Our Lady of Guadalupe: Festivities

At the weekend, celebrations were held all over Mexico, in honour of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here is a selection of the highlights from those events.


The biggest gathering, by far, was in Mexico City. Six million Catholic pilgrims descended upon the city, which houses Her basicila. It is also here that the initial encounters with the Lady occurred, upon Tepeyac Hill. This was once on the outskirts of the city, but now is right in its historic heart. Pilgrims arrive annally at the spot, on December 12th, creating the largest Catholic event in the Americas.


View Larger Map

The procession and mass, in Mexico City, is so large that many arrive the night before. They camp out, in the vicinity of the basicila, in order to have a good view the next day.



On December 12th, the number of Catholic pilgrims swells into the millions, as a parade is held through the city streets.



The basicila itself has a capacity for 80,000 people to hear mass. It is usually full to bursting, but the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe requires many to wait patiently outside.



Meanwhile, there was plenty more to be seen and experienced elsewhere:


Pilgrims carry the Lady's image on their truck, near to Puebla, Mexico.



These pilgrims waited in the pouring rain, in Connecticut, USA, to receive a torch lit at the basicila, in Mexico City. The torch had been carefully carried back, across land, to light up the churchs in New Haven.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be celebrated all week in Mexico.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

It was December 9, 1531, when Juan Diego first saw Her. By December 12th, the last of Her appearances, even the Bishop was convinced. They were meetings that would change the spiritual face, not only of Mexico, but the whole of the Americas. Some might argue that it bolstered Catholicism itself, right in the midst of its darkest hour. Five centuries later, practically the entire of Mexico were out on the streets yesterday, celebrating the fact that it had happened at all.

Juan Diego wasn't his birth name. That was Cuauhtlatoatzin. He had been born into the Nahua tribe, in a village just to the north of modern-day Mexico City, on the eve of a period of tumultuous change. He married, but doesn't appear to have been blessed with children. He farmed his own land and, as a sideline, wove mats. Then, in 1521, the Spanish arrived.

The couple witnessed the rampage of Hernán Cortés through their country. They survived the conquest and, moreover, were counted amongst the few that welcomed their conquistadors. In particular, the pair were convinced by the evangelism of the Franciscan monks, who travelled with Cortés. In 1524, they were baptized into the Catholic faith. They were in the minority then, as very few Mexicans were interested in following suit. Cuauhtlatoatzin was fifty years old. It was now that he became Juan Diego. His wife took the baptism name Maria Lucia.

It was a Saturday, when Juan Diego set off on his usual weekend walk around Tepeyac Hill to the church. He was nearly 60 now and widowed. The air may have seem mild to the younger, more spritely villagers, but it poked coldly at his bones. He had a tilmàtli (a short cape, woven from cactus fibre) draped around his shoulders.

The hill itself had a Pagan past. It had been dedicated, by his own people, to the Goddess Tonantzin; She, who guided those in war or childbirth, and whose name meant 'seven flowers' after the crops that She oversaw. Perhaps Diego remembered those stories; maybe he didn't. But when the young girl called to him from its slopes, he knew immediately that She wasn't human. He was looking at someone divine. She was only about fourteen years old, but she called him 'my little son'.

Juan Diego trekked up the hill towards Her. He recalled the singing of birds and saw the light around her. She was dressed as an Atzec princess, with skin as dark as his own. She spoke to him in his native Nahuatl, but She called him Juan Diego.

She was no Pagan goddess. He knew that in the very soul of him; it was confirmed when Her message was for the Franciscan Bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga. She was the Mother of God Herself.

Juan Diego found the strength in his bones, the air in his lungs and the speed in his legs. He hurtled down the hill feeling like a young man, intent on seeking out the Bishop. He located him in the church, where the message was gushed out. The Virgin Mary was on Tepeyac Hill. She wanted a shrine there, built in Her honor. She had a promise in return and this had been memorized, word for word.

"I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes."

Zumárraga obviously thought that he had a madman on his hands. Well, you would, wouldn't you? Someone rushing in, telling you that they've seen the Mother of All, and that She wanted something building for Her. Especially when the Lady in question sounded very much like the Aztec Mother Goddess, for whom the hill was dedicated. It all sounded like a bit of a ruse.

But Diego was one of the Bishop's few converts. He couldn't just kick him out without some humouring words. Zumárraga told Diego to go back and get a sign that this was true.

Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac Hill and found the Lady still there. He explained that the Bishop needed a sign. She smiled back at him, still in Her aspect as a teenage girl. She told him to request again, of the Bishop, that Her shrine be built. Diego didn't feel worthy. He begged Her to send someone else. She was adamant that Diego conveyed her message.

The next day, Sunday 10th December, Diego tried again. The Bishop repeated his comment that he needed a sign, to prove that She was who She said She was. Diego set off to the hill. She was waiting for him. This time, She promised that there would be a sign. It would be something to convince even the most sceptical heart and it would begin the following day.

The next day, Juan Diego waited anxiously, but the news which came wasn't glorious at all. His uncle, Juan Diego Bernardino, lay suddenly ill and dying. He was very close to the old man. When Diego had been orphaned, as a child, Bernardino had taken him in and raised him as his own. Diego rushed to his uncle's side, but the prognosis looked bad. Diego tended to him all through the night.

By the early hours of the 12th, it was obvious that it wasn't healers, but a priest that was needed now. Someone had to come and administer the last rites. Diego volunteered to fetch Bishop Zumárraga. But halfway around the hill, in the murky light of 4am, Diego heard the Lady calling his name. Perhaps there was hope. She answered directly to a higher power. He raced to speak with Her.



With her opening words, She assured him that his uncle would survive his fever. Then She asked Diego to gather up flowers growing on the hill. This was December, there were no flowers up there. Diego frowned, then looked around. There were flowers. There were hundreds of them. He hurried to pick an armful of them to present to Her. The Lady just smiled reassuringly and bade him remove his tilmàtli. As he draped the cloak over his arms, She arranged seven of the finest blooms inside it.

Diego took them to Bishop Zumárraga. He was no doubt roused from his bed to receive them, but the Lady had ordered that no-one but the Bishop himself was to open the folded tilmàtli. The Bishop stood before Diego, but didn't appear moved to take the package. Diego opened it for him, releasing a corner, so that the flowers cascaded to the floor of the church. Inside, in a perfect representation imprinted into the fabric, was an image of the Lady Herself.

Bishop Zumárraga fell to his knees.

On the other side of the hill, in a deathbed room, Bernardino was also on his knees. He had felt the mortal illness lift from him. His veins cooling from the fever. He had found a Lady, resplendent in light, standing in his room. "Tell them," She said, "I am the Ever Virgin, Holy Mary of Guadalupe." Then She was gone.



News of the incident spread like wildfire through the native peoples of Mexico. Within the next handful of years, 8 million of them had converted to the Spanish religion, Catholicism. This was at a time when, in Europe, many were defecting to Protestantism. The influx of new adherrents to the old faith is credited, by some, with saving it.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated throughout Mexico and the Americas, on December 12th, each year.

El Triunfo: Cloud Forests, Coffee and Conservation

Fog curls endlessly through the evergreen forest. The air is damp and humid. Out there, unseen, is the hauntingly beautiful call of the Azure-rumped Tanager - a bird so rare that less than 10,000 of them exist in the world. This is the last refuge for dozens of species on the brink of extinction.

Human voices rise up from the edges; in the Spanish tongue, mostly, though there are the occasional exchanges in Mayan. These are in dialects of the Tzotzil, Tzeltal and Mam people. Their villages are dotted throughout these mountains; but, for the majority, their work is in the plantations. This is coffee country, where economy and ecology collide for supremacy. Yet they may just have found a compromise.



This is the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, in the Sierra Madre Mountains, Chiapas. It is in the southern tip of Mexico (any further south and you would be in Guatemala) and it is the wettest region in the country. 10% of the rainfall, in the whole of Mexico, falls on this one small area.

Several rivers have their headwells on its soaring slopes; including the mighty Rio Grijalva. On its snaking 480km (298 mile) north-east journey, to empty into the Gulf of Mexico, this river becomes temporarily diverted by the Malpaso Dam. 40% of Mexico's electricity comes from the hydro-electrical plant tapping into this majestic source.



Back in El Triunfo, the water means life itself. It irrigates the lush vegetation that covers the chain of deep valleys and corresponding pinacles, reaching up to 2,000 meters (6,562ft) above sea level. This is the last remaining wilderness home of nearly 200 endangered species, including the resplendent quetzal, tapir, puma, spider monkey and horned guan. But it was shrinking fast. Only 25,000 hectares (61,750 acres) of it remain.

