The Day I Stood Within 5 ft of the President & Almost Blew Up the Kitchen

It turns out that holidays in Mexico can be some of the most exciting days of all. Today Guanajuato celebrated the Toma de la Alhondiga. Two weeks after the Grito of Hidalgo, the fight for Mexican independence moved to Guanajuato. The Alhondiga was a granary that the Spaniards holed up in but were defeated by the Mexicans because of the bravery of El Pipila, our local hero. It is a storming of the Bastille story, just in Mexico. Every year there is a huge parade through the streets of the city and everyone turns out to watch. Schools and businesses are closed and everyone participates.

I went to the parade. I love parades, but my real motivation was to see the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, who attends every year. Sure enough, he was there and I was able to stand within 5 feet of him. It was pretty neat. I did find it interesting how little security there was. There was a helicopter that flew in circles around the city and there were security guards on the roofs of the buildings around the Plaza de la Paz, but that was about it. He walked right through the streets and there was very little fuss. No one tried to talk to him or bother him. Still, it was a neat experience.

The parade lasted for three hours. It was eternal! Every school in Guanajuato sent a marching band to participate, all the government offices had people marching, and every organization in Guanajuato was represented. Just when I thought we might be getting to the end, all the cities in Guanajuato state marched through with their representatives and then the policemen, firemen, red cross volunteers, and every type of rescue people had to march through.

I joked that today would be the best day to commit a crime in Guanajuato and the worst day to have an emergency because all the policemen and emergency response crews were in downtown Guanajuato. It was an impressive display for sure.

After the parade, my friend Jessica and I decided that we were going to bake cookies since we didn't have class and we were craving chocolate chip cookies. This turned out to be a bigger challenge than we had originally thought. We went to the Mega which is like a Mexican version of Wal-Mart supercenter. They have everything, you just have to know what it is called in Spanish. We finally found all the ingredients we needed and headed back to my house to make the cookies.

When we arrived, my host family was out so we had to figure out how to light the gas stove all by ourselves. We looked up on youtube "how to light a gas stove" and then proceeded to follow the instructions. The lighters that my host family had in the kitchen were almost out of fuel, so keeping them lit while we waved them in front of the pilot light was extremely difficult. We couldn't find any matches, so we settled with a candle that we found in the kitchen. All this time I had been turning off the gas while we were in between flames so that we wouldn't blow the whole kitchen to kingdom come. We did finally get the oven lit; however, it was with a huge whoosh of flame that blew out of the oven. I don't think Jessica or I had ever moved so quickly in our lives. Nothing caught on fire and we were ok, but it was a moment before our hearts stopped pounding. We now know to ask someone before we try something like that again.

The oven knob had no temperature markers, so we just had to guess how long to cook the cookies. We must have had it on 700 degrees because they only took 4 minutes to bake. The cookies were delicious despite all the excitement and some substitutions with the ingredients. I personally think that if a person can bake yummy cookies in a foreign country with foreign ingredients and no standardized measuring utensils, they are all set in the cookie-baking category.

Cuan Grande Es El

Señor mi Dios
al contemplar los cielos
el firmamento y las estrellas mil
al oír tu voz en los potentes truenos
y ver brillar el sol en su cenit

Mi corazón entona la canción
Cuan grande es El, cuan grande es El
mi corazón entona la canción
cuan grande es El ,cuan grande es El

Cuando recuerdo del amor divino
Que desde el cielo al salvador envió
aquel Jesús que por salvarme vino
y en una cruz sufrió por mí, murió,

Cuando el Señor me llame a Su presencia
Al dulce hogar al cielo de esplendor,
le adoraré cantando la grandeza
de Su poder y su infinito amor

La Comida Mexicana

When I decided to come to Mexico to study abroad, the food was one of my biggest worries. I had never really loved Mexican food. I didn't hate it, but I pretty much only liked quesadillas. My fears were foolish because the food is incredible! And going out to eat is much more fun now because I'm not just picking an item at random of the menu and hoping it will be good. I know enough food words to be able to make an educated selection, and so far, I haven't gone wrong. Below are some photos of some of the best meals I've had in Guanajuato:

Quesadillas con jitomates y aguacate: quesadillas are the best when you put the avocado inside the tortilla with the cheese. The cheese is different here and so much better.

Sopa de crema de frijol: Basically this is cream of bean soup and it is served with strips of fried tortillas and topped with queso.

