SMA Day 23 Corrida del Arte Del Rejoneo

A fight to the end was about to take place, but you would not know it by the procession of San Miguel de Allende’s finest.

Following the beauty and preceding the beast came the protagonist (or antagonist depending on your view).  The magnificent horse - inheritor of generations of Andalusian and New Spain breeding - wheeled tightly about, his hooves thundering in the hard packed dust as his legs splayed for traction.   His head was held near his chest by a small chain connected from his halter to his breast harness resulting in a dramatic and powerful neck profile.  His main was knotted tightly in small braids interwoven with the rider’s colors. 

The rider, a  Rejonaedor, rode erect  and alert in the saddle, dressed in the traditional grey trousers, vest and flat brimmed hat worn by generations before him.  His thoughts and desires at the moment telegraphed to his horse by the slightest movements of knees, hands and heels.  The bull rushed past the rear of the horse’s flanks at such close range he  gored the horsebut... with only his breath. 

Horse and rider and bull paused and glared achingly at one and another.  This chase and parry duet had gone on for 15 minutes.  Emiliano Gamero, El Rejoneador guitano, had buried 6 banderillas and 2 spears into the bulls shoulders.  He, his horse and the bull were dead weary.  They then rode away from the bull and changed horses at the ring entrance.  He tossed his hat on the ground in the center of the ring.  The crowd roared its encouragement.  In his hand now was the killing sword.  Final charges, faints were taken.  With the bull standing bowed but still proud the rider urged his horse on one more time. 

The bull startled and charged.  Rider and horse went left but sword hand went right,  a quick deep thrust between bulls shoulders.  The bull faltered.  Then he sunk to his knees.  The duel of man and beast was over.  The proud Rejonaedor puffing his chest and throwing back his head strutted about the ring receiving tossed hats, roses, kisses and even a bota bag which he lifted high into the air and drank to the counting of the approving fans.  "Two ears," the fans shouted in unison.  Their plea was answered.  We saw four duels two each from two Rejonaedor during the course of the evening during this special Semana Santa event plus one Toreador giving us a very fine display of his own.

I would be remiss if I did not tell you of the Grupos Suicidas.  While the Rejonaedor changed horses for the final act a group of 11 men dressed in uniform torredor outfits tumbled over the inter barrier and into the ring.  They quickly formed by twos in a straight line facing the bull, their leader ahead and wearing a green hat.  He advanced toward the bull, followed closely by his anxious back up army, challenging the bull to charge.

The bull did charge.  At the last moment the leader leaped between the bull’s horns onto his head where he dug in as best he could.  His followers immediately swarmed about the bull’s head like a swarm of bees surrounding their queen.  Wrestling with the bull they soon quieted him in their mutual grip.  On a count, when they felt their leader could leap free, they all burst away from the bull and formed a wide circle.  The bull stood bewildered not knowing where to charge.  As a final insult to the bull one of the group grabbed his tail and went for Spanish sleigh ride as the bull turned to chase this new affliction.  The crowd roared with laughter and approval.  Of the four first attempts at this jump 2 of the leaders were gored and had to be carried off. 

When this happens the entire group huddles and picks a new leader... with much head shaking and murmuring amongst them.

The sun had almost set as we strolled to Hecho en Mexico for dinner.  A toast would be made to honor those who would not be having a meal tonight.

My Favorite Things

1. Hearing the Bells.

2. Carmen the Sweet: Who comes in 3 times a week to make our beds, tidy up and do laundry...sheer luxury.

3. Pick up trucks with riders in the backs enjoying themselves.

4. A daddy letting his 7 year old son sit on his lap and steer the car down our quiet street.

5. Learning that the city hired clowns to stand in the streets to teach the drivers how to slow down until this became such a safe place for walking.

6. Taxis: Plentiful and no fare computations...everywhere in the city is the same price, 25 pesos ($2.17).

7. Throwing open our 8 foot tall french doors in the morning to let the breeze in. Then at 11 am standing barefoot on the tile floor closing them up and pulling heavy drapes over them feeling like a Cuban Senora in the 40s.

8. Being called Senora.

9. Jose: Who waters all our plants, and washes down the roof sitting area and the patios so they are always ready for enjoying.

10. Hecho a mano, Senora! Beautiful tiny, tiny bead work being done by men with laborers large hands and ladies passing the time in the sidewalks and shops crocheting and knitting the softest infant garments.

Octopus Ice Cream Cones!

Guanajuato is an hour away from SMA. Youngs and Greunkes hired a driver and headed there in an air conditioned Suburban. Our driver was an excellent companion and tour guide for the 10 hour day. We learned quite a lot about Mexican history and enjoyed touring the Opera House, the Basilica and the museum/home where Diego Rivera lived until he was 6 when his parents moved the family to Mexico City. His dad had to get out of Dodge when his Communist ideas clashed with the local political scene. Diego was a twin though his brother died at 18 months.  A highlight was the vintage movies of Mexico in the early 1900s including footage of Pancho Villa and his soldiers.

