July 2005

The journey begins in Toliman, a small town tucked in the folds of the Sierra Madre. Aged eight, she used to trundle down the hill to the town plaza with a multi-coloured shawl and a bagful of avocados and chiles from her parents’ garden. The surrounding mountains are veined with minerals – silver, opals and topaz.

Turquoise pendant – deseo collection

It only seems appropriate therefore, that after a decade based in England, Gicela (Morales) now has her own fashion jewellery business.  

With typically determined zeal and even more soul and business savvy, she is now into her second year selling .925 silver jewellery handcrafted in Mexico. 

The venture started off small – in the cupboard under the stairs no less. Gicela was heavily pregnant with our second daughter Alice. Nelly was being whisked back and forth from the village nursery.

Two heads are better than one; early on, my sister Sue joined Gicela. Together, thanks to the appeal of the designs, they are building a thriving jewellery business.

“I do all the sourcing myself,” she is fond of telling me. Indeed, all the jewellery is sourced from Zacatecas and Taxco, home to Mexico’s finest silversmiths.

The pieces are in a multiplicity of styles – made up from semi-precious stones and freshwater pearls.

Of course, Gicela only wears her own stuff: “I’m passionate about it” she says.

The glossies have been awash with turquoise this summer and among my favourites of the big sellers is a chunky silver pendant set with turquoise (pictured above).

If you’ve been inspired by the Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern, pieces like this are downright perfect for setting off those bold print and world traveller ethnic skirts and shawls that seem to be ‘in’ this summer.

Buy some and make me proud.

For information: www.deseo.co.uk; 01934 877325

The film will be based on Gibson’s own screenplay. He will also direct (but not star in) the film, to be called somewhat apocalyptically… “Apocalypto”.

Intriguingly, ‘characters will speak “an obscure” Maya dialect’, as the BBC rather annoyingly puts it. Of course, Maya dialects are still spoken as a primary or secondary language by at least 3 million people in the region.

Casting of Maya local to the region of Mexico where Gibson will begin shooting in October is apparently already underway.

The ‘story’ details remain very scarce. However, Gibson has already begun pre-production and has chosen a number of as yet unknown locations ahead of an expected summer 2006 release.

I have put out my antennae to discover whether permission has been sought to film at any of the great ancient Maya sites such as Palenque, Chichén Itzá and Tulum.

Carlos Nakasone, Director of the Quintana Roo Film Commission, told me that his office were trying to get in touch with Gibson’s company, Icon Productions.

I am willing to wager that the film will recreate the life-and-death spectacle of the Mayan ball game. That should be better to watch than Quidditch!

Eleven months ago, I first learned of the shocking increase in art robberies in Mexico and wrote about it here.

This week I received an email from Richard Perry, updating me on what is a growing national problem. Richard runs the Exploring Colonial Mexico website to compliment his wonderful books.

Until recently the Yucatan peninsula has been spared the robberies rampant elsewhere in Mexico, but that may be changing, especially since the recent restorations of retablos and religious art there have received widespread publicity.

San Francisco, Campeche

Richard tells me that several colonial art works were recently stolen from the church of San Francisco – the original Franciscan mission on the esplanade just outside the city of Campeche.

Tlaxcala seems to be another current target for organised art robberies. On 22 June, a dozen oil paintings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries were taken from the Templo de San Antonio de Padua.

Security is just too expensive, so many churches now remain shut except for services.

Many churches were closed on a recent visit Richard made to Oaxaca when they should have been open, because of the threat of theft.

Now, only the sacristan keeps the key, and on his person day and night.

Unfortunately, shutting down the highly lucrative illegal trade in stolen art and antiquities, both nationally and internationally, still seems a long way off.

The acquisition of some 20,000 acres of land on the Pacific coast of Mexico south of Careyes by the billionaire financier and socialite, Sir James Goldsmith, raised local hackles in 1986.

The entrance to La Loma

Two decades on, the blue and yellow dome of the main house that rises up from the jungle floor still raises eyebrows from wealthy and celebrity guests.

Goldsmith commissioned the architect Robert Couturier to build an enormous home, Cuixmala (“Soul Haven”), beside a two-mile long beach in a coconut plantation overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.

The result is unarguably one of the most impressive family estates of the 20th century.

The property was first opened for exclusive rental in December 2002.

(I’m told) the experience of staying as a guest at Cuixmala is very similar to the way it was when its creator was alive – like staying at a private residence.

Alborada living room

It is currently run by Sir James’s daughter Alix and her husband Goffredo Marcaccini.

There are four bedrooms in the main house and six guest bungalows at La Loma. The guest bungalows cannot be rented separately. The cost of a night here is US$11,000; in the December/January holiday period it is US$15,000, with a 14 day minimum stay at that time in all of the houses and the casitas.

Organisers call it the largest cultural festival in Latin America. 

The 33rd Festival will take place from 5 – 23 October 2005.

The programme

Some 2,500 artists will converge from all over the world to perform in recitals, concerts, plays, ballet, contemporary dance and opera in the city’s wonderful colonial buildings and plazas (especially the gilded Teatro Juárez). There are also many art exhibitions.