Flautas con pollo and topped with guacamole: Flautas have meat inside the tortillas and they are fried and served with lettuce, tomato and some sort of sauce. In this case it was guacamole, but often it is crumbled cheese and a cream that is used for everything here.

Humbertinas con queso: These delicious things are cheese knots that have been fried. They make a wonderful snack and are easy to share with a friend.

Camaron y scampi: Pasta with a scampi sauce, served with vegetables and shrimp.

Tacos Dorados con papas y bistek: tacos filled with potatos and fried to make the tortillas crispy. It was served with ground beef cooked with onions and topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese and crema de vaca. This was probably my favorite meal that I've had here so far.

All the food in the pictures was from different restaurants, but we also eat much of the same things at my host family's house. The food is a little more kid-friendly because of the little ones, but we still enjoy quesadillas, enchiladas and flautas on a regular basis.

So, all this to say that the food is delicious. I still can't really handle the spicy flavor that some of the dishes and salsas have, but I simply avoid them when I can, and I'm good to go. It never ceases to amaze me that in spite of the overwhelming presence of tortillas, chicken, tomatos, and beans, everything has it's own flavor, and I don't feel like I'm eating the same food everyday. I am hoping to learn how to make some of these dishes so that I can make them for my friends and family when I return.

A Day in the Life

I realized the other day that while I have written a bunch of blogs about the different experiences I've had and observations I've made while in Guanajuato, I haven't written anything about my daily routine. Now that I've been here for two months, my days have a pretty set pattern.

Every morning I wake up at 6:35 to shower and get ready for my day. I eat breakfast around 7:05 which consists of a huge plate of fruit and a main dish. This can be anything from quesadillas to eggs and ham on toast. I leave for class at 7:30 so I have time to make the trek to the university. Along the way, I see many of the same people every day. There is the elderly man with the straw hat and the security guard at the government building who I always say buenos dias to. I spend a good portion of my walk dodging the slow walkers on the sidewalks and trying to avoid being hit by the camiones (buses) that rule the streets. As I walk I like to try to figure out where all the kids go to school by what their uniforms look like. I've actually gotten pretty good at this game.

I have class at 8:00 every morning, but I finish up at a different time depending on the day. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I stay at the school after class and hang out in the courtyard area to do some reading or I will go up to the computer lab to check my email or write a blog. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jessica and I go to one of our favorite cafes and drink coffee or hot chocolate and chat or do some reading for class. Friday afternoons are spent in Valenciana where my History of Mexico class is held.

I get home in time for lunch everyday which is usually at 3:00. I often hang out in the kitchen while the family's housekeeper/nanny cooks lunch, and we chat about our lives. She has a very interesting life, but I will save that for a later blog. This is not only good practice for my Spanish, but it allows me a glimpse of life through her eyes. Plus, by being in the kitchen while she is cooking, I am learning how to make Mexican food.

The post-lunch time slot is definitely not the most exciting part of my day. I usually watch a movie on my computer, blog, or take a nap. Somedays I spend a couple hours reading Harry Potter. I've also started helping my host sister Paula with her homework and sometimes I color with Cesar, my host brother. The only day that I have a planned activity in the afternoons is Wednesday when I go to El Buen Pastor which is a local orphanage run by nuns. I go with two other CIEE girls, and we help the kids with their homework. I think the plan for the next time we go is to bring art supplies so we can do some more activities with them.

My weekends are spent resting or exploring Guanajuato. This can mean going to a museum, shopping or just sitting in the Jardin and people-watching. Sometimes I go out of town, like I did this past Saturday, but the majority of weekends are spent in GTO. On Sundays I go to church and then spend the afternoon doing homework, reading, watching tv.


My host family eats dinner at about 8:00 every night and this is usually the smallest meal of the day. We have had everything from cereal to hot cakes to taquitos (small tacos). Then the kids go to bed while I finish up my homework. I hit the sack pretty early myself so that I have energy for the next day.

As you can see, my days are pretty full. I don't have a lot of homework, so I am able to use my freetime to explore or relax at a cafe without having to worry about doing hours worth of reading or paper writing. The weeks go by quickly and while I have a consistent schedule, every week something unique comes up and makes that week special. I hope this gives you a better idea of what I am up to everyday while I am here.

*Photos in order from top to bottom: One of the local school buses - I think it's funny that they are called "special" buses. A calla lily or alcatraz as they are called here. A funny restaurant sign that brings back great memories from Guatemala. A street sign in San Miguel that paired with the arrow is priceless.

