On January 6th the people of Mexico celebrate the Dia de Reyes or King’s Day. Part of their tradition is to enjoy Rosca de Reyes, which is a traditional bread with a baby Jesus baked inside. Whoever finds the baby Jesus must provide tamales for their guests on February 2nd.
We bought a small loaf on the side of the road and shared it with our friends. Our new friend Liz got the baby Jesus so she will have to be in charge of tamales wherever she is on February 2nd. In Puebla they share a giant Rosca de Reyes in the Zócalo (the public square). It was a lot of big loaves edged together on many, many tables and it went on forever. The local people lined up for blocks to get a piece, a drink, and to look for baby Jesus. Three men dressed up as the Magi and everyone wanted their picture with them. Do you think you would want to find the baby Jesus in your piece?—You would have to buy all your friends tamales! You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
20 Comments
I understand why the Aztecs were impressed when they discovered the abandoned site of Teotihuacan. The site is massive!
Facing the pyramid of the Moon I decided to accept the challenge and climb up the very steep steps to the middle platform. I used my hands and my feet to kind of crawl up. When I turned around I could look all the way down the avenue to the pyramid of the Sun which was even bigger. Getting down was even harder than getting up, but luckily for me they had a rope you could hold on to so you didn’t slip. We don’t know too much about the Teotihuacan people. They had no written language so everything that has been learned is the “best guess” of archeologists. It is interesting to imagine how they lived two thousand years ago. They had no domestic animals like pigs, cows, or sheep. What do you think they ate? You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Xochimilco is one of the sixteen areas in Mexico City. It is made up of artificial islands built in the water. Like in the city of Venice (Italy) the people who live there get around using a series of canals instead of roads. When tourists visit or Mexican families want to relax for the afternoon they go out on boats called Trajineras. Our boat was colourful and had benches to sit on. Smaller boats would come by and sell treats, drinks and flowers. Some boats had bands on them that would play music for you. I got invited to be part of a Mariachi Band. Everyone was so friendly, waving at us and shouting “Hola”. Everything about it made you feel happy inside😄 You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Thank you to Rico Tours for the Best Market Tour and Food Class EVER at the famous San Juan Market!
Have you heard of Central Park in New York City? Well, Chapultepec Park is twice as big and it is awesome! It has a castle, two lakes, nine museums, a zoo, gardens, forests and even an amusement park.
We spent the whole day there but I will tell you about two really cool things: First, Fuente de Tlaloc—which means the fountain of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc. It was created by the very famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. What makes it worth the 8 km walk is that it was actually, at one point, part of the Mexico City water system. Second, the Chapultepec Zoo. It has animals from all over the world but we thought you would like to see the Mexican Wolf. I thought he looked friendly but even if I could I wouldn’t pet him. If you could only choose one would you choose the zoo or the fountain? You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Our Taxi driver taught us how to say Happy New Year in Spanish on our way in from the airport—so,
Feliz Año Nuevo 2020! Our street is lined with 20 giant nativity sets and 47 humongous piñatas. Because today is New Year’s Day the streets are busy with families celebrating. What do you think it would be like if one of those huge Piñatas was filled with candy? You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. We are heading off to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala on New Year’s Eve!
We are so excited to start 2020 adventuring with you! You Are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom & Dad. |
Details
Ray & Diane HomewoodSharing the Blessing of Travel Archives
April 2020
|