Tag Archives: Photography

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!

Get to the Art Museum!

We all talk about how blessed we are with the arts and culture scene here in Mazatlán. When is the last time you made it inside the art museum? Right now they have two incredible exhibitions running that are well worth your time!

The first is a photography exhibit that was over a year in the making, as it was Sichem Rizo Alvarez’s final project for his master’s in photography in Barcelona. You may have seen some of his imaginary Carnaval Queen photos that are reminiscent of Tammy Faye-Baker’s mascara-streaked, tearful face. The first time I saw one I thought, “cool, but a bit cliché.” Then I went to the exhibit! Sichem has combined his photographs with a narration that speaks to the power of Carnaval royalty, of our local “royal” dynasties in which great-grandma, grandma, mom and daughter have all been queens, the high highs of the week-long festivities followed by the letdown lows many royals can feel afterwards. He has set the exhibit up with lighting reminiscent of our iconic Mazatlán Carnaval lights. I black drape divides the space into before and after Carnaval. His mother stitched up the queen’s dress, which is displayed on a mannequin. Titled “Queen of Gold Tinsel,” (Reina de Oropel) the exhibit speaks to the ephemeral nature of beauty, youth and fame. You will find it in the gallery on the left as you enter the art museum downtown. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

The second exhibit resides in the gallery to the left of the stairs. It may look like another photography show, but it is a retrospective of the oil paintings of a young man from El Habal, José Luis Tirado Lizárraga. His work is so incredibly realistic that I honestly kept doubting it was oil painted! He works with a dry brush, so it’s hard to see any paint on the paper or canvas, and much of the framed work on paper is under glass, making it look like a print. But the television will show video of how he sketches and then freehand paints with incredibly life-like detail. What an amazing talent!

As always, entry to our state-government-sponsored art museum is free of charge. The exhibits will be there all of March, so be sure to stop in. They are open 9-3 Tuesday through Saturday except on Wednesday they close at 1 pm. Address is Sixto Osuna and Venustiano Carranza downtown, tel. 669-981-5592.

Personal Invite to 2 Art Events

I hope you’ll join me for two events, both to be held a couple of blocks from one another in Centro Histórico on Friday, November 22nd.

Book ReadingThe first will be a reading from the book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats. Edited by Janet Blaser—who will facilitate the event—the book is a terrific read for anyone thinking about life abroad or already living it. Local residents Susie Morgan, Nancy Seelye, Lisa Lankins and yours truly will be reading from our chapters.

Please join us at El Recreo, Constitución 209, from 3:00 – 5:00 pm on Friday Nov. 22, 2019 for the book event. The event requires registration, and will have a 50 peso or so fee to cover the venue rental.

Magic of Black and White

Then, have a nice dinner somewhere and join us again at 7:00 pm for the very first group art exhibit that I have curated! It will be a photo show entitled, The Magic of Black and White. If you click “Going” on the Facebook link, it will remind you so you don’t miss this terrific opening. Participating photographers include Alwin van der Heiden, Lucila Santiago, Marcopolo Amarillas, Christian Lizárraga, and yours truly.

The photo exhibit will open on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6:30 pm in Baupres Gallery, next to Casa Haas on Heriberto Frías, across from Hector’s. There will be wine and hors d’oeuvres. The show will continue every day through 21st December, 2019. I very much hope that I’ll see you and your friends there!

Please help me pass the word about both of these events. Be sure to put them in your calendar so you don’t miss out! They’ll both be a lot of fun, and you’ll be supporting and encouraging your creative neighbors and friends.

City Nature Challenge

43676323_731335040547404_6810896483013885952_oOutdoor enthusiasts, environmentalists and photographers delight in the wealth of flora and fauna to be found in Mazatlán. Now we have a terrific chance to let the world know about the incredible biodiversity of our urban area—we are much more than just sun and beach!

Francisco Farriols Sarabia, local naturalist guru, along with our Faculty of Marine Sciences have registered Mazatlán for the City Nature Challenge 2019, or Reto Mundial de la Naturaleza Urbana. The effort is officially supported by the Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) and the National Commission on Biodiversity (CONABIO). The goal is to put us firmly on the international ecotourism map. I hope that you, your friends and family will join in as citizen ecologists! If you are a teacher, let’s get the students involved, too! There is a nice online education toolkit. Let’s do this! Let’s put Mazatlán on the map for good reason!

The challenge will take place April 26-29, 2019, and there will be several pre-event warm-ups or “BioBlitzes.” To participate you’ll need your cell phone or a camera and the iNaturalist app—you can install it on your phone and/or register and use via your desktop on a web browser. If you prefer to work in Spanish, the fully synched Mexican equivalent is Naturalista.mx.

City Nature Challenge is an initiative started in 2016 as a friendly competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco during Citizen Science Day. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences wanted to highlight urban biodiversity in their cities, and asked residents and tourists alike to help them document it. The multi-day effort met with such success that, three years later, over 100 cities worldwide are registered to participate! Their website states that in 2016:

Over 20,000 observations were made by more than 1000 people in a one-week period, cataloging approximately 1600 species in each location, including new records for both areas. During the 2016 CNC, we heard so much excitement and interest from people in other cities that we decided we couldn’t keep to the fun just to ourselves. In 2017 the City Nature Challenge went national, and in 2018, the CNC became an international event!

I first learned about City Nature Challenge back on October 13th, when Paco (Francisco) held a meeting of local photographers up at Estero del Yugo, to help get the effort started. Since then Paco has decided to hold mini-challenges, to help more people become involved and ready for the big effort.

48380454_2035974423369486_863078217911631872_oThe second BioBlitz or mini-challenge will be held at the lighthouse beginning 8-11am on Saturday January 12th. Register with inaturalist.org and bring your cell phone or camera of your choice. Together we’ll have fun, get out, breathe some fresh air and get some exercise, and learn a bit more about our local flora and fauna. It’ll be a great way to get trained and prepared for the main challenge in April!

iNaturalist.org is a really cool platform where normal people like you and me can register photos we take of plants, animals, insects or marine life. We upload a photo we’ve taken, along with the place and the date on which we captured the pic. If you know what the plant or animal is, you label it. If not, somebody who does know will fill it in for you, and you can “accept” their ideas and recommendations, or choose which one is correct. In this way we all learn a bit, and scientists are able to track migration routes and the proliferation of different species. Paco himself has more than 35,000 identifications and 2200 species registered! Me? I have about ten…

I hope you’ll join me, both on the January 12th and in April for the main event! Please help me get the word out by sharing this and inviting your friends and family to join in! Together we can build more ecological awareness and care in our fair city.

Art Walk Golden Zone!

We love Art Walk/Camino de arte in our historic center, now there will be a new one in the Golden Zone! There are over two dozen artists in various media participating (painting, photography, sculpture, jewelry, drawing) and it looks to be a whole lot of fun! I will have Thru Di’s Eyes Photography at Athina Spa in the Golden Zone, and I hope to see you there!

The dates vary a bit due to Carnavál, etc., but Art Walk GZ will take place once a month on Wednesdays from 2 – 6 pm, so there will still be daylight and you can enjoy dinner afterward. Dates are: November 14, December 19, January 16, February 13, March 13 and April 10. Rumor has it there will be margaritas in the main office, Mazatlan4Rent.

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Below is a map of the participating locations, and there is also a Facebook page so that you can stay up to date, ask questions, or interact with the organizers and artists.

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Finally, below you will find a list of the participating artists and the event’s sponsors. Let’s join in and support our local art scene!

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