I don’t know what will. It snowed today in my hometown. It was 85 and sunny today at my home in Cuernavaca. Now it is cool and breezy.

We just spent some time strolling around on of Cuernavaca’s largest parks. Parque de la Soledaridad is very family oriented and has lots of fun things for people of all ages. There are many play structures with slides and swings; trampolines for 10 pesos for 15 minutes; open grassy areas for informal soccer matches; a smooth cement pad for rollerskating lessons; row boats for rent on a small, green pond; and huge, four-wheeled pedaled vehicles that the entire family can enjoy together. The park is shaded by many trees and has a network of paved pathways, winding around the different areas of the park.

I got such a kick out of seeing the families pedaling by on these wonderful 4-wheeled contraptions. I tried to get some pictures, but unfortunately they didn’t turn out as well as I wanted. It was just so fun to watch children laughing and playing together and the adults being with them. The air was cooling down as the sun set and there was a slight breeze blowing. It was really relaxing.

There is a huge mural on the outside of the library located in the center of the park and I got some nice shots of that. People were just strolling by, enjoying each other’s company.

We were in the zocalo of Cuernavaca the other evening, just after dark and I noticed that, in comparison to places in the U.S., the lighting is relatively low for such a large public area. Most of the light is indirect and comes from businesses or the accent lighting on the architecture. The illumination in front of the palacio de Cortez comes from the lights hung by the owners of the individual stands in the silver and crafts market and from the restaurants across the street. There is only one yellowish street light visible from the front of the palacio and the lights in the zocalo itself are soft white globes. The result is a dark twilight that is light enough to move around, but not bright enough to read comfortably. The effect is one of romantic calm.

The first zocalo where I noticed this romantic lighting was in Patzcuaro, Michoacan where the lighting was so dim it made me feel as if I’d gone back in time. The light posts seemed to be the very same ones that had been installed when electricity was first brought to the little town (which may not have been all that long ago). The zocalo in Oaxaca, Oaxaca was also dimly lit when we visited there a couple of years ago.

When combined with a cooling breeze after a hot, sunny day, the low-light ambiance of a Mexican zocalo can be delicious.

When you retire in Mexico (or just live here at any stage in your life) you will be experiencing life in a very Catholic country. There are towns in Mexico that do some impressive (and graphic) Good Friday celebrations. Near Cuernavaca, the town of Taxco has one such celebration.

People of all ages and walks of life make promises to God to suffer in some way in exchange for the salvation of a family member –perhaps from a grave illness– or some kind of support for themselves–perhaps they have committed a sin and need forgiveness or are overcoming an addiction of some kind. On Good Friday these people form a procession, carrying crosses, flogging themselves, walking on their knees, etc. The celebration is actually quite bloody.

Not all Mexicans enjoy such celebrations. One of my Mexican students has lived in Taxco yet has chosen never to attend, but one of her family members did and was splattered by blood when a participant whipped his own back!

I just saw a bit of a reenactment of Christ’s crucifixion on the cross “performed” in a town in the state of Mexico and broadcast on T.V. I caught the final bit where a man playing the role of Christ was on the cross — hands nailed through bleeding, chest heaving, crown of thorns covering his long-haired head. It was hard to watch and I had to double check with my husband that he hadn’t actually died when he stilled his chest and a person dressed as an angel with wings climbed a double-stacked extension ladder to release a white dove representing his holy spirit. My husband assured me that while, quite painful, the experience wasn’t deadly for this “Christ” as he had previously played the same role last year! Imagine doing that twice–that’s more than even Christ did.

Not all Good Friday celebrations in Mexico are so gruesome. Reportedly, in Oaxaca men give women flowers in the morning on this day. In my own neighborhood, church members accompanying the priest, carried the cross through the neighborhood and distributed little papers with self-reflection questions written on them. The questions included “What is the role of the cross in your own life?” and “Which crosses are hardest for you to bare?” The priest announced that people should consider their own answer to these questions, then gather in a street in our neighborhood at a certain time to share our answers.

Whatever your religious beliefs, when you retire in Mexico, the celebrations, beliefs, and traditions here will give you an opportunity to learn more about the Christian faith and its set of beliefs. Additionally, ss always is true of cross-cultural experiences, it will allow you to re-evaluate and know more deeply your own personal set of beliefs and traditions. That’s what makes retiring in Mexico vs, say Arizona, so special.

We went to the park this evening to get out for a bit. It’s vacation and the play area was packed with families. As we strolled past the merry-go-round, we almost choked on the dust being raised by the children’s pummeling feet.

I’m always impressed with how well Mexican children play around each other. Big kids consistently watch out for and help little ones. I guess they get lots of practice with brothers and sisters and cousins.

Why should you choose to retire in Mexico in a place surrounded by trees? So you can watch the birds and other wildlife. This afternoon, when the shade filled our patio, I went out to read in our reclined rocking chair and I leaned back and saw the moon hanging in the blue sky above me.

