Yucatan Living

By Khaki Scott
Topic: Events

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This Week… starting May 17, 2010

Municipal Fiestas This Week

Santa Elena Fiesta 1 Day Event – May 17

This fiesta is in honor of Santos Reves de San Mateo. Look in Santa Elena for Uxmal, Kabah, Nohpat, Xcoh, and Muchich, some of the best archaeological sites in all of Yucatan. Santa Elena is just south of Muna and north of Oxkutzcab. It is between Ticul and Halacho, and also shares a part of its southern boundary with Campeche.

Tixkokob Fiesta 5 Day Event – May 17 through 22

This fiesta is in honor of San Bernardino. Look here for leatherwork and hammocks. Tixkokob is just to the east of Merida and south of Conkal. Just a tidbit of history: Felipe Carrillo Puerto was from Motul. When he was 12, he fell in love with a circus performer and ran away with her. His mother found him, but they wouldn’t give him up because he didn’t look like a child. His dad had to get a letter from the local police in Motul to the effect that Felipe really was a minor. His mother was not amused. This is a great area of Yucatan, practically in the city, and this is a wonderful time of year to go visiting.

Tekom Fiesta 9 Day Event – May 20 through 28

This event is called Fiesta de las Hamacas. Tekom is located way over in the southeastern part of our state, just south of Valladolid and north of Chikindzonot. If anyone is looking for “authentic,” this is the place to find it. Artisans in Tekom produce articles carved from wood, typical clothing, embroidered tablecloths, and traditional woven hammocks (hence the name of the fiesta). Since Tekom is off the beaten path, we suspect this is just the sort of place our readers will love.

In the City of Merida

Monday (Lunes) May 17, 2010

Cairo Cinema Cafe: You Decide
On Monday nights, the movie is chosen by a vote among audience members.
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 15 y 17
Time: Monday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Tuesday (Martes) May 18, 2010 Germinal playing in Merida, Yucatan

Cairo Cinema Cafe: Germinal
This is a French movie written and directed by Claude Berri. It’s mid 19th century in northern France. The story is about a coal miner’s town. The workers are exploited by the mine’s owner. One day, they decide to go on strike, and the authorities repress them.
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: Tuesday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Meet Your Traditions: A Multidisciplinary Artistic Event
This is a special performance that includes both the Orquesta Jaranera del Mayab and the Ballet Folklorico del Estado. These wonderful musicians and dancers have spent their entire lives perfecting their craft and are our ambassadors to the world. Don’t miss this show!
Location: Teatro Daniel Ayala, Calle 60 between Calle 59 and 57
Time: Tuesday, 9:00 PM
Admission: Free

Tuesday of Trova: Trio Ensueño
This performance is under the direction of Diego Cocom. Trio Ensueño defines Yucatan’s trova for a generation the world over. This is guaranteed to be an excellent performance.
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo, Calle 61 at Calle 62
Time: Tuesday, 8:30 PM
Admission: Free

Cafe Pena K’aay T’aan: Nuevos Valores
This is a weekly opportunity to hear the new voices of Yucatan and the voices that will define trova for the next generation.
Location: Casa de la Cultura del Mayab, Calle 59 at Calle 50
Time: Tuesday, 8:30 PM
Admission: Free

Wednesday (Miercoles) May 19, 2010

Wednesday In Concert: Addalberto Presents TrovaFusion 2010
Sometimes, it is difficult to retain one’s composure when writing about such events. This is one of those times. If you don’t know Addalberto and if you haven’t heard TrovaFusion, then Get Thee to YouTube now to hear both Addalberto and TrovaFusion. See what you’ve been missing at Cafe Pena K’aay T’aan every week? This performance is under the direction of Juan Palacios.
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo, Calle 61 at Calle 62
Time: Wednesday, 9:00 PM
Admission: Free

Wednesday at the Peon: An Appointment with Dance
This performance is under the direction of Esli Mendez Lugo. Performing tonight is Grupo Dramatango. These are always excellent performances.
Location:Teatro Peon Contreras, Calle 60 at Calle 57
Time: Wednesday, 9:00 PM
Admission: Tickets available at the box office

