October 27, 2014
Dearest Northern Friends:
Think of the few times in the year when you impatiently await for a special day: your birthday? Christmas? the arrival of a dear friend or relative?
This is exactly how we feel right now. Our land — the winter home for monarchs — is ready to greet them.
The weather is just right: the long rainy season is over, the sky is bright blue, and the mornings and evenings are cool.
The town is noisy with restless families preparing to welcome the monarchs, especially those who make an income from tourism. Our native people are making sure the Oyamel forest is ready to shelter the butterflies as soon as they arrive.
What's more, people in every home of every family are preparing for the Day of the Dead on the 1st and 2nd of November. The monarchs' arrival this very day signifies that the souls of our dead relatives are returning to be with us as part of the ancestral tradition of our Pre-Hispanic Mexican culture.
So we have two great events within the coming days... Monarch butterflies decorating our skies and the gorgeous Day of the Dead ofrendas (altars) all over our town!
How far from us can the monarchs be now? Not far at all, we are sure! As planned, Rosita, Erika, Javier, José Alberto and I met today, right after noon, to go together to El Cerrito site to look.
From the "Monarca" neighborhood where our official monitorers live, we can see the mountains in the background where the Sierra Chinicua Sanctuary is found. Only a few meters away within the same neighborhood, we can also see the impressive mountains behind which El Rosario Sanctuary is located. Traditionally statistics show the major concentration of monarchs is at El Rosario every season.
Ready to be the ones to give you the great news, we stepped silently into El Cerrito forest hoping to find at least one monarch.
While searching, we decided it would not disturb our plans to cut some bright yellow Tejocotes, a small delicious fruit for Day of the Dead and Christmas.
We walked all alert to the least soft, flying-like movement or orange moving form... Twice or thrice we thought we saw a monarch, but lamented later when confirming it had only been a viceroy butterfly. It's easy to confuse the two but not for us. We must be experts at recognizing Monarchs no matter what the distance!!
El Cerrito forest does not have Oyamel trees, but pine trees are abundant. We found places where the owners had peeled back the bark to collect resin for making turpentine.
After a thorough walk through the El Cerrito region we decided we should record our final result today on our chart. October 27: ZERO MONARCHS SEEN.
"Not for long. It should be only a matter of hours now," Rosita and José Alberto — the oldest of the crew — assured us, relieving our feelings at their certainty.
Going back home seemed to be the best for now knowing that, as hours go by, the possibility of seeing the first Monarchs grows.
Once in town, we decided to hurry up making preparations for our Ofrenda, just as many families will be doing over the next four days to get ready to welcome the souls of their dead relatives.
In the lively town, we approached one of the several corners to buy some typical, hand-made, brick-oven-baked "Pan de Muerto" and "Gorditas bread". Only 2.50 pesos each. Just delicious. Basic in any ofrenda.
Hurrying to a different street, we found the seasonal, typical fruit-made Mexican candies stand. Unique, colorful, fragrant... Mexican.
There our four official monitorers were overwhelmed trying to guess the names of our old, traditional Mexican candies. The names are part of the folklore of our language: Chilacayote, camote, alegrías, pipitorias, calabaza, biznagas, cocadas, charamuscas, conservas, ates... Good choices the crew is making, as you can see.
The five of us then jumped to buy the "calaveras" (skulls) and the "papel picado" (decorative paper) to adorn our own ofrenda. Stores re becoming crowded by the town people preparing for Day of the Dead.
All over México families will be gathering items for their Ofrendas while cooking for several days to prepare their Dead Ones' favorite meals.
There — the nicest calaveras for our ofrenda! 10, 20 pesos the most expensive is the chocolate one. There — the masks and the decorative, colorful paper José Alberto is choosing! Better it could not be!
Want to see what is coming within the next days? Keep behind us! It's only a matter of hours now! Erika, Rosita, Javier, José Alberto and Estela. Official monitorers in Angangueo, Michoacán, México.
Until next week,
Estela Romero,
Journey North's local reporterJosé Alberto, Rosita, Javier and Erika
Official Monitors for Monarchs' Arrival
Angangueo, Michoacán, México
