Text & Video: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos & Translation: Francisco Collazo

[vease abajo para la version en espanol]

For the past few months I’ve been gathering material for long-term project that has the working title, “Buscando Un Guiso,” or “Looking for Work.” The premise of the project is simple: a photojournalistic essay about people who pick up odd jobs for a living.

I’ve collected photos of clowns who dance their way around cars stopped at red lights in Mexico City, itinerant vendors, shoeshine men, and all other kinds of hustlers and buskers.

But yesterday, while doing some shopping at Wal-Mart in Mexico City, I came across a new one: part-time temp dancer for the Alpura milk company. The dancers go from store to store, dressed in their Alpura-gear, and dance for hours in an effort to get customers to buy Alpura instead of, say, Lala.

Good thing we had the camera… those waxed Wal-Mart floors are great for splits:
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En los ultimos meses, he estado colocando material para un proyecto de plazo largo que lleva el titulo tentativo, “Buscando Un Guiso.” El proposito del proyecto es sencillo: un ensayo fotografico sobre las personas que yo encuentro que trabajan de manera improvisada.

He tomado fotos de payasos bailando en el trafico en la Ciudad de Mexico, de vendedores ambulantes, limpiabotas, y todos tipos de jineteros.

Pero ayer, mientras hicimos compras en Wal-Mart en la Ciudad de Mexico, encontre un guiso nuevo: bailarin tiempo-parcial y temporareo para la lechera Alpura. Los bailarines pasan de una tienda a otra, vestidos en su ropa que lleva la marca Alpura, bailando horas para convencer la gente a comprar Alpura en vez de Lala.

Que bueno que llevabaos la camara con nosotros… los pisos resbalosos de Wal-Mart son buenisimos para los “splits”:

Today, in honor of Mexico’s Independence Day, our Mexico City by Metro series takes us to the Zocalo stop, which leaves you smack dab in the heart of Mexico City’s largest and most important plaza.

It’s a place where patriotism manifests itself in all its forms: pledges to the flag and protests against injustice. Here are a few of our favorite images from our visits to the Zocalo over the past week:

By: Francisco Collazo
Translated by: Julie Schwietert Collazo
Photos: Francisco & Julie Schwietert Collazo

[English version; vease abajo para la version en espanol]

There’s a Cuban saying that goes something like this: Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are. In a similar way, one could say, tell me what color your flag is, and I’ll tell you your history.

Every flag has its histories, legends, or stories, sometimes real and other times false. These stories talk of a distant past or one that’s not so distant. The common thread, though, is that every nation was founded upon noble ideals and a vision of the future, in many cases, with a deep desire for liberty and justice. Often, it’s easy to see in the flag’s colors or designs what nation–whether near or far–inspired the country’s founding ideals.

Generally speaking, the flags of the world are designed from a palette of six colors: yellow, blue, white, black, red, and green. As an admirer of colors and art, it’s a mystery to me why orange, maroon, or violet aren’t more common. Nonetheless, there’s no lack of imagination in the designs of the world’s flags. In them, we can determine what region or religion they hail from. For example, moons are typical in flags of Islamic countries, including Mauritania and Algeria. Crosses are common in the flags of predominantly Christian countries, such as Switzerland, Greece, and England. Similarly, animals, trees, plants, work tools, and even letters of the alphabet make appearances on flags, such as the “R” that appears on the Rwandan flag.

Although flags are a profound symbol of a nation, not every country has a special day to celebrate them. In Mexico, though, the flag occupies a very special and distinguished place among the people. In 1999, President Ernesto Zedillo created a special program, “Giant Flags,” which proposed to raise enormous flags in those sites that had the most historical and patriotic significance for the country. The Giant Flags program began in four cities–Mexico City, Tijuana, Juarez, and Veracruz–and then began to spread to other cities. The biggest flag was raised in Monterrey–it measured 50 mts x 26.8 mts and weighed 230 kg.

Since that time, the public attitude has changed with respect to the flag. The flag raising ceremony in the Zocalo (Mexico City’s central plaza) is a spectacular site for Mexicans and foreigners alike. Just as the guards at Buckingham Palace are part of a select cadre, those selected to participate in the flag-raising ceremony in Mexico are also part of an elite group. The majority are active members of the Presidential Guard, the Military Police, the Navy, and the Infantry. The flag in the Zocalo measures 14.3 mts x 25 mts and weighs more than 100 kg; its sheer size and weight makes the ceremony an impressive scene to witness.

