Sweet Fifteen

Quinceañera (lit. meaning One (f.) who is fifteen), sometimes called "Fiesta de quince años", "Fiesta de Quinceañera", "Quince años" or simply "quince", is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday in parts of Latin America and elsewhere in communities of people from Latin America. This birthday is celebrated differently from any other birthday, as it marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. The celebration, however, varies significantly across countries, with celebrations in some countries taking on, for example, more religious overtones than in others.

In Brazil, a Portuguese-speaking country, the same celebration is called Festa de Debutante, Baile de Debutante or Festa de Quinze Anos. [Wiki]

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Intonation

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Bored

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Independence?

Independence Angel / Angel de la Independencia

Independence Heroes / Héroes de la Independencia

Independence?

Preparing the mediatic show for the celebration of the bicentennial of independence

In 2010 Mexico will celebrate its 200 years of Independence with national and local public events. The Bicentennial or Bicentenario actually takes in two celebrations: the first being the Bicentennial of two hundred years since Independence (1810) and the second the no less important Centennial of 100 years since Mexican Revolution of 1910.

Mexican Independence Day celebrates the events and people that eventually resulted in independence from Spain, the country that had control over the territory of New Spain, as it was also known then. Fueled by three centuries of oppresion and sparked by a call to revolt by the respected Catholic priest Hidalgo, the first call to arms was made in the village of Dolores, in the state of Guanajuato. The uprising pitted the poor indigenous indians and mixed mestizo groups against the priviledged classes of Spanish descent, and pushed them into a violent and bloody battle for freedom from Spain.

Mexico is facing - once again - one of those defining moments in its young and fledgling democracy. It wasn't that long ago, July 6, 2006 to be exact, that the Federal Electoral Institute in Mexico announced the final vote count in the presidential election, resulting in a narrow margin of 0.58 percentage points of victory for right wing Felipe Calderón Hinojosa (PAN). That same year the left wing PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party) led by Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador took to the streets in massive protests demanding a vote by vote recount and accusing the whole world of being silent witnesses to a massive fraud and conspiracy.

The widespread expectations among Mexicans that a long-awaited democracy would solve the country's problems are now confronted with the reality of an institutional system that is not only broken and corrupt at its core, but that is consolidating its power with unnerving ease and at an alarmingly fast pace. (The Huffington Post)

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Heroes

Heroes of the past crying for the present.

El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence"), most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtownMexico City.

El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. In later years it was made into a mausoleum for the most important heroes of that war. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, and it has become a focal point for both celebration or protest. It bears a resemblance to the July Column in Paris and the Victory Column in Berlin.

Construction of El Ángel was ordered in 1902 by President Porfirio Díaz. Architect Antonio Rivas Mercado was in charge of the design of the monument, while the actual construction was supervised by Mexican engineers Gonzalo Garita and Manuel Gorozpe. All the sculptures were made byItalian artist Enrique Alciati. The monument was ready for the festivities to commemorate the first hundred years of Mexican Independence in 1910. The opening ceremony was attended by President Díaz and several foreign dignitaries. The main speaker at the event was Mexican poet Salvador Díaz Mirón.

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Break

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New York City and Washington series continue in Sketches of Cities.
(Under construction)
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15th Birthday or Give me some wheels

La Quinceañera: a celebration of budding womanhood.
by Dale Hoyt Palfrey
The transition from childhood to womanhood is a significant passage for
adolescent girls in almost all cultures. In Mexico, it is marked with the
celebration of the Quinceañera, or 15th Birthday. From a north of the border
viewpoint, it may be seen as a cross between Sweet Sixteen and a
debutante's coming out party. The celebration is a way to acknowledge that
a young woman has reached sexual maturity and is thus of a marriageable
age.
The most important component of the celebration is invariably a Misa de
acción de gracias (thanksgiving Mass). The birthday girl arrives decked out
in a fancy full-length dress - frills, pastel tones and matching hats or
headdresses prevail. Flanked by her parents and padrinos (godparents),
she is specially seated at the foot of the altar throughout the service.
She may be accompanied by up to seven damas (maids of honor) and as many
chambelanes (chamberlains), selected from among close family and friends.

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Paz / Peace

El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence"), most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.

El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. In later years it was made into a mausoleum for the most important heroes of that war. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, and it has become a focal point for both celebration or protest. It bears a resemblance to the Victory Column in Berlin.

The base of the column is quadrangular with each vertex featuring a bronze sculpture symbolizing Law, War, Justice and Peace. Originally there were nine steps leading to the base, but due to the sinking of the ground fourteen more steps were added. On the main face of the base, which faces downtown Mexico City, there is an inscription reading La Nación a los Héroes de la Independencia ("The Nation to the Heroes of Independence"). In front of this inscription is a bronze statue of a giant lion led by a child, representing strength and the innocence of youth during War but docility during Peace.

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Justicia / Justice

Justice

… Finalmente, una condicion importante para el desarrollo de la biofilia ( Amor a la Vida ) es la libertad. Pero no es condicion suficiente “la libertad respecto de” trabas politicas. Si ha de desarrollarse el amor a la vida, tiene que haber libertad “para”, libertad para crear y construir, para admirar y aventurarse. Tal libertad requiere que el individuo sea activo y responsable, no un esclavo ni una pieza bien alimentada de la maquinaria.

Resumiendo, el amor a la vida se desarrollara mas en una sociedad en que haya: seguridad en el sentido de que no estan amenazadas las condiciones materiales basicas para una vida digna, justicia en el sentido de que nadie puede ser un fin para los propositos de otro, y libertad en el sentido de que todo individuo tiene la posibilidad de ser un miembro activo y responsable de la sociedad, éste ultimo punto es de particular importancia. Hasta una sociedad en que existen seguridad y justicia puede no ser conducente al amor a la vida si no se estimula la actividad creadora del individuo. No basta que los hombres no sean esclavos. Si las condiciones sociales fomentan la existencia de automatas, el resultado no sera amor a la vida, sino amor a la muerte.
De: El Corazón del Hombre. Erick Fromm
From: The Heart of Man by Erich Fromm.

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Dia de la Independencia / Independence Day

Views for an Independence Night.

La Independencia, ademas de celebrarla, la debemos proteger!

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Heroes

El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence") and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown, was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, it bears a resemblance to the Victory Column in Berlin. Next to the column there is a group of marble statues of some of the heroes of the War of Independence, from left to right:
Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Vicente Guerrero y Francisco Javier Mina. The women sculptures are History and Patria (Homeland).

Hero: “a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life”

Exists heroes in our days?


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Reforma Ave at Dusk

View of Paseo de la Reforma Ave from The Independence Angel monument / Paseo de la Reforma al atardecer.

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The Angel of Independence

El Angel de la Independencia al atardecer / The Angel of Independence at dusk and in the background the Torre Mayor [building].
El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence"), most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.
El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. In later years it was made into a mausoleum for the most important heroes of that war. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, and it has become a focal point for both celebration or protest. It bears a resemblance to the Victory Column in Berlin. [Wiki]

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Daylight Fade

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Angel de la Independencia

El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence"), most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City. (Wiki)

Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.