Del Rio Grande 1216

DECEMBER 2016

DEL RIO HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Food, desserts, festivities and fun

PERFECT STORM A pair of Mercury Cyclones makes heads turn

GOT TAMALES? No holiday table is complete without this delicious treat DECEMBER 2016 $3.99

Faith dancers Matachines venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe with pageantry and dance

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CONTENTS 6 Dance of devotion Young dancers practice for the dances they will perform in December.

10 Baby Jesus lives here The Cadena Nativity scene exhibit, a 1,200-piece wonder open year-round at the Whitehead Museum.

12 Inside Look Edward Guerrero shares an outlook of his life as an administrative assistant ad the

DECEMBER 2016 19 Happy holidays, Del Rio The Annual Christmas Parade kicks off the season.

22 More than a season Sometimes is easy to forget the real

Finding your dream car is a must for most

Learn how to make a nice Winter Wonderland Wreath.

32 Fashion favorites for the Christmas season Fresh looks for the season.

reason behind Christmas

24 Holiday recipe Gluten-free chai-spiced snowball cookies

Del Rio Police Department.

15 A perfect storm

31 DIY Décor

26 20 Things You Didn’t Know About...

38 Tamales Talamantez December get-togethers, family reunions are not complete without tamales.

42 Say What?

car enthusiasts. Michael Espinoza found

Martin Seca is Living Stone Worship

Holiday traditions include special meals,

two.

Center’s lead pastor

karaoke singing, and putting up the tree

ON THE COVER: Jazmine Rodriguez, member of the Danza Guadalupana matachines dance group.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR BIG LIFE IN A TEXAS BORDER TOWN

PUBLISHER David W. Compton INTERIM EDITOR Karen Gleason WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Karen Gleason

Ring in the holidays!

I

remember crying the first Christmas I spent in Del Rio, in 1982. There were days that December when it

was warm and sunny, and I cried with

Chris Adams

homesickness because as a child of

Brian Argabright

the north, December to me had always

Bonita Santillan

meant cold and snow, snow, snow.

Roland Cardenas Special Contributor: Joanna Salazar ADVERTISING Sandra Castillo Johnrobert Salazar Ashley Lopez EDITORIAL karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com 830-225-1551, Ext. 300

Christmas for me had always been white.

And then I came to Del Rio. I probably should have high-tailed it back home to Fargo, North Dakota, but I had fallen in love with Michael G., a San Antonio boy, and married him.

The only thing I could do was embrace the environment in which I found myself, and as I opened my heart to

ADVERTISING sandra.castillo@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 250

bilingual, binational and bicultural Del Rio, it embraced me

STORY IDEAS karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

In this issue of Grande, we wanted to share with you

Del Rio Grande is published by the Del Rio News-Herald.

No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

in return, and I established my own Christmas traditions, as I know you have yours. some of Del Rio’s holiday traditions, both the deeply religious and the purely secular.

I want you to meet Dora Jimenez and the devoted dancers of Danza Guadalupana, Lydia Talamantez and her famous tamales and marvel at the Cadena Nativity.

I hope you enjoy this edition as you celebrate your own holiday traditions.

Thanks for reading!

Entrusted by the Queen City of the Rio Grande since 1884

2205 North Bedell Avenue • Del Rio, TX 78840 delrionewsherald.com

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GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

Karen Gleason Grande Interim Editor

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From left, Johanna Rodriguez, 14; Jazmine Rodriguez, 8; and Leslie Colunga, 14; prepare to begin a routine they will dance throughout the holiday season as members of Danza Guadalupana.

Matachines: Dance of devotion Young dancers perform motivated by faith; their efforts serve a higher purpose STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN GLEASON

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t is mid-October in Del Rio, but the summer heat releases its grip slowly here, and on this Thursday evening, the temperature still hovers in the upper 80s even though the sun has nearly set.

Sweat trickles down the faces of the 20-odd young dancers,

ranging in age from 5 to 18, but not one of them complains about the 6

GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

uncomfortable heat or asks for a water break. The still air is filled with the staccato rattle of the maracas they grip in their right hands, the soft slap of their tennis shoes on the asphalt as they shuffle, dip and turn.

The young dancers are called “matachines,” sometimes spelled “matlachines,” part of a Del Rio group called Danza Guadalupana, and they are practicing for a series of dances they will perform, mostly

for parishioners of the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, throughout the Christmas season, beginning in mid-November and culminating on Christmas Eve. For most of the dancers and their parents, but most especially for the woman who leads them, these dances are an article of their Christian faith, offerings of effort and pageantry they lay at the feet of one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved icons, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Nuestra Senora, the patroness of Mexico and all the Americas.

For the past 17 years. Danza Guadalupana Matlachines has been led

by St. Joseph’s parishioner and Del Rio native Dora Jimenez. Jimenez keeps the young dancers focused and motivated, always reminding them their efforts serve a higher purpose.

Jimenez and her father, Marco Jimenez, said the dances performed by the matachines have their origins in the days of pre-Conquest Mexico, when Aztec rulers would pick a young woman, a maiden, and provide her with exquisite care.

