Noche de Muertos - #6

Altars & Offerings Exhibit
Opening 1 November 2010 at 5:00 PM
Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra
Plaza “Chica”, Pátzcuaro
Traditional pozole and atole will be served.

See the altars and offerings for Night of the Dead that are traditional in the Lake Pátzcuaro region.

This year the library will display altars to pay homage to two heroines of the Mexican Revolution: María Gertrudis Bocanegra de Mendoza de Lazo de la Vega of Pátzcuaro and María Luísa Martínez of Erongarícuaro.

The offerings will be in memory of Dr. Aaron Huipe of Pátzcuaro. This young physician died prematurely this past year; he had received many awards for excellence when he was a medical student.

For more about Altars & Offerings.
Your Pátzcuaro.

Noche de Muertos - #5

Exhibit and Sale of Ceramic Catrina Figures
Biblioteca Gertudris Bocanegra
Plaza “Chica”, Pátzcuaro
Formal opening of exhibit – 30 October 2010 at 5:00 PM
On display through 3 November 2010.

Catrinas are skeleton figures, dressed in outrageous clothing and costume, with which Mexico mocks death. For further explanation see  "Catrinas" and Skeletons: Mocking Death in Mexican Culture.

This exhibit will feature hand-selected Catrina pieces from Capula. There will be something “for every pocket”, as one says in Spanish. Prices will range from approximately Pesos $100 to $500.

More about Night of the Dead around Lake Pátzcuaro.
You could walk to Plaza Chica.

Mistongo, Fiesta and Frida

The Pátzcuaro Friends of the Biblioteca Federal Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra recently held their annual fundraising event. The venue was again Restaurante Mistongo with the collaboration of Susi Santiago. Susi's varied and tasty botanas were much appreciated, especially the pizza freshly made by her nephew. All profits from ticket sales, $100 pesos each, and the silent auction will benefit the library.

Hospitable and smiling Susi from Argentina, owner of the Mistongo Restaurant.

Eating and dancing while doing good works...

Among many very nice items donated for the fund raiser was a luxurious, boxed art book entitled Frida de Frida. The evening's silent auction concluded with an overt bidding war over the book. This final mêlée was not so silent, quite humorous and very profitable.

Thanks to the Amigos de la Biblioteca, to Susi Santiago of the Mistongo, and to all who participated for making this event such a success. If you weren't there you missed an enjoyable evening for a good cause.

Links:

Restaurante Mistongo

Happenings at the Biblioteca

Check out Patzcuaro

Wifi at the Biblioteca

Sitting in the Biblioteca Federal Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra, I am using my laptop to post this with the library's wifi connection. Many will be happy to know that the Patzcuaro public library now offers this convenience(free).

Painter Lalo Garcia

Biblioteca Publica Federal Gertrudis Bocanegra is currently featuring an exhibit by painter Lalo Garcia. I like the simple forms, the composition and earthy colors of his abstract style. He also showed a few paintings in a more figurative style. Visit Lalo Garcia's online gallery.

Digital Donations to Patzcuaro Library

Muchísimas gracias for the generous response from residents of Travis Country, Austin to our appeal in TC Notes. We have delivered your donations of computer equipment to the library in Pátzcuaro, Mexico. Maestra Gloria Blancas López, Director of the Biblioteca Pública Federal Gertrudis Bocanegra places a hand on a newly acquired CPU. On the far left is Hilario Martinez Onofre, her technical assistant.

We also brought your donations of books to benefit the library. Spanish language books are placed in the library; English language books are used to raise money for the library. They are sought after by ex-pats who live here.

The Biblioteca is an invaluable resource for the education of Patzcuaro's students of all ages.

Library

Biblioteca Gertrudis Bocanegra, Patzcuaro, Mexico

The library needs donations of books and digital equipment. Their budget barely covers costs of operation and is not adequate for purchases. Spanish language books are put into the library. English language books are sold to the expatriate community to raise money, with a few being shelved for English-speaking borrowers. The Director, Gloria Blancas Lopez, has dedicated her whole professional life to the library. In order to obtain the software she needs to put the books catalog on computer, she has to show that she has a dedicated computer, which she needs to acquire.

The library fills a need great need for students in Patzcuaro. It is their only resource for books and research. The library also provides children with free computer classes as well as classes in the arts and crafts that are well-known and traditional to the region.

Many of our friends in Austin have been very generous. They provided us with a good load of books and other items which we took for the library in our pick-up. We hope to take items donated by Travis Country residents soon.
Links:
Where in the heck is Pátzcuaro?
The library's magnificent mural.

My Patzcuaro Dream Ladder

Last week the Friends of the Library (Biblioteca Federal Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra) in Pátzcuaro held a fund-raising Gala at Susana Santiago's Mistongo Restaurant (the menu includes great Argentine Churrasco Chimichurri and Empanadas de Carne, by the way).

The botanas were delicious, the company good and the music moved the participants to dance.

A plethora of fine raffle prizes were donated. Our guests each won a prize and so did we.

We were lucky enough to share in our guests' seven dozen home-baked, rich cookies from the good kitchen of Donna C., the Cookie Chef. They were so tempting that we got into them before it occurred to me to photograph the lovely presentation. Too late.

The Dream Ladder has history. It is an actual ladder used on a local construction site and Pátzcuaro painter Jean A. enriched it with symbols and artistic motifs. It now adorns on our wall at La Jacaranda. I can clamber up it to a higher plane for sweet dreams.

The Juan O'Gorman Mural

Juan O'Gorman painted a magnificent mural in the colonial pueblo of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. This monumental work of art depicts the history of Michoacán from the Purhépecha creation story to the Revolution.

You can now enjoy the mural online from the comfort of your chair, wherever you may be. See this study that interprets O'Gorman's creation using text as well as photos that zoom in to show details.

Juan O'Gorman - The History of Michoacán

Click on link: Live in Patzcuaro

Digital Kids in Pátzcuaro

Free Computer Classes at Biblioteca Pública Federal Gertrudis Bocanegra, Pátzcuaro ( Pátzcuaro, 3 July 2008)

The Biblioteca (Library) in Pátzcuaro is a rich resource for students. Modest in mien and big in digital talent, the Biblioteca's knowledgeable techie, Hilario Martinez Onofre, teaches summer computer classes to a group of eight- to twelve-year-olds.

Hilario won a 2008 prize for his Módulo de Servicios Digitales de la Biblioteca Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra. He placed first in the State of Michoacán and third at national level in Mexico.

The library is a rich Pátzcuaro resource: It houses an acclaimed Juan O'Gorman mural, has a bank of modern computers with Windows XP and internet access (yes, you can check your e-mail here for a modest cost), and to generate income for the purchase of books and supplies, the library sells a bi-lingual brochure interpreting the mural, a CD with interpretation and photos of the mural, DVDs with photos of Noche de Muertos/Night of the Dead and much more.

The Directora/Librarian, Maestra Gloria Blancas López has dedicated virtually her whole professional life to the library and to students in Pátzcuaro. She has instituted programs to teach young people subjects from computer skills to the arts and crafts that represent the heritage of this region rich in Purhépecha tradition.