11/3 Moving day

Last days in Coyoacan. Housekeeps rise early and sweep out front every morning, brushing away the tree debris, the people debris, and clearing a path strictly in front of the household they belong to. They are almost uniformly women, almost uniformly of indigneous descent, and almost uniformed in that the woman next door always wears a modest black dress with a grey apron, hair back in a bun and the woman across the street favors burgundy dresses and stout black shoes, waves loose around her face. Every morning they sweep, using an archaic looking broom made of a bundle of thin sticks lassoed around a broom handle. It’s what a witch would fly and is also the preferred broom of domestic workers against the onslaught of leaves. These brooms rake against the concrete in a gentle scratch just after the light has risen in the sky.

There’s a bakery up the street from the Airbnb in Coyoacan and the smell of sweet bread rising and baking fills the street in the morning, albeit at times intermingling with some distinctly less pleasant smells. While in general, I strongly favor the traditional pan de muerto, this chocolate rendition is sooo good. The bread itself has trace amounts of cocoa powder in it, but the sugar on the exterior has these chunks of little crunchy chocolate goodness. It’s only around this time of year and is an extremely soft enriched bread that more or less melts in coffee in the best way imaginable.

It’s been a very hard week (ok, that might just be the theme of the blog). This week we have been getting an apartment. Early in the week, the landlord’s bank has rejected one of two transactions I sent to Western Union and I had real concern of losing this apartment. The intermediary is definitely conversational in English, but not exactly subtle, so despite all my demonstrations of good faith it felt very accusatory. After much back and forth (that I am fairly convinced ended in the landlord realizing there was action required on their part), all monies have been delivered, 2 epic Uber trips later (moving via Uber is weird and reminds me of moving in college with the aid of a shopping cart) and I am in possession of said apartment. Woohoo!

Generally I guess I feel a bit insecure and in the wrong this week and like I don’t especially have the extra resilience required to “snap out of it”. Big feelings this week. Day of the Dead is certainly maximizing those. The interchangeability of this whole divorce business and Greg’s death has been a lot. There’s a sense in which they are very much the same, the suddenness, the loss of family, of how I identify myself, the lack of control or of agency in the face of said event, etc. And here I am in the midst of a celebration of death. But it’s not a melancholy holiday, and is very much about recognizing the joy that life gave and inviting the dead to be present with you and celebrating that which was and that which is. All in all, still a little aspirational for me.

I’ve had some friends in town this week, on a trip that was originally a group trip and thus was a bit derailed, but it means I’ve been doing all the touristy things! Which has been a blast. It’s been years since I’ve been here and really leaned into that side of the city. It also has meant really upping my game since apparently 3 weeks and multiple long visits has been insufficient for me to be a confident guide to the city for the little things. Like what bar can we go to this minute that is nearby, has no line, a chill environment and an amazing margarita? There is work to be done.

Here are a few of the alebrijes on display on Paseo de la Reforma after the pararde. There must have been nearly 100 of them lining the street on both sides.

Coyoacan turned out in style for Halloween/Day of the Dead. The plaza was packed and loud and exciting. I popped in restaurant and had a really nicely executed chocolate lava cake with gorgonzola ice cream and blackberry compote and just watched.

This city is not famous for its Day of the Dead celebrations. Those accolades belong to Pátzcuaro or Oaxaca. I’ve always found it remarkably appropriate that there was no Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City until after the 2015 James Bond movie whose opening scene features a Day of the Dead Parade in the Zócalo in Mexico City and the chilangos (Mexico City natives) went “Oh that’s a good idea” and planned the first ever parade for 2016. Mind you, there are a lot of parades here attached to the holiday. Most weekends there has a been a parade each day, sometimes two.

However the Zócalo has always offered some festivities and an Ofrenda for the holiday. Picture on the right is looking up Avenida 20 de Noviembre to Plaza de la Constitución, you can see the Mega Ofrenda (seriously what it’s called) with the National Cathedral in the background. It’s definitely a scene more geared toward families, the air was filled with particles of pink and blue cotton candy wafting off machines. Not gonna lie, floating cotton candy is now up there on my worst nightmares list. It’s like a stickier spiderweb.

Also had my first experience of a book party. This is an amazing multi day event. Tent after tent features publishers of various sizes with piles of books in varying degrees orderliness, often with some of their authors available to sign. A main tent hosts a stage with a schedule of readings and lectures. There are bands. There are churros. There is dancing and elote. This is my heaven. I have no idea how representative what I experienced it is, but an on-looking Colombian assured me that this is like a thing and that despite being called a “Feria del Libro”, it is definitely a party of books. I most definitely need to learn more Spanish to fully appreciate this one. Suffice to say, my Spanish is not up for large crowds and echoey sound systems, having literally no context for the lectures probably also doesn’t help.

So now I begin my next week settling into the apartment and the neighborhood. I apparently live next door to a brewery which has been partying it up over the weekend, starting with some surf punk (good) and moving into EDM (less good). However today it is tranquil and quiet and I’ve been assured by my doorwoman that it’s normally quite peaceful and the weekend’s activities were owing to the holiday. Definitely crossing our fingers on that front. Regardless, it feels really nice to have empty suitcases, to feel like there’s a point to developing a rhythm.

Here is the neighborhood ofrenda on my street. Bienvenidos means welcome.