“Then she would be the sacrifice that they would offer their gods. It was an honor for the girl and her parents,” Jimenez explained.

As Christianity swept through the native peoples of Mexico, elements of those earlier religions were incorporated into new forms of worship.

“When the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, that changed the whole tradition,” Jimenez said.

She is referring to the reported appearance of the Virgin Mary to an Aztec peasant named Juan Diego over a series of days in a December

in the 1500s, an apparition that occurred in the Tepeyac region of central Mexico. The apparition directed Juan Diego to tell the bishop of that area to build a church on the site where she had appeared and told Juan Diego to refer to her as “Santa Maria de Guadalupe.”

Jimenez said the tradition of the matachines helped the native peoples of Mexico to remember what the Virgin had brought them.

Her image, and shrines to her, can be found in and around many traditional households throughout Del Rio and in other mostly Hispanic communities throughout the Americas.

Veneration of the Virgin of Guadalupe is rife with symbolism that recalls pagan roots, and those symbols are echoed in the costumes worn by the young matachines.

Dancers in Danza Guadalupana wear red pants, shirts and tunics decorated with these symbols: Each outfit has an image of the praying Virgin, as well as crosses, stars, crescent moons, suns and flowers, all executed in colorful sequins. Small bells, mirrors and plastic tubes imitating the bone pipes of traditional native finery also adorn the costumes.

Dora Jimenez became involved in Danza Guadalupana out of her family’s deep religious traditions. Her father and mother, she said, were extremely close to their church.

“I grew up in the faith, going to church, praying the rosary,” she said.

“And then, two years before my mom got sick, because she got really sick, she had cancer, and she told me she wanted my daughters, Aracely and Natalie, to dance with the matachines. My mom took

Among the core members of Danza Guadalupana are, from left, Marcos Antonio Espinoza, Dawnie Janelle Espinoza, Leslie Colunga, Luis Alberto Espinoza, Luis Colunga, Brenda Colunga, Johanna Rodriguez, America Rodriguez, Marivel Tobias, Jazmine Rodriguez, Jessica Rodriguez, Dora Jimenez, Diego Jake Espinoza and Diego Colunga (in costume as El Viejo).

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Leslie Colunga, left, 14, and Diego Colunga, 11, in costume as El Viejo, representing the evil forces that humans must overcome.

them, and they got with another group, and this was when Natalie was about four years old. They started going because of my mom,” Jimenez said.

Two years later – about 17 years ago – Jimenez’s mother died, the girls continued dancing, and Jimenez became more involved with the troupe.

“Then a couple of years later, the person leading the group got sick, also with cancer, and he told me, ‘I give you La Danza,’ and I told him, ‘I can’t do this.

I don’t know anything about this,’ and he told me I would be okay,” Jimenez remembered.

She said when she grew tired and unwilling to continue, her father would gently remind her to follow the example set by “La Virgen.”

“I kept doing it and doing it. My girls got married, and they left, and I still kept on. Why? Because the kids would come and look for me. They would ask me, ‘When are we going to start practicing?’ Now it’s my grandkids. Once when I got tired, my dad told me, ‘You’re not going to stop until She tells you to stop’,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said her devotion of the Virgin has given her strength to weather her life’s most difficult hours.

“I want these kids to learn what I’ve learned, to feel what I feel, that they’re doing this for Her. . . She has put you here. Why, I don’t know, and I tell them, I don’t know your reasons or your problems. Maybe a lot of you are going through something at home, problems with your family, drugs, divorce, something, and I

Ten-year-old Diego Espinoza holds a maraca as he executes a turn, one of the many moves he practices as a member of Danza Guadalupana. Diego’s costume is covered with symbolic images: stars, moons, suns and flowers.

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America Rodriguez, 5, is the youngest of four sisters active in Danza Guadalupana. Here, she plays the role of the pure sacrifice made by Mesoamerican tribes before their conversion to Christianity.

feel that when they come to dance, this is where they find their peace, their love, because it’s not just about dancing,” Jimenez said.

Once the weeks of practice are over, the dancers gather at Jimenez’s home on Cochran Street in Del Rio’s Chihuahua neighborhood for a “convivio,” a small gathering at which food and drink are served. Marco Jimenez prays the rosary, and the young dancers and their parents learn about the history of matachines and the significance of the symbols they will wear as they dance.

A similar gathering is held at the Jimenez home on Christmas Eve. Dawnie Janelle Espinoza is Dora Jimenez’s daughter-inlaw, the wife of Dora’s son Albert Espinoza, and her three sons, Diego, 10; Marco Antonio, 9, and Luis, 7; are all members of Danza Guadalupana.

“I’ve learned a lot from her, and I’m glad that I can be a part of this,” Espinoza said.

Like Espinoza, Marivel Tobias’ four daughters – Jessica Rodriguez, 18; Johanna Rodriguez, 14; Jazmine Rodriguez, 8; and America Rodriguez, 5; play roles in Danza Guadalupana.

