La Sagrada Familia - Apizaco, TLAX, MX

For those of you who have not heard, I have received my site placement for my year in Mexico. I will be working at a shelter for migrants in the city of Apizaco, a small town roughly two hours east of Mexico City in the state of Tlaxcala. The shelter is run by the Catholic Church La Sagrada Familia. It is a very short stay shelter (two days max) where migrants are able to rest, shower and get a meal or two before returning to their arduous journey. Most of the guests at the shelter are men (although women and children are welcome too). The shelter typically houses anywhere from three to fifty migrants. Most of these migrants are traveling from Central America to the United States and are riding buses or on top of the infamous train known as La Bestia (The Beast). Many of these migrants are fleeing gang violence, political corruption or poverty and are headed north in search of work, freedom and new opportunities. Unfortunately, the  journey is anything but easy for these travelers. As they head north, they are often confronted by Mexicans gangs and cartels demanding money or other favors, and brutal police. Their vulnerability makes them prime targets for these perpetrators of injustice. Those that make it to the U.S. have the challenge of navigating border patrol, then living with the fear of deportation, and the possibly of having to deal with immigration courts and other agencies of the U.S. government. In his book Christians at the Border, M. Daniel Carroll R. shares that "Many immigrants seek a 'promised land' of a better existence, a 'land of milk and honey.' But the trek here is hard, and life once they get to the United States can be full of long hours of work with low pay and few benefits. Perhaps they have left one Egypt for another. Here the majority culture fears their numbers and their being different, although they want their labor."* 

So what exactly will I be doing at the shelter for migrants?
I will help with the daily operations of the shelter: working in the kitchen, cleaning clothes and bedding, tending to the shelter's garden and helping raise some chickens. I will also accompany migrants, talk to them, listen to their stories, and participate in regular workshops with residents. 

Summary: the people I will be working with this year are going through a lot of shit. I will hear heartbreaking stories. It will be very challenging. But, my time will be meaningful. 



*Denver Seminary professor M. Daniel Carroll R. shares that this great migration is not so different than the migrations we witness in the Bible: Abram's migrations, the Israelites traveling to Egypt in search of food, the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, the exile in Babylon and Assyria and the return from exile. This argument is one of many ways that he helps his audience to form a new - more Biblical, more loving, more Christ-like - perspective on immigration. 

Photos for Funds

These are pictures that I took on a previous trip of a few iconic places in and around Mexico City. As a part of my effort to raise funds for my year in Mexico, I am giving away framed copies of these pictures for donations of $15 or more. More information on how to donate can be found on a previous blog titled "A México". If you make a donation, please let me know which picture you would like. I can hand deliver, or if needed, mail pictures. ¡Ciao!

Capilla del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary). Puebla, MX.  

La Capilla del Rosario (Chapel of the Rosary) is housed in the la Iglesia de Santo Domingo (Church of St. Dominic) in Puebla, Mexico. This colonial chapel is covered in intricate gilded carvings. 

Ex-Convento de San Gabriel. Cholula, MX.    

These doors are found at the Ex-Convento de San Gabriel. The former convent began to be constructed in the 1540s. Close to twenty Franciscan monks still reside here.

Piedra del Sol (Stone of the Sun). Mexico City.   

La Piedra del Sol (Stone of the Sun) is a 12-foot, 25-ton, carved basalt slab depicting the Aztec mythological belief. This stone, often mistaken as an Aztec calendar, was carved in the 15^th Century and discovered beneath Mexico City’s Zócalo (Central Square) in 1790. “In the stone’s center is the sun god Tonatiuh. The rest of the carvings explain the Aztecs’ idea of the cosmos: namely, that prior to their existence, the world had endured four periods (called suns) of creation and destruction. Four square panels surrounding the center image represent these four worlds and their destruction (by jaguars, wind, firestorms, and water, respectively). The ring around the panels is filled with symbols representing the 20 days of the Aztec month. Finally, two snakes form an outer ring and point to a date, 1011 AD – the date the fifth sun, or the Aztecs’ current world, was created. The Aztecs believed that this fifth sun was the final sun; they believed that one day they would witness a catastrophic end of the world” (Fodor’s, Mexico, p.57).

Carved Skulls. Mexico City.

New Basilica. Mexico City. 

    The newest basilica to be built on the site was completed in 1976. The Nueva Basílica houses the cloak on which La Virgen’s image was imprinted. Furthermore, the basilica was built to resemble Juan Diego’s cloak with a sloping wooden ceiling that resembles the wrinkled nature and texture of a cloak made of woven fibers. The picture next to this paper shows the ceiling of the basilica as well as the flag of each country in which the Virgin of Guadalupe is revered.

The legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe was born in December of 1531 on the hill Tepeyac, when a dark-skinned virgin appeared the humble, indigenous Christian named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. The virgin had appeared to Juan Diego several times, telling him to ask the bishop to erect a shrine to the perpetual Virgin Mary on the hill. Juan Diego carried out this command a couple of times without fail.  Eventually, the virgin appeared to Juan Diego again. But, this time “his cloak was imprinted with the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” to serve as evidence to the bishop that Juan Diego had, in fact, had a holy vision. The bishop must have been moved because a shrine was erected on the hill Tepeyac, which had previously been the location of a temple to the Aztec goddess Tonantzin Cihuacóatl (“our reverend Mother Snake Woman”). The legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe was born.[1]

Throughout the centuries, clergy and lay people have questioned the authenticity of the miracle. While many skeptics remain, the event has become deeply rooted in the Mexican identity as a symbol of Catholicism and the national identity of Mexico. In 2002, Juan Diego was canonized as a saint, becoming the first indigenous saint in the Americas. Meanwhile, the hill Tepeyac remains a holy site that millions visit every year.

