaguinc@hotmail.com.

If you enjoy my reporting and the photography, please help us continue it by purchasing a print. They make terrific gifts and look great in your home or office. Contact me at thrudiseyes@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +52-669-122-8962.