“My oldest daughter started when she was six, and since my family is Dora’s neighbors, we would always see the dancers there, and my cousins started dancing. Then when I had my second child, she started dancing when she was two,” Tobias said.

The fact that her daughters participate in the dances is important to Tobias for a number of reasons: “First of all because we have a lot of faith in la Virgen, second of all, it was a tradition that my grandmother would have. Every year, she would have the matachines at her house, and still to this day, we take them to her at the cemetery. She’s buried there and two of my aunts are buried there, and we go and dance for them.”

A stylized, glittering image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, venerated by Catholics as the patroness and protectoress of the Americas, adorns the banner carried by members of Danza Guadalupana. The image echoes the original likeness of Our Lady, which is housed in the famed Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe north of Mexico City.

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The collection was assembled through the years, with figurines purchased in a variety of places including the Mexican cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara, Saltillo and Mexico City. Some of the items even came from San Francisco, California.

BABY JESUS LIVES HERE THIS UNIQUE 1,200 PIECE NATIVITY SCENE CAN BE SEEN AT THE WHITEHEAD MUSEUM STORY AND PHOTOS BY CHRIS ADAMS

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istory reports that in 1223, St. Francis of Assisi constructed the first Nativity scene in Grecio, Italy.

According to St. Bonaventure’s “The Life of St. Francis of Assisi,” St. Francis received approval from the pope to stage a manger and two animals in a cave.

A trend was initiated, and a few centuries later, the Nativity scene had become the Christmas rage in Europe.

A tradition was born.

Forward to the 21st century, and the tradition is still widely practiced, but has become more secularized.

For the Cadena family of Del Rio, though, their historic, majestic Nativity scene remains traditional and sacred.

The beautiful and decorative display currently lives as an exhibit at the Whitehead Museum, but its true origins are in Mexico.

“My mother, she was very creative, and she came from Mexico too, from Musquiz, Coahuila,” said Val Cadena Sr., whose mother was the creator and curator of the Nativity scene.

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Beatriz Rodriguez, a former secretary to the Mexican Consul, married Cadena’s father in the 1920s.

“She could write beautiful Spanish, and beautiful English, but she couldn’t speak it,” he noted.

Cadena said the family would cut down their Christmas tree at Loma Alta and bring it back to their home in Del Rio, which had 12foot ceilings.

“She decorated it and she didn’t want nobody to fool with it.

She was the only one,” Cadena recalled. “And you had a beautiful Christmas because of all the decorative things…then she started with the Nativity scene.”

That was in 1940. Its beginnings were humble, and Cadena said at first it was “trinkets that she picked up here and there.”

His parents made frequent trips to Monterrey, Mexico, where the Nativity scene grew exponentially after family members introduced his mother to an artist from that city.

“For years and years they came back and forth to build up the

Nativity scene,” Cadena said. “She had to do it. She’d get up at 4 or 5 o’ clock in the morning and go work on them… it was a hobby.”

“It was a labor of love and a labor of her faith,” said her granddaughter Lisa Cadena Craig.

The 1,287 pieces in the collection were purchased in a variety of places including the Mexican cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara, Saltillo and Mexico City. Some of the items even came from San Francisco, Calif.

The scene, which consists of a multitude of glass-eyed figurines, impressive structures and scaled-topography, was housed at the Cadena residence in downtown Del Rio until 1992.

For several years the family allowed public visits by appointment. It was especially popular with schoolchildren.

“You should have seen the throngs of students lined up to see it,” Cadena recalled.

However, Cadena believed the Nativity scene needed to be moved because it had outgrown its home.

The Cadena family enlisted former Whitehead Museum director, Lee Lincoln, to be the Nativity’s new caretaker.

“I found a lady I could trust. To take the Nativity scene over and not steal it,” he said.

The majority of the Nativity basically remained intact after its relocation to the museum and a dwelling was built for it.

The exhibit is currently 32 feet long, 20 feet deep and 10 feet high and supported by a 3/4 inch plywood base and metal sawhorses.

A historical narrative displayed at the Whitehead Museum indicates that, “The extensive collection represents a broad background of places as well as great artistry and ingenuity in formulating and arranging the background scenery.”

Inside the structure one is overcome with a sense of being at mass in an old Catholic church: All that seems to be missing is burning incense.

Cadena-Craig interprets the experience from a more historical perspective.

“It all feels like you’re interacting with the way it was at that time because you can see the different stages, and you feel like you’re taking the journey with them,” she said.

The Nativity scene can’t help but have Cadena legacy branded onto it.

“There’s so much symbolism in that itself with what my grandfather (Hernan Cadena) did, his contribution to the foundation of it. And then my grandmother to the spirituality and putting the rest of it together,” described Cadena-Craig with reverence.

“We’re really fortunate that God gave us the opportunity…the Cadena family is elated to be able to give something back to the community,” added Cadena.

The Cadena Nativity scene can be viewed at the Whitehead Memorial Museum located at 1308 South Main Street in Del Rio. For additional information, visit the museum website at www.whiteheadmuseum.org.