Our final stop was at Dolores Hidalgo, a pottery center.

I'm having a ceramic bathroom sink made of cobalt blue with white calla lilies, and half a dozen medium sized serving bowls. It was a real splurge...nearly $80 total!

To get our strength back we walked to the park and got ice cream cones. Doesn't Beso de Angels sound like a wonderful flavor? How about Patalos de Rosa (instead of cherry)? You can also have sweet corn, cactus, tequila, cervesa, pork rind and another dozen fruit flavors. Of course we all had to try the combination sherbet of shrimp and octopus...Yummy!

Forever Tango

A fitting beginning to an evening of lightening fast dance movements was Nature's 3 hour display of battlefield-sound thunder! The hailstones cracked on the courtyard pavement as we dressed in our fanciest outfits.

Get out your glitzy stiletto heels, your cigarette lighter, your 3 inch rhinestone belt and black one-shoulder dress...Mariana and Sebastian are in town! Stars of Forever Tango, they stopped in SMA to give lessons for only 4 days on their way to Buenos Aires then on to China. The Youngs and Greunkes were invited to a small private exhibition and spent an evening watching the tango aficionados.

Your cigarette lighter? Greg and I took a lesson last week and practiced the dramatic sweeping movements taking long strides without dropping the lighters we held between our thighs!

SPQR

For the greater glory of Rome.

At the top of the hill, on the way out of town, the Roman Soldiers stood guard on both sides of the roadway. With their spears, long velvet capes and satin banners, they were a beautiful and fearsome sight. Some of them carried scourges, the prisoner was entering town momentarily.

Before dawn the fireworks and rooster had awakened us. We left the house soon after and joined the families making their way to the edge of town. People had been working throughout the night. The palm fronds were attached to the doors, paper flowers adorned the arches which passed over the road every few feet for 2 miles. The road was decorated with huge carpets of tiny bits of colored sawdust in fantastic patterns of saints and symbols, quite like the Italian street painting days in San Rafael, but on a larger scale.

At the top of the hill little girls in long white dresses with purple satin sashes waited with the soldiers, the priests waited with the thurble carriers. The crowd waited with their friends and families.

Finally, the procession arrived with the prisoner. He had been carried in silence, the road lit only by lanterns and torches,  throughout the night from a town 7 miles north. When he reached the soldiers, everyone followed behind him. We walked in the wake of the trampled carpets, the smell of camomile everywhere as it, too, had been strewn in abundance so every step was aromatic.
In the procession, the faithful sang hymns of praise as we all slowly made our way back to the church for Mass. The sky filled with rockets and fireworks and shiny, puffy purple or silver balloons.

What's this... a sweet faced 13 year old boy in cowboy hat and jeans taking down a flower? Ah, the young lady accepted it with gentle grace.

Unique to San Miguel Allende, to commemorate their miraculous powers, the statutes of Nuestro Senor de la Columna, the apostle John and the Virgin de Dolores are all borne on biers to begin a week early, the Easter services.

What is San Miguel de Allende?

Her head nestled into his shoulder.  His one hand lightly held her on the back, his other hand lightly gripped hers.   1,2   3,4,5    6,7, 8.   With an accordion leading, the rest of the band filled in the rhythm, the melody and tempo for a slowly intertwining Tango.  The two dancers were members of the "Forever Tango" dance troupe on their way to Argentina and they had stopped off in SMA to visit family and friends on their way back from a performance in Japan.  The cafe LaFragua, one of the oldest bars in town, was the scene. Lita's tango class had been invited to attend this special eventing.  The crowd was small but very appreciative at the beauty of the two dancers. The cafe has an open air inter courtyard surrounded by Greek columns holding Moorish heavy arches overhead.  The back bar, as tall as a roof top,  and back lit, featured row upon row of fine Tequilas, vodkas, scotches, gins and liqueurs surrounded by an amber glow.  The  crowd: Mexican and expat.  Prior to going over to the cafe Marie and I had cocktails on the roof top of a 5 star hotel, which opened just a month ago, and watched the sunset painting the city with its brilliance.

So what is San Miguel de Allende (SMA)?  It's a place in Mexico.  It's a state of mind for 5,000 expats.  Its home to 80,000 native and Spanish Mexicans.  It's a snowbird retreat for Canadian and US citizens.  It's a weekend retreat for thousands of weekender dwellers in Mexico City.  It's a UNESCO Heritage site.  In 1929 Mexico bestowed a similar proclamation on it.  Building codes have retained much from the 16th and 17th century.  All Centro district streets are cobblestone with narrow walkways on either side.  Buildings are all painted in muted hues of orange, yellow, tan and sandstone.  Windows and doors are protected by intricate heavy iron grill work.  Most houses seem to have an indoor open air patio... no back or front yards, as do many bars and restaurants.  It is an art colony.  It feels safe, it is very clean.  It is welcoming.  It has the second largest English library on the continent and probably the most active expat volunteers in the world.