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[1] Koschorke Klaus, Ludwig Frieder, and Delgado Mariano, ed., A History of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, 1450-1990: A Documentary Sourcebook, (Grand Rapid, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007), 315.

Colorful Houses. Outskirts of Mexico City. 

These colorful houses decorate one of the many mountain sides that surround Mexico City. A city of an estimated 22 million.

Carving of Quetzalcóatl. Teotihuacán.    

Temple of Quetzalcóatl. Teotihuacán.    

These carvings of Quetzalcóatl, the Plumed Serpent, and Tláloc, god of rain and maize, adorn the Templo de Quetzalcóatl in Teotihuacán. For the inhabitants of Teotihuacán, Quetzalcóatl was a god of fertility. Throughout Mesoamerica, Quetzalcóatl was also a deity of culture and civilization, which may explain the placement of this temple in the urban center of Teotihuacán next to the open-aired market. Teotihuacán dates back nearly to the time of Christ. This urban center reached its peak around 600 AD, housing over 100,000 people and exercising influence over an empire occupying most of central Mexico.

Teotihuacán.

Teotihuacán.

Teotihuacán.

Teotihuacán.

This picture was taken from the Pyramid of the Moon looking down Calzada de los Muertos (the Avenue of the Dead) and at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán. Teotihuacán dates back nearly to the time of Christ. This urban center reached its peak around 600 AD, housing over 100,000 people and exercising influence over an empire occupying most of central Mexico. When the Aztecs stumbled upon this inhabitation in the 14^th Century it was completely deserted. They mistook the temples lining the main avenue as tombs, and thus proceeded to name it the Avenue of the Dead. Much like us, the Aztecs were mesmerized by this site. Thinking no men could have built such a grand city, they named the site Teotihuacán, which means “place where men became gods.” The Aztecs inherited the deserted city as one of their own holy sites, where various religious rituals were performed. Little is known of the original inhabitants of this colossal city.

Teotihuacán and Gringos.

Palacio de Belles Artes. Mexico City.

This ornate white-marble opera house was constructed at the beginning of the 20^th Century. It’s construction was ordered by the Porfiro Díaz, who had an imagination for grandiosity. Today, the building houses paintings and murals from some of Mexico’s most famous artists, as well as temporary art exhibits.

Modern Architecture. Mexico City.

While Mexico City abounds in ancient and colonial historic sites, it is also a bustling metropolis. Mexico City is the NYC of Latin America (though it is actually much, much bigger). This city is the heart of culture and business for Mexico and Latin America.

Romance in Alameda Central. Mexico City.

Romance in Alameda Central. Mexico City.

This picture captures the romantic nature of the Mexican people, which is on public display in parks, sidewalks, and plazas throughout the nation. This particular couple was seen in the historic Alameda Central. Alameda Central was the site of indigenous markets during Aztec times, and was a symbolic park during Mexico’s colonial era. Today, it remains a busy park, where one can catch live music and people-watch.

Xochimilco. Mexico City.

 At one time the Valley of Mexico was connected by a set of enormous lakes. As a result of degradation by humans and environmental factors, the majority of this lake system has disappeared, and in its place lies Mexico City – one of the largest cities on the planet. Xochimilco is one of the few remaining signs of this vast lake system. Xochimilco was settled by indigenous people millennia ago, and was noted for the chinampas – floating gardens – devised here. These chinampas were essentially barges created by placing reeds, branches and dirt on lilies and anchoring the structure to the lake bed by planting a willow tree.

Carved Skulls at Templo Mayor. Mexico City.

Templo Mayor & Catedral Metropolitana. Mexico City.

The foreground of this picture shows the Templo Mayor, the ancient hub of the Aztec empire, which was accidentally unearthed by telephone repairmen in 1978. The background displays the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest Cathedral in Latin America, which began to be constructed in the 16^th Century.

      This picture displays a scene that is a common sight throughout Mexico: the construction of churches upon ancient temples. The conquering and crusading nature of Spanish colonizers often led them to erect churches right on top of temples devoted to Aztec and other indigenous deities. This sight serves a metaphor for the soul of Mexico. “All Mexicans live with the legacy of both their Spanish and Indian history… more than 60 percent of Mexicans are “mestizos” – people of mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry.”[1] Indeed, modern Mexico was born of two rich histories: the natives of Mexico and the Spaniards. This interesting confluence has left a mark on not only the ethnic make-up of Mexicans today, but also on the fundamental beliefs, religion and culture of Mexico. This inheritance is not easy to grasp as it forces the Mexican to grappled with “being both the conquered and the conqueror.”[2] But, as Oliver states “Perhaps a plaque in front of the Spanish church facing the Aztec ruins best explains the emotional legacy of the Spanish conquest: ‘It was neither a triumph nor a defeat. It was the painful birth of the Mestizo nation that is Mexico today.’”[3]

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[1] David Oliver Relin, “Understanding Mexico’s Soul,” Scholastic Update 121, no.6 (1988): 15.

[2] Alan Riding as quoted in Relin, “Understanding Mexico’s Soul,” 15.

[3] Relin, “Understanding Mexico’s Soul,” 15.

Mole. Puebla, MX.

Mole is a quintessential Mexican dish that was born in the city of Puebla. “Mole” comes from an indigenous word for “concoction.” Though typically thought of a dark chocolate-flavored sauce, such as the mole poblano in the middle of this picture, mole actually comes in a variety of flavors and textures. Mole is simply a combination of ingredients, including spices, chilies, seeds and nuts.