Thursday (Jueves) May 20, 2010

Concert: Latin American Music for Guitar
This performance is under the direction of the masterful Victor Celis. In case you are not familiar with Yucatan’s love affair with guitars, we are one of the few places in the world that actually has a guitar orchestra. Their performances, individually, in groups, or in the full orchestra, are never to be missed.
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo, Calle 61 at Calle 62
Time: Thursday, 9:00 PM
Admission: Free

Cairo Cinema Cafe: Christine
This 1983 movie is based on a Stephen King novel, directed by John Carpenter. It stars Keith Gordon and Alexandra Paul. A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 15 y 17 Shoot Em Up Playing in Merida, Yucatan
Time: Thursday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Classic Cinema: Shoot ‘em Up
(2007, USA). A Michael Davis film starring Clive Owen. Mr. Smith delivers a woman’s baby during a shootout and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen. This movie is a send-up of a genre, featuring a tongue-in-cheek performance by Mr. Owen.
Location: Videosala of the Olimpo, Calle 60 at Calle 62
Time: Thursday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Music and Dance: Traditions and Manners
Tonight’s performances will be by the Folkloric Ballet of the State of Yucatan, under the direction of Raul Castillo Alfaro; and the Orquesta Jaranera del Mayab, under the direction of Felipe de Jesus Chi Naal.
Location: Teatro Peon Contreras, Calle 60 at Calle 57
Time: Thursday, 8:00 PM
Admission: Free

Meet the Artist

Come on by for a pleasant chat and a look around. The featured guest artist, José Enrique Gutierrez, will be on hand.
Location: Olive Cafe Stop, Paseo de Montejo at Calle 39
Time: Thursday, 6:00 PM
Admission: Free

Cinema: Chavez, the Last American Hero
This 2007 movie is actor Diego Luna’s directorial debut. It is a documentary about the life and career Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez, one of Mexico’s greatest athletes. This movie looks really good, even if you don’t like boxing. Read a good review of it here on Huffington Post. The film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles.
Location: LA68, Calle 68 #470A x 55
Time: Thursday, 9:00 PM
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students

Symphony Orchestra of Yucatan Friday (Viernes) May 21, 2010

Symphony Orchestra of Yucatan
Stars Edith Pena at the piano, playing Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Applachian Spring by Copland and Sinfonia India by C. Chavez.
Location: Teatro Peon Contreras, Calle 60 at Calle 57
Time: Friday, 9:00 PM
Admission: $150, $100, and $80 pesos; 25% discount for INAPAM, children and students

Artistic Weekend: Grupo Malta in Concert
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo, Calle 61 at Calle 62
Time:Friday, 9:00 PM
Admission:General Admission: $50 pesos; $30 pesos for students and INAPAM

Opening: It’s About Time… and Space: The Art of Change
Tonite’s opening at the Soho Galleries features Cuban and Yucatecan artists presenting works based on the concept of change. In addition to a gallery’s worth of paintings, whimsical clocks by American artist David Sherer wlll be on sale. And the whole thing is catered by a new boutique burger restaurant in Merida, OneBurger!
Location: Soho Galleries, #400A Calle 60 between Calle 43 and 41, Centro
Time: Friday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Movie: Not announced yet
Location: LA68, Calle 68 #470A x 55
Time: Friday, 9:00 PM
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students

Cairo Cinema Cafe: Children of the Corn
This is a 1984 movie based on a Stephen King short story and directed by Fritz Kiersch. A boy preacher named Isaac goes to a town in Nebraska called Gatlin and gets all the children to murder every adult in town. Stars Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton.
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 17 y 15, Col. Itzimna Ed Wood playing in Merida, Yucatan
Time: Friday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Contemporary Film Series: Ed Wood
(1994, USA). Director: Tim Burton. Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Orson Welles. The mostly true story of the legendary director of awful movies and his strange group of friends and actors. Johnny Depp shines like the star that he most definitely is!
Location: Videosala of the Olimpo
Time: Friday, 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Cinema: Pecados de Mi Padre
This film about the son of Pablo Escobar and his life growing up with the world’s most famous and notorious cocaine dealer must have been good, because they showed it a few weeks ago, and now they are showing it again! The film is in Spanish.
Location: LA68, Calle 68 #470A x 55
Time: Thursday, 9:00 PM
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students