Birthdays and Sidewalk Chalk

I turned 21 today, and while this is an important birthday in the US, here it doesn't care quite as much significance. I didn't do anything exciting for my birthday. Yesterday my friend Jessica and I went back to San Miguel de Allende. There was supposed to be a festival that involved running angry bulls through the streets, but we found out once we got there that this part of the festival had been canceled due to complaints from the town residents. We were pretty disappointed, but we spent the day shopping at the artisan shops and market and ate some of the most amazing food I've had here so far. We also found a beautiful park and spent some time watching a basketball tournament there. It was a good day, but we were pretty tired when we got back.

There hasn't been much birthday fuss today. The youth kids at church found out that it was my birthday thanks to the other CIEE kids that go to church with me and they all sang for me. I went back to the house for lunch, chilaquiles verdes, and rested for a little while. I got bored so I decided to go down to the Jardin and checkout the sidewalk artists that were decorating the sidewalks in the downtown area. It was incredible! For me, sidewalk art means hopscotch, but these people were amazing artists! I included below some photos of their work:

This one was my favorite.


This artist was still working while his assistant provided shade.


Another artist still working. I can't imagine how sore her knees and back had to have been after working all day.


I thought this piece of art was especially colorful.

I like this one because the man on the side looks like he is actually kneeling on the sidewalk when in reality he is part of the work.

After wandering around for a while, I sat down to people watch. This is always an entertaining activity. The children are always so cute and funny, the teenagers always have a significant other hanging on their arm, and the adults are frantically trying to keep track of their children and all their belongings. As I was sitting there a man came up and sat down on the other half of the bench. He began making necklaces out of unique stones and wire strips. We began chatting and he showed me how he made these necklaces and even let me help pick out the stones for each one. He was a very interesting person. He is from Guanajuato but he spent several years traveling in Europe and Africa. He asked me about my time in Guanajuato and about the different things that I have done. The conversation turned to religion, and he told me about how he disapproves of the machismo aspect catholicism has to it. He asked me how Christianity was different from catholicism. It was an interesting conversation even though I'm not sure I understand all of it.

My birthday was different this year. Not in a bad way, just different. Overall the weekend was good. I found some really neat souveniers and was able to see a unique style of art that I have never before seen. I had 25 youth kids sing "Feliz Cumpleanos" and I had an in-depth conversation with a complete stranger. Not bad for one weekend.

Viva Mexico!

This week was an incredibly important week for Mexico. September 16th is Mexico's Dia de la Independencia. Everyone had been preparing for weeks. Balconies were hung with flags and streamers and the streets were decorated with red, green and white lights. Many of the street corners hosted vendors selling huge sombreros, Mexican flags, plastic horns, and everything else Mexican that you can imagine. The general enthusiasm got me really excited as well.


I learned from my host family that the most important part of Independence Day takes place on the 15th of September. This event is called the Grito, or literally "the shout." The history behind this is that the leader of the independence movement, Miguel Hidalgo rang the church bells in the town of Dolores Hidaglo, summoning all to fight for their independence. This has turned into the most intense display of nationalism that I have ever seen. Every person in Mexico is either out in their town centers to participate in the Grito or they are watching the proceedings in Mexico City on their tvs. Regardless, everyone in Mexico is awake and ready to yell "Viva Mexico" at 11:00 pm the night of the 15th.


The town of Dolores Hidalgo is in Guanajuato state, so needless to say, as the capital city, Guanajuato gets really excited about Independence Day. The Grito is held at the Alhondiga which is a huge square building that used to be a granery. Now it is a museum, but it has a huge plaza out front that can accommodate a lot of people. So, my friend Jessica and I decided to go down to the Alhondiga and see what was going on. We arrived early and wandered around looking at the decorations. Then we saw that there were a bunch of food vendors set up with huge tents across the street from the Alhondiga, so we headed over there to get a bite to eat.


We were immediately attacked by several different people. "Gueras!" "Aqui! tacos y enchiladas!" "Dos? Sientate aqui, dos asientos!" "Tenemos posuele, flautas y gorditas!" No one asked us if we were hungry, instead they commanded us to sit at their tables. So we sat, and proceeded to eat some of the best food that I have had here. I ate tacos dorados con papas y bistek. Basically, they are small tortillas stuffed with potates and then fried so the tortilla is crispy and then they were served with ground beef mixed with onions and topped with lettuce, tomatos, queso and crema de vaca (which is kind of like sour cream, just not sour). It was incredible, and to top it all off, I had churros for dessert. Completely Mexican food on a completely Mexican day.


