What can me nicer to spend Christmas with your family. Since last year we spend it with Estefania’s family we’re now trying to get to Germany to spend it with my family. Right now we’re still waiting for Estefanias passport to ready and that I get my visa back from Guaymas. This waiting has a good part to it. It gives us time to compare prices for flights and make our self thoughts about the journey.

While searching around, I’ve saw that flights from Cancun would be about 500 Euros cheaper then from Guaymas or Cd. Obregon. I guess not everybody will know where Cancun is, but let me tell you this that way. It’s on the other side of Mexico.

The good things is, in that town there is a friend living which maybe could receive us and show us around. This way we could combine the German vacation with a tiny vacation in Cancun. Sounds lovely… doesn’t it.
Getting down to Cancun costs about 400-500 Euros by plane and by bus it’s probably cheaper since we’re both proud owners of student-cards, but will take over two days.

So, we’re still in the middle of all the planing and haven’t quite decided yet. Even though we both are already hoping to have a little stop in Cancun. Just to see the other side of Mexico.

Once we decided on how to travel we’ll definitely will post it again. And we’ll write, of course, our experiences on the travel.

EDIT:

Even flying with Mexican cheap-airlines it won’t be much cheaper. But around 10.000 Pesos. For some reason there is a huge tax on flights, about 90% is that normal?

To answer this question simple and easy. It’s behind those 4 lanes of freeway - or something similar. And yes, I have to cross them every day to take my bus home.

Once, i don’t forget my camera I’ll make more pictures (of ITESCA, and it’s surroundings)

Howevery, that’s it for now!

Seeing the world through the eyes of Estefania and Thomas

On Saturday it was time, me and my ‘cultura yaqui’ class went out on a school trip to explore the wide open fields of the Sonora desert and visit 7 of 8 big Yaqui villages.

The villages of the tribe Yaqui
The first stop on our list was the original Cocorit. It’s nothing like I expected. I went with an expectation in the trip that the villages would have something in common with the town Cocorit, which I met before. However, they are not even close to be similar. The original Cocorit, doesn’t has any ‘real’ roads. Not a too big population. In a few words it’s small… The main part of every village is build by a church an it belonging graveyard, such as the ‘party ground’.
The main Yaqui villages are: Cócorit, Bácum, Vícam, Tórim, Pótam, Rahun, Huírivis, and Béleb.

Their territory has an extension of 485,235 hectares in the municipalities of Guaymas, Bacum, Obregon and Empalme. This territory has three different zones: the mountain range (Bacatete sierra), the coastal area (the towns of Guasimas and Bahia de Lobos) and the valley.

The church
The most important part in any of those villages and also in Cocorit is the church. Remember the Yaquis adapted part of the catholic church into their lifestyle and religion. The most interesting thing is that the churches are always build ‘far’ away from the rest of the town. The reason for this is first of all the graveyards are located in front or next of the church and secondly, when the Yaquis make one of they big parties not the entire town gets annoyed. The parties get advertised in radio, newspaper and are fairly known.

The churches it self are kept simple, this is most likely do to the fact that all of those villages are fairly poor. By simple I mean they have unlike other churches I visited and saw in my life no colorful windows. But rather kept simple and not in some Gothic style for example. Apparently we didn’t have time or were not allowed to enter in any of those churches. Something that I regret…

A few more words to the graveyard: while traveling to all those graveyards one thing had they all in common: colorful flowers, mostly made out paper, so they last longer in the heat. And secondly white colored grave stones. This is something completely different then in Germany there you’ll see mostly marble stones in dark colors.

The religious practices of the Yaquis are a mixture of Indian and Catholic elements. An important part is played in their social structure by various “fraternities”, particularly that of the magicians and soothsayers, who on the one hand are medicine-men able to drive out evil spirits and on the other take part in religious festivals. Most social and religious rites involve dances, the best known of which is the Stag Dance (”danza del venado”). To the Yaqui and the related Mayo tribe the stag is sacred as the incantation of the forces of Good.

Health - meeting a wonder healer
While traveling down the road we encountered a site, that i would have never imagined to find. While traveling to Bicam, we came by a house of a so called: ‘Curandera’. Those ‘doctors, supposed to heal diseases and pain by giving massages or praying for the person in pain.
And in front of the house we’re over 20 cars with people waiting for their appointment - she even has clients out of the USA.

Later on, we got to experience that feeling of being health by massages on our own bodies. If it really works is something that i cant answer it this point. But it’s definitely a very interesting experience and culture.

While I got my massages, I was thinking: I must be the first German lying in this bed. Wrong, as the woman explained. There was a retired German professor living among the Yaquis and learning their way of life. I guess you never can be the first in anything

Probably the best way to describe the medicine is by shouting: ‘homeopathic’.