Though the current Mexican flag has changed a bit over the years, it is more or less the same as it was in 1821, when the Mexican flag was used for the first time.

The use of the eagle in flags dates as far back as imperial Rome, and is a symbol of strength and sovereignty. Today, the eagle appears in the flags of more than five countries, among them Albania, Egypt, and Zambia.

In Mexico, Independence Day is drawing closer, and for this reason you can find the colors of the flag everywhere you turn: on hats, shirts, and even painted on the faces of children and adults. If you ask a Mexican the color of their flag, they will probably just say white and green, because they carry red in their hearts.

Raise the flag!

[Version en espanol]

Hay un dicho muy cubano que dice: Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres. Utilizando este dicho, te puedo decir de que color es tu bandera y te dire tu historia.

Por cierto es que cada bandera tiene su historia, leyenda o cuento, a veces reales y verdaderos y otras veces falsos. Estas te hablan de un pasado lejano o de un pasado cercano. Lo cierto es que cada nacion se fundo con un ideal noble y con una vision del futuro; en su gran mayoria con ansias de libertad y de justicia. Muchas veces vemos con facilidad por sus colores y diseno que nacion cercana o lejana la inspiro e hizo suya ese ideal.

Por lo regular las banderas del mundo comparten 6 colores: amarillo, azul, blanco, negro, rojo y verde, que para mi, un admirador de los colores y el arte me parece todavia un misterio el por que no han disenado todavia una bandera naranja, marron o violeta? Sin embargo no ha faltado imaginacion ninguna en sus disenos. En ellas podemos ver sin equivocarnos a que region, religion o parte del mundo pertenecen por sus temas y disenos; por ejemplo las lunas aparecen representada en las banderas de paises de la fe islamica: Mauritania, Algeria, etc. Las cruces en los paises de la fe cristiana: Suiza, Grecia, Inglaterra. Asi como tambien animales, arboles, plantas, herramientas de trabajo y hasta letras del alfabeto: la R en la bandera de Ruanda.

Aunque ellas son un profundo simbolo de la nacion no todos los paises tienen un dia especial para ella.

En Mexico, la bandera ocupa un lugar muy distinguido y especial para los mexicanos. En 1999 el entonces presidente Ernesto Zedillo durante su mandato creo un programa especial de “Banderas Gigantes” a traves del pais, la cual estaban destinadas para ser elevadas en sitios de mayor relevancia historica y de un simbolismo patriotico insuperable para la nacion.

Desde entonces la actitud ciudadana ha cambiado con relacion a la bandera. Las ceremonias de izaje de la bandera en el Zocalo (Plaza central de la ciudad de Mexico) es un espectaculo atractivo tremendo para mexicanos y extranjeros.

El programa se inicio en cuatro ciudades que luego se difundio por otras ciudades de la nacion: Ciudad de Mexico, Tijuana, Ciudad Juarez, y Veracruz) siendo la mas grande la de Monterrey que mide 50 mts x 26.8 mts y pesa 230 Kilogramos.

Al igual que las unidades de la guardia escosesa en el palacio de Buckingham en Inglaterra, en Mexico, estos son tambien un grupo elite selecionado, que en su mayoria son miembros activos de la Guardia Presidencial, Policia Militar, Marina y la Infanteria. Pero aqui no termina todo, la bandera que se encuentra en el Zocalo mide por si sola 14.3 mts x 25 mts y mas de 100 kg de peso, haciendo de esto un espectaculo de gran embergadura por sus dimensiones y peso de la misma.

Aunque la actual bandera mexicana ha sufrido algunas modificaciones en la misma, esta se ha mantenido mas o menos similar a la del 1821 donde se reconoce la soberania y se usa por primera vez la bandera mexicana de una forma oficial.

El uso del aguila en las banderas se remonta en los tiempos de la Roma imperial como simbolo de fuerza y soberania. Hoy en mas de 5 banderas de diferentes paises y regiones esta se encuentra representada: Albania, Egipto, y Zambia, entre otros.

