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Did Texas ever leave Mexico?


Fiesta in San Antonio

Originally uploaded by Chiva Congelado

Yes, of course it did. The structure of the city is typically American, built around the car, and of course the American and Texan flags fly everywhere you look. Furthermore, you will find that Texans are very, very proud of their heritage and to be respected, of course.

However, in a recent visit to San Antonio I was surprised by the huge Mexican influence in the place, as can be seen in the photo to the right and in these other two. I was also rather impressed by the Spanish-language proficency of people not of Hispanic descent, and the amount of Hispanics in the city was quite large. I was wondering if it was always like this given its geographic location or if this is a recent change.

in english

Mexican wedding receptions


Norteña

Originally uploaded by Chiva Congelado

One of those things that I was not used to anymore was how Mexican wedding receptions are organised. The wedding ceremony itself can be religious or not (usually you have both, as there is complete separation of Church and State in the country) but as almost everywhere else you have the reception.

In Finland, the reception is a very orderly affair, with a programme that will include the toast and the banquet, performances by a band and maybe even the guests, speeches and finally some dancing. In Mexico, it is quite orderly as well, but you don’t notice it so much. You will first have the toast and the banquet, then the first waltz and finally a lot of dancing (6 hours of it).

To keep the audience entertained, depending on the music being played the band will use props that will also be distributed to the audience, so for example they’ll have balloons when having samba, cowboy hats for music from northern Mexico, hats, shirts, etc. Furthermore, they’ll bring in certain members of the audience to dance on the stage with their respective attire, which becomes very funny with songs like YMCA.

I’m not saying one is better than the other, they’re just different.

in english

Lucha Libre in Mexico City

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I have been to different sporting events, but lucha libre in Mexico City is more than that. The masks, the chanting and the elaborate tricks show a lot about Mexican culture, if you care to dig a little.

It also helps that it’s a lot of fun to watch live: not only for the performers, but especially for the audience.

Update: I followed my own advice and dug a little about the cultural impact of lucha libre. I found this video (unfortunately only in Spanish) of a documentary on lucha libre.  I bumped into another interesting clip explaining lucha libre in an article reviewing a recent performance in London. However, you might get an idea by watching this very amusing music video:

URUAPAN BREAKS
in english

Visiting Mexico City

The lack of posts during July was caused by a well-deserved holiday in Mexico (pictures, videos) and subsequent return and catch up with work.

One thing that surprised me quite a bit on this last visit was the amount of new shopping centres opening in the city, and the amount of people visiting them not only for the sights but also with plenty of full shopping bags regardless of the fact that it was indeed that time of the year when sales and discounts are in full-force.

Given that and the strength of the superpeso (which is now trading at record highs against the dollar and has also gained against the euro) I saw a rather optimistic picture of the Mexican economy. Let’s hope it lasts given the U.S slowdown.

in english

Finnish holiday season

Especially for people not used to it, the Finnish holiday season is quite an experience, if for nothing else, for its length.

Here in Finland, people take 4 weeks during July, which means that during this month the whole country is basicaly closed for business. This is the time when summer trainees and skeleton crews are responsible for the continued functioning of the nation while the majority spend their weeks in a summer cabin in the middle of the forest, preferrably next to a lake, but maybe without running water or electricity.

Only peace and quiet.

Musings from a child of globalisation.