La Gaceta Mexicana

LA GACETA MEXICANA CONSULATE OF MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO Abril – Junio 2015

Cenote Ik’kil, Yucatan

1610 4th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102

p. 505-247-2417 f. 505-842-9490

www.consulmex.sre.gob.mx/albuquerque admin1@consulmexalb.net

LA GACETA MEXICANA CONSULATE OF MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO Abril - Junio 2015

ALDO ARANDA CONCERT LATIN AMERICAN CONCERT AND SPEAKER SERIES AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO KELLER HALL – UNM CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The University of New Mexico through the Department of Music, the National Institute of Fine Arts of Mexico through the Coordination of Music and Opera and the Consulate of Mexico in Albuquerque, present the concert with renowned Mexican pianist Aldo Aranda.

Keller Hall at UNM Center for the Arts, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 Thursday, April 9th, 2015, 6:30 p.m. http://music.unm.edu/news_events

Aldo Aranda studied at the Superior School of Music and Fine Arts of Mexico City and subsequently entered the National School of Music “ENM-UNAM”. In 1998 and 1999, Aranda took part of the Advanced Studies in Percussion given by the Percussion Quartet “Tambuco”. In 2003-2005 he graduated on Marimba with Professor Ludwig Albert, Composition with Wim Henderickx at the Flemish Royal Conservatory and received a scholarship from the National Institute for the Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA) and the National Fund for the Culture and the Arts (FONCA) from the Mexican government.

Aranda has participated in various master classes, workshops and courses in Mexico, United States and Europe with renowned artists from all around the world as Keiko Abe, Evelien Glennie, Pedro Carneiro, Ney Rosauro, Collin Currie and Steven Schick, to mention a few.

He has also made several tours in Asia, Europe and Africa and given recitals and concerts in the main halls of Mexico City and other states of the republic, as well as being invited to the most prestigious festivals such as “Festival d Avignon”, “Aarhus festival”, “Gaudeamus Music week”, “Netherlands Music Days”, “Sonic Visions”, “Cervantino International Festival”.

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MEXICAN CONTEMPORARY CINEMA SERIES

7th EDITION OF THE CONTEMPORARY MEXICAN CINEMA National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque Journal Theatre, June 4th – June 25th, 2015 at 7:00 pm

In collaboration with Instituto Cervantes & the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Consulate of Mexico presents the 7th edition of the Contemporary Mexican Cinema Series, dedicated to the best contemporary independent films in Mexico.

Admission to the shows is FREE, and all the films have English subtitles. Showtime is 7:00 PM in the Bank of America Theatre at the National Hispanic Cultural Center 1701 Fourth Street SW Albuquerque, NM 87102.

The series will include:

“La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic”, June 4th 2015, starring Karina Gidi, Mima Vokovic, Carlos Corona, Kristyan Ferrer and José Caballero.

Manuela (40) is the cook in a restaurant when the Balkan conflict breaks out on the other side of the world. The madness of war permeates her surroundings, invades her intimacy and unleashes its own warlike escalade...

Trailer: http://goo.gl/io990D

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Next in the series on June 11th 2015, is “Cumbres”, starring Ivanna Michel, Aglae Lingow and Abdul Marcos.

Due a tragedy, two sisters abruptly flee from their hometown. Miwi, the younger one, with no clear idea of what happened, drives untiringly to save her sister Juliana, implicating her in the misadventure. Their journey creates a bittersweet relationship marked by pain, guilt and love.

Trailer: http://goo.gl/jIDD06

“Luto”¸ June 18th 2015, starring Patricia Garza and Juan Pablo Campa.

Luto portrays a relationship in a process of irreversible decay. A typical contemporary couple, Luisa and Tomas fall in love and decide to live together without having heard each other in depth. Alarm bells begin ringing since their first dates, but they don’t pay attention to them since they cannot manage to see beyond their momentary feelings —when there is such a strong passion, reason takes a long nap.

Trailer: http://goo.gl/7oruFs The final film on June 25th 2015, is “En la estancia”, starring Gilberto Barraza, Waldo Facco, Natalia Gatto and Jesús Vallejo.

Jesús Vallejo and his son Juan Diego, are the only two inhabitants remaining in the ghost-town of La Estancia.

Their peace and quiet is altered when a filmmaker, arrives to shoot a documentary about the two solitary characters.

A very close relationship develops between the three of them, but it lasts only a few days, until the documentarian departs back to the city, but promising to return to La Estancia soon.

Many years pass by before that promise is fulfilled, and by then the only thing remaining in town are the echoes of its voices.

