The Magic of the Cities.

Zen promotes the rediscovery of the obvious, which is so often lost in its familiarity and simplicity. It sees the miraculous in the common and magic in our everyday surroundings. When we are not rushed, and our minds are unclouded by conceptualizations, a veil will sometimes drop, introducing the viewer to a world unseen since childhood. ~ John Greer

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Shop Window


At the Colonia Roma [ At Roma District ].

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

The Guardian


An sculpture found in Chapultepec Park to keep the trees safe. Save Forests.

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Monday, January 14, 2008

Voladores de Papantla / The Papantla Flyers




The Danza de los Voladores de Papantla (Dance of Papantla's flyers) is a ritualistic dance in Veracruz performed by the Totonac Indians. Five men, each representing the five elements of the indigenous world climb atop a pole, one of them stays on the pole playing a flute and dancing while the remaining four descend the pole with a rope tied by one of their feet. The rope unwraps itself 13 times for each of the four flyers, symbolizing the 52 weeks of the year.
According to legend, a long drought covered the Earth so five men decided to send Xipe Totec, the God of fertility a message, asking them for the rain to return. They went to the forest and looked for the straightest tree, cut it, and took it back to their town. They removed all branches and placed it on the ground, then dressed themselves as feet/birds and descended flying attempting to grab their God's attention. It is believed that this ritual began over 1,500 years ago, and later on was disguised as a sort of game to protect their customs from the Spanish Priests.

El Juego del Volador es una tradición mexicana que, para algunos antiguos pueblos indígenas como los olmecas y totonacas, era un ritual sagrado con un gran significado astronómico y religioso. También se práctica en el occidente de Guatemala.
Consiste en que cuatro personas (simbolizando los cuatro puntos cardinales) se atan a un tronco alto y giran colgados alrededor de él 13 veces cada quien, sumando en total 52 vueltas, que eran los años que duraba un siglo astronómico para los indígenas.
Aunque se suele conocer como Danza de los Voladores de Papantla, la evidencia arqueológica ha demostrado que se trata de un ritual muy antiguo y no circunscrito a la cultura totonaca. Se conocen representaciones de cerámica procedentes de Nayarit que parecen probar que el ritual existía por lo menos desde el Período Preclásico de Mesoamérica. En la actualidad sigue siendo celebrado por los grupos nahuas y totonacos de la Sierra Norte de Puebla y el Totonacapan veracruzano. Algunos grupos de indígenas de esas regiones se han trasladado a diversos puntos de la República Mexicana, como el Museo Nacional de Antropología en la Ciudad de México, donde hacen una breve representación del ritual indígena.
En la celebración acompañada de danzas y música se utiliza un tronco o "palo volador" donde se ajustan varias piezas: una pequeña base, una cruz, un pivote que unirá y posibilitará el giro, y una escalera. En los extremos de la cruz se colocan cuerdas que sujetan a los danzantes voladores simbolizando los puntos cardinales, norte, sur, este y oeste. A más de 12 metros en lo alto de la estructura, se sitúa el caporal, personaje que toca un tambor y una flauta, y coordina el ritual. Cada señal que el caporal hace es un tipo de acrobacia, en una de ellas cada danzante volador disfrazado de ave saltan al vacío y giran 13 veces cada uno de ellos, con un total de 52, que representa los años que representaba un ciclo indígena. Finaliza cuando los participantes empiezan a abrir el circulo hasta tocar el suelo.

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Acapulco I

Acapulco Bay

Pie de la Cuesta Beach


Fishermen Family

Acapulco as a Holiday Resort
Since the 20th century, Acapulco has been a popular resort for tourists taking long holiday weekends and cruises from the United States, the Mexican interior and countries in South America. Eventually, it began competing directly with the Cancún on the East Coast as a super-tourist destination. In the past three decades, air fares have become increasingly affordable as international airlines added flights and infrastructure to support the increasing air travel. The two beach resorts are located on opposite coasts oriented due East and West from the other. The city has had its star-spangled times, leading Sammy Cahn to reference it in his lyrics for "Come Fly With Me". Modern Acapulco is a featured destination for many Pacific cruise ship packages and international air carriers. Most tourists are Mexican, but its balmy subtropical climate and pleasant year round temperatures draws in many other foreign nationals year round, providing the volume to support the numerous bars and clubs dotted around the bay.
In recent years, within the younger crowd, Acapulco has made up some ground on Cancún as a popular spring break destination. This growing popularity may be because Acapulco offers a different unknown experience and a larger, international student crowd than Cancún due to its prominence as an international tourist resort with many available international transatlantic and transpacific flights. As in Cancún, water sports such as water skiing, para-sailing, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, sailing and snorkeling excursions are available in many price ranges amongst the picturesque coastal waters.

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Theme Day: Best Photo of The Year


"Billboard" from August 14, 2007.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!


Please visit other participants:

Paris, France - London, England - Hyde, UK - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Grenoble, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Riga, Latvia - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - New Orleans (LA), USA - Wichita (KS), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Francisco (CA), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Mainz, Germany - Melbourne, Australia - Portland (OR), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Toulouse, France - Naples (FL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Brussels, Belgium - Stayton (OR), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Toruń, Poland - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Nashville (TN), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Prescott (AZ), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Nottingham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Evry, France - Trujillo, Peru - Arlington (VA), USA - Denpasar, Indonesia - American Fork (UT), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Coral Gables (FL), USA - Montpellier, France - Joplin (MO), USA - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Boston (MA), USA - Torun, Poland - New York City (NY), USA - Dunedin (FL), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Chateaubriant, France - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Budapest, Hungary - Austin (TX), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Cypress (TX), USA - Bicheno, Australia - Wrocław, Poland - Brookville (OH), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Cheltenham, UK - Wellington, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - London, UK - Haninge, Sweden - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Arradon, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Mumbai, India - Terrell (TX), USA - Bogor, Indonesia - Delta (CO), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Saigon, Vietnam - San Diego (CA), USA - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Belgrade, Serbia - Auckland, New Zealand - Seguin (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA - Oslo, Norway - Singapore, Singapore - Las Vegas (NV), USA - New York City (NY), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy - Susanville (CA), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Memphis (Tennessee), USA

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.