While Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) takes on a more
reverential tone, being primarily a day to cherish the memory and honor the
dearly departed, and is manifested in the tradition of decorating the grave
site of family members. These
decorations are prolific in cemeteries, but at this time of year they also can
often be seen on the small roadside shrines (marking the location of fatal
accidents that are all too common on the main highway running the length of the
peninsula) with the attending families often travelling considerable distances
to visit and decorate their relative’s shrine.
On Halloween eve the INN (now called Loreto Baja Golf Resort
& Spa) had invited Homeowners to their open air bar on the mezzanine above
the lobby for a party. Although I had
RSVP’d earlier in the week, I only made up my mind to actually go after the
party had started at 9:00 pm – quickly pulling on the “Lucha Libre” Mexican
wrestling mask I had picked up for a Mardi Gras party here last spring, before
heading down the INN.
When I arrived there were a couple of dozen people there
from the neighborhood and more than half of them were in costume – not
surprising, I guess, considering the fact this was billed as a Halloween Party,
but impressive, none the less, if one considers that many of these people would
have had to plan ahead when they were packing for their vacation and used
precious luggage space (in the current circumstances of charged baggage and
enforced weight restrictions) to bring a costume with them.
The party itself was quite a low-key affair, with tables of
friends and neighbors mainly visiting among themselves, with a few dancers up
on the floor, when the recorded music attracted them, but I enjoyed the break
in my normal mid-week routine, and it was fun to spend an evening out and
about, even if it was a late night by my Baja standards.
However, the second celebration of the week was a
considerably more boisterous affair! It
has been almost a year since El Corazon Coffee Shop opened it’s doors here in
Loreto Bay and in that time it has become one of the most popular and busiest
businesses on the Paseo. After closing
over the hot and humid summer months, it was re-opened several weeks ago and has
picked up right where it left off last season and soon after they spread the
word that they were hosting a party to celebrate Dia de los Muertos and welcome
back Homeowners returning here for the new season. As a guarantee of a successful event they had
booked our ridiculously popular (albeit well deserved) “House Band” Los Beach
Dogs to play for the evening.
With my Office located directly across the street from El
Corazon, I had observed the preparations being made during the afternoon before
the party, boxes of supplies being unloaded, decorations being hung, and the
all important Pacifico Beer truck making an unaccustomed delivery of beer kegs
to a coffee shop along with stacks of the ubiquitous plastic rental chairs that
here are a sure sign of good times to come!
This evening I opted for a more somber ensemble, leaving the
Lucha Libre mask at home and settling on a black shirt and jeans for the
occasion then liberally applied insect repellant (we are currently experiencing
an influx of mosquitoes due to the recent rains and so “eau de DEET” was going to
be the aroma of choice this evening) and headed out a bit before the advertised
start time of 7:00 pm. carrying my camera and the essential flashlight for safe
nocturnal navigation. When I arrived the
“Dogs” were finishing their set-up and sound check on the small patio area
between the café’s French doors and the sidewalk of the Paseo where the
aforementioned chairs had been arranged in several rows across the front of the
shop.
Inside Corazon there was a flurry of last minute
preparations being made by the regular staff, whose ranks had been supplemented
with more help for this occasion, and about a dozen early birds were perched on
chairs and standing around waiting for the festivities to begin. I sensed some
mild panic on the part of some of the staff (most of whom were made up in
exotic variations of the traditional “skull motif” in the Mexican tradition)
who I do not think were expecting people to be arriving earlier than the suggested
start time.
But soon enough, the preparations were complete, and when
the sale of drink tickets began a line formed quickly out the door and onto the
sidewalk as more and more revelers assembled.
At about the same time the “Dogs” began their first set of classic rock,
interspersed with some of their own popular compositions and the seats began to
fill as people got their drinks and moved back outside to enjoy the
entertainment.
The crowd steadily grew and soon there were more people
standing in the street behind the seating than there were actually seated and
later, between sets, when I went inside to recharge my glass (several times) I
discovered a second party occurring simultaneously within. In addition to a fairly steady line at the
ticket counter, there was a second line at the barista counter for light and
dark draft beer and wine as well as bags of freshly popped corn. There were a gaggle of young, mainly Mexican
kids, many playing video games on their parent’s cell phones while others
watched appropriately themed movies being projected on one wall. In a place of prominence on one wall was a
small shrine that had been set up for the occasion with candles, flowers,
special breads and fruits, and apropos – coffee beans.
Periodically during the evening, Corazon staff circulated
through the crowd that had grown to well over 200 with big platters of their
new house specialty this season, bite sized squares of melt-in-your-mouth
Belgian waffles finished with savory toppings including sausage and shrimp – delicious! Meanwhile, the band played on, through a second
substantial set before things started to wind down after 10:00 pm when the
music ended and the crowd disassembled – most of whom were just a short walk
from their homes.
And so this “all hallowed” week comes to an end with a
fitting juxtaposition of the two cultures traditions – but for whatever
differences there are, the good will and harmony that surrounds this special
place is evident – and that is what I love most about “Living Loreto”!
,
P.S. In somewhat of a departure from my regular format, I am including a small collection of some of the great costumes that were at this party - the least I can do, considering the time and effort these people put into them! I hope you enjoy -