33rd Festival programme

Download programme 

History

The Festival has been held in Guanajuato every October since 1972 as a homage to the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (who wrote Don Quixote). More history.

2005 marks the 400th anniversary of Don Quixote

The importance of the Festival was underlined in April 2004 when it received the Max Spanish American Prize for Scenic Arts, awarded by the General Society of Authors and Editors of Spain.

Special invitation

Although a celebration of world culture, the festival organisers historically give special recognition to one particular region of the world and one in Mexico.

In 2003, France, Germany and the central Mexican state of Michoacan received special invitations. Last year, it was the turn of South Africa and the state of Baja California .

This year, Japan and the state of Yucatán will have prominence

The UK has been invited to participate in 2006.

VISITING?

Location

The festival celebration takes place in and around the World Heritage City of Guanajuato in Central Mexico.

Tickets

All tickets can be arranged in advance through Ticketmaster Mexico (+52 (55) 5325-9000) or through their website.

In Guanajuato, tickets are also available from the main ticket office located on the south side of the Teatro Juárez from mid-August.

As many as 50,000 tickets go on sale a few days before the festival starts.

The most expensive tickets (for a performance in the Teatro Juárez, for example) can cost $250 pesos. The cheapest costs about $15 pesos.

Tip

The Festival attracts around 150,000 visitors annually. Book accommodation as early as possible. 

The captain of the Mexican national team looks all set to become the first player from that country ever to play in English football’s top-flight after he told his club to let him go to England.

Jesús Martínez, president of “los Tuzos”, told press on Thursday that the club had accepted an offer from Bolton Wanderers for the striker. The fee is reportedly £900,000.

The deal – probably for two years – is still subject to a medical and agreement on personal terms.

Borgetti would join Barcelona’s “Rafa” Márquez as the second high-profile Mexican export to Europe.

But Borgetti does not seek publicity, which will have appealed to Sam Allardyce, who has grown into one of the most astute managers in the Premiership.

‘Big Sam’ seems able to work on a shoestring but bring some of the game’s best players to the Reebok Stadium.

He has also successfully avoided the millstone of long, lucrative deals in favour of short-term, well-paid contracts, which have attracted players of the calibre of Youri Djorkaeff and Jay-Jay Okocha. On and off the pitch he has engendered an impressive team ethic.

Borgetti is currently playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Last Sunday he netted two goals in a 4-0 win over Guatemala, joining Carlos Hermosillo and Luis Hernandez at the top of the all-time goal-scoring list for the Mexican national team with 35 goals. He will undoubtedly add on to his total.

Despite his consistent scoring, the player has had his doubters in Mexico. They point to his perceived lack of pace and unexceptional ball skills.

Unorthodox he may be, but the striker who hails from the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa, has so far scored more goals than any other player on route to the World Cup Finals in Germany next year. Now he will play in Europe in the build-up to next year’s tournament.

He is certainly a great header of the ball. I particularly recall his clever backward floated header against Italy at the last World Cup.

Mexico continue their quest for the Gold Cup against Colombia in Houston this Sunday. Borgetti will miss that match through suspension.

It is not known when he will join up with the squad.

If Mexico reach the final, scheduled for 24 July, it seems unlikely that Borgetti will fly across the Pacific to join his new team-mates in Asia. Bolton play the final match of their Far East tour in Japan four days later.

The Lancashire club will play in the UEFA Cup next season – their first adventure into European football and open the Premiership season against Aston Villa next month, a day before Borgetti’s 32nd birthday.

But what I want to know is – will he be wanting chile in his pasties?

Update [25 July]

Lomas de Chapultepec: As well as a number of residents and visitors, members of the UK diplomatic community filled Christ Church in Montes Escandinavos on Tuesday for a tribute to the dead and injured, writes Elizabeth Mistry.

While those present stood in silence, the sound of bagpipes echoed over the evening breeze and for a few moments we were all Londoners again.

El Fisgón, La Jornada – 9 July

Picked up this story third hand.

Jim Benning of ”World Hum” follows the scent of an AP story published in USA Today a couple of days ago.

Tijuana trinkets

Jorge “Hank” Rhon, the slippery new mayor, has ordered street vendors on a pedestrian thoroughfare to wear ‘traditional’ clothes in bright colours to please tourists popping over the border from San Diego.

The silly rule, which applies on weekends, took effect on 25 June.

Jim, with whom I coincidentally exchanged emails today on World Hum’s redesign, appropriately files this one away under the “Planet Theme Park” category.

Thanks to Ron Mader for the tip off.

Check out James Garza’s anti-culture photo set, Four Hours in Tijuana

Richard Perry reports on the recent discovery and restoration of early colonial murals at Mani, in Yucatan. 

“Mani is the most fascinating of the great monasteries erected by the Franciscans in 16th century Yucatan. After long years of neglect, it has finally been recognised as a unique regional monument.

Fragment of a mural in the open chapel, Mani – Yucatan

“The cloister has been restored and the great open chapel unblocked for the first time in centuries.

“The church contains a rare sculpted cross, and its beautiful colonial altarpieces are among the finest in Mexico.”
Taken from Maya Missions by Richard and Rosalind Perry

I’ve posted some of my own photos of Mani on Flickr. These were taken in March 2003, while restoration work was still ongoing.