Postcard from Morelia, Mexico: Contemporary art lines ex-convento’s walls

Above: Portion of “The Mountains of Michoacan,” a 2003 mural by Adolfo Mexiac

In the year 1660, Jesuits began construction of Convento de la Compania de Jesus, or the Convent of the Society of Jesus in the city the Spanish called Vallodolid, renamed after the Mexican War of Independence to memorialize native son Jose Maria Morelos (1765-1815). The large rose-colored complex included a temple and a Jesuit college.

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Postcard from San Martin Tilcajete, Mexico: Chaotic Carnaval ushers in Lent

Not sure how the Oaxacan town of San Martin Tilcajete, known for its colorful and imaginative alebrije creatures, ended up with such an unusual wild and wacky celebration of Fat Tuesday, but it definitely is fun.

Instead of traditional Mardi Gras royalty, a bride and groom united in a mock ceremony reign over the festival. The bride is always a man dressed in drag and fittingly attired in an elegant white gown.

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