Saturday Night

When I started this blog, I never imagined it would take so much time so here I am well behind what I thought would be daily posts informing you all of our adventures.

It seems impossible to be brief because every time I get started again I recall so many details I want to record, but I'll try again.

After the wedding, we followed the bridal car, once again, to the reception hall.  The neighborhood was in tremendous ill repair, the likes of which we seldom see in our area.  Some of the houses were simple, concrete block cubes on which the second level had no roof of any kind, just open to the elements.  Some buildings had no windows, just an opening in the wall.  The road we needed to turn down to reach the hall had such a deep drop off that the driver decided to circle around and approach from the other direction.  A vacant lot served as parking, for which we paid the owner a few pesos.  What a surprise when we entered the hall!  It was like a secret treasure tucked away in the midst of all the decay.  The elegant tables were adorned with lilies and roses, and already prepared with plates and bowls of fresh salsa, chopped onions and cilantro, and lime wedges to top our dinner.  Just those scented the room enough to make me fairly preoccupied with when the food would come.  The front of the room was lined with the sturdy, exotic flower arrangements from the church which were lilies surrounded by palm fronds and various other tropical looking greens.  Joshua was quite taken with them.  For a little while, we all just introduced ourselves and exchanged compliments and queries, and then the first course arrived.  This was actually my favorite - sopes, pronounced SO-pace, are little round tortillas spread with beans and salsa.  Simple ingredients but a hearty, pleasing flavor.  Definitely on my list of things to learn how to prepare.  I think the following dishes included tacos, which are always soft corn tortillas in Mexico, pumpkin blossom, cactus, maybe enchiladas, lamb broth, to which we added the onion, lime, and cilantro, and lamb.  Each flavor was distinctly different and they were all marvelous, real food.

I don't recall when, but at one point there was a brief justice of the peace proceeding to make the marriage official.  It was explained to me that in Mexico you are required to have this even if you've had a church wedding.  He was much more concise than the priest.

After the last course of the meal, the merriment really started.  All the flower girls were running in circles around the fountain in the courtyard, still in their pretty gowns, ties came off, one or two shirt buttons opened, and the dance music began.  Some of the tunes sounded quite traditional to my untrained ear, incorporating horns and accordion.  These were mixed with club tracks and remakes of American songs like Achey Breakey Heart.  Of course, the bride and groom had their dance, and I couldn't help but smile to see Svetlana singing into his ear, but as soon as was acceptable, others joined in. 

This is a dancing culture and it was such a treat to watch, and attempt.  A couple of brave and patient men asked me to dance and showed me a few things but not without a few shoeprints on their toes.  Joshua and I have decided to take dancing lessons this summer.  Everyone here seems to know how to dance properly with a partner - and did.  Then there was line dancing, during which everyone was given a long, skinny balloon to ... hold while they danced. I never figured that one out.  Before the throwing of the bouquet, all ladies joined hands in a long chain and RAN around the room in figure eights and loops, periodically passing under the bride's train, as she stood on a chair, and it was held up by the groom standing on another chair behind her - and these ladies where some high heels!  It was very fun but I must admit to being breathless by the end of it.  I took a video of the men doing this same thing before the garter toss, although they seemed to take great delight in elbowing the groom as they passed through.  The internet here will not let me upload video but check back if you're interested, I load it later.

There was a delicious layer cake, which is probably traditional, and a parade of pallbearers carrying the groom laid out on their shoulders around the perimeter of the room before they tossed him up in the air a bunch of times.  It looked like fun and I would've had a go - as the groom, that is.  there was as a steady flow of tequila, whiskey, and vodka, of which I did not partake because I was driving the newlyweds back to the hotel!


We had a terrific evening and so many of the guests went out of their way to make us feel welcome and appreciated.  Gerardo's sister, Lupita, was quite enthusiastic about every aspect of the afternoon and evening - the food, the dancing, the company - and passionately expressed each sentiment to us, assisting with our meal, making many toasts, and dancing with Joshua, despite knowing that we did not understand a word she was rattling off.  She seems like a lady that relishes every moment, at least she did that day.

We made it back to the hotel early enough for the newlyweds to act newly wed, and got some sleep in anticipation of our trip to the pyramid at Tula the next day.  Yes, finally, we get to the archeology!