Zitácuaro: Turno Nocturno

[ Zitácuaro, Michoacán ]

¡Transglobalistas!—

In my last post I mentioned the separate Day- and Night-shift personalities of Zitácuaro, sharing some images from the turno de día. I suppose this brings us, by dint of social momentum and process of elimination, to the obligatory Night-shift photos, aka el turno nocturno.

I hope you enjoy this tiny glimpse into Zitácuaro’s post-light, pre-Christmas vibe..

Hasta la vista, cariños,
—jim

Since my first experience of Zitácuaro was during Advent, I thought I'd start with an image from the Christmas market. A lonely Baby Jesus--ripped from the Nativity--being overseen by various snow-peeps & Santi (yes, I know it's "Santas," just go with it.)
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One of many stalls selling paintings of religious tableaux in the oh-so-stereotypical Mexican style. I don't know much about this folk-art tradition, but I suspect there is overlap with veladoras (Mexican prayer candles) and their art.
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This is the main reason I talk about a night shift: the food carts in front of Mercado Melchor Ocampo. I still have no idea where they are stored when not in use, but all of these stalls are temporary. They roll them in and out every day. It will surprise no one that I eat here almost every single day, usually twice. (They have different booths in the morning, and quesadillas are the most common breakfast fare. So I have a quesadilla in the morning, then cereal and fresh fruit at a stand in the square, then an order of tacos in the evening. Viva Mexico!)
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Some of my favorite stands and people along this stretch of 5 de Mayo.
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Any guesses why "Cabeza" is written on the support? 🙂
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"Yes, Jim, I will tolerate your camera because you eat here so often."
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On December 12th, during the parades celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I ran across this bicycle. Not sure how it related to the parade, but hey, the Truth is the Truth, right?? More on the parade a bit later.
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I've mentioned earlier that I have fallen down various photographic rabbit holes. As a result, I'll ask just about anyone for an opportunity to take on a different challenge. In this case, I met a local Muay Thai instructor and asked to attend a practice.
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Muay Thai #2
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Shift change inside the mercado. All of these shops have to be packed up daily. Oh, and...peppers! (This is Mexico, folks. Only meat is more popular than chili peppers.)
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Not gonna argue it here, but I am SO pro-piracy for music and movies outside the West. I'm always happy to see just how thriving this business is. You'll find these shops everywhere.
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One thing I'm not happy to see are these little gambling halls--either stand-alone or at the back of a small grocery store. From what I can tell, they play a similar role to scratch-offs and lottos in the USA: provide false hope in order to part the already struggling from their money.
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As the stores close down, people were heading to the main avenue (Ave. Revolucion) for the evening's parade.
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Selling shoes and fireworks. Makes sense to me.
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Playing around with flash-free long exposure shots.
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More long-exposure play.
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Avenue de Revolucion has a dedicated two-way bicycle lane down the center, running the full length of town.
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I almost skipped the parade, but grabbed my camera at the last minute. Everyone knows that clowns and Santas (see?) are the way to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, right? Right.
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Stilts and bubbles. Why not?
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Also dancers, twirlers, musicians, and any other civic group that wanted to ride down the road on the back of a semi. The fun part is how no one asks twice or complains if you're in the middle of the proceedings--just as long as you have a camera in your hands.
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Not everyone was enthralled. This driver's daughter was...tolerant, at best.
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Some of the crowd.
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I discovered later that I had managed to photograph my hostess and her beautiful family while I was running madly through the assembled crowd. They were apparently calling my name, but I never heard a word of it. Cap'n Oblivion, here, reporting for duty.
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The Transglobalist
Photographer, cyclist, paraglider pilot, backpacker, skydiver, writer, explorer, musician, hitchhiker, digital nomad, and American dissident.

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