New Year in Mexico

It had been fifteen years since I last visited Mexico in December. This year I couldn't miss it; my sister Elizabeth was been inaugurated as the first woman Mayor of our hometown , Xalapa, the state capital of Veracruz. In addition, my mother was inaugurated as the president of the municipal DIF, a position traditionally given to Mayor's spouses. But my mother is perfect for the task, and this time the DIF would be getting its hardest worker ever. I know it because I know my mom.

During my time there I managed to do most of the following:

Run in the Xalapa Stadium.
Eat bread from Xico.
Walk from Xalapa to Coatepec.
Learn that there is a clown's school in Puebla.
Make a silver key for my next book.
Travel to San Miguel de Allende.
Visit Rafael Lopez and his family.
Make Quetzaly sleep.
Work at the Esdrujuluz studio.
See my cousins that I hadn't see in nearly 30 years.
Take African dance class with Huicho.
Celebrate Dia de Reyes with my family.
Watch the ALA youth media award announcements (which can still be watched here)
Witness children strip their shirts in order to win a dancing contest.
Visit with my mother the Aldea, the boy's home in Xalapa.
See my prima Vanessa again.
Sleep under a mountain of blankets in Mo's house.
Find the Amarillo Gallery open, at last!
Gain two pounds. Sigh.

But since nothing tells a story better than images, here is a slide show of some of the pictures I took with my phone. The music is from Grupo Bermudas, No Voy a Trabajar. I might not need to point out that, once more, I left my heart in Mexico.