Through Marie's friend Lita we have been thrust into the expat community.  A community where women out number men from either 4 -1 or 8 - 1 (from visual experience my belief is that it is closer to 8 -1).  Life of an expat is quite wonderful.  Most restaurants in town not only have English menus they also have in addition to Mexican fare North American food; The Longhorn steak house, Mama Mias Italian, Dominos pizza, McDonalds and even a Starbucks.  Almost every restaurant or bar serves espresso drinks.  There seems to be an event almost every night.  Want something to do, go up to the Jardin (main plaza) meet other friends or listen to Mariaches at night.  For something more intellectual go to the bibliotecha (library) and sit in on a concert, reading or lecture or read a book in the patio.

Today Marie is an SPCA fundraiser luncheon.  This morning we had breakfast in the courtyard of the Instituto de Allende (where all of the expat  art started and flourished) surrounded by art and art students.  Monday we went with a friend of Lita's to a Grotto spa.  A local enterprising family found a spring 10 miles out of town.  The water is naturally heated to wonderfully warm temperature.  There is no sulfur.  They built a stone grotto for swimming with a narrow tunnel which leads to a cave, the source of the spring.  Afterwards we had a late breakfast out on the lawn.

Yesterday I played my second round of golf... with a little more acumen than the first.  My partner... a 94 year old engineer who was one of the chief engineers on the first T-birds, worked for Kaiser and American Motors, for those of you who remember such companies.  His daughter came down her in college 45 years ago and never returned home, except for visits.  He followed her many years back.  Each birthday he takes over the Malequin country club for a day and invites everyone.  Sharp as a tack, friends with everyone, in love with SMA.

Last week we awoke at 5:00 AM and trekked up a hill to meet Jesus de Column.  We walked back down the hill in a crowd of thousands seeing just a few expats.

So what is SMA?  With just a 1/3 of our time here I can only guess what it is for an expat.  It's a feeling of finding a place that is welcoming and secure.  It is a place where people share.  It is a place to feel comfortable with fellow US or Canadian companions while at the same time it is an adventure.   For the expat it is all the activities of a large city compressed into  a population of 5,000.    I'm sure there is much more, but I will save it for a later time.

Four Doors

There were 4 doors each about 5 -7 feet apart facing the narrow non-descript cobblestone street.  Over 3 of them I could just barely, in the dark of night, make out a sign which was painted in large letters:  "Mis Super."  An orange Fanta banner hung under the sign.  The fourth door differed only in there was a large iron gate protecting it. (Even now I am not sure the first 3 doors were fake or there actually as a mini market behind them during the day. 

Mom's friend and our guide deftly opened the gate and threw open the wooden door.  We were soon in a semi dark hall way lighted by rows of votive candles in groups of 20 or more each.  Collector handicrafts gave definition to the walls.  In 10 paces the hall opened up on the left to a lightly lit tropical palm garden.  A fountain bubbled quietly in the center of the greenery.  As we passed the garden on our left the hall looked in on a large living room - again lit by votives as well as few discreet indirect lights.  A large 4' urn did not look out of place with the dark wood asian and latin artifacts.  Couch pillows were as big a thunder clouds.  At this point we left the continuing hall, entered into the living room and from there the dining room which was hidden from the hall by a wall.  Again the theme was southwestern browns, blacks and dark tans with  oversized silver pieces for contrast.  We exited the dining room into the kitchen which was a riot of color depending on the harmonizing of blues, yellows and orange for design.  

Our guide led us from the kitchen into a large high walled patio filled with about 50 guests and a 4 piece latin jazz band.  The back wall featured a small stone house with terra cotta tiles.  Its front served as the bar.  The center of the room was taken up by a large table - which was probably the normal spot for most meals - laden with hors 'd ourves.  As I looked up, the walls were at least two to three stories high.  The wall we had just come through was designed as a street-side wall with iron gates over windows and two huge SMA street lamps.  The patio was open to the sky.  Our hostess, moved to SMA over 30 years ago from Texas and soon  established her residence as a place to be seen.  They say there are 3 groups in SMA: the cocktail set, the volunteers and the artists.  All were represented.

Marie and I met several gallery owners, including one man who has a major show this week.  Interestingly enough his friend commutes back and forth to SF where he has an apartment in Noe Valley.  The evening was a mixture of going to a gallery opening, an open house tour and a fine arts discussion group.  Later, as we were being driven back to our apartment we noticed many in the party had migrated outside to a favorite outdoor taco stand for a final snack.

Today was a rest day.  We ate dinner at home and watched Bette Midler in Beaches.  Tomorrow is another day.