The culprit, as is so often the case, is human industry. In the 19th century, the Mexican government realised that the climate here was perfect for growing coffee beans. Large tracts of forest were cleared for the coffee plantations. Export profit boomed. International coffee companies vied for the opportunity to buy land, clear more forests and to create ever-expanding plantations.

Plantations attracted a workforce, who chopped down yet more vegetation, in order to construct their towns and villages. Increased prosperity in the area brought cattle ranchers, who also needed large, clear areas, in order to graze their livestock. The cloud forest shrank more and more each year.



The alarm bells were first sounded in the 1940s, when Prof Miguel Alvarez del Toro conducted a series of research studies in the area. His work provided evidence that El Triunfo needed protection; and his personal friendship with several politicians ensured that they listened to him. It became a protected zone, both federally and within the MAB-UNESCO Programme for Biosphere Reserves.

But little was able to be done about the damage already wrought there, especially since the plantations remained so lucrative. The USA alone imports an estimated 207,900lbs. of coffee from El Triunfo each year. The Mexican government were reluctant to risk such a market. Conservation work tended to fall into the hands of local communities, who could see the dangers. It was the population there who, ultimately, saved what remained of the cloud forests, until a proper policy could be formed.



It wasn't until 1991 that a workable compromise, between coffee profit and conservation, was formed. El Triunfo is now surrounded by a 90,000-hectare (222,300-acres) buffer zone, within which there are strict rules about how the land may be worked.

One of the most significant changes was how coffee was grown there. Conventional growing switched to more environmentally friendly methods. This is where Starbuck's 'Organic Shade Grown Mexican Coffee' comes from. It also forms part of the Starbuck's Shared Planet and Social Responsibility pogram. Many of the plantation farmers there have switched entirely to Fair Trade initiatives, such as that discussed in this Equal Exchange blog and on the CESMACH site. Conservation International performs yearly inspections of the plantations, ensuring that farmers are not taking short-cuts with regulations.



Nurseries have been set up, within the buffer zone, to nuture indigenious plants and trees, such as palm and cycad. An awareness campaign has travelled deep into the towns and villages on the reserve. It is believed that 70% of its residents now not only know about the conservation pressures, but are also actively supporting them.

There is now a conservation program, funded and co-ordinated by Fondo de Conservación El Triunfo AC (El Triunfo Conservation Fund). The future looks very bright indeed.

An Eco-Hotel in the Heart of Cancún

For many, a vacation in Cancún points immediately to the huge, all-inclusive, luxury hotels by the beach. There are plenty of alternatives to suit many pockets, needs and ideologies. During this week of climate change talks, in Cancún, it seems apt to highlight an eco-hotel.



El Rey del Caribe is situated in downtown Cancún. It was built and is maintained with sustainability in mind. This is tourist accommodation for those who view their vacation as no excuse to leave ecological concerns behind. It is where many of the activists, attending the UN Climate Change Conference, are currently staying.

The hotel looks pretty. Its interior encircles a large central courtyard, where residents lounge beside the pool, in hammocks or on sunbeds; or meander along the tree-shaded walkways, enjoying the impressive floral gardens; or relax in a jacuzzi. Each of its 31 guest-rooms opens onto this vast courtyard. There is no stinting on luxury within. The rooms all have two large beds and all of the ammenities, including air-conditioning throughout. The hotel has its own health spa and dining room.

The location isn't bad either. The large mercados are just a leisurely amble away, while a plethora of restaurants and attractions are in the surrounding streets. Cancún's famous tropical beaches are an easy 20 minute stroll away (2km or just over a mile).


View Larger Map

So far this is just sounding like tourist spiel for a random Mexican hotel, with nothing at all to do with ecology and environmental matters at all. But what sets El Rey del Caribe apart is how it does all of this. Let's pick out just a few examples of its eco-technology.

* All of the guest-rooms have hot and cold running water in their bathroom. What isn't immediately obvious is that the hot water is channelled through roof-top, solar-heated tanks. During the day, the sun shines down upon it. Solar panels soak up this energy, then convert it into heating for the water-tanks.

