Mayo

May is a great month to be in Guanajuato. The entire month is dedicated to the celebration of the Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato, the very large Churrigueresque style church built in 1693. There are parades and demonstrations practically every night. Tonight right outside my home away from home a massive procession passed by. First there were about seventy-six trombones, 110 clarinets right behind, they were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuos. Oh wait, wrong parade. Sorry. .. and that's a joke that probably three of you got.

Back to the parade. . .there really were rows and rows of people playing drums and blowing horns - every single arm of the military was represented. The cutest part was that each group had little toddlers playing little drums and little horns. They were followed by dancing, whip-cracking children dressed up as cows and cowboys and señoras and evil men. It's part of a torredor celebration, which I still haven't really learned about (no one really seemed to know why it is performed). Behind them were people dressed in what appeared to be traditional indigenous clothing - feather headresses and beaded tunics - they were performing these beautiful dances to very rhythmic drumming. After them followed children dressed as angels carrying candles (the cutest thing here was one kid who had fallen asleep and was being carried by his mom). After that, a huge float of flowers and the Virgin Mary being carried on the shoulders of over a dozen men. A very long electrical cord provided the light for the float. And they were followed by a Mariachi band.

Not too bad for a Sunday night in May.

And tonight. . Monday night. . . a huge parade of taxis. Oh yes, over a hundred green and white taxis with balloons and Religious figures on the roofs. . .the taxis are filled with what I would assume is the family of the taxi driver and children lined up on the streets to catch the candy that they are throwing out of the windows.

Wow. . .will the amazements never cease??