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Over the last few years I have taken photos of various posters, street stuff, etc.  It has absolutely zero value, unless you find a bit of humor herein.  All are self explanatory, except the license plate, which illustrates an india ink history of infractions so that as the notations increase it costs more to get you plate back from the Mexican police.

CUY : Its whats for dinner (AKA Guinea Pig)

CUY: Its whats for dinner

In some countries guinea pigs are kept as pets, known in Spanish as mascotas. Not so in Andean South America where they are dinner.  Several years ago we joined an Overseas Adventure Tour of Perú.  On the tour agenda was dinner in a very basic private home near Ollantaytambo in the Andes, where you guessed it,  only one main course available.  Inside the home there were many guinea pigs roaming freely underfoot. One poor soul was selected and the woman of the house adroitly and quickly dispatched said cuy and then demonstrated how to prepare the main course.  

Step one was to shave the fur off the squirrel sized creature (think Gillette), followed by removing the inner parts,  and then preparing the cuy for cooking over a wood fired stove.  I watched my fellow travelers facial expressions as dinner was served and remembered being in Japan and watching face colors change when live jumbo prawns were placed in front of friends.  In the case of cuy all were able, to a greater or lesser degree, eat what was placed in front of them.

And how did it taste?  It reminded me growing up when we used to hunt and eat squirrel.  Not much meat, bony, and I wouldn't order cuy again no matter who prepared it!

As an aside, Perú is a top five destination for me.  It rates up there with Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana),  Scotland,  México, and a few others.

Zarzuela: A Spanish tradition

Zarzuela:  An old Spanish Export

One of the oldest art forms Zarzuelas are live lyric type opera, that also involves spoken dialog, and dance.  According to Wikipedia it began under King Philip IV of Spain with a new comedy by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. The origin of the name isn't clear, however one theory says it stems from the Palacio de la Zarzuela near Madrid, which contained many bramble bushes and had many live performances.  Thus they became known as Zarzuelas.  Spanish speakers will associate the word zarza (bramble) in Spanish, with blackberries known as zarzamora.  As Spanish culture flourished in the 17th and 18th and 19th centuries,  Zarzuelas became popular in Cuba, Philippines, México  and other places within Spanish influence.   El Paso TX as recently as 1996 was putting on Zarzuela festivals.  Today some think it is a dying art form.

I attended a Zarzuela performance at the National Zarzuela Theatre in Madrid several years ago.  With its humor and rapid fire dialogue/singing, I gained little understanding of what that particular zarzuela was all about.  Maybe it is like trying to read Don Quixote in old Spanish?

Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan

"Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan", written by John Lloyd Stephens, with illustrations by British architect and artist Frederick Catherwood, tells the story of uncovering many of the Mayan ruins in the early 1840's (Cobán/Palenque and some 50 others)

Lacking knowledge of the area, President Martin Van Buren dispatched Stevens on the 7 or 8 month information gathering trip.  Catherwood, a British architect, is noted for the artwork contained in the two volume work mentioned at heading.
About twenty years ago I was fortunate to see the Catherwood Maya etchings at a NYC museum.  Astoundingly beautiful art work.  On the other hand I knew a woman who had the first edition "Incidents" valued at several thousand dollars 35-40 years ago.  I have read the unabridged republication of the 1841 release.  This edition is currently in print.can still be found in bookstores.

John Lloyd Stephens was a successful NY lawyer having enrolled in Columbia University at age 13,
followed by law school and a legal career.  The link to his fascinating life is found below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lloyd_Stephens