We Attend Carnaval in Coyolillo – 02-05-08

How the Three Tall Fellows were able to walk
on such uneven streets on stilts is beyond me.

This past Tuesday we had the wonderful opportunity to attend Carnaval during Fat Tuesday in the community of Coyolillo somewhere northeast of Xalapa, Mexico, in the mountains. We were the guests of Roy Dudley (http://www.xalaparoy.com/), our landlord, who wanted to reconnect with friends in the community he had not visited with for several years.

While one doesn’t really know where to start, let me begin by mentioning that we could not believe how well people young and old were able to dance so smartly on a well constructed but uneven stage made out of planks. It seemed that not a single dancer missed a step, although I suppose they would probably disagree with me. We were also very impressed by the wonderful costumes of all the performers. They must have been made with considerable skill and purchased by much sacrifice.

The following photos will give you some idea of the marvelous dancing we were privileged to watch over more than a two hour period.

Click on thumbnails below to see larger photos of other dancers.

 

The best “Polka” dancers in Mexico I have ever seen.

It would be neglectful for me to not mention the wonderful meal prepared for us in the home of a friend of Roy’s. We were invited into a small kitchen and sat down at a table nicely laid out with foods that I can only describe as the best I have ever had in Mexico. My spouse, Patricia (who is a real good cook in her own right), could not believe how they prepared it all on a small wood stove in the kitchen where we sat.

While we enjoyed the feast prepared for us,
a little girl in the house did not seem so happy.

I cannot leave without describing another kind of orchestration that occurred in order to free our vehicle from its bondage! You see, Roy parked dutifully at the end of a long dead end street and returned to find the vehicle locked in by other parked cars and trucks parked too close together to drive between. When he and some of the men of the community realized our plight, a kind of symphony was conducted between men and machines as the owners were found (while Carnaval was still going on) and vehicles moved so that Roy could return our captured vehicle to the main roadway. I say a “symphony” because one could have barely gotten a sheet of paper between Roy’s vehicles and the vehicles he passed between!

We close with a photo of some of the street dancing.

Stephen, also at —  http://www.Genuine-Tourist.com