Feliz Navidad

Piñatas fill the Town Hall

One of Atlixco's claims to fame is the annual Villa Iluminada, a six-week-long Christmas light exhibit spanning several blocks of the downtown area. If you're imagining a quaint display like what you could find in any city center at this time of year, think again.

The lighting company in charge of the event has also illuminated the Eiffel Tower and other major landmarks, dozens of local businesses set up booths to sell refreshments and artesanías, and hundreds of people (from poblanos to alemanes to argentinos) flood the streets every night to enjoy the sights, sounds, and supposedly safe fairground rides. So it's kind of a big deal. And it causes some major traffic issues that the locals love to complain about.

November 25th, opening night

This year the theme is villancicos, but not all of the seasonal decorations are symbols I personally associate with Christmas carols. (I was pretty much laughed out of town when I asked if the theme was "Under the Sea," because of all the light-up fish adorning the buildings.)

Some of the songs inspiring the extravagant trimmings are familiar, but many of our holiday classics are irrelevant given the lack of snow (today's high is 79, I came home drenched in sweat after walking around... for 15 minutes... in a sundress) and the fact that the Wise Men, not Santa, are the bearers of gifts (but not until January 6th, and only for kids under 12). Thus, we're left jams like "Los peces en el río" and "Campana sobre campana," as well as some loosely adapted Spanish versions of faves like "Jingle Bells," the chorus of which ends up translating to "Christmas, sweet Christmas, happiness on this day, we gotta celebrate" (close enough?).

Chocolate dipped strawberries with a side of Christmas spirit

Despite the incongruous weather, the winter wonderland is complete with hot ponche and donuts, some poor souls who've chosen to don fur coats in the barely chilly weather, and many nods to the Biblical reason for the season.

In contrast to the increasing secularism in the US, the birth of el niño Jesús is actually an acceptable conversation topic in the public sphere-- in fact, students at the primaria where I volunteer have been preparing for their performances of the nativity story--, so it's really no surprise that this scene is the centerpiece of the attraction:

Several Fulbrighters have come to visit since the beginning of the Villa, so I've done the whole recorrido many times already. As a result, my students who work there correctly think I'm weirdly obsessed with it/them, but at least I look super popular showing up with a different group of friends every time!! One student who was working as a guide for the train ride even handed me and Alli the microphone and forced us to sing to the group in English, good times ha ha ha... (or should I say ho ho ho?!)

Los reyes magos in the flesh

My duties as Fulbright tour guide also required that I hike the cerro twice this week. As a result I caught some incredible sunsets AND my body is steadily approaching (Kourtney?) Kardashian status.

In all seriousness, showing others around my host city once again reminded me how fortunate I am to have ended up here, enjoying the experience of a lifetime in such a truly beautiful place.

*Lavar Burton voice* But you don't have to take my word for it!

See for yourself:

I touch down in the US of A in less than a week! Sing it boys:

Se me antoja...

Me, always

In true Malissa "Gordita" McSwain fashion, I am not shy about how much I like food (in general and in this country specifically). In fact, this is my response whenever someone asks me my favorite thing about México. Then I proceed to list a dozen or so especially delicious dishes, mention my obsession with fresh tortillas ("I bet I could eat a whole kilo in one sitting!"), and joke about how my stomach hasn't quite adjusted so I'm still not able to handle lo picante. Whoever I'm talking to usually takes all of this in with an expression of pride and/or concern for my health, and this is how I know my point has been made. 

That is, me encanta la comida mexicana.

If the noms themselves are my #1, my second favorite thing about México is that there's a whole genre of food called antojitos-- "little cravings" (not to be confused with Cravings© by my girl Chrissy)-- that encompasses pretty much everything worth eating. Not to mention that these platillos usually go for 10 to 40 pesos (50 cents to $2). 

Sure, these items aren't really meant to be consumed on a regular basis, but grabbing a tostada or some chalupas is typically cheaper than cooking, so sometimes a girl's gotta make the economical choice.

I tend to devour my food before remembering to document it, but here's a taste (pun intended) of what I've enjoyed over the past few months:

Memelas

A student's mom sells these on the weekends, and I can easily wolf down several (but she doesn't let me pay so I feel guilty exceeding two)

Tostadas

You try eating one of these and using less than 17 napkins

Pozole

Chilaquiles

Pambazos

Gorditas

 Enchiladas

This is a typical school breakfast, sold at the on-campus food stand for less than two dollars (!!!!)

Tortas

Queso fundido 

Yes, that's a socially acceptable vat of hot cheese

Hamburguesas

Not technically "Mexican," but my student has a cart on my street and treats me to a burger (with cheese, pineapple, ham, bacon, lettuce, and sweet dressing) whenever I'm in the mood for one *praise hands*

It's no secret that soy dulcera, and I've been keeping my sweet tooth quite happy.