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INSIDE LOOK

EDWARD GUERRERO Work ethic drives his attention to detail PHOTOS AND STORY BY KAREN GLEASON

E

dward Guerrero’s outlook on life may be thoroughly modern, but his dedication to family and his work ethic are strictly old school.

Guerrero, 21, is a native of Del Rio, the youngest child of Angelica and Juan Manuel Guerrero, and works as an administrative assistant to Del Rio Police Department Capt. Manuel “Manny” Herrera, who heads the DRPD’s enforcement division.

“I’m basically the secretary to the captain of the enforcement division, Capt. Herrera, and I do general clerical work there, making sure officers’ cases are complete before they to go to the county and district attorneys’ offices,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero has worked at the DRPD for a year and seven months.

His work among the department’s top brass calls for a neat and professional appearance every day, and Guerrero’s clothes and closet are a reflection of his careful attention to detail: neatly pressed slacks and shirts in a variety of refined colors, sometimes worn with a tie.

A 2014 graduate of Del Rio High School, Guerrero said his original “plan for the future” was to become a dental hygienist.

“I was going to go to Texas Tech University, and I was accepted there after high school,” Guerrero said, adding that his plans changed when financial aid issues arose and he found his schooling might place an undue burden on his family.

“So I said, ‘Let me stay here for a year or so, and maybe I’ll transfer to

Since going to work at the Del Rio Police Department, Edward Guerrero is considering a career in law enforcement.

Guerrero’s clothes and closet reflect his attention to detail: neatly pressed slacks and shirts in a variety of refined colors.

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Edward Guerrero, 21, is learning about photography and enjoys spending time with his family.

He works as an administrative assistant at the Del Rio Police Department.

Upper right: Edward assists Capt. Manuel “Manny” Herrera in reviewing a case.

UTSA later on’,” he said.

Guerrero is currently taking college classes at Del Rio’s Southwest Texas Junior College as he works toward his degree, but admitted he is no longer eyeing a career in dentistry.

“Working at the police department has changed my path,” he said. “I’m now thinking about becoming a paralegal or going into social work for Child Protective Services or Adult Protective Services.”

Guerrero said his day-to-day interaction with the men and women of the DRPD has also led him to consider a career as a lawman.

“I don’t want to say I can’t do it, because I know I can, and it has crossed my mind. I’m still considering it; I guess right now I can’t say whether I will or won’t,” Guerrero said.

When he isn’t helping his boss review cases, Guerrero said he enjoys spending time with other members of his family.

“I just became an uncle in June, so I spend a lot of time at my brother’s house, with my nephew, Oscar Levi, who’s barely four months old now. I’m really looking forward to become a dad someday,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero said he is learning to become a photographer and has started taking photos of family members and friends at get-togethers. He also has a pet, Boomer, a Shih Tzu his grandmother gave him after the little dog showed up at her house one day.

Guerrero said he also enjoys attending what he calls “city events”: the Fourth of July Parade, the Fiesta de Amistad and the Christmas Parade.

Guerrero’s closet, in the south side home of his parents, is a small mirror of his personality and approach to his work and his life: neat and polished.

Shirts and pants hang in two orderly, uncrowded rows, longsleeved and short-sleeved shirts hanging in their own section.

Guerrero also gives credit where credit is due: He said his parents have set the example he strives to emulate both in his personal life and in his professional one.

Guerrero said his mother works as a cashier at Walmart, and his father is a tile setter. Both of them, he said, have exemplified the virtues of working hard and staying close to family.

“My mom amazes me. When we were in school, she worked two jobs . . . My mom, and my dad as well, molded me. They taught me the value of hard work, and that if your plans don’t work out the way you want them to, it’s because there’s something better out there for you,” he said.

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BEHIND THE WHEEL

A PERFECT STORM Two rare Cyclones bring joy, pride to local owner’s passion STORY BY BRIAN ARGABRIGHT PHOTOS BY ROLANDO CARDENAS

Though his 1970 (right) and 1971 Mercury Cyclones aren’t seen in public much, they’ve garnered numerous awards at various car shows throughout the years Michael Espinosa has owned them.

Finding a dream car is a goal for most car owners. Michael Espinosa found two.

The 67-year-old Del Rioan is the proud owner of a pair of American street legends - a 1970 and 1971 Mercury Cyclone GT. Originally introduced in 1964 as an option for the Mercury Comet, the Cyclone eventually grew into its own line and spawned three variations — the GT, the Spoiler and the Cobra Jet. Eventually integrated into the Mercury Montego line in 1972, the Cyclone lived on for car collectors as the perfect mix of speed and style.

Espinosa began collecting and restoring cars in 1980. A long-time hot rod builder, he said his first piece was a Cobra Mustang.

Espinosa eventually added the 1971 Cyclone GT to his garage. An eye-catching shade of blue, Espinosa calls it his favorite and says he gets as much use out of it as possible.

“It’s the first one I built of the Cyclones. It’s just a really fast car. I just really like it. I have to baby the other ones too much,” Espinosa said. “I still have the original rear end, but I put it aside and have a different rear end that’s geared for racing on it. I also added some after market stuff and modified the engine, but it still has the original transmission and body. It took me eight years to find the pieces.”

He added others to his collection, including a 1966 Cyclone, but it was chance encounter with a truck hauling a 1970 orange Cyclone GT that changed his life.

“It was on a flatbed trailer going to the junkyard.

I really just wanted the engine ... I wanted the 429 for a Cougar I was working on. I bought it for $500. I didn’t even know how rare it was.

Eventually I kept it all intact, restored the Cyclone and sold the Cougar,” Espinosa said.

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There’s a third Cyclone in Espinosa’s life, but it currently occupies space in his garage and won’t see the light of day until he’s done bringing it back to life.

“I work on these cars as parts become available. The gold one I don’t want to touch because I want it to be 100 percent original. I’m gonna wait to restore until I have everything,” Espinosa said.

If you would like your car featured in future months, contact Roland Cardenas at roland.cardenas@delrionewsherald.com.

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The City of Del Rio Christmas tree lights up the night on the corner of historic Greenwood Park in Downtown Del Rio. The annual lighting of the tree is one of the city’s most beloved holiday traditions, along with the annual city Christmas parade.

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Happy holidays, Del Rio! City, museum events, open to all

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN GLEASON

t’s no exaggeration to say that the holiday season in Del Rio starts with the annual city Christmas parade and the lighting of the city Christmas tree.

It’s also no exaggeration to say the holiday parade is one of the city’s biggest, featuring floats and other entries from schools, churches, businesses and civic organizations.

This year’s parade and tree lighting ceremony promise to be some of the best ever, says Mary Mota, co-chair of the city’s special events committee, which has spent months planning the festivities.

The 2016 Christmas Parade is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, and will follow the traditional Del Rio parade route, starting at South Main and Ogden streets and traveling south on South Main to Nicholson Street.

Mota said the theme of this year’s parade will be “Winter Wonderland,” and local groups who’d like to participate can sign up on the city’s web site at www.cityofdelrio.com. There is no fee for participation, and the rules and regulations for the event can also be found on the city site.

Mota said this year, there will also be a competition for the float best exemplifying the parade theme, with trophies to be awarded for first, second and third places.

Once the parade is over, revelers are invited to join Mayor Robert Garza and other local dignitaries in historic Greenwood Park, at Garfield Avenue and Griner Street, for the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree.

A tall evergreen growing in the northeast corner of the park will once again serve as the city’s official Christmas tree, Mota said.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place between 8:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, to give everyone who participated in the parade plenty of time to get there, Mota said.

“We’re inviting everyone to join us for this year’s tree lighting ceremony. Santa Claus and the mayor will be there, and we will also have lots of music and food vendors,” Mota said.

The City Christmas Parade will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6

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Christmas Under the Stars Celebrate the season with the annual “Christmas Under the Stars” food and toy drive event at the Whitehead Memorial Museum, 1308 S. Main St. The museum doors open at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, and the price of admission is non-perishable food items or a new unwrapped toy. Food collected as part of the event will go to Loaves & Fishes, which operates the county food pantry, and the toys brought in will be given to Avance.

Children coming to “Christmas Under the Stars” will receive free goodie bags and have the chance to have their photos taken with Santa Claus. Traditional Christmas treats like tamales, bunuellos and hot chocolate will be available, and the museum’s incredible Cadena Nativity will be open for tours.

The event will also feature a gingerbread house contest for youngsters ages 3 to 17. An entry form can be found on the museum’s Facebook page, and all entries must be at the museum by 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9.

There are three age categories, 3 to 6, 7 to 11, and 12 to 17. First, second and third places in each age category and one overall grand prize winner will be awarded.

For more information on the event and to download an entry form for the gingerbread house contest, visit the museum’s web site at www.whiteheadmuseum.org

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Every year, the Val Verde County Courthouse becomes the star of the season downtown, with colorful light decorations.

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MORE THAN

A SEASON DEEP TRADITIONS

STORY BY KAREN GLEASON For a lot of Americans, Christmas means rushing and spending. As we move closer and closer to Christmas Day, the hectic pace increases, and many of us are left with a persistent feeling that we’re trying to do too much with too little.

In the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to forget the real reasons we celebrate Christmas.

Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, observe Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ, and each year, the Christmas holiday season begins with Advent, celebrated on the four Sundays that precede Christmas Day. Father Henry Clay of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Del Rio explained some of the other Christmas season traditions celebrated by his parish.

“One of the great traditions of Advent leading up to Christmas is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, and important in that celebration is the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. That image is very unique because in that image she is with child, she is pregnant, and that is obviously our Lord Jesus Christ, and that’s from the traditional dress of our native cultures here in the Americas: In the image, Our Lady is wearing a black sash around her midsection, which is indicative of a woman who is pregnant,” Clay said.

Clay said the celebration is even more meaningful in the borderlands between the United States and Mexico because Catholics consider Our Lady of Guadalupe the patroness of the Americas and the patroness of the unborn.

“Another tradition we have are the posadas, and these are actually like a journey of faith,” Clay said.