Saturday (Sábado) May 22, 2010

The Most Important Event Today: National March for Animal Rights in Mexico
Meet at 5 pm at the Monument of the Flag (at the end of Paseo de Montejo across from McDonalds). Do not bring your pets, please. This is a national march that will be occurring in cities throughout Mexico. In Yucatan, the marchers will be demanding that authorities enforce the laws of animal protection that are on the books, and punish those who break those laws. Find out more at this website…and come out to show your support for the animals!
Location: Monument of the Flag, Paseo de Montejo across from MacDonald’s
Time: Saturday, 5 PM
Admission: Free… just a piece of your heart, and a few minutes of your time.

Cairo Cinema: Course: Introduction to Cinema
Instructor: Mario Helguera
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 17 y 15, Col. Itzimna
Time: Friday, 7:00 PM
Admission:Call: 926-5718

Cinema: A Tour of Europe in 30 Shorts
Location:Cineteca Nacional Manuel Barbachano Ponce in Teatro Merida, Calle 62 near Calle 61
Time: Saturday, 8:00 PM
Admission: Free

Dance: Romeo and Juliet
Victor Salas directs Compania de Danza Clasica de Yucatan in another spectacular performance!
Location: Teatro Peon Contreras, Calle 60 at Calle 57
Time: Saturday, 9:00 PM
Admission: Free

Cinema: Los Herederos (The Inheritors)

This 2009 documentary claims to show Mexico the way tourists and visitors never see it.
The films shows children as they walk along beside and work beside their parents, doing everything from farming and weaving to brickmaking and harvesting. There are no sundrenched beaches in this film, and few scenes of rest. "Rage and awe fuel my desire to pay homage to their abilities and their courage," says writer, director, and producer, Eugenio Polgovsky. There is very little dialogue in the film, but there are no English subtitles.
Location: LA68, Calle 68 #470A x 55
Time: Thursday, 9:00 PM
Admission: $30 pesos, $15 pesos students

Sunday (Domingo) May 23, 2010

Yucatan Symphony Orchestra
Stars Edith Pena at the piano, playing Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Applachian Spring by Copland and Sinfonia India by C. Chavez.
Location: Teatro Peon Contreras, Calle 60 at Calle 57
Time: Sunday, Noon
Admission: $150, $100, and $80 pesos; 25% discount for INAPAM, children and students

Artistic Weekend: The Dawn of Latin American Folkloric Music
Location: Auditorium of the Olimpo
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: Free

Cinema: A Tour of Europe in 30 Shorts
Location: Cineteca Nacional Manuel Barbachano Ponce in Teatro Merida Alice in Wonderland in Merida Yucatan
Time: Sunday, 8:00 PM
Admission: Free

Classic Movie: Alice in Wonderland (Animation, 1951)
The animated Disney version of this classic tale stars Ed Wynn as the voice of the Mad Hatter. This film and its animation is regarded among many as an example of the Disney studio’s finest work. It also boasts the highest number of original songs in a Disney animated film, though many of them are only heard in snippets. Alice in Wonderland was also one of Disney’s first titles made available on VHS and was released in 1981. That’s 30 years ago, folks!
Location: Cineteca Nacional Manuel Barbachano Ponce in Teatro Merida
Time: Sunday, 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Admission: Free

Documentary: Butterflies and Moths
Location: Museum of Natural History
Time: 12:00 PM
Admission: Free

Dance: 1st Circuito de Artes Escenicas de la Zona Sur
Vania Duran directs Grupo de Danza Tumaka’t (Yucatan)
Location: Teatro Daniel Ayala, Calle 60 between Calle 59 and 57
Time: Sunday, noon
Admission: Free