En Mexico se acerca el dia de la independencia y con motivo de esta celebracion los colores de la banderas y la bandera se encuentra por doquier: sombreros, camisas, gorras y hasta en las caras de ninos y mayores. Si le preguntas de que color es la Bandera a un mexicano, el o ella te sabra decir que es Blanco y Verde porque el Rojo lo llevan en el corazon.

Entonces, subamos nuestras banderas!

[English version; vease abajo para la version en espanol]

The floating gardens of Xochimilco are located just south of Mexico City, a picturesque place and a hidden jewel just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by everyone.

With colorful, varied, and diverse flora and fauna, and music drifting through the air, Xochimilco is the perfect escape for those who want to celebrate nature and, at the same time, enjoy the spirit of Mexico.

Weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays are all celebrated along these canals, but Xochimilco is also the ideal place to enjoy a perfect afternoon aboard one of the happy, colorful trajineras (Mexican gondolas). Aboard the trajineras are musical groups of every type– mariachi, trios, and orchestral groups–filling the canals with cheerful music and with exotic, romantic sounds. The music you hear is from every part of Mexico: rancheras, nortenas, love songs, and the marimba music that’s typical of Veracruz.

Xochimilco is an area that is as old as the city of Venice, or perhaps even much older. According to historians, the oldest evidence of human presence in this region dates to the Superior Preclassical Period (2500 B.C.), compared to Venice, which dates to around 112 A.C. Nonetheless, there is a difference of opinion among experts, so it’s difficult to be certain.

What is for sure is that aboard the trajineras one can find a wide array of vendors offering their products: flowers, steaming ears of corn, sweets, beer, and balloons, their smells unexpectedly engulfing the senses in unison. The musical notes in the voices of the rose seller and the sweets-seller compete against the chorus of mariachi singers and the voices of the guests. The vendors’ smaller trajineras appear suddenly alongside yours, magical phantasms. They appear like submarines, full of surprises, along the banks of the canal.

Welcome to Xochimilco! The place where more than 400 activities are celebrated every year, permanent home to the Aztec Stadium, and official site for a perfect Sunday. Along the banks of the canal, you see homes adorned with gardens and small docks for private trajineras. Attached to the trees are images of Frida Kahlo, dolls, and other figurines; on the “Island of the Dolls,” they share their space with ducks, turkeys, chickens, and other species that make their appearance once in awhile, all of them singing, music wherever you please.

This is Mexico! Here, the sun rises and falls, and the canal doesn’t envy the sea.

The atmosphere is cool and agreeable, clean and serene. Here, you don’t eat machine-made tortillas–which everyone knows are terrible–, but those made by hand. There’s no McDonald’s or KFC along the riverbank; instead, Mexican cooking reigns here, with sopes, chilaquiles, and enchiladas.
Xochimilco, with its nine launches, its colorful boats, and its flora and fauna, was declared patrimony of humanity in 1987 and forever. In its water and along its canals you can feel its heartbeat and happy spirit. Here, people still listen to “Cielito Lindo” and “Currucucu,” the arrangements of violins and trumpets, the sultry marimba from Veracruz, and the chorus of Mexican song.

Xochimilco is an oasis of Mexican culture. Here, people still believe in love; you see couples holding hands, singing with their eyes closed, and full of joy and desire to live. Here, everyone celebrates life!
Let your next stop be the floral gardens of Xochimilco, so you can enjoy what Mexico was and is… and so you can carry a little piece of Mexico in your own heart!

Video: Francisco Collazo
Photos: Julie Schwietert Collazo

[Version en espanol]

Localizada al sur de la ciudad de Mexico se encuentran los Jardines flotantes de Xochimilco, lugar pintoresco y una joya escondida para el disfrute de todos.

Con una fauna variada, colorido diverso y musica por todas partes es un escape perfecto para celebrar la naturaleza y gozar a la misma vez del espiritu de mexicano.

Sobre sus canales se celebran bodas, aniversarios, cumpleanos o simplemente se pasea para disfrutar de un dia y una tarde perfecta sobre sus coloridas y alegres trajineras (gondolas mexicanas); que llevan sobre ellas bandas de musica: mariachi, trios, orquestas. llenando los canales de musica alegre y de sonido exotico y romantico. La musica que se escuche es de todas partes de Mexico: rancheras, nortenas, boleros y la musica de marimba de Veracruz.

Xochimilco es una region tan vieja como la ciudad de Venecia o quizas mucha mas que Venecia. Las evidencias mas antigua de la presencia humana en esta region data del periodo preclasico superior (2500 a.c) comparado con Venecia que data alrededor del (112 d.c) segun los historiadores, pero hay diferencia de opiniones entre los expertos en esta area.

No es un secreto que sobre sus trajineras van una diversidad de vendedoras ofreciendo sus productos: flores, maiz, dulces, cervezas, globos. Los olores te llegan al unisono de una manera inesperada y sorpresiva. Salen unidos de las notas musicales del vendedor de rosas y el dulcero que compiten con los coros de voces de mariachi y del publico alli presente. Sus trajineras aparecen apareadas de repente a la tuya de una manera fantasmal y magica a la vez. Ellas salen como submarinos de delicias a las orilllas del canal.

Bienvenido a Xochimilco! Lugar donde se celebran mas de 400 actividades al ano, hogar permanente del estadio Azteca y sede oficial para un Domingo perfecto. En las orillas del canal se encuentran casas alineadas con jardines y parqueaderos. Alli tambien viven alineada y atada a los arboles Frida Kahlo, munecos y figurines: en la llamada isla de las munecas que comparten sus espacio de una manera muy democratica y atrevida con patos, pavos, gallos y los miembros de otra especie que por alli aparecen de cuando en cuando. Todos cantan, hay musica por doquier…por fa (diminutivo para por favor) esto si es Mexico! Aqui el sol sale y se acuesta y el canal no le envidia al Mar. Es muy fresco y agradable, como tambien limpio y sereno. No se come tortillas industriales que todo el mundo sabe que son terribles, todavia se hace a mano, no hay McDonalds ni KFC en sus orillas. Aqui reina la cocina mexicana con sus sopes, chilaquiles y enchiladas.

Xochimilco con sus 9 embarcaderos, sus coloridas trajineras, su fauna que fue declarada patrimonio de la humanidad en 1987 y siempre. Lleva en sus aguas y canales el corazon y el espiritud alegre. Aqui todavia se escucha “Cielito Lindo” y el “Currucucu”, los arreglos de los violines y trompetas, la marimba danzonera de Veracruz y los coros de canto mexicano.

Xochimilco es un oasis de cultura mexicana, todavia alli se cree en el amor. se ven parejas cojidos de la mano, cantandose al oido con los ojos cerrados y llenos de alegria y de ansias de vivir, bueno asi parece! aqui se cree en el amor y se celebra la vida.

Por fa, haz que tu proxima parada sea en los jardines florido de Xochimilco para que disfrute de lo que fue y es y te lleves contigo un pedacito de mexico en tu cora!……Orale!

Installment 2 in our occasional series, Mexico City by Metro.

This week, we surfaced at the Bellas Artes Metro stop. Bellas Artes, as its name promises, leaves you gape-jawed at the unexpected beauty of the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts).

It also leaves you gape-jawed and with an itchy photog finger in the park alongside the museum…

One of the exits for the Bellas Artes Metro. The building in the background is NOT the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Standing in the entryway of the Palacio de Bellas Artes to wait out a rain shower, I looked up and noticed this banner on the side of the Torre Latino (the skyscraper that looks quite a bit like the Empire State Building). It says “We demand security,” and it was placed on the building for last weekend’s peace march. With the Mexican flag and the statue finishing the composition, how could I not capture this photo?

And speaking of security… this Bellas Artes guard looks like he might be slacking on the job a little too much. Caught him in this photo before he asked Francisco to turn off the video camera.

Independence Day is coming up and the flags are out in force. This one, mounted on the motorcycle, was attractive enough as a photographic subject, but with the interesting couple in the background, I quickly overcame my usual reticence to take photos of people. Snap!

Leopardo, the young boy in this photo, is an expert pine needle basket weaver. We struck up a conversation and he told me that he learned the art from his father. His whole family weaves baskets. They’re from Michoacan. And in case you’re wondering, I ended up with a basket in addition to this photo.

Aura cleansing is a popular activity in touristy areas here, and the Bellas Artes stop is no exception.