North Country thoughts in a small Mexican town

We love experiencing the world via the eyes and ears of North Country residents who travel abroad. We have a series called Moving the World, which features this (the latest episode aired today).

I got an e-mail from Dianne Drayse Alonso of Ogdensburg recently. Her husband, Jaime, is from the Mexican village featured in this recent New York Times article. In fact, they were at the event described in the article. So I asked Dianne to blog a little for us…here’s her entry. Thanks, Dianne!

My husband Jaime and I just spent nine amazing days of Christmas vacation in Mexico, visiting my husband’s mother in the small town of Chinantla, Puebla. The ride to Chinantla is about four hours by bus from Mexico City, so we bookended the trip with two overnights in the fantastic city of Puebla. Ate the very best spicy green enchiladas there that I’ve ever had and we bought another cool piece of Talevera pottery, famous in Puebla. We stayed at the Imperial Hotel, recommended by Lonely Planet. Old, but clean and friendly and right in the center of the historic district.

If the economy is what ails you, Christmas in rural Mexico is a cure. No presents, just days and nights of fireworks–literally, from sunup to sundown, with lots of those big boomers to send the dogs howling and the roosters crowing. We lit sparklers, like fifty a night, and watched Posada processions on the main street where people gathered to reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn. Mexico is steeped in tradition, and bighearted. Neighbors are always bringing food to one another, just to share. It’s so sweet. I was telling Jaime that in some ways, Chinantla is not unlike towns here in the North Country–way out in the middle of nowhere, friendly, but shrinking in population…a place largely defined by its climate. The difference in rural Mexico (apart from the 180 on the climate) is how content people seem to be with far, far less. The focus is on family and friends, and fresh markets and cooking great food. It’s like the clutter of modern amenities is gone, and in its place are warm sunshine every day and fresh papayas in the backyard.

Dianne Drayse Alonso

Ogdensburg

January 12, 2009