Jocotepec’s 2024 fiestas patronales commenced on Monday, January 8 with the traditional renovation of vows of allegiance to El Señor del Monte led by the town’s ecclesiastical and government authorities.

Popeye had escaped his kennel again. I grabbed a leash from the office at SOS Chapala DOG Rescue (now closed) and set off in pursuit. “That big rascal!” I complained with feigned exasperation.

Street art in the area surrounding Teatro Degollado was the focus of the “Tuesday Walking Group” on a sunny morning this week.

Many Mexican people look forward to January 6 with as much enthusiasm as Christmas itself. Día de Reyes (Epiphany) recalls the revelation of the Messiah, as represented by the arrival of the Wisemen in Bethlehem bearing precious treasures for the Christ Child.

“You’re not listening to sound; you’re listening to listening itself,” says British sound artist Julian Brown.

Do not be alarmed if your friends insist on wearing yellow underwear, sweeping dirt out the front door, walking around the block with their suitcases and then popping 12 grapes in their mouths on the stroke of midnight.