With only a month left in Mexico, MGE went on a four day long visit to the State of Mexico. On the last day we visited the towns of Metepec and Toluca. In Metepec, we visited the workshop of a couple that create beautiful clay art. They talked to us about the many challenges they faced as artists. When they first came to Metepec, the other sculptors discriminated against them. This is because the couple had very little sculpting experience, were lighter skinned, and many believed that a women couldn’t be a great sculptress. However, with practice and innovation they were able to become some of the most talented and sought-after people in their craft. One of their specialties is the tree of life. There are many variations of this. It can have flowers, butterflies, skulls, and Catholic and indigenous symbols. Originally it was supposed to tell the story of creation, but now some feature indigenous gods, or aren’t linked to religion at all. After talking with the artists, my cohorts and I got to make pieces of our own. We soon realized that the process of putting clay into molds and then getting it back out was way more difficult than it looked. It was clear to us that a lot of passion and hard work went into creating the beautiful trees of life.

Next, we went to Toluca, which is famous for a different type of art. It features the biggest piece of stained glass in the world. It is called the Cosmovitral. The theme of this stained glass museum is humanity’s relationship with the universe. One panel features the center of the universe with a man and women around it. On the other side there is an androgynous human with fire coming out of their legs, arms, and head. Along the sides of the building, different stories are played out. Most notably, the one of the eagle and the owl. The eagle represents light and strength while the owl represents darkness and wisdom. These two end up fighting, and the owl wins because its wisdom overcomes the eagle’s raw strength. In the next panel, the eagle and owl become humans. Overall, this art shows humanity’s duality like male and female, wisdom and strength, and darkness and light. Going to both of these towns was a great way to get a better understanding of Mexican art, culture, and cosmovision. With the trees of life, we saw how the Mexican people mix their Catholic religion with their indigenous heritage. At the Cosmovitral, we learned that duality is also an important aspect of Mexican culture. This trip was a great learning experience and also a fun excursion.

On a sunny afternoon in March, my cohorts and I were supposed to go on an excursion to three different towns to tour churches. However, all of the churches that we were supposed to see were closed because of the earthquake in September of 2017 even though the web sites said that they were open. So there we were, standing in a sleepy mountain town two hours away from home with nothing to do. We decided to just go with it and moved on to the next town to see what was happening there.  The town of Totolapan was having a huge fiesta. There was food, music, and costumed people doing intricate dances. After observing the outside of the church we were supposed to visit, we explored the town and took part in the celebration.

Soon, it was time to go to Tlayacapan. While we were driving, the art teacher suddenly had us pull over next to a field of cacti to give us an impromptu lesson about an insect that is used in red paint dye. My cohorts and I were skeptical at first. It was pretty hot outside. However, when we emerged from the van, we found that the lesson was actually pretty interesting. It also helped that there was a mountain looming over the cactus field, which made for a majestic sight.  When we got to the third town of Tlayacapan, there wasn’t a fiesta, but there was still plenty to do. The market was open since it was the weekend. There were a bunch of cool places to shop, eat, and drink. We split off into groups and explored the town once again. After doing some shopping, my group found a cute little restaurant were we enjoyed food, drinks, and conversation. We had a good time there, but soon it was time to leave. We met up with the rest of the group. Some had spent the whole time shopping and some got food and drinks like us, but it was clear that we had all had a good time. This excursion illustrates a strong cultural value in Mexico: just go with the flow. It might be annoying when things don’t go as planned, but you shouldn’t let that ruin your day. We could have just driven back to Cuernavaca when we found out that all of the churches were closed, but if we had, we wouldn’t have had any of those experiences. I personally am glad that I chose to go on the excursion that didn’t go as planned.