The posada is performed on every one of the nine days before Christmas Day, and includes a “cast” of parishioners who play the roles of Joseph, Mary and the innkeepers who turned them away.

The posada begins at certain pre-selected homes in the parish and makes its way to the church.

“There is an exchange, a dialogue of song, so there’s a group outside the home, and they knock and every year, two young people, teenagers, play the role of Mary and Joseph, and there is a dia22

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logue: ‘We’re looking for a place,’ and from the inside of the house, they say, ‘No, go away, we don’t have any room here.’ And Joseph calls out, ‘But my wife is about to give birth to our child,’ and they reply, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t have any place here.’

“And so we get to enter into that struggle, to feel what it’s like to be rejected, to be sent away, to be looking for a place,” Clay said.

The posada finally stops at the church, where songs are sung and a mass is held. After mass, there is a convivio, where participants gather and share traditional foods and desserts.

The Catholics’ Christmas celebration culminates on Christmas Eve, which this year falls on Saturday, Dec. 24.

Clay said on Christmas Eve, St. Joseph’s parishioners celebrate the Children’s Mass.

“It’s something unique we do here in the life of our parish. In that one mass, when the Gospel is read of those incidents, of the birth of Our Lord and the coming of the shepherds and the angels and the wise men, there is a very reverent dramatization of that Gospel, the Gospel of Saint Luke,” Clay said.

The Christmas Eve Mass usually begins at 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Clay said.

The parishioners at St. Joseph’s will also celebrate two Masses on Christmas Day, which this year falls on a Sunday.

“Christmas is a very joyful time, and speaking from simply a human perspective, it reminds us of the importance of family, and it reminds us of the importance of sharing and of consideration of others,” Clay said.

He added the secular tradition of giving gifts to children stems from the life and works of a real-life saint – Saint Nicholas.

“He was so well-known for his generosity to the poor and to young people, that on that celebration annually, of the birth of our Lord, Christmas, St. Nicholas would give to people to help them enter into the joy of that season, so he would give gifts to all the young children, especially to orphans and poor children and to poor people, to remind them of the joy and the beauty, the gift, of our Savior being born to us,” Clay said.

GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

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HOLIDAY RECIPE Gluten-Free Chai-Spiced Snowball Cookies RECIPE BY BONITA SANTILLAN

DIRECTIONS: INGREDIENTS: l 1/4 cup margarine l 3 TBS coconut sugar l 1 cup blanched almond flour l 1/4 cup unblanched almond flour l 1/4 cup corn starch l 1/2 tsp vanilla extract l 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon l 1/2 tsp ground ginger l 1/2 tsp ground cloves l 1/4 cup powdered sugar

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Mix margarine and sugar together until fluffy.

Add the remainder of the ingredients except the powdered sugar. Mix until dough forms.

Roll dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for 45 min. to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350ยบF and spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Roll dough into about 20 1-inch balls. Work quickly to avoid melting the margarine.

Place cookies onto the baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. (Be careful not to overcook them so they remain moist in the inside but firm on the outside.)

Allow them to cool completely. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl and roll each cookie in the sugar until fully coated.

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20 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT

MARTIN SECA Martin Seca is the lead pastor for the Living Stone Worship Center in Del Rio, 190 Western Drive, a position he has held for almost 16 years. Born in Plainview and

where I was from, so when I got the job at Beall’s, I moved here.

raised in Eagle Pass, Seca made Del Rio his home in 1992, after eight-and-a-half years of military service in the United States Air Force. His calling to full-time ministry came in 2001 after he saw the needs for leadership at his church. An accomplished public and motivational speaker, Seca is also the author of a book, “Seize

5. I worked for about a year-and-a-half as a dispatcher for the Del Rio Police Department. It was challenging, and from that job I became interested in being a paramedic, to work out in the field.

6. I like working on old cars, doing bodywork and mechanics. I’ve always done that. My dad taught it to me when I was younger, and to me it’s a de-stressor.

Your Moment.” He and his wife, Sandra, have been married for 30 years and have two children and two grandchildren.

1. I love adventure. I’m an adventurous man, and that started on Nov. 13, 2007, the day my mother passed away because that woke me up. She was a dreamer but never had the chance to do the things she dreamed about, so I went skydiving.

That’s the first thing I did, and then I started taking trips all over the world.

2. I served eight-and-a-half years in the military, in the United States Air Force, as a member of the security forces. As an airman, I have traveled to Italy, Spain, France and Missouri.

7. Also, I like running. I’ve run two half marathons, one in Austin and one in San Antonio. I’m able to think more clearly when I run as it really clears my mind.

8. I worked as a sheet-metal mechanic at Laughlin Air Force Base for about a year-and-a-half.

9. I have a consulting business, called SECA – Synergetic Energy Communicating Advancement. I go into companies and motivate people. I teach them how to be the best them. I’ve worked with several local companies – Walmart, Ford, Ram Country, Alcoa and Border Federal Credit Union, Del Rio Bank and Trust, Blue Line Manufacturing Company.