Trailer: http://goo.gl/rztAKf For more information contact: Violeta Piña Sánchez (505) 765-7620 admin1@consulmexalb.net or Milly Castañeda-Ledwith (505) 724-4777 cenabq@cervantes.es

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COMING THROUGHOUT 2015

JULY  Viva México 2015 Viva México! Has become the second-largest event held at Las Golondrinas, due to the extensive cultural offerings it provides.

El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 334 Los Pinos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507 Saturday, July 18th and Sunday, July 19th , 2015, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm www.golondrinas.org

 Mariachi Spectacular Each year, more than 500 students take part in the workshops taught at the Mariachi Spectacular workshops, connecting world class master musicians with eager students. Through this synergy between teacher and student, the rich heritage of mariachi music and its people will continue to live on. Moreover, thousands enjoy our concerts at the Showcase (Amateur) Concert at Civic Plaza and then the Spectacular (Professional) Concert at Sandia Amphitheatre.

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SEPTEMBER  Mexican National Day, Santa Fe

OCTOBER  Latin American Concert and Speaker Series at University of New Mexico

NOVEMBER  “Día de Muertos”, South Broadway Cultural Center

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MEXICAN WINDOWS IN NEW MEXICO Other activities where Mexico is present too…

SEASON FOUR OF PATI’S MEXICAN TABLE PREMIERES ON PUBLIC TV STATIONS NATIONWIDE

Pati’s Mexican Table, the delightful series from award-winning chef and best-selling cookbook author Pati Jinich, premieres its fourth consecutive season on PBS and public television stations nationwide.

The new 13-episode season begins airing the weekend of April 4.

An exclusive clip and the trailer from Season 4 are available as a sneak preview: http://goo.gl/KKjC6o Season 4 debuts with four episodes filmed entirely in Mexico. Set in San Miguel de Allende, one of the world’s leading travel destinations, they follow Jinich as she vacations with her family. Jinich also meets local chefs, growers and winemakers, inspiring her to cook new recipes in a historic house in the heart of San Miguel.

CUANDO LOS ASTROS SE ALINEAN, POETRY BY JORGE DE LA PARRA DEL VALLE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO April 9, 2015 17:30-19:30 pm Reading Room (ORTEG HALL 335) University of New Mexico For more information contact: Carmen Julia Holguín Chaparro cjhch@unm.edu

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FIESTAS DE ALBUQUERQUE

Featuring food, live music, dance, activities and more from five major eras of Albuquerque’s history, this event will have something for everyone! As you walk through different areas of Historic Old Town you will be able to experience the awesome history of the Native American Era, learn about the founders from the Spanish Era, enjoy mouthwatering delicacies and learn how to craft piñatas from the Mexican Era, and listen to live, historic music and see blacksmith demonstrations from the Territorial Era. April 18, 2015 12:00 – 17:00 pm Historic Old Town Rio Grande Blvd. NW & Central Ave., Albuquerque, NM 87104 505-768-3556

BALLET FOLKLORICO QUETZALLI DE VERACRUZ SOUTH BROADWAY CULTURAL CENTER Founded in 1985 by Maestro Hugo Betancourt, Ballet Folklorico “Quetzalli” makes its home in the state capital, Xalapa, Veracruz. They have toured internationally performing traditional folkloric dances, as well as their Afro-Caribbean spectacular, “Carnaval Veracruzano”. The company has been the official representatives for Secretary of Tourism and Economic Development for the State of Veracruz since 1986 having given hundreds of performances across Mexico and the United States, South America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean.

May 3, 2015 7:00-9:00 pm South Broadway Cultural Center SBCC Box Office sbcc@cabq.gov, 505848-1320

http://goo.gl/e4bEr8

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INTERESTING FACES OF MEXICO Do you know…?

LUIS BARRAGÁN MORFÍN 1902-1988 Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín (March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988) was a Mexican architect. He studied as an engineer in his home town, while undertaking the entirety of additional coursework to obtain the title of architect.

Barragán was born in Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. Educated as an engineer, he graduated from the Escuela Libre de Ingenieros in Guadalajara in 1923.

After graduation, he travelled through Spain and France. While in France he became aware of the writings of Ferdinand Bac, a German-French writer, designer and artist who Barragán cited throughout his life. In 1931, he again traveled to France with a long stop-over in New York. In this trip he met Mexican mural painter José Clemente Orozco, architectural magazine editors, and Frederick Kiesler. In France he briefly met Le Corbusier and finally visited the gardens realized by Ferdinand Bac. He practiced architecture in Guadalajara from 1927–1936, and in Mexico City thereafter.

