Andi and I met in the center of Coyoacán today and decided to have lunch at one of the stands set up for the Day of the Dead festivities. They are identical to the ones that were set up for Independence Day, just fewer of them now. We settled on one where an old lady was working along with probably her daughter and grandson. While we sat on the white, wooden benches we watched the older woman, short with leathered, tan skin, a fluff of grayish, whitish hair emerging from her nostrils and her grey hair pulled back, continuously chop white onions, without shedding a tear. We each ordered a “sope.” These weren’t anything like traditional “sopes” that are usually a very small but thick circle of fried masa, curled up on the edges and topped with beans, cheese and other desired ingredients. The ones we received were more like tostadas and when I folded mine in half it then became more like a quesadilla.
Two young boys, wielding small plastic pumpkins approached Andi and me and asked, “¿Me da mi calavarita?” - the Mexico City version of “Trick or Treat.” I didn’t have any change but Andi tossed a couple of pesos into the bucket. Then the little guy, probably five or six years old, quietly asked, “Will you buy me a Pozole (bowl of soup)?” So, we bought a bowl of Pozole for him and another for his brother. When the little guy asked for a Coke, I asked, "Wouldn’t you like some juice?" The two boys devoured the Pozole and sucked down their bottles of orange drink.
After lunch, I wandered around the plaza and saw the “ofrenda” that the local artists were working on and another inside a school. Many children were in costume, toting pumpkins to collect pesos and candies. The area was full of life as the community was preparing to celebrate death.