3. I worked as a paramedic for the ambulance service at Val Verde Regional Medical center for five years. I was about to start training to become a physician’s assistant, but then my wife and I made the decision to go into the ministry full time.

10. Even though I have been speaking publicly since I was a teenager, public speaking is something I’ve worked very hard to get better at. I am a member of Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association, and I have attended many seminars and conferences on becoming a better public speaker.

4. My first job here in Del Rio was as an area manager for Beall’s department store. I had just gotten out of the military, and I couldn’t find a job in Eagle Pass,

11. One of my favorite places to go is the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District’s Blended

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GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

Academy. These kids see right through you, and you can’t fake it with them.

These kids have dreams, and almost every time I go over there, after the session, at least five or six will come up and talk to me and ask, ‘What can I do?’. . . I believe my calling is to change people’s lives for the better and to help them do it as quickly as possible.

12. My goal is to never leave a person the way I found them. I want to make a difference. When I leave this earth, I want people to say I had passion, because I think without passion you have nothing.

13. I was invited by then-Congressman Pete Gallego to be the Texas State Chaplain for a day on Jan. 31, 2011. . . I gave the invocation at the state capitol in the chambers of the Texas House of Representatives. It was a great honor.

14. A number of my speeches are on YouTube.

15. I’ve been married 30 years. My anniversary is June 28, and I’m married to Sandra Seca, the most beautiful woman on this side of the universe.

That’s my baby, my girl. We were high school sweethearts, and she still makes me smile.

16. I went zip lining in Jamaica about four years ago.

17. I have sailed from Key West to the Dry Tortugas. I loved being on the open ocean, nothing around. While I was there, I also snorkeled for about eight hours straight.

18. I just started taking classes to be-

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come a private pilot.

19. Two years ago on my birthday, April 20, I published my first book, “Seize Your Moment,” five steps to reaching your dream. In it, I tell a modern-day fable through the eyes of a woman who works at a nursing home. It’s also a very personal book for me.

20. In 1982, I went to the University of Texas as a junior in high school, and I tried out for the Kansas City Royals.

We were a baseball family through and through, and my dad played semi-pro ball, and I played Triple AAA ball when I was stationed in Italy.

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TRENDING FOR THE SEASON Check out our gallery of great gifts Merchandise available at Ueta Duty Free at 3033 Spur 239. Del Rio, TX

Great selection of Michael Kors, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Gucci, Tory Burch and much more.

Variety of whiskey, vodka, liquor, Canadian whiskey, single malt, tequila, beer, and cigarettes.

The best selection in perfume gift sets.

Mont Blanc gift sets available.

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Assorted variety of wines for every occasion are available.

Guess purses in different styles and sizes. She’ll love it!

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GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

W I N TE R WREAT H DIY DECOR

BY BONITA SANTILLÁN Turn on a cozy candle, make some hot cocoa and slip on the fuzzy socks because this DIY is a simple craft you can create on a cold winter day.

What you’ll need: yarn (about 3 skeins of varying colors and textures) scissors square cardboard (this will be used for wrapping yarn but wrapping it around your fingers will also work) wreath form You can find these materials in local stores.

1. Cut the square cardboard into two different sized strips so that you can make different sized pom-poms. Next cut out a thin rectangle shape from the short side of each cardboard.

You’ve just created your personal pom-pom maker.

2. Wrap the yarn of your choosing around each pom-pom maker. It’s best to vary the thickness of each pom-pom to create a more textured wreath.

3

3. Once you’ve wrapped the yarn around your pom-pom maker to your preferred thickness, leave the yarn wrapped around the pom-pom maker and cut an 8- to 12-inch piece of yarn to tie around the center of the wrapping. Leave the longer pieces of yarn for tying to your wreath form.

4. Use your scissors to cut through both sides of your yarn wrap. Take a short piece of yarn to tie a secure knot around the formed pom-pom. After sliding the pom-pom off the cardboard, fluff it up for extra texture.

1

4

5. Once you’ve created your pom-poms, you can customize their density and form by trimming them if necessary. Tie the ends of each pom-pom to your wreath form with a secure knot and arrange them until it matches your preferred wonderland aesthetic.

This wreath can be hung on your bedroom door or as a room decoration, whatever you prefer. You can also add a season ornament to your wreath that fits your decorating needs.

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31

HOLIDAY FASHION Warm coats and vibrant colors

Jesli Garza is wearing a Liz Claiborne cabernet coat $200 Merchandise courtesy of JC Penny inside Plaza del Sol Mall Photo Courtesy of Joanna Salazar, Snapped With Love Photography

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GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

Photo Courtesy of Joanna Salazar, Snapped With Love Photography

Daria DiBlasi snuggles with a North Pole Trading Co. Polar bear $59.99 and is wearing an Arizona long sleeve black and white blouse $20, layered by Real Red Flirtitude Active Vest $40 Merchandise courtesy of JC Penny GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

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Daria DiBlasi shines bright in a red shinny dress, perfect to bring in the New Year $55.

Merchandise courtesy of Merle Norman.