His Guadalajara work includes over a dozen private homes in the Colonia Americana area of what is today near downtown Guadalajara. These homes, within walking distance of each other, include Barragán's earliest residential projects. One of his first buildings, Casa Cristo, was restored and houses the state's Architects' Guild.

In 1945 he started planning the residential development of Jardines del Pedregal. In 1947 he built his own house and studio in Tacubaya and in 1955 he rebuilt the Convento de las Capuchinas Sacramentarias in Tlalpan, Mexico City, and the plan for Jardines del Bosque in Guadalajara. In 1957 he planned Torres de Satélite (whose iconic towers he created in collaboration with sculptor Mathias Goeritz) and an exclusive residential area, Las Arboledas, a few kilometers away from Ciudad Satélite. In 1964 he designed, alongside architect Juan Sordo Madaleno, the Lomas Verdes residential area, also near the Satélite area, in the municipality of Naucalpan, Estado de México. In 1967 he created one of his best-known works, the San Cristóbal Estates equestrian development in Mexico City.

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Barragán attended lectures by Le Corbusier and became influenced by European modernism. The buildings he produced in the years after his return to Mexico show the typical, clean lines of the Modernist movement.

Nonetheless, according to Andrés Casillas (who worked with Barragán), he eventually became entirely convinced that the house should not be "a machine for living."

Opposed to functionalism, Barragán strove for an "emotional architecture" claiming that "any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake." Barragán always used raw materials such as stone or wood. He combined them with his incredibly creative use of light.

The work of Luis Barragán is often (and misleadingly) quoted in reference to minimalist architecture. John Pawson, in his book Minimum, includes images from some of Barragán's projects. Most architects who do minimalistic architecture do not use color, but the ideas of forms and spaces which Barragán pioneered are still there. There have been several essays written by the Pritzker Prize recipient Alvaro Siza in prefaces to books that make reference to the ideas of Barragán as well.

It has also been proved that Louis Kahn informally consulted Barragán on the space between the buildings of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. According to the documents, Kahn's original idea was to place a garden between the buildings; however, Barragán suggested that an open plaza, with only a water feature in between, would better reflect the spirit of the location. This area, possibly designed with Barragán's advice in mind, is arguably the most impressive aspect of the building complex.

Barragán's influence can also be seen in the work of many of Mexico's contemporary architects, such as Ricardo Legorreta.

After his death, aged 86, in Mexico City in 1988, two notfor-profit organizations were created to help manage Barragán's legacy.

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THE PLACE YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW… A tour throughout our country “THE STATE OF YUCATAN”

Plaza principal

Yucatan is located in Southeastern Mexico, on the north part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is bordered by the states of Campeche to the southwest, Quintana Roo to the southeast and the Gulf of Mexico lies off its north coast.

Before the arrival of Spaniards to the Yucatán Peninsula, the name of this region was El Mayab.

In Mayan language, "ma' ya'ab" is translated as "a few". It was a very important region for the Mayan civilization, which reached the peak of its development on this place, where they founded the cities of Chichen Itza, Izamal, Motul, Mayapan, Ek' Balam and Ichcaanzihóo (also called T'ho), now Mérida.

In addition to the capital city, the state's largest cities include Kanasin, Valladolid, Tizimin, Progreso, Ticul, Uman, Tekax, Hunucma, Motul, Oxkutzcab, Peto, Izamal.

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Archaeological Tourism Yucatan, the land of the Mayan culture, a place with an historical legacy matched by few other lands the world over with its majestic ceremonial centers, capital cities and beautiful buildings of stone and perfect architecture.

Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Ek Balam, Mayapan and Dzibilchaltun, to name just a few, are the legacy of one of the greatest civilizations of the world, the Mayans, revealing their ancient records, secret paths and wonders to the visitors who enter in their domains.

For travel information: http://goo.gl/nyBVAs Chichen Itza

The legendary Mayan city of Chichen Itza, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988 and one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World in 2007, is located in eastern Yucatan, 120 km from Merida on the Cancun Highway. The heritage of the Itzaes extends past the Main Esplanade to the Observatory, the Sacred Cenote, the Ball Court and Temple of the Thousand Columns. This archaeological site holds one of the most impressive constructions created by the Mayas: the Pyramid of Kukulkan, where every year during the spring and fall equinox on 21 March and 22 September a magical play of light and shadow recreates the appearance of Kukulkan, the feathered snake as it gradually descends the pyramid to Earth; with the reverse occurring during the summer and winter solstice.

