Tag Archives: 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

Figaro Comes to Mazatlán!

Figaro and Susanna: Esteban Baltazar (Mexican baritone) and Emma Robertson (US American soprano)

Yes, the world’s best-loved opera, the comical farce or opera buffa “The Marriage of Figaro,” has come to modern-day Mazatlán! Judging by the audience’s laughter, yells of “bravo,” and long applause, the debut of this international version is a complete hit with local audiences. There will be another production Sunday, November 19 at 7 pm, so do not miss it!

Ragnar Conde and Abdiel Vázquez greet one another on stage

“Las Bodas de Figaro” debuted in the Angela Peralta Theater on Friday night, 17 November. Scenic direction is by Ragnar Conde, and musical direction is by Abdiel Vázquez (Mexican residing in New York). The production takes place in a local hotel, and the stars are the hotel owners and staff. The voices and acting rise to the dizzying pace of the very enjoyable opera, and our local musicians from the Camerata Mazatlán demonstrate the incredible value of having such a terrific arts school in our port. Members of the Angela Peralta Chorus also make our city proud. Click on any image to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

This opera in four acts with two intermissions will keep you laughing and surprise you at every turn. You’ll find yourself hating on the Count (Andrés Asencio, Peruvian baritone), fed up with the injustices of social class differences, empathizing with the poor women, and, in the end, cheering their resourcefulness. The performance will have you reeling from lying, scheming, running, pulling, hiding, eavesdropping, infidelity, friendship, forgiveness, love, and joy.

Esteban Baltazar (Mexican bass-baritone), who sings and acts in the role of Figaro, says “This is an opera written in the 1700s, and in 2023 we have the same problems as we did back then! And we will probably continue having them till 3040.” 

Emma Robertson, who plays Susanna, Figaro’s fiancée (US American soprano), tells us, “The adaptation is very true to the original. Placing the opera in a modern-day hotel provides us with the large spaces needed as well as the clear roles and status. The count and countess own the hotel and interact with their staff. These are themes that repeat themselves in every country and across time.”

Performers in this scenically contemporized edition of the opera include:

  • Figaro, the hotel manager (traditional role of the count’s personal valet): Esteban Baltazar, Mexican bass-baritone
  • Susanna, director of the hotel spa (role of the countess’ maid) and Figaro’s beloved, soprano: Emma Robertson, from Georgia
  • Count Almaviva, owner of the hotel (the filanderer who repeatedly tries to bed Susanna): Andrés Asencio, Peruvian baritone
  • Countess Rosina Almaviva: Daniela Yurrita, soprano from Guatemala
  • Don Curzio: Luis Cornejo, Mexican tenor
  • Cherubino (traditionally the court page): Rose Ferreiro,  Mexican mezzosoprano
  • Dr. Bartolo, a medical doctor and lawyer: Juan Carlos Villalobos, Mexican tenor
  • Marcelina, Doctor Bartolo’s housekeeper: mezzosoprano Rebecca de Almeida from Brasil
  • Barbarina: Hannah Hall
  • The gardener: Rodolfo Ituarte
Playing the title role: Esteban Baltazar
The slimy, philandering Count: Andrés Asencio
The countess: Daniela Yurrita
Doctor Bartolo: Juan Carlos Villalobos
The gardener: Rodolfo Ituarte
Susanna, Figaro’s clever bride, sung by Emma Robertson

The set was masterfully designed and constructed, with movable pillars allowing for the singers to hide and eavesdrop in many different places. It also allowed the audience to feel that the show was taking place in a hotel right here in Mazatlán—the hotel lobby, oceanside pool area, the ballroom, a suite, etc. Pedro Pazarán was in charge of scenery and lighting, while Chava Banuva handled the projection. The downside for me as a photographer is that projected scenery is incredibly difficult to photograph (requiring low speed, while the actors are moving on stage), and the projected light lands on the actors’ skin and clothing, flooding them with shapes and colors. 

“The Marriage of Figaro” was composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. While the opera is based in Seville, a sequel to the “Barber of Seville,” it is sung in Italian. 

Tickets for Sunday cost between $250 to $400 pesos and can be purchased in the Angela Peralta Theater box office, in Cultura’s online box office, or via WhatsApp to 669-120-0020.

Alebrijes in Mazatlán!

Fernando Barraza with one of the group’s colibries or hummingbirds

Before the callejoneada (alley crawl or parade) on Wednesday night at 8, be sure to visit the Art Museum to see a beautiful display of cartonería — papier maché catrinas, hummingbirds (messengers between the spirit world and humanity) and alebrijes—those magical, fantastical, enormously colorful and detailed animal creatures from Oaxaca. These gorgeously bright creations will be hanging from that huge tree in the central courtyard of the Art Museum, as well as adorning an altar to departed artists, starting at 7pm Wednesday November 1, 2023. Then on Thursday, November 2, they will move into one of the museum’s galleries, with an inauguration at 4pm.