Make up by Savannah Lowe also of Merle Norman

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GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

Photo Courtesy of Joanna Salazar, Snapped With Love Photography

Jesli Garza is holiday-ready in a black dress with lace, perfect for any occasion $39. Holiday necklace and earring set $18.

Merchandise courtesy of Merle Norman. Make up

by Savannah Lowe, or Merle Norman.

Photo Courtesy of Joanna Salazar, Snapped With Love Photography

GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

35

4 YEARS I

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A ONE-WOMAN WONDER

TALAMANTEZ

TAMALES STORY AND PHOTOS

BY BONITA SANTILLÁN Tamales are a December favorite among Hispanic families, with tamaladas – get-togethers where tamales are prepared – becoming family reunions of a sort, groups of mostly women telling stories, gossiping, and laughing as they prepare the savory holiday treats.

Del Rioan Lydia Talamantez has her own tamale making sessions, but in her home they are a one-woman show as she crafts some 40 dozen tamales a week for her regular customers.

Making and delivering her tamales keeps Talamantez busy all year long, but the workload gets more demanding in December. No holiday table in Del Rio would be considered complete without one or two packages of tamales.

Talamantez has created a tamale buzz in the community, her tamales’ reputation spread by word of mouth from one satisfied customer to the next.

Talamantez’s family recipe has made its way into the homes and hearts of untold local families.

Talamantez said she learned the art and craft of making tamales from her mother.

“My mom would make tamales in Acuña,” Talamantez reminisced. “She taught me 35 years ago, and I would help her.”

Fifteen years ago, Talamantez’s mother passed away, but her legacy lives on in the recipes she taught her daughter.

“Once my mom could see that I could make them on my own, she let me,” Talamantez said.

Talamantez makes tamales with fillings like beef, chicken, pork, beans

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After preparing each tamal, Talamantez steams them in a pot after 1.5 to 2 hours or until they reach melt-inyour-mouth perfection.

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Talamantez serves fresh ready made tamales with green or red salsa when she makes them special for her family.

and cheese, with or without jalapeños. Each tamal has its own ingredients and methods of preparation, depending on the filling.

On a day when Talamantez makes pork tamales for her customers, she cooks the meat and spices it with her signature blend. She cooks the chile cascabel and blends it, filtering out the seeds and leaving only the pulp. She blends freshly-peeled garlic with the chile, adding ground cumin and salt to taste, then combines the chile mix with the pork.

Once the filling is prepared, Talamantez makes the masa, the corn-based dough that will embrace the meat filling.

A combination of ground corn flour, chile, water and pork fat create the meltin-your-mouth dough. The pork fat is the special ingredient in her soft masa, Talamantez said, adding that she buys it from local meat markets.

Once the filling and masa are ready, Talamantez prepares the corn husks that serve as the wrapping for the finished tamal and hold the little package of 40

GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

spiced meat and corn dough together as it cooks.

Using a masa spreader, Talamantez distributes an even layer of the masa on the widest part of each corn husk. She adds a generous portion of the pork filling on top of the masa in the center of the husk, then tucks the edges of the husks inward so each tamal becomes a perfect long rectangle. Each finished tamal is placed into a large pot, and when the pot is full, the tamales are steamed to perfection.

A tamal fresh out of the pot nearly dissolves in your mouth.

After the tamales are cooked through, they are packaged in groups of 12, wrapped in aluminum foil and delivered to hungry customers across Del Rio. “I’m inspired to make tamales during this time of year,” Talamantez said.

She often makes tamales for her own family to enjoy at home, and when she does, she goes all out. Along with the tamales of their choosing, she prepares frijoles rancheros and her spicy green or red salsa.

After spreading the masa onto each husk, Talamantez adds the filling. In this photo she is adding a pork filling. She also makes tamales with bean and cheese and jalapeño and chicken with or without jalapeño.

an exciting place to visit for all ages!

Come visit our historical exhibits and artifacts, as well as:

• The grave of Judge Roy Bean • The Cadena Nativity • Walk through decommissoned caboose • Gift Shop and More!

We have hands on activities for kids and are pet friendly

whiteheadmuseum.org

Lydia Talamantez spreads her prepared masa onto each corn husk using an authentic masa spreader.

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Say what?

“ “ “ “ “

Having a family gathering and watching sports while my mom and grandma talk chisme.

“

—Marcela Chavarria 42

GRANDE / DECEMBER 2016

“

Most of the time, my family travels to Zaragoza, Coahuila to spend time with family. No matter where we are the point is being together.

— Ricky Hill

Watching Christmas classic movies and making hot chocolate to stay warm. Also, setting up lights after thanksgiving and seeing new lights at the store to add to the collection.

— Jorge Esparza

“

“

Having a family party on the 24th with karaoke and grandma making tamales in the meantime.

—Luis Alan

“

What are your holiday traditions?

Christmas at my house starts when we put up the tree, which involves digging it out of the closet!

Then as a family we all assemble the tree and put ornaments, then lights... we make cookies, tamales, menudo and pozole.

— Sabrina Pérez

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