The afternoon was enchanted and I didn’t get any reading done. The movement of light and shadow on the leaves as they gently rustled in a clean breeze captivated me and soon a small bird caught my eye. Then I heard a song I hadn’t heard in a while. A pair of birds not usually hanging around “our” trees was enjoying the atmosphere, too. One was singing a lovely, varied song and I went inside briefly for my bird books. I didn’t have my binoculars (that’s my excuse) so I couldn’t get a good ID for either bird, but I think they were thrashers–probably Gray Thrashers. I also saw a sweet little bird hopping from branch to branch gleaning bugs off of the back sides of the leaves on the mango tree. This one was a yellow flycatcher with a prominent white ring around it’s eye. This bird was possibly an Eye-ringed Flatbill even though the name surely doesn’t do the bird justice. (To be honest, I decided on the Eye-ringed Flatbill based on the yellow highlighting previously marked in my book by one of my relatives who is an experienced birder.) Unlike the Thrasher, this little bird is a more common visitor to our yard.

A third visitor, even smaller than the yellow flycatcher was gleaning bugs from the taller guava tree almost directly over my head. The rainy season hasn’t yet started and with the breeze there weren’t any pesky mosquitoes to drive me away. I remembered hearing similar sweet little “tzeet”s from flycatchers in the forests in the Pacific Northwest, but the birds were often so high up above my head, I couldn’t see them well. Here they were more easy to see at a height that would have been just out of my reach were I to stand up.

When you are choosing the place you want to retire in Mexico, remember that living in Mexico isn’t just about eternal sunny days. Sunny days means bird and butterfly migrations, means interesting lizards, and might even mean starry nights.

You may have noticed that I put the “our” in “our trees” in quotes above. That’s because our yard is actually quite small and most of the trees that attract birds are in the yards of my neighbors, and–even more importantly–our yards are contiguous with a wooded ravine that is too steep to develop. This ravine is the real reason we enjoy such lovely wildlife. After you retire in Mexico and you are choosing your house/apartment/property you might want to consider the kind of wildlife you are likely to see. I say you should “go wild” because you might see some really lovely creatures. For example, one day I was bored and looked out my open door to see a gray-green colored lizard puff out its throat exposing an eye-catching bright red patch. I’ve never had the privilege of seeing that sight again, but I’ve never forgotten it. Today’s enchanted afternoon made me grateful to be living in Mexico.

First Published on Mexico Connect February 1, 2008

Cuernavaca’s Muros Museum: There’s Heart Within These Walls

By Julia Taylor © Julia Taylor 2008

Muros, which means “walls” in Spanish, opened to the public in May of 2004. It is the only museum in Cuernavaca, Morelos originally designed to be a museum. The space is flexible with movable lighting, high ceilings and open areas in which display environments can be constructed. The museum gets its name from its 3,600 square meters of wall space. Even more important than the walls are the professional, organized, staff members who are stationed throughout the museum and who support the visitor’s experience. Muros‘ staff provides the real heart of the museum.

The entrance to the museum is wide open and welcoming. As you approach the museum, you first encounter a tourist information table staffed by both museum and Morelos tourist department personnel where you can get information about Muros and other attractions throughout the state. As the author purchased tickets for a second visit to the museum, she was carrying her toddler on her back and the man in charge offered a stroller for the visit. Often there is someone standing at the large, glass doorway to hold the door open and tell you, “Bienvenidos.”

In the courtyard area in front of the museum you is an original tile mosaic credited to Diego Rivera. It was originally built near the swimming pool of a private home and depicts native Mexicans bathing in a stream. A mother is washing her son, a father trying to coax another son to bathe as well, and other people are splashing water on themselves. Walk around the other side of the mural and you see… the other side of the scene.

Inside the museum there is a sense of space and ease of movement. Muros feels modern and everywhere you go you hear the sound of fans quietly turning and air moving in the exposed ventilation ducts. An upstairs area displays the formerly private collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman, which the museum is proud to maintain in Cuernavaca. The collection provides a nice cross section of important Mexican art without being overwhelming. There are pieces by Diego Rivera, Carlos Orozco Romero, David A. Siqueiros, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo, among others, and a timeline that provides an overview of the artists in the framework of world events during their lives. Downstairs, there are rotating displays of additional artwork. There is also a large room with restored murals that provides an area for events and temporary expositions. Throughout the museum, art of a wide variety of media and textures - such as metal, tile, hair, cardboard, glass, canvas, and video - are on display. The titles of works are clearly listed in both Spanish and English. There are also comfortable computer consoles, with standing perches that offer additional information on the artist’s lives and works as well as a carpeted reading area with cushioned seats and lots of books about art.

At the time that the author and her family visited, there was an interactive display about the life and work of Diego Rivera, which was specially designed for children. It provided a fun time for all members of the family. The open space had been divided into smaller “rooms,” each with a different theme from Rivera’s life. Most rooms had something for a 1 and a ½ year old. There were tiles you could move around to make a tile mural and hats to wear. But the most fun of all were masks and costumes of characters from one of his murals. We spent a lot of time putting on masks and peering at ourselves in the mirror provided just for that purpose.