At about 10:30 the place started to fill up with people wearing the large sombreros, holding Mexican flags and making all sorts of noises with the plastic horns. The president (governor) of Guanajuato arrived and made a short speech. Then as time ran out and it was 11:00 a voice over the loudspeaker began shouting "Viva Hidalgo!" "Viva Allende!" "Viva Pipila!" "Viva Guanajuato!" and finally "VIVA MEXICO!" Between each shout out, the crowd responded with "Viva!" and when they finally reached the most important "VIVA MEXICO!" everyone went nuts. They were all screaming and cheering and waving their flags and spraying silly string. It was absolute chaos, and then to add to it all, they started the fireworks. It was so much fun to be a part of! I can't even begin to imagine what next year will be like with because Mexico will be celebrating 200 years of independence from Spain.

While all this was very clearly excitement for the Mexican holiday, I was surprised by how large a presence the USA was. For example, the vendors selling the Mexico paraphernalia had stickers that not only had the Mexican flag, but also the US flag and the Canadian flag. All the government buildings were flying these three flags as well. And it seemed really odd, but during the week there were several people wearing shirts that had US independence day themes. I even heard one of the cafes playing "America the Beautiful" as their background music. So while Mexico has an strong atmosphere of nationalism, there is a lot of evidence about US influence especially through NAFTA.

Rain, rain go away...

Rain. I know it's necessary, and I don't mind it at all when I can sit inside with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, but when it rains everyday and stays overcast and damp, it definitely is not my favorite weather. All this to say that it has been raining here in Guanajuato for the last week and a half. Not all day long, but everyday.

Guanajuato is a different place in the rain. There are hardly any people in the streets but the shop doors are crowded with people huddled together awaiting the end of the cloud burst. The people who are in the streets have umbrellas or ponchos. All the street venders pack up their wares or cover them with tarps. Because Guanajuato is shaped like a bowl, when it rains, the streets turn into rivers and the callejones are like waterfalls. The water rushing downhill brings with it small rocks, dirt, and trash which then collects on the sidewalks and street corners.

Everyone remarks about how great it is to get rain, but it is also incredibly inconvenient. Washing clothes is a nightmare because no one has dryers and so line-drying is common and sun is essential for this to succeed. I washed clothes on Saturday morning, they got soaked in a shower that afternoon, Sunday was sunny until Sunday afternoon when it poured again, and Monday, when it started to rain, I ran out to get my clothes and bring them inside to dry. Even though they had been hanging all day in the sun, they were still very damp. Everyone walks everywhere here: kids walk to school, parents walk to work, the markets are outdoors. So, rain sets everything on hold and often it comes up without warning, so it is common to be caught without an umbrella or a hood.

And, unlike the US where rain often leaves a behind a freshly-clean scent that is not the case here. I don't know what it is, but the whole town smells a little like a sewer after the rain. It might be that the underground aguas negras flood and are brought closer to the surface, or maybe it is the dirt and trash that is pooled during a shower.

All in all, rainy days are not my favorite. They do make the weather cooler, but once the sun comes back, it is usually just humid. I guess I just associate fall with dry, crisp weather, and this rainy season stuff is just different.

*Photo was taken by Jessica Cruz.

Two Months Down, Three More To Go!

I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about how I've already been in Mexico for two whole months, eight weeks! In some ways I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by and how, at the same time, it feels like I have been here forever. I've been thinking about what it was like when I first arrived in Guanajuato and how so much has changed and yet how much has remained the same.

In the language department, my general understanding of Spanish has improved greatly. I can carry on a conversation now and understand the majority of what my professors are saying in their lectures. My reading comprehension has grown tremendously, and while there are still lots of words I don't know, the grammar and sentence structure doesn't throw me for a loop. I can write a comprehensive essay without stressing about it, and I know Dr. Barbas-Rhoden would be amazed at how much better I am with subject-verb agreement and subject-adjective agreement. I'm trying to read as much as I can in Spanish, so I've been working my way through the Harry Potter series. It isn't a hard read, and because many of the words are common household words, it's helped me with my vocabulary as well as grammar. Not to mention, their great stories that keep my attention. Unfortunately, my speaking is still pretty iffy, and I tend to freeze up if I have to articulate something.

