A Tropical Christmas

Feliz Navidad!.  

A familiar sight in anticipation of Christmas 

Vehicles with pictures of the Virgen de Guadalupe are seen guiding young people who run, walk, ride, roller skate from their community to a local shrine in a neighbouring community.  Often this involves many kilometers.. It is their way of showing love and worship for Our Lady of Guadalupe ( the Virgin Mary)   

Our Lady is officially proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church as the Patroness of Americas, Empress of Latin America and Protectress of the Unborn Children.

         Local homes are adorned with pictures and alters celebrating the Virgin.

According to Roman Catholic tradition, on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, a recently converted Aztec indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. 

The shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination in the world. 

"The Aztecs…had an elaborate, coherent symbolic system for making sense of their lives. When this was destroyed by the Spaniards, something new was needed to fill the void and make sense of New Spain…the image of Guadalupe served that purpose."^{[41] ( from Wikipedia)}

Nativity Scene in Progreso...the manger is empty until
the Dec.24th candlelight evening procession 
from the nearby church 

Xmas Tree in front of the Municipal Building 

The entrance to one of the many universities in Yucatan...this one is in the Merida Centro.... All decked out with poinsettias and a nativity scene.

Poinsettias are native to Mexico and are referred to as Noches buenas 

The children from the Free English School in Chuburna caroling outside our house... They sing at 5 houses and at each house we make sure there is an audience..so friends get together to enjoy the caroling and send the children off with candies and cookies for their party.  Certainly put us all in the Xmas spirit.

A view thru the gate at the local nursing home in Progreso... very peaceful

Manger in Chuburna 




Children waiting patiently in line

30 degrees at 6:00 pm and Santa arrives to give
Toys to over 600 children... 
Mucho ninos feliz ( many happy children)   






We have had an incredible 2011 and are blessed to have shared 

                    the journey with our family and friends   

        Feliz Navidad, Paz, Salud y Felicidad en 2012

             (Merry Christmas, Peace, Health and Happiness in  2012) 

Dorothy and Gord.

Construction Begins

                     We've had two coconut trees removed with the only tools being;

• bare feet to climb, 
• a machete to cut the fronds, 
• an axe to cut into the trunk and later to cut it up into movable chunks
• a rope to pull the top of the tree over once the trunk is cut midway up 

The trunk wood is used for carving masks and bar stools; the green fronds are used for weaving baskets and hats.. 

With the trees gone, our contractors can begin their work on the ground much more safely.. no bonks on the head by a deadly heavy, milk filled coconut!.   

Construction Begins: To replace our cisterns. 
Locally provided water comes into one cement box and is pumped to another closer to the house; then up to the tinacas ( 2 large black plastic containers on our roof).  Then gravity feeds the water to the bathrooms and kitchen.  Needless to say, we buy our water for drinking.. 100 pesos which is about 80 cents for each big bottle... delivery to the door or buy in the village. 
                   

Rock for the Foundation 

Our contractor Don Lauro and 2  family members have begun to build our "bodega" in which we will set up our Water System...softener, ultra violet, pressure tank...with the ultimate goal of having drinking water and softened water for showers...  YEAH!.

Digging the foundation by hand and then 
chipping the rock to fit like a puzzle with 
cement added to hold it all together. 

Cement blocks arrive 

Rebar for the corners... ..looking pretty rudimentary at first glance for sure. If we hadn't witnessed our contractors successfully building homes for friends from BC and Sask. we would be worried.  

Cement is mixed by hand; rarely by machine.

HOW TO POUR A ROOF 

Mix cement on the ground; 

Shovel into bucket; 

Carry bucket on shoulder up the scaffold; 

Hand to worker on roof who pours and trowels the cement.

Use 3 long slim tree trunks inside to support the roof while drying.

 What Am I Doing While all This is Going ON ??????

Yoga 3 mornings a week and Bible Study Group on Thursdays

 Full Body Massage during a "Girls Day Out: at the beach... we are on a side terrace facing the ocean .  

Gord and I  went to the Local Artisans Show in Merida... these lamps are of paper made from the "Mother- in-Law tongue plant. All the displayers come from the local pueblos, Merida and several are women's cooperatives. 

Watching the local fisherman... the way to stay warm on cool mornings is to cover your entire head...looking like mummies...

These guys were here at 4:00 a.m. laying their nets across a wide stretch of sea in front of our beach houses; then tonight at 5:00 returned to gather them all up.. 

Admiring their balance. Both stand the whole time.  One poles along, stopping for both of them to pull up the meters and meters of net while the boat rocks and rolls. .....no life jackets and unfortunately no fish either!

Buenos Noches...24 degrees = perfect sleeping weather. 
Dorothy and Gord