* All of the guest-rooms are cleaned daily, with freshly laundered towels and bed-linen. However, another trip to the roof would reveal a solar dryer. This is an enclosed, ventilated area, with a glass ceiling. The sun's rays descend upon it and the specially designed enclosure works to remove all humidity. The laundry is dried far more quickly than it would using the industrial driers of other hotels.



Incidentally, the water dirtied, in cleaning these in the first place, isn't just drained away, into the city's water system, but used to irrigate the hotel's gardens. This has the dual purpose of reducing energy needed to dispose of it; while negating the need to demand water to maintain those amazing gardens.

* All of the guest-rooms contain trash bins. That is 'bins', plural. Each has three, so that guests (or the maid, if the guests have been too lazy to do it) can separate their rubbish for recycling. Organic matter goes into one; plastics into another; general trash into the third. It's all clearly marked. Staff then take these away for processing. The organic matter goes into the compost help, hidden away, for use in the lush hotel gardens. The plastics are delivered to the local recycling collection points.

* All of the guest-rooms have toilet facilities in their bathrooms. However, some of these are composting toilets. They look and behave, outwardly, like any other toilets. Behind the scenes, the waste falls into a special filtering tank, rather than the city's sewage works. It is then processed naturally into compost. This not only reduces water usage, but helps to add nutrients to the soil.

* The pool is cleaned regularly. The water from it isn't just drained away, into the city's water system, but used in the ordinary flushing toilets. For those guests without composting toilets, then the water used to flush away your waste is the same as that which you swam in yesterday.



* Much of the water used in the hotel comes from a rainwater tank, which was then filtered and cleaned it for human use. Pretty much like all water really, but far more locally processed.

Those are just some of the ways in which El Rey del Caribe lessens its environment footprint, while also providing a world-class service for its guests.

For more information about the hotel and its eco-policies, please visit their web-site.

'The Silent Evolution': Life-saving Art

In the waters between Cancún and Isla Mujeres, there is a remarkable sight. 400 life-sized statues of real people gaze up from the seabed. Their presense forms an artificial coral reef, which will help preserve the marine eco-system. Two days ago, it was also the setting for a campaign to save human beings.



When we last highlighted the work of Jason de Caires Taylor, 'The Silent Evolution' was merely concept art. This hauntingly beautiful seabed scene is now a reality. Just two weeks ago, it was installed in the Manchones Reef, in the National Marine Park of Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Pinta Nisuc. Snorkellers, scuba divers and glass-boated boats have already been flocking to the site. At a depth of between 4-7 meters (13-23ft), it is easily viewed through the pristine waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Each one of the 400 life-sized sculptures represent a real person walking around in the world above. They range from an 85 year old nun to a three year old boy named Santiago. On his website, the artist paid tribute to 'all the models who patiently stood in their underwear covered in vaseline and plaster for over an hour, thus requiring trust and bravery'.



As with all of Jason de Caires Taylor's underwater sculptures, 'The Silent Evolution' has an important job to do. Erosion and bleaching of the world's coral reefs mean that much of the plants and creatures that rely on on them are now endangered. These statues have been especially created to act as substitute reefs. While blandly white at the moment, they will literally evolve into a vibrant and ever-changing display of color.

The installation has already attracted bright, tropical fish into its sheltering nooks. Within just a few weeks, the coral plantlife will start growing across its surfaces. The artist views the creation and placing of the statues as merely the beginning, 'the second phase is dependant on nature’s artists of the sea, to nurture, evolve and apply the patina of life.' Once the coral life has really taken hold, then each new visit to the site will reveal whole new wonders. This is living, breathing, thriving art.



'The Silent Evolution' hit doubly hit the headlines this week. As the final pieces were being lowered into place, delegates from the UN Climate Change Conference were gathering in nearby Cancún. Activists from Greenpeace, TckTckTck and 350.org wanted to get their message heard by them. The slogan was stark, 'Real people can't live underwater'. It was to press home the threat posed by rising sea levels. In a world of glaciers melting under rising temperatures, those living in low lying coastal areas, across the world, are in danger of losing their homes and livelihoods.

The protesters donned ordinary, every-day clothing, in order to free dive down to the statues. They had to hold their breath for up to a minute, so that their photographs and video footage could be taken. The human-like sculptures were created to live underwater. Human beings are not.

All of this was done with Jason de Caires Taylor's permission. In fact, he was there. Who better than the artist to take the photographs? :D



For more images, check out the slideshow here.