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Dzibilchaltun Considered one of the oldest Mayan cities, the name means “The place where there is writing on flat stones.�

Dzibilchaltun has a unique charm, with its SixteenthCentury Franciscan chapel in the middle of the archaeological zone. The site, located at km 14 on the MeridaProgreso highway, is open daily from 8:00 until 17:00 hrs. Every March 21 and September 21 Dzibilchaltun is the site of an archaeo-astronomical phenomenon at sunrise in the Temple of the Seven Dolls; this is the most important equinox phenomenon in this area.

Ek Balam

Ek Balam and its 45 structures are surrounded by two concentric stone walls, plus another that joins the central buildings. The site holds a ball game, and a beautiful arch marking the end of an ancient Sacbe (white road) that once connected the Mayan kingdoms which still bears traces of hieroglyphic snakes, as well as beautiful monuments carved from stone blocks. The structures are of various architectural styles but with details that make them unique, such as

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images of wings resemblins angel’s wings. Ek Balam is located 26 km north of Valladolid and 186 km east of Merida on the road to Cancun.

Uxmal In southern Yucatan is the spectacular archaeological zone of Uxmal, declared by UNESCO in 1996 as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Known as “The Thrice Built “, this site offers some of the most impressive architecture of the Mayan World.

Uxmal is located 80 km southwest of Merida, on the Campeche Highway.

Magical Towns

San Antonio de Padua Convent, Izamal

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Izamal.

The City of Three Cultures, a Magical Town of Mexico since 2001, are the namesakes necessary to understand the confluence of traditions and customs in the Yucatan. A splendid city dressed in white and yellow colors, it evokes a rich historical past that resonates to this day in life along its streets.

Izamal is a historic city because it teaches us of the greatness of our heritage. The magnificent works of Maya architecture bear silent witnesses of the achievements of this great civilization. It is historic because we learn of the legacy of the evangelization in the land of the Mayab, which are the contributions of the Franciscan missionaries who settled in Izamal, which was once a Maya ceremonial center, and which today is a religious destination for Christian pilgrims from the world over. Izamal is historic because it also reflects the fusion pre-Hispanic and Colonial style that came to define an independent Mexico. Izamal is a continuity of Maya life, because through the passage of time – in its parks, squares, gardens, streets, preColumbian buildings and churches one breathes the everyday life of its people, traditions and customs, a fusion of cultures which reflect the values of the civilization Maya in its sense of space and across the ages.

For travel information: http://goo.gl/zQHyAD Merida. Before the Spanish conquest, this territory was known by the Mayans as T`ho, which means “Five hills”, and in the past it was also called Ichcaanziho. The city was raised over the vestiges of the Mayan settlement, and founded on January 6, 1542 by Don Francisco de

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Montejo El Mozo, who named the city Merida because the old prehispanic buildings reminded him of the roman ruins that still remain in the Spanish city of the same name.

The title “Most Noble, and Most Loyal City of Merida” was granted to the city on the 30th of April 1605 by appointment of Felipe III King of Spain. In 1618, Merida, like very few cities of the New Spain, obtained a Coat of Arms. In heraldic terms, the rampant lion represents royalty, courage and strength; the castle stands for greatness and tenacious resistance against the enemy; the blue color represents virtues, such as loyalty and justice, while green means hope, freedom and fearlessness.

Merida is characterized by its colonial architecture, of somber style, where the construction of high ceiling and big windows were predominant in most of the constructions (mainly in what we know today as the Historical Center); but above all is identified because of the color of the quarry, material found in the region and used, in the construction of many of the buildings, which highlights the natural reflection of the sun, appearance that stands over the buildings, fact that has support also the tradition of the inhabitants, for giving it the nick name of “White City”, image maintained for many years, because the people used to paint their homes with bright colors.

The urban development was concentric, during the Colony, according to the cannons of the time; it followed a square scheme, with streets drawn in the shape of a chess board, structure that still exists in our days. Towards the four cardinal points of its Plaza Mayor, the population would finally be divided in four sections with their neighborhoods, which adopted the names of their holy saints, resulting in San Sebastian neighborhood to the south, Santiago and Santa Catarina (today Parque Centenario) to the west, San Cristobal in the east, and in the north, Santa Lucia and Santa Ana. This distribution clearly presented the neighborhoods for the native inhabitants, while the center of the city was reserved for the Spanish conquerors. The city traced its limits with seven arches, however, the urban growth wrapped them, and today, only three

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structures (San Juan, Dragons and Del Puente) remain as witnesses of the early urban design during the days of the colony. By the end of the XIX century, economic development growth and the henequen boom caused the construction of great haciendas and beautiful manors, which gave the city appearance, which still stands out and is appreciated on the traditional Montejo Avenue, one of the main attractions of Merida.

That is how the city was built, and today its colonial traces and monuments stand with the neoclassic buildings and contemporary infrastructure. In Merida, the old and the new styles blend in, the respect to old traditions and the opening to modernity.

For travel information: http://goo.gl/k9EHfv Historical Neighborhoods Stroll through the neighborhoods that experienced Merida grow.

Itzima neighborhood

Paseo de Montejo

Mejorada neighborhood

Las Americas Park

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Barrio de San Sebastian

Santa Ana neighborhood

Barrio de San Cristobal

Barrio de Santa Lucia

Valladolid. Valladolid is, without doubt, the most important city in Eastern Yucatan. In ancient Mexico, the town of Zaci was already an important population center of the Maya civilization.

Zaci stood at the crossroads of the caminos blancos, the elevated road system the Maya built to connect their cities. These roads brought pilgrims and traders from Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, Coba or Yaxunah.

The Eastern Maya, land of the Itzaes, is a region where two thirds of the residents are native Yucatec Maya speakers, where one finds the largest number of cenotes in the area, and where traditional customs characterize the worldview and lives of its inhabitants. Valladolid, Capital of the Eastern Maya, is a city of foremost importance, founded by Francisco “The Nephew� Montejo, has become a focal point for explorers and adventurers who set out to know the great Maya culture. Its appeal to travelers reflects its great historical heritage from the remote past, its Colonial legacy, and its contemporary role: Maya City, Colonial City of the Spaniards, City of Mexicans, and the cradle of the revolutionary ideology of the 20th century.

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For

all

these reasons, Valladolid is the capital of the Eastern Maya, in addition to the city’s contributions to the Yucatecan cuisine, and its preservation of local customs and traditions.

But above all, it is the festive spirit and hospitable nature of its inhabitants, which is why Valladolid has become not only Capital of the Eastern Maya, and, proudly, a Magical Town of Mexico. Valladolid is the ideal city to visit and enjoy all the natural, archaeological and cultural offerings of eastern Yucatan.

For travel information visit: http://goo.gl/zQHyAD

YUCATAN IS MEXICO VISIT YUCATAN! LIVE YUCATAN!

El Gran Jaguar, inside The Castle of Kukulcan

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MEXICAN FLAVORS This time try…

Most of the Yucatán’s land is made up of a plain that formed from a marine shelf made up of calcified rock and sink holes known as cenotes. Along the coasts, beaches and bodies of water such as the Celestún estuary, Yucalpetén, El Islote and Ría Lagartos have developed.

A warm, sub-humid climate can be found in most parts of the state. In the area known as the Sierrita, precious woods such as cedar and mahogany, as well as others such as ceiba and achiote, make up the predominating flora; animal life includes Yucatán quail, scaled pigeon, porcupine, weasels and tree squirrels. The plains are home to grasslands and, currently, henequen and prickly pear plantations; regional animals include jaguar, tepexcuintle, ounces, tapirs and cinnamon partridges. Mangroves dominate costs; at sea, sharks, groupers, bream and red snapper are fished.

Do you have questions? Or an activity related to Mexico that you would like to share in “La Gaceta Mexicana”? Contact us at: admin1@consulmexalb.net http://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/albuquerque/

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“LA RECETA” TIKIN XIC FISH Ingredients: For the fish:  3 kg (6 2/3 lb) red snapper or grouper cleaned and opened from the head down. Leave the backbone in place.  4 tablespoons achiote paste  ¼ teaspoon oregano  ¾ cup sour orange juice or ½ cup orange juice ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice  4 tablespoons olive oil  1 banana leaf, heat-softened  Salt to taste For the red onion escabeche  2 tablespoons corn oil  2 habanero peppers  2 red onions, thinly sliced  ½ cup apple cider vinegar  2 allspice berries  1 fresh bay leaf  1 sprig of thyme  Salt to taste

Procedure for the fish: Grind the achiote with oregano and orange juice. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt, mix.

Make slits in the flesh of the fish and pour the axiote mixture over it. Cover the fish with banana leaves and let stand 3 hours in the refrigerator.

The fish can be can be cooked directly on a grill (charcoal or gas), or inside a wire cage over direct heat. In both cases, when placing the fish on the fire, it must be opened and heated meat-side first, for 8 to 10 minutes, until that the exterior surface is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the flesh easily detaches from the spine. Remove from heat, arrange the fish on a platter and serve immediately with pickled red onion and warm corn tortillas.

Procedure for the red onion escabeche: Warm oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat, add the peppers and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the onion and continue cooking another two minutes. Add vinegar, pepper and herbs; bring to a boil. Allow the strong vinegar smell to boil off, remove from heat and season. Chill.

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