I have good days and bad days when it comes to Spanish. For example, this past week I had two conversations with the nanny at my homestay. We talked for a good hour or so each time and they were legitimate conversations about our families and our lives. She has a very interesting life that is completely different from mine and she is more than willing to tell me all about it. She also seems very interested in learning about my life back in the States. On the other hand, there are days when I can't focus on the Spanish to save myself, and end up getting caught in awkward situations because I wasn't listening. It is easy to get discouraged by these times and forget about the successes, but I try to stay positive and keep working at it. I think that if I were able to make some friends that were Mexican and I was forced to speak Spanish with them, my speaking would improve greatly.

In regards to my homestay family, I don't yet feel like a part of the family. Not in a bad way, but I still feel a like a guest. However, the feeling that I am a guest in the home of a stranger has passed. My host family has given me a nickname, two nicknames actually: la chica and Rebeca-Becky. They take good care of me and have even begun to trust me to take care of their kids if they have to run an errand or go to an evening party.

I remember arriving Guanajuato and going to an overlook of the city and not knowing how in the world to find anything. The curving, narrow streets were a mystery to me, and I wouldn't have known where an Oxxo was if I desperately need a bottled water. However, yesterday I was walking home from church, and I noticed that a new bakery was opening on one of the street corners. I was excited to know that I could now tell if a new shop had opened because I am familiar with the streets. I know more than one way to get to class, and I see the same people everyday on my way to the university. There are people here who know who I am and who recognize me enough to say hi when we cross paths. I have my favorite cafes and places to sit and people watch. I know where to go to get things like shampoo or peanut M&Ms.

While it is neat that I've become acclimated to Guanajuato and feel comfortable here, the place hasn't lost it's charm. Things still amaze and amuse me, and I am confident that I haven't seen everything there is to see. I may have my favorite spots, but I am also constantly finding new ones. Every time I stop focusing on the sidewalk so I don't trip as I walk, I see something I never noticed before. The next few months are going to be so filled with all sorts of fun and new experiences between all the Mexican holidays and the Cervantino festivals that final exams will be here before I know it. So while three months sounds like a long time, I know it will fly by and I'll be home sharing my pictures and telling everyone about just how wonderful Guanajuato was.

Do I have goals for the rest of my time here? Of course...goals of fluency in Spanish, good grades in my classes, exposure to Mexican culture, and growing as a person with increased confidence and openness to new ideas and a new culture. And, once I can understand my three-year-old host brother, I'll know that everything else is in the bag.

P.S. Today was a good day, Spanish-wise. I was able to follow my professor in my Migration class, I had a brief but understood conversation with the nanny, and I screwed up the courage to go by a cellphone, and it didn't turn out to be nearly as difficult as I had feared.

Scariest Place on Earth

I recently heard from a friend that Guanajuato was on TV as one of the scariest places on earth. Of course, my immediate reaction was "no way!" but then I remembered that Guanajuato has a really strange museum. It's been almost two months since I visited Guanajuato's mummy museum, and I can't believe that I haven't written about it yet!

The Museo de las Momias is one thing that Guanajuato is most famous for, so of course, I had to visit. I don't know what I was expecting...probably mummies like the Egyptians had. Not quite what I encountered at this museum - there were no gold sarcophagi or linen-wrapped bodies.

Apparently, the soil around Guanajuato naturally mummifies anything buried in it very quickly. As a result, the mummies are extraordinarily well-preserved. Most of them still have their original clothes and many have their hair, nails and skin.

The mummies all have unique stories. There is the world's smallest mummy, a pregnant mummy, and a mummy who had been buried alive. Because of the rapid mummification, it is possible to know exactly how many of these people died. Many of the bodies are from the lat 19th century and early 20th century. The dates show that the people were buried five to six years before they were exhumed and discovered to be perfectly preserved.

The reason the mummies were discovered in the first place was a shortage of graves. As a result, the people of Guanajuato were forced to reuse graves and in the process, they began finding the mummies. The mummies were originally displayed in giant stone hallways, but now they are in temperature-regulated cases. The mummies travel all over the world as part of various exhibitions. If you get the chance to see this exhibition, you should definitely jump on the opportunity.

The Museo de las Momias is a great example of the strange obsession people in Guanajuato have with death. While this is a fascinating museum, it is not a place that I would ever bring little children, however, there were whole families snapping photos of themselves in front of the mummies. Something like this would be considered morbid in the States, but here it is a part of life, and no one is shielded from it. I knew that the general view of death was different after studying the Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead, but this really made me realize how differently Americans see death. As a culture, we try to ignore it and avoid talking about it, but here it is definitely a reality that is in your face! It raises the question of who has the better viewpoint....

