There´s Something About Mary

Trip Start Nov 05, 2006

182

Trip End Jan 14, 2008

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Flag of Mexico Anton Lizardo, Veracruz, Mexico
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

O.k., so we headed east toward Veracruz from Puebla and took a right turn down the coast arriving at an R.V. park right on the beach. I have to say, the drive from Puebla on the Mex 150 toll road to the Golf Coast was pretty amazing. You drive up into a valley of mountains and when you start the descent the enviornment changes completely. All of a sudden you go from desert land to lush, tropical jungle land. It was a pretty amazing difference. When we got to the camp ground on the coast, (finally!) we were a little apprehensive as there was nobody in sight. Nobody staying there, no one to pay, just a couple of empty R.V.´s decorating the lot. While the park was beautiful, right on the beach, the sound of the waves and a slight mist hitting you...we were both wondering where everyone was. It was a bit isolated...Was this the R.V. park about which a movie would be made where everyone was found dead? Would we be a headline if we stayed here?? Is this where the banditos take our money??? (Those imaginary banditos that keep Paul awake some nights!)

Luckily, this was not the case, but we were both thinking the place was the perfect site for "murder by the beach!" when we went to sleep (back to the whole...The Hills Have Eyes movie paranoia...)

a pilgrims

. It was actually the nicest, most relaxing place we´d found yet. we discovered in the morning there were guests and a staff after all, everyone was just whooping it up in Veracruz the night before.

Anyway, back to Mary. December 12th is a national holiday in Mexico. It is a holiday celebrating the "mother" of the country, (Mary) The Virgin of Guadalupe. Here´s the basic background story....... In 1531, a poor peasant guy sees Mary (yes, THE MARY, the mother of Jesus) who tells him "build me a church on this hill." So he goes and tells the priest "I saw Mary and she wants a church." The priest (a Spaniard, of course!) doesn´t believe him (of course, he´s lucky the inquisition wasn´t ongoing or some ¨pain purification¨would have been in his future). So he continues on with his simple life but encounters Mary yet a second time who tells him to gather roses and go back to the priest. He does this, (not an easy feat, as roses were not in season) and brings them to the priest. When he throws them down, emblazed upon his gathering cloak for all to see, the product of divine intervention and expert artistry...A PICTURE OF MARY!....TAA DAAAH!!!!! (top that David Copperfield). However, this Mary is a darker skinned version from those previously portrayed in all those church commissioned paintings. Hmmmmmm......the Spanish had to do something with this brown Mary....So, nonetheless, a sanctioned Mary sighting (I believe the ONLY Mary sighting) became a big deal...hence a national holiday

b Cycling Pilgrims

! So why doesn´t Mary have dark skin in all those paintings at the Louvre? Maybe Jesus didn´t look like the white guy shown in all those pictures in people´s hallways....Wait ´till Dan Brown gets ahold of this one.

Sooooo....In the U.S. on holidays, people seem to spend money and drink. Not the case in Mexico!!   This isn´t just a holiday though, it´s something embraced by the entire country of Mexico! Kids have torch relays down the interstate in a pilgrimage to Mexico City (seriously, the interstate. We dodged the little psychos on our whole drive here), old women walk hundreds of miles for their pilgrimage carrying shrines  (yes, in order to be a good catholic you must suffer), ¨Mary¨celebrations go on everywhere, and I would bet that you can´t walk down a street in this country without seeing a Mary statue, shrine, bobblehead or sticker.  Mexico really has it bad for old Mary, and why not?

We celebrated Mary Day on the beach in Anton Lizardo with a leisurely walk into the local fishing village where we say two fishermen unloading their "catch" for the day...complete with two four-foot sharks.  It was a good Mary Day for all.