Clean Skies Over Mexico City

It used to be that Mexico City had the highest rate of air pollution in the world. Birds were said to fall dead from the skies. Within the city visibility was down to 1.5km (less than a mile); the huge volcanoes, Popocatepetl, Ixtacihuatl, and Paricutin, once staples of the landscape, could rarely even be seen. But that has all changed now.


Mexico City smog in 1986


The same view today
Two decades worth of clean air policies have made a huge difference. Yet the work goes on.

In the 1959, the novelist Carlos Fuentes published his book, 'Where The Air is Clear.' It was set in Mexico City and the title was not ironic. At the time, visibility was 100km (62 miles) and no-one was anticipating the pea-souper conditions to follow. People could stand on a hill inside the city and look out across a seemingly endless vista. The dormant volcanoes, with their snow-capped summits, were stunning in the distance. The air felt crisp and healthy in their lungs.

Then came industrialization. The very landscape of Mexico's megacity held the pollutants, from cars and factories, inside its atmosphere. Mexico City might be 2,240m (7,349ft) above sea-level, but its local environment is in a dip. The mountains create a valley; while the plains within it slope downwards towards an ancient dried out lake-bed. It is here where Mexico City is built, initially on islands and man-made platforms in the lake, but now on its drained floor.


Mexico City, before the lakes were drained
The altitude held emissions in, while the landscape funnelled them straight back down into the city again.

Twenty years ago, the Mexican government, and city administration, began to look in earnest at cleaning up Mexico City's air. Transport was quickly targeted. All gasoline became unleaded. Cars now have to be fitted with catalytic converters, and pass emmissions tests every six months, in order to legally be on the road. Car-pooling is encouraged with awareness campaigns. Once a week, each car is stationary. The 'Hoy No Circula' (No Driving Day) initiative means that car-owners, in Mexico City, have to find alternate means of transport for one day of every week.

There is plenty to choose from. Mexico City now boasts of the largest subway system in Latin America; and the fourth largest in the world. It is also the world's cheapest subway to use. An estimated 1.4 billion people use it annually. There is also a tram system and 'light train' above ground. In 2005, a series of low-emission, articulated Metrobuses, began running along popular routes. The latest initiative, launched by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, are bikes for hire, allowing commuters to cycle to where they need to be. The city's governors estimate that 74% of Mexico City's population regularly use public transport; people who might otherwise have been driving their cars.


Bikes for hire in Mexico City
Within the factories, all fuel oil had to be substituted with natural gas. The biggest polluters were relocated outside the city. 34 air quality monitoring stations are dotted throughout the city. They are constantly being watched by experts, all of whom are forever coming up with more schemes to further enhance air quality.

The battle isn't over, but tremendous improvements have been made. Today people can enjoy visibility at almost pre-industrial levels; while breathing is much easier.

Riviera Maya Environmental Film Summit

It's been a big week for VIPs and celebrities coming to Mexico. Madonna had the grand opening, in Mexico City, of her Hard Candy Fitness Club; Britney Spears is celebrating her 29th birthday in Puerto Vallarta; and a host of stars, including Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler, are simply here on vacation. Meanwhile, in Cancún, much weightier matters were being discussed by the great and the good.


Greenpeace Climate Change balloon over Chichén Itzá
The United Nations Climate Change Conference has brought ambassadors from 193 nations into Cancún. The decisions that they make here will affect us all for generations to come. On the agenda are pledges from governments to limit their country's carbon emmissions; explorations of carbon-neutral technologies; a 'green fund' awarded to developing nations to stop deforestation and assist them in reining in their greenhouse gases; and the hearing of evidence, from across the globe, about the reality of climate change.

To tie in with this, yet more celebrities have descended upon the Riviera Maya. This is for the first Environmental Film Summit, which has attracted directors, actors, screenwriters and movie animal trainers, as well as activists keen to clarify the actual science behind the glitz and glamour. Theaters throughout the region are showing movies with an environmental theme, as part of the film summit.

One of its organizers, Jose Maria Valenzuela, from the Sustainable Development Foundation, explained how movies are a great way to raise awareness amongst the general public. He add, "Cinema is one of the best tools to involve society in environmental protection and the development of indigenous peoples."

Festivities kicked off, last Wednