February 4, 2011
Dear boys and girls following Journey North:
One year ago we suffered the worst tragedy in the history of our town ever imagined by any of us living here. Today we had a long religious ceremony and totally crowded procession remembering the children and adults who died one year ago, and visiting the points in town most affected by the disaster. The ceremony was very solemn and moving, so I could not have the chance to go around making more photos than these. I hope the images give you at least an impression of what we lived today.
The religious ceremony was led by a visting Bishop. We went to one of the places where the worst land-slide occurred. Several moms, dads, and their children died here and were named and remembered one after the other.
Let me introduce you to Panchito, our Municipal Tourism Guide, but also the kindest person and public assistant we can meet in town. Panchito was taken away by the tremendous water tsunami one year ago and saved his life miraculously. Here he is dressing this elegant because he by himself says that he is celebrating today his first year of life. He can still not believe that he is alive after such an experience.
Monarchs were also part of this procession. It was absolutely dark when the light in town went off for almost two hours soon after the religious ceremony ended and the procession started all in the darkness, there we went and made a halt short before it ended, having a small group of children holding the symbolic Monarch participating in the procession among them. Our Monarch was wearing a black and white ribbon mark on his upper right wing, in signal of grief, like the rest of the people. The fact of seeing it was very welcomed by people around.
Incidentally, the night before the main day when the disaster started one year ago, the light went off for hours, exactly in the same way as today, and it was cold and cloudy. It was, by this, more moving and reviving.
We all want to thank you for being so near during all those difficult moments one year ago.
MUCHAS GRACIAS ! ! !
Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michoacan
Several moms, dads, and their children died here, and were named and remembered one after the other.
Panchito was taken away by the tremendous water tsunami one year ago. Here he is dressing this elegantly because he by himself says that he is celebrating today his first year of life.
Our Monarch was wearing a black and white ribbon mark on his upper right wing, in signal of grief, like the rest of the people.
It was absolutely dark when the light in town went off for almost two hours soon after the religious ceremony ended and the procession started all in the darkness.