Adrián Carvajal with his alebrije
María José Rivera with her alebrije
Georgina Rodriguez with her alebrije

These beautiful handmade works are the product of a class taught by Maestro José Guzmán. He had 10-12 students over two months in his workshop at the Art Museum, and each student created at least three works and some people up to five or six. I can’t wait to see them illuminated and displayed!

Also at the Art Museum October 30 – November 1, 2023 is the Festival of Horror in the Arts. It is part of the Sinaloa Cultural Festival.

Festival of Horror in the Arts organizers invite you to join them!

The Art Museum, its altar and alebrije display is #7 on the Callejoneada for Day of the Dead map.

Eyes of the Fish Market

Mazatlecos are blessed with fresh fish and seafood. I love going to the fish markets, watching the fishermen unload their catch, and watching the sales people descale and filet the day’s offerings.

A week or so ago my photographer girlfriend Darlene and I spent a morning at the Embarcadero. I didn’t make a conscious decision to focus on eyes, but that is what emerged from my lens that morning; with a photo or two for context thrown in for good measure. I hope you enjoy!

Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow. Please let me know which is your favorite pic!

Thanks, Darlene, for joining me! And to all who graciously smiled and posed for the photos! Mazatlecos rock.

Any of my photos are available as prints. Just email me at thrudiseyes@gmail.com or WhatsApp to +52-669-122-8962 with the photo, size and backing (paper, canvas, etc) you would like a price on. You can follow my photography on Facebook or Instagram, or via my webpage at www.ThruDisEyes.com. Thanks!

Lighting the Angela Peralta on Fire!

One of the best musical, dance, and theatrical events of the year in Mazatlán occurs the weekend before Carnaval begins—the “Evening of the Arts.” The event makes the sold-out crowd that fills our historic Angela Peralta Theater beam with pride and delight at their good fortune to live here.

Saturday night February 11, 2023, talented Mazatlecos lit the stage of the Angela Peralta Theater on fire. In a program entitled “Pagan Love,” the night was directed by local legend, Maestro Enrique Patrón de Rueda—born, bred, and still residing right here in our port. The Maestro is Artistic Director of the Mexican National Opera Company, of the opera for the Mexico City Philharmonic, and of the Sinaloan Cultural Festival. Maestro Enrique was trained in the Mexican National Conservatory of Music, London Opera Center, the Royal Academy of Music, and Morley College. His conducting style is filled with passion and a heavy expression of emotion, as you can see in the photos below. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

The Amor Pagano program united Mexico’s National Dance Company, founded in 1963 and the oldest in Mexico; Mazatlán’s Ballet Company, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary; Brújula Dynamic Flamenco from Michoacán; and the Camerata Mazatlán, founded in 2006.

The second Mazatlecan showcased Saturday night was Sarah Holcombe, beautiful and talented mezzosoprano, who sang the first half of the evening’s program: “Amor Brujo” by Manuel de Falla. Born here in our port, Sarah began her opera studies in our local School of Opera under another local legend, Maestra Martha Félix, in 2007. She further developed her skills in the Angela Peralta Chorus and the Gullermo Sarabia Chorus, demonstrating the high caliber of musical education available to local youth.

Director of our Municipal School of Classical Ballet, Maestra Zoila Fernández is Mazatleca by adoption and choice, though she was born and educated in Cuba. Maestra Zoila teaches students as young as seven years old in our local ballet school and sees many through to professional careers with internationally renowned companies throughout the Americas and Europe. She choreographed the program on Saturday night, including the first act’s Amor Brujo and the final act, Carmen by George Bizet. The flamenco portion of the evening’s dance was choreographed by Nashieli Buelna, another Sinaloan talent shining brightly this Evening of the Arts.

The four key dancers from the National Ballet who starred in Carmen were Ana Elisa Mena Chávez as Carmen; Argenis Montalvo as Don José; Roberto Rodríguez as Escamillo; and Martha Mariana Romero Iribe as Destiny. Their performances were breathtaking—incredible strength, flexibility and grace reminded the audience of the unbelievably perfect beauty of a healthy body. The dancers from our Mazatlán Ballet Company and the 43 talented musicians of our Camerata Mazatlán did an outstanding job, making for an incredible night.

The ostensible reason for this incredible night’s entertainment was to celebrate the winner of the Mazatlán Prize for Literature. This year the award went to David Toscana, from Monterey, for his powerful novel entitled, “The Weight of Living on Earth” (El Peso de Vivir en la Tierra).

Many of our resident foreigners and visiting international tourists love Mazatlán for its miles of beaches, her unbelievable sunsets, the warmth and joy of her people, and our wonderful seafood. Yet another reason to love Mazatlán is for the richness and affordability of her cultural arts scene. If you have not availed yourself of CULTURA’s offerings, you are definitely losing out!