Paul and Marie

Now travelling in a solid posse of 4 likeminded wanderers, we left D.F. behind and head for the town of Patzcuaro to enjoy their infamous Day of the Dead celebrations.  Patzcuaro is a beautiful colonial town on a lake that is dotted with small islands.  We had originally planned to spend the holiday in Oaxaca, but we met some Mexicans at Burningman who informed us thatPatzcuaro was the place to be.  We had greatly anticipated the markets in Patzcuaro as we had done our research and wanted to purchase some Day of the Dead themed art.  We were not disappointed as the markets were full of beautiful ceramics by local artists.  Paul andI picked out three traditional Catarina sculptures to ship home.  We even found a small bride and groom sculpture that will make an excellent gift for a friends wedding we will be attending Huatulco this week.  Catarina ceramic sculptures are colourfully dressed and animated skeleton characters.  I hope they make it home in one piece and that Canada customs does not see it fit to open that box… it took us at least 2 full hours to carefully wrap those fragile sculptures!

Aside from the more formal market, there was also a thriving hippy market (as we fondly called it) where young locals from Patzcuaro and around were selling their handmade goods, playing drums and dancing.  Kira and I found some fantastically unique, homemade sandals there.

With Rosivy´s help (Paul´s wonderful, Spanish speaking mother) we were able to book a room in advance as the local hotels fill to capacity for Dia De Los Muertos.  Luckily the room was a double and we were able to keep costs down by sharing with Kira and Rhea.  It was definitely the nicest room we stayed in so far with soft sheets, comfy mattresses, attached bathroom and even cable TV (?!¿)… we would later become very grateful for this added comfort as Paul and I quickly succumbed to a nasty bout of food poisoning which we have traced back to a bus-station gordita in Mexico City.  Darn street meat!  Why must you tempt us with your inexpensive tastiness?  Regardless, we can all agree that it was the best possible location to be out of commision for a day.  I spent the 31st (Halloween!) watching horror movies with Spanish subtitles in bed.  Good thing the big celebration here in Mexico is actually on November 1st and 2nd, and by then Paul and I were able to keep food down and were ready to party against all odds.

In alignment with our strong belief in radical participation versus mere consumption, we were prepared to go out into the night in full costume with our fire toys in tow.  Rhea had brought some face paint along and due to a previous Halloween costume, I am experienced in Calavera (skull) facepainting.  I must admit, we looked right spookyyet festive as marigold adorned skeletons.  We met up with a fellow traveller and burner named Ayaaz from Edmonton who we actually havefriends in common with, what a  small world!  Our painted band of revellers had now grown to five.  As we stepped out into the night we realized just how many people (many Mexicans and internationals alike) had infiltrated this town for the weekend.  The streets were packed as we made our way to the docks to catch a boat to the island of Janitzio, and not one other soul was wearing facepaint.

Now, being a strangers in a strange land, we have become accustom to the blatant stares we sometimes get from locals.  We are after all, an entertaining sight stumbling in and out of buses with enormous, unbalanced backpacks and confused looks on our faces.  Not to mention the fact that Paul and I tower over the locals in stature.  But on November 1st we were being stared at and photographed for entirely different reasons: We were rockstars!  I don´t feel that I am exaggerating when I say that at least 200 Mexicans had their pictures taken with us that night.  People really appreciated that we dressed up!  Many an open tequila bottle was passed our way as the flash bulbs went off.  Besides being in costume, Kira and I were also prepared to preform, Kira with her poi and me with my hoop.  As we approached the docks we realized the crowd that we had been slowly shuffling through was actually the line-up to get on one of the boats shuttling people to the islands… there were at least 300 people in that line!  Perhaps it was the anonymity of the facepaint, perhaps it was the tequila but whatever it was, we had the confidence to bolt to the front of the line and explain to the harried ticket man, (in broken Spanish), that we were performers who were late for a performance on the island ; We  found ourselves on the next boat.

What an atmosphere!  Even the boat to the party was rocking out with people singing and dancing.  As we approached the lights of the island, on the stillness of the lake, I got the impression that we were in for much more than a great party.  The island Janitzio has a very old, beautiful cemetery that is perched on cliff facing the water where the heart of the nights celebrations were to take place. 

Before we made it into the cemetery we came upon a large party of revelers drinking, drumming and even fire spinning.  We had found our people!  Kira and I dove right in and fire danced along with the locals.  It was very crowded and everyone was excited to dance with us, so the show didn´t last very long due to lack of space.  We received many a pat on the back, and it felt really good to contribute to the celebrations.

After the chaos of the fire dancing, the quiet respect of the cemetery was quite the reprieve.  We walked down into the cemetery whose crumbling beauty was enhanced by displays of marigolds, candles and offering for the dead.    Carved out of a cliff-side, with a view of the lake, the place demanded silence and contemplation. Whole families were wrapped in blankets, keeping a night-long vigil over the graves of their deceased loved ones.  Every 30 seconds or so the large old bell above the cemetery gate would toll to call the spirits.  I can´t accurately describe what it felt like to be there, but it was the most amazing cultural, travel experience I´ve had so far.  Hands down. 

After some time in the cemetery, the party seemed to winding down (at least for us it was, the locals were still at it),  so we boarded a boat back to Patzcuaro around 4 am.  What a night.  You may have to wait a while for pictures as Paul and I are struggling to find a computer with enough RAM to let us upload successfully.  It has been a frustrating process and we may just give up and post pictures when we get home.  Besides, who wants to spend all day in an internet cafe when you are in Mexico?

We said goodbye to our new friend Ayaaz and our posse of 4 headed to Oaxaca for a week of chill times in an old colonial town with the intention of spending very little cash to recoup the funds we spent in Patzcuaro.