MeXscape

Today is my Mexican birthday. I have two birthdays: the date of my actual birth, and my Mexican birthday. How did I get so lucky? By being hugely disappointed last year. We were supposed to be in Mazatlan in time to celebrate my real birthday, April 16th. I was really looking forward to going to my favorite palapa on the beach, eating a ton of garlic shrimp, and enjoying the beach, but the darn house just wouldn't sell.

Here in Mexico, there is no figure in society who is more important than Mom. Without her, everything falls apart, and everyone knows it. Mother's day doesn't fall on a convenient Sunday here. It is May 10th every year. On Mother's Day, everything stops. If you haven't completed all of your shopping by 3 pm, you are out of luck. It's easier to find an open market on a Sunday.

Today, April 30th, is Children's Day here in Mexico. It's celebrated throughout the country in a variety of ways. In Mexico City there is always a big parade. In most places the kids still have to go to school but there are no classes and they don't have to wear their uniforms. There are usually lots or games and toys and candy, and, of course, piñatas.

Today marks the end of Mazatlan Bike Week 2008. It's the last festival in a closely packed season. We were just recovering from Carnival when Semana Santa started, which blended directly into Bike Week. It has been a veritable cornucopia of eye candy with all the custom bikes.

Dia de la Revolucion (Revolution Day) is celebrated on November 20 and commemorates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 which ended the rule of dictatorial President Porfirio Díaz Mori. The war, which gave rise to folk heroes like Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, lasted seven years and killed 7% of the population. The end came in 1917 with the ratification of the current Constitution of Mexico. Revolution Day is often confused with Dia de la Indepencia (Independence Day), September 16, which celebrates Mexican independence from Spain.