Muros is more of a success story than you might guess because it was first conceived as a kind of olive branch to certain members of the Cuernavaca community. It is situated to one side of a large grocery store/parking lot complex developed on the site of what had previously been the Casino de la Selva. Casino de la Selva (Jungle Casino) was a distinctive entertainment location at the heart of today’s Cuernavaca since the 1930s. It was surrounded by tall walls and had fallen into severe disrepair over the years since its closing. For many years, only trespassers saw the grounds inside the walls, but the thick tree canopy on the property was obvious to all who passed by. When construction began on the property, many Cuernavacan’s were outraged that two huge grocery stores, a restaurant, and extensive parking lot would replace the Casino and its trees. Long, intense protests were staged to try to stop the development and suggestions were made that the property would better serve the community as a park. In the end, the grocery store chain was allowed to develop the site, but the idea of the community center was generated as a way to try to respond to the community outcry.

So far Muros has delivered to Cuernavacan community of all ages of the. Laura Perez, who is in charge of the program Muros para los Niños de Morelos (Muros for the Children of Morelos) plans many guided visits and workshops for school children. Her goal, she says, is to connect the children’s activities and particular pieces of art with something that they are currently studying in school, usually in the subjects of history, art, or civismo (loosely translates as civics, but with a more sociological focus). When I asked her which was her favorite children’s activity so far, it was hard for her to pick because they have been so varied and unique.

One activity she mentioned was for children learning geometry. They were shown pieces of art that exemplified geometric features and the students were thrilled to find the triangles, circles, etc. that they were learning about in school. Another workshop involved sitting in front of a mirror and doing a self portrait just like Frida Kahlo did. Laura said that she enjoyed seeing how some kids noticed and depicted tiny details, such as wrinkles on their faces while others exaggerated certain features like a large nose.

Every Saturday and Sunday, Muros offers workshops for children that relate to the temporary exhibits. In this way, if the exhibits aren’t designed for children - meaning you aren’t supposed to touch things, specifies Laura - children can still be involved. These workshops are offered from 11 to 2, and the cost is just that of the materials used.

Museum Cost, Hours, and Facilities

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission costs 30 pesos; children under six years old and older people with a special card are free. There are teacher and student discounts that reduce the price to 15 pesos with an I.D. Admission is free for everyone on Sundays and Tuesdays. There is a convenient, centrally located elevator just in front of the spotlessly clean restrooms so that wheelchairs can easily access the second floor. Take a look at the museum’s web site.

Don’t worry about parking, because there is plenty available. To get to the museum, enter the parking lot from any of the three Mega Commercial/Costco entrances. The museum is to the left of the California restaurant as you face it from the parking lot. There are a plethora of buses that will get you to the three entrances including any routes that say Plaza (for Plaza Cuernavaca, the mall almost directly across the street from one of the parking lot entrances) on them, as well as the 2 and 7 that say Tunel (enter near the grocery store named “Mega“), and the 18 (enter near the hospital).

I learned many new things on my visits to Muros. I’ll leave you with one of them. Guess how many names Diego Rivera had? Ten. That’s right. His full name was Diego Maria Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Banientos Acosta y Rodríguez.

Much thanks to the following Sources:

* Lagarde Lozano, René. “Diseño y Funcionalidad en el Edificio de Muros” [Design and Function in Muros]. 26 September 2007. Diario de Morelos. p6. (for information about the building and the development of the site)

* Dumay, María Gabriela. “Las 10 Mejores Obras de Muros” [The Top 10 Works at Muros]. 26 September 2007. Diario de Morelos. p12-13. (for information about the collection of Jacques and Natasha Gelman)

We got a jump start on vacation this year and went to visit family in a small town in Michoacan. The moon is waning and the first night we were astounded by the stars. Remember being a kid on the farm or out camping and seeing all those stars? They seem so close over your head that you might be able to jump high enough to get a hold of one. Over time we’ve forgotten what the stars are supposed to look like. When you are really out of the city you see stars the way they were meant to be seen. They just make you sigh inside. When you retire in Mexico you may want to consider a more rural place in Mexico to retire. If you enjoy star gazing you’ll be so happy.

In three days, the two week Holy Week vacation will begin. Traffic will be heavy, but a lot of really wonderful events will take place all across Mexico. Friday March 14th will be the last day of school for most students in Mexico. The SEP (the federal school system) calendar, which is followed by most schools in Mexico, demarks two weeks and one day of vacation stretching from Saturday March 15th through Monday, March 31st.

I’ve had the honor to write an article about a wonderful Biosphere Reserve in Queretaro. It’s called the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve and it is huge and successful! You’ll have to wait until the article comes out to read all about it in English, but in the meanwhile you can check out the two portions of their program that are targeted at us northern North Americans.

Carbon Dioxide Offset Program: http://www.sierragorda.net/carbon/index~.htm

Eco Tourism Program: http://www.sierragorda.net/sg-ecotours/index.htm

I, for one, am ready to pack my bags and go visit. See you there!