Evacuation routes. Volcano erupts to the west, run the other way to the east. But, isn't there a small volcano in the other direction that is connected to Popo? Oh yes...well, then we must run south or north. But, both of those roads turn east....oh boy.
Aside from the escape plans hatched on a roof, this week has been full of adventures. After all, that is what Spring Break is for, is it not? Pictures, suntan lines, and making the locals think that we are, in every essence of the words, crazy tourists. Fun stuff.
Our week began visiting an historic nuns' convent turned into a religious art museum.
There were all sorts of furniture and art work laid out in the building. Books, benches, paintings...everything a museum should have. Some paintings were done in such a way that they looked as if they were moving when you walked past them. Just a little creepy.
Later on in the week, we conquered Fuerte de Loreta (one of the two forts involved in the final battles of the Mexican Revolution, making Cinco de Mayo important)! We found one of the soldiers there, but he didn't want to talk too much. We even found some old cannons to play with, but apparently they'd make entirely too much noise if we shot them. It was neat in that the city is already preparing that site and its sister fort Fuerte de Guadalupe for next year's bicentennial of independence. Several areas are blocked from tourist traffic for modifications, and even the hedges had been trimmed into the shapes of cannons and archways!
We also went to Cuernavaca and visited several sites. We went to the Hernan Cortez museum, and to the oldest cathedral in North America. It has several distinct forms of architecture so it is obvious that it was added to over the centuries. What I thought was interesting was the skull and crossbones over the main entryway. I'm sure the symbol meant something entirely different 400 years ago than it does now, but still, one gets the impression of a pirate church at first glance. There were also some local dancers in the zocalo (downtown center) that were dancing to a drum. They had shell noise-makers on their ankles, and people were joining in off the street.
We also visited more pyramid ruins in Cacaxtla. Some of the carvings still had the original paint on them from 3,000 years ago! It was very interesting to see the building layouts, carvings, and statues at the different sites. There was also a site with four different pyramids used for different ceremonies. Each was a different size, shape, and location in relation to the main site at Cacaxtla.
Finally, we had a barbecue with friends and went to a circus. The barbecue was where the volcano evacuation plans were hatched, sitting on the roof looking at the sunset. The circus was where a group of white tigers jumped around for their trainer. It is also where I got pulled into the ring to participate in the clown skit. I rode an imaginary motorcycle, and helped the clown jump imaginary jump rope. It was fun.
Next week will continue the saga of our adventures. Until then, hasta luego!