The people, the Yaqui
Talking about people and their way they life is probably nothing you should do, so we’ll keep it rather short.
The people, the tribe Yaqui are rather conservative when it comes to meet new people, at least that’s the feeling what I got. While my group was talking to them. The reason for that is probably that the older generation of Yaqui’s has seen a lot and went through some hard troubles. Remember the last fight or tiny revolution is not even 100 years back.

The children learn Yaqui just like Spanish in school. Eventhough most of the people we’ve talked to prefer Yaqui, at least as long as their under themselfs.

Kova head
Chonim hair
Yeka nose
Kumsakam eyebrows
Puusim eyes
Hoopem cheeks
Chau chin
Teeni mouth
Wok pusiam toes

Conclusion
Having met most of the Yaqui villages last week and having met the villages of the mayos. I think it wouldn’t be a wrong conclusion to say that those to tribes life pretty equal.
Both of them have roads out of stones, have trees for shade and have tiny stores selling coke. The mayor difference is most just their believe…

more pictures

here!

Glossary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqui
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/history_and_culture/language/index.shtml

Today, while traveling to all the “big” Yaqui villages in Sonora Mexico, I got lucky chance of eating something called: “tacos de nada”. From the name you can pretty much guess what it means. Tacos with nothing. It’s just a tortilla de maiz laying in warm oil for a couple of minutes and then folded into a taco. Honestly, that food wasn’t created for my gourmet mouth. But strangely my Yaqui culture teacher loved them!

Hopefully, I get more time to write more about the experiences in those villages. For now I can say they look pretty much the same like the villages the mayo tribe lives in. Small, pretty poor, but happy.

Hello. Once again i write from my mobile device, because some how the internet doesn’t seem to work on the stationary computers. The weather is harsh today, it feels like we’re in the jungle and not the desert.

However, this isn’t the reason for this post. 2 days ago has been Halloween, a widely celebrated ‘holiday’ under children. A day where they can dress up, pretend to be their favorite super hero and most important collect candy! While this old tradition is becoming more and more popular it kind of lets Mexicans forget about a nice tradition in Mexico ‘dead day’.

My host family was so kind to make a trip out of the city to show me how this day is celebrated. We drove once again into a tiny Mayo village, where Estefania’s sister works.

This post is only showing my experience, so please excuse me in case I say something wrong.

Now back to the story. For those that haven’t read my past story about the Mayo village ‘la Esquina’. This town is about 50 people strong and is home to an ethnic group called the mayos. They are one of, i believe, 8 Indian groups left in Sonora. Dont confuse them with the Mayas, they are a different tribe. Just as an information on the side. This village has been struke by the hurricane, just like many other mayo villages.

So, i know we got a bit of the path, let’s better get back on…

As i experienced it, the day of the dead is actually the night of the dead. Since the main event, if i may call it so, starts when it gets dark. This is also the time when you are able to see candles light up over the entire grave yard. Spooky!

Like I said before, the celebration started at night, at least for us. This was when we left la Esquina to drive a bit down the road into an other town, which holds the grave yard.

The graveyard is actually divided into 2 parts, this wasn’t always the case, but after a hurricane, part of it was destroyed, and thats the reason why there is a road dividing the grave yard. Further more, the graveyard is not divided into squares, but it rather seems that there are graves everywhere. And you need to watch out not to step on one by accident.

While we walked through the graveyard we encountered many different people, when Fannie asked one family, if she’s allowed to photograph the grave and the flowers, they agreed, but also asked for a picture of them. Because, they said, it’s the first time after years that they are united again.

While walking further, we actually came upon somebody that was willing to explain us something about that day…

This is what he said:

It’s actually a pre-Hispanic celebration, but when the Spanish arrived they accepted this holiday. So, that more people would be willing to convert. He further said, that on that day you shall go to the favorite place or the grave of the dead person and place his favorite food, drink or flowers next to it. Next, to that he also mentioned that it’s not a sad holiday, but rather involves parties, music and food. This part was hard for me to believe, because in Germany it’s usually the total opposite. You will never see anyone happy on a graveyard…

Link for more information about death day.

On this point, I want to say thank you for this wonderful explanation and thank you that you took the time to explain us everything.

After we’d talked to him, we went in front of the graveyard, where people sold food. Everything ranging from nachos, popcorn, hot dogs and tamales. This was also the first time I ate Tostadas - Yummy!

Tostadas are some kind of circle shaped nacho and on top you put all different kinds of vegetables, cheese, beans or meat.

Coming to the end of this post, I would like to say thank you again for the time that everybody took for us. But a special thank you to Estefania that took those lovely pictures. Even though not all are 100% sharp and pretty dark. I think everybody can understand that we can’t walk around the graveyard with the flash turned on.

While reading this post again, I’ve noticed what always happens to me. That I got kind of off the path - Oh well.