I came back to Mexico much earlier this year to photograph the festival in San Miguel de Allende on September 29 which celebrates the founding of the city and honors their patron saint, St Michael to us.  

The main streets are filled with thousands of dancers in various tribal and folkloric costumes, performing in synchronized groups from morning till past midnight.  Between them walk clusters of pilgrims bearing flowers or giant xuchiles, 30-foot-high flower designs mounted on a wooden background, which they maneuver through the cathedral gates and then prop up beside the church itself. The dedication and energy of the dancers, as well as the devotion of the faithful who are sprinkled with holy water as they enter the church, is awesome to see.

Even the endurance of the viewer is challenged, since the culminating fireworks, a battle between good and evil: St. Michael and the devil, do not begin until 4 AM.  So I sat, shivering on a concrete bench in the square, along with grandmothers wrapped in shawls, patient parents and sleepy-eyed children, all awaiting the explosive finale.  And explosive it was!  Rickety towers, resembling a child's erector set on magic mushrooms, erupted in spinning cartwheels and stars, punctuated by golden bursts of horizontal fireworks that came directly into the crowd. (Minimal safety regulations here!)  After these flashing displays moved up the tower, there was a brief silence and then a rocket burst from the top, soaring into the night sky.
Unbeknowst to me, this was only the preliminary. I had already plugged my ears with tissue, but that was no protection from the huge burst of fireworks from the summit of the cathedral symbolizing San Miguel's domination over the forces of evil emanating with equal force and deafening noise from the city hall behind us. 

As I review my photographs, I'm realizing anew the visual riches I have been treated to this past year, and I haven't even mentioned Day of the Dead in Oaxaca.  That deserves a newsletter all its own!

And yes, despite the Mayan Calendar and dire predictions of poles changing and asteroids approaching, we are still breathing on this lovely planet spinning through space. It's been a year of dis-ease and passing on for several people close to my heart, and I continue to send love and healing vibrations to those who are still ill.  May we all savor every moment, and choose to live peacefully.   That is my wish for the New Year of all calendars.  

Please remember to take care of your special selves, follow your dreams, and express your love fully to those around you.

Abrazos y besos,

Elena