Piñatas a la Fiesta

I have officially experienced an authentic Mexican birthday party, and let me tell you, American parties pale in comparison. This Sunday my host family celebrated the birthdays of my host siblings, Paula (6) and Cesar (3). Their birthdays were actually in April and June, but now was first opportunity the family has had to celebrate. I didn't understand what the big deal was until I arrived at the party.

At Mexican fiestas, everyone is invited...everyone. Even though the party was for the kids, there were over 100 adults at the event. There was food, drinks, games for the kids, two piñatas, and of course cake. All the adults sat around and ate and talked while the kids played on the playground and had their faces painted. This was all good and fun, until it lasted from 1:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Actually, the time went by quickly because there were several people there that I knew, the food was delicious, and I got to play esconditas (hide-and-go-seek) with the cutest little 4-year-old I've ever met.
Some basic differences between Mexican fiestas and American parties:
1) People who are not invited come. Fiestas are basically free-for-alls, but nobody cares.
2) The family makes all the preparations, including cooking enough food for 100+ people.
3) The party lasts as long as the last guest stays, and there is no such thing as outstaying your welcome.
4) Nobody cares that the little girls are dressed in beautiful dresses and playing in the mud.
5) The birthday song is different. I'm not sure what the words are, but it is definitely different.
6) There is piñata song that determines how long each kid's turn is for hitting the piñata. (The whole blindfolded and spun around thing doesn't happen.)

I also got to spend some more time with my host dad's family. I met them early on in my time here in Mexico when I knew no Spanish, so it was nice to see them again and show them that I am not a complete idiot. They are really friendly and seemed glad to see me. I hope I get the chance to spend more time with them before I head back to the States. There are several cousins that are about my age, and it would be a lot of fun to get to know them better.

Viva Lucha Libre!

I went to a Lucha Libre fight last night, and let me tell you, it was an experience like none other. I think I'm still in shock a little. The event was held in a baseball stadium, and despite the fact that we paid general admission, we had great seats where we could see everything. And in the end, I was thankful that we weren't any closer. The first three fights were between local luchadores and they were entertaining, but you could tell they weren't especially good. As these fights were going on, the "super estrellas" were arriving and being swarmed by the crowd for autographs and photos. The last two fights were between these superstars in the lucha libre category. They were not only more impressive with their moves, but there was a lot of drama that went on at the same time as the fight.

Apparently, each lucha libre has his own story that is on-going in his personal life. They have lovers and enemies - basically it's like a violent version of the telenovela. The fights are the lucha libre's way of defeating his enemy or staking his claim on a particular woman. This was apparently manifested last night in one fight where two fighters who were on the same team hated each other and one ended up betraying his teammates to win the fight. (They fight in pairs or triples.) It was all very weird.

There were several highlights of the evening. One of the luchadores was a transvestite, and had the crowd roaring when he kissed the referee. It was quite creepy to have a man dressed as a woman fighing in a ring. Another highlight was a really famous lucha libre who wore probably the skimpiest speedo I have ever seen and who played up his "sexy" vibe to the crowd's delight. The women went berserk. There was also a lot of chair throwing and hitting. Of course, this whole time, I had no real idea of what was going on or what the point of any of this was. So, I looked up lucha libre on wikipedia to get a better idea of what this was all about.

Basically what happens is the luchadores fight in threes. They can defeat the other team by pinning either the captain or both of the other team members. They fight in three rounds and each round has a different characteristic. For example, in the first round, they fight one at a time, the second round they can tag-team the other team, and the third round consists of a slapping fest and a competition to see who can get the most applause from the audience. (At least, this seemed to be the pattern last night.) The luchadores rely on a lot of aerial moves and use the ropes to catapult themselves toward the other luchadores.

My favorite part of the evening was watching the crowd. They all had obvious favorites and they really got into the action by yelling at and even flicking off the luchadores that they hated. The kids all bought masks and were wearing them. There were people selling popcorn, churros, chips, sodas, masks, and all sorts of noisemakers. The stands were loud and full of energy. There were all kinds of people, too: little kids, teenagers, women, men, old men, tourists. In all honesty, I don't really understand what the fuss was all about. The fights appear very staged and it is all very melodramatic. The fighters were big, but they weren't toned, and I felt like there were many that I could have defended myself against. I'm not positive, but I think that a lot of the lucha libre is about making a stand for social change, and that many of the luchadores use their free time to speak up for reforms. Maybe that is why they are such a hit. Or, it may just be that I have no real appreciation for this type of fighting. Either way, it was a fun cultural experience that makes me interested in learning more.