Here’s my view when I open my front door—geraniums blooming in the passageway that leads from my door to the stairs that take me down to the first floor and out the gates of my apartment building.

The door and windows you see opposite my door belong to the office of an acupuncturist. Here in Xalapa’s centro, homes, apartments, stores and offices sit side by side or one above the other, a jumble of commercial and domestic spaces.
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On February 2, Margarita, Joaquin and Miriam took me—as well as Elena and her daughter Gisela, whom I met then for the first time—to a small city called Tlacotalpan (pronounced—with difficulty—as tlah-coh-TALL-pahn) for the celebration of the Dia de la Candelaria.

Tlacotalpan is a colorful city that was declared a World Heritage City by the United Nations in 1995. It celebrates the Dia de la Candelaria in a big way over several days—with the running of the bulls through the streets, performances by jaraneros, musicians who play small guitar-like instruments called jaranas, and a procession of the statue of the Virgin from the church to the river, where a boat carries it along the river and thence back to the church. In addition, the center of town is filled with stands and stalls where artisans sell their wares.

By the way, you can see and hear a You-Tube video from the Candelaria fiesta last year that demonstrates the size and sound of jaranas here: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/guanabana-el-butaquito/267964436