Make-your-own ice cream flavor + unlimited toppings

mango + tajín + chamoy <3 

Sometimes you just need a lil coffee and carrot cake

Eskimos (somewhere between a milkshake and chocolate milk)

I do occasionally cook for myself, so-- as they say here in Mexico-- I'm officially ready to get married (come at me boys):

Then there was that time my students had to host a 5-course Italian feast for their final project. The perks of teaching at a university where they offer a major in tourism...

Could hardly contain my excitement

El Corral, Chipotle, and Taco Bell will always have a special place in my heart stomach, but frankly those enchiladas, burritos, and crunch wraps have no resemblance to what I'm eating here (thus they all appear on my official Christmas break bucket list). Is the Fulbright 15 50 a thing? Oh well, my diet starts tomorrow. And by tomorrow I mean 2017. And by 2017 I mean next summer, obviously.

"Jeah-pas!" - Ryan Lochte, probably

Yeah yeah, that's a bit of a stretch pun-wise, but Lochte's fratty catchphrase excellently sums up my enthusiasm regarding our trip to the southern state of Chiapas last week. Yes, Katie and I spent approximately 1.5 total days in varied forms of transportation (culminating in a 13-hour overnight return trip by bus), and yes, we were unable to make it to Ocosingo or Palenque (two principle destinations we planned to visit) because of bloqueos on the highway, BUT we were still able to see some beautiful nature, explore some lovely towns, and get our Christmas shopping done!

We started out in the pueblo mágico Chiapa de Corzo, where we soaked up the sun and napped through relaxed during a two-hour boat ride through the Cañón del Sumidero:

Got some spicy peanuts in a cup for the boat ride, naturally 

Did you know a group of resting vultures is called a "committee"? Creepy.

I think we just reinvented the windswept look?!

We didn't find much else to do in this town, but while sitting outside at a café we did see several people be brought into the nearby jail in handcuffs, ¡qué emoción! We also ate some mystery-meat-filled gorditas (if you don't recognize the items on the menu, be wary of the cueritos unless you like eating pig skin...). After walking a couple dozen laps around the town square, we decided lounging (read: conking out) by the pool was the move. 

Just resting my eyes

Baffling (but cool?) fountain in the middle of the plaza

Merengues, yes plz

For the next few days we were based in the enchanting San Cristóbal de las Casas. I can definitely see why weird hippies travelers from all over the world decide to settle there; in our initial stroll Katie and I couldn't stop oohing and ahhing and squealing with glee as we turned down endless picturesque streets and discovered little shops and restaurants.

Fulbright mentor Amber showed us the best of San Cristóbal (e.g. Falafel Tuesdays)

Due to our ambitious itinerary, we had to put our SCDLC explorations on hold to get in touch with Mother Nature down in Comitán. 

Some fellow Fulbrighters had provided us with extensive instructions for finding a guided tour of the Lagos de Montebello in Tziscao, and everything fell into place suspiciously surprisingly well. First, we hunted down a combi headed for the frontera, and though we were concerned that we were the only passengers at first (you know, the whole "getting into a stranger's van" thing), the driver's wife, toddler, and several close friends soon loaded in for the outing. 

An elderly woman also climbed aboard, and upon seeing me and Katie's activewear-- *gringa alert*-- she asked if we were headed to see the lakes. She then proceeded to offer her son's services as tour guide, so we got off the combi with her and waited at a roadside restaurant while she hobbled off to find him. They soon returned in his mototaxi (think of an Indian tuktuk), and we were off! 

Our wonderful guide, 17-year-old Wilmer

Accurate representation of my asombro  

Another selfie, you're welcome

At the Lago Internacional we casually crossed into Guatemala. Does that count for my scratch-off world map or nah?

Our initial plan was to hit up Ocosingo and Palenque the next day, but no tours were operating because of the protestors stopping traffic on the way there. Although we were briefly disappointed, we both confessed that our inner foodies/shopaholics we were thrilled to have extra time in San Cristóbal. 

Freaking out because we got THAI FOOD

"Sangria" a photo set up by artistic director Katherine Applegate

One of 74859735 (más o menos) parades we saw in honor of la Virgen de Guadalupe 

A cuppa tea on the balconyyy

Many thanks to my personal paparazzo, Katie

While we did spend approximately 78% of our time in the mercado, we squeezed in a short excursion to the nearby town of San Juan Chamula. The church there is famous for its unique combination of catholicism and indigenous traditions. No photos were allowed inside the church, but we witnessed several spiritual rituals that involved candles, plants, and even a sacrificed chicken. It felt somewhat wrong to be observing these ceremonies, but the church invites tourism and even charges an entry fee, so we were among many other nosy onlookers.

Chamula

I was a bit worried about coming back to Atlixco and having a daunting ten days of downtime before my final trip of the semester, but luckily (?) I was summoned back to campus to finish out a couple of classes (aka make my students sing Christmas carols with me-- gotta love how nonsecular the holiday celebrations are here!). 

Speaking of Navidad, Atlixco is bursting with Christmas spirit. More to come on that, prontito.