Cairo Cinema Cafe: Opera Series: Aida
There have been many versions of Aida through the years. We are unsure of what version this one will be, but we’re glad Cairo Cinema is showing an opera, increasing the Merida public’s appreciation of the art.
Location: Calle 20 # 98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna, Merida
Time: 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Coming Soon

June 10: A Talk about Carmen
Life-long opera lovers, Ross Russell and Benjamin Ramirez will talk about Carmen (the opera) on the night before the first of 6 performances in Merida. They have attended the opera throught the Americas, as well as throughout Europe. This talk will help the audience learn about opera and Carmen so they will be better able to understand and enjoy the performance. The talk will include video clips from two performances of Carmen, one at the Metropolitan Opera, NY, and the other at Covent Garden, London.
Location: Cineteca Nacional (upstairs at) Teatro Merida (Calle 62 x 61)
Time: 6:00 PM
Admission: Free

Starting June 11: Carmen
Friend of Merida Carla Dirlikov will be starring in the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Carmen. This is sure to be a stunning event that will be repeated for only six performances. Tickets are on sale NOW at the Teatro Peon Contreras… get yours if you want to be sure to see this! For the entire Symphony schedule, check here.

June 12 & 13 – Maya Sacred Fire of the New Moon Ceremony in Izamal
Don Bartolome is a Maya priest, healer, and teacher from Yucatán. On June 13, beginning at 6:00 AM, Don Bartolome will be performing the Sacred Fire of the New Moon Ceremony in Izamal. The rest of the weekend program includes a conference and music concert at Hotel Macanche, a pilgrimage with Don Bartoleme to the Izamal pyramids and convent and a conference with Don Bartoleme.
Location: Izamal, Yucatan
Date: June 12, 1 PM to June 13, 5 PM
Admission: $825 pesos per person, double occupancy. $1150 pesos per person for single room.
Includes the night at Hotel Macanche, American breakfast at Hotel Macanche, the $500 peso donation to Don Bartoleme, and all the ceremonies and activities.
Register: Contact Trudy Woodcock at trudy [at] iluminado-tours [dot] com or call 924-3176 in Merida.

Second Annual Solar Day (worldwide)
June 19 is SolarDay 2010, a national and international day of recognition for Solar Energy, Sustainability and Energy Independence. The first SolarDay in the U.S. was held in 2009.
For more information, visit Solar Day’s Website.

4th of July BBQ
Sponsored by MELL, IWC, and the Merida Men’s Club. Mark your calendars! This will be the last of the big events at MELL until the Snowbirds come home to Yucatan again! We’ll keep you posted about time and location as new information comes in.

10th International Festival of Choirs Yucatan

This is a 6 month long festival that begins on April 8th and travels from Jalisco to Merida and on to Colombia and Venezuela before its final performances in Merida in October. If you would like to travel outside of Mexico to hear some of these performances, visit the MySpace page of Conjunto Vocal Yucatan for a complete listing of the international dates. In case there is anyone who doesn’t believe that a voice is the equivalent of a musical instrument or that a choir is the equivalent of an orchestra, we invite you to listen to samples of the work of Conjunto Vocal Yucatan on their MySpace page. We especially liked “A una dama que iba cubierta” and “La Conchinita Pibil.”
Performance dates in Merida include:
May 29 & 30, 2010: Concert under the direction of maestro Electo Silva (Cuba)
July 10 & 11, 2010: Concert under the direction of maestro Jose Antonio Rincon (Colombia)
October 9 & 13, 2010: 10th International Festival of Choirs Yucatan and 25th Anniversary of Conjunto Vocal Yucatan.

November 21, 2010 – Taste of Playa
This is a huge annual event where over 40 restaurants are highlighted in a one day event. It was a great success last year, so be sure and put it on your list for Fall travel “must see and do.”
Time: 2 PM to 9 PM
More: Check the details on the Taste of Playa website.
Location: Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo