Festivities, altars and shouts
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Chapter IX: The girl and the mango tree
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
Towards the front of the patio was a huge, bright green, metallic gate. It opened precisely across the street from doña Martina’s store, where we bought the corn tortillas; though perhaps not as fresh as the street vendor’s, still they definitely were quite tasty. The store also sold the white bread that Grandfather greatly enjoyed, with a thick slab of butter on the top, early mornings, with his breakfast.
It was the beginning of the second week of August, and we were busy setting up an altar. It was to be visible from the street and at the same time, the most beautiful altar in the entire neighborhood, surpassing all the rest without a doubt. Nobody would openly admit it, but definitely, a fierce competition was in progress throughout León’s different neighborhoods or barrios. Year after year, every single family tried to outdo the rest, and claim the most beautiful altar in the city.
These altars were considered an essential part of the decorations for The Festival of the Immaculate Conception; in León it was simply known as the Fiesta de la Gritería. They were set up in virtually all the houses, visible to the crowds of pedestrians strolling down the streets. Obviously, it attracted multitudes from other parts of the country, and the city would totally fill up during this time. The celebrations began at six o’clock in the morning sharp, precisely on August 14th, continuing exactly at noon, then again at six in the evening, and finally, for the last time, at midnight to end at one o’clock in the morning on the dot.
In the land of volcanoes’ Chapters Purchase the book