Puebla Visit and Mexico City

Greetings good people! Well this was a week of traveling in Mexico for me.  I took the bus from Queretaro to Puebla with one of our brothers, Juan Pablo.  The bus ride was about 4 hours and the buses here in Mexico are quite good.  They provide a little snack, some water, headphones to watch movies (all in Spanish) and they all have WIFI.  So, if you have work to do, or just want to relax, it's a good way to go, and the seats are much more comfortable than airplane seats!  When I arrived in Puebla, I was shown around the house and made myself comfortable in my room.  There are 5 members living in Puebla right now, but the house is quite big.  After Evening Prayer, Juan Pablo took me on a tour of the downtown area.  The city really has a "Spanish" feel to it.  The architecture, colors, streets, all resemble many cities in Spain.  After the night tour, I went on a tour of the pyramids the next day.  The story is pretty interesting.  The Franciscans were trying to convert the Indians who worshipped many other God's.  The Franciscans convinced the Indians that "Mary" was like the God of the Moon. So when building the Church, the pyramids were already there in honor of the God of the Sun, and so the Church represented the place of honor for the God of the Moon.  In many ways, that is part of this culture here in Mexico, there is always something "underneath" what is really happening.  Needless to say, climbing to the top to see the Church was indeed an act of will and faith! Another priest from the US was also visiting during my time there, so another day, three of us went on one of the open air bus tours of the city.  It was great to see the city during the day too.  While I was there I celebrated Mass and had a chance to connect individually with each of the Brothers.  It was good for me to be there and to support the Brothers in their studies and work.  It was also a chance for me to practice my Spanish with other members of my community besides the people with whom I live.  Again, the understanding is great, it's the formulating of sentences that becomes difficult!  Here are some pictures of Puebla:

Cathedral in Puebla

Government Building in Puebla

 

Panoramic View from Church on top of Pyramid

Pyramids

Church dedicated to Mary

Volcano in the distance

Park in el Centro

 

After my visit in Puebla, I took the bus to Mexico City.  Luckily the bus dropped me off only a few blocks away from my hotel.  I had a great suite for a very reasonable price! I walked around most days and just took in the sights.  I was in Mexico City for Thanksgiving, and so that day was a little lonely for me.  I did call family and had a few texts, but it's not the same as being in someone's home enjoying the company of one another and eating turkey, stuffing, potatoes and many more Thanksgiving delicacies. I will not make that mistake next year.  Even though we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico, I will cook a turkey and share this part of our culture with our Mexican Brothers.... and if they don't like it, they can always put salsa on it!

 

I did get a chance to re-visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  It was great to be back there again.  I first visited this place back in the summer of 1993.  I did have a few flashbacks while I was there, but they were all good memories for me.  I prayed in each of the Chapels and took in the history, devotion, and depth of this place that it has for the people of Mexico and many other countries.  There were many pilgrims there from Mexico and many other foreign tourists.  I think I heard about 10 different languages while I was there.  I was glad to be back, but I must admit I did not experience the sense of "awe" that I did on my first visit.  I guess the whole Guadalupe story was new for me back then, so it made a significant impact on my life.  I guess living the important aspects of this story since my first encounter of it in 1993 made it seem more like an "old shoe" rather than a new and exciting experience.  It was comfortable to be there and I was happy to be there, but I was not excited as I was the first time I was there.  Comfortable is good!  I return to Queretaro tomorrow.  I was glad for the time to travel and to experience other parts of Mexico during this trip.  Who knows, one day I might actually make it to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta!  Some pics from my time in Mexico City:

Angel

Front of the New Basilica

Clock in the Plaza

Original Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe taken from a rolling escalator

Statue in honor of St. John Paul II

Chapel of Juan Diego

Chapel at Tepeyac

Image of Juan Diego before Bishop telling the story of the Lady

Scene of Indigenous presenting offerings to Nuestra Senora

Another Image

The Guadalupe Story on the Chapel of Tepeyac

I hope you all have a great week.  This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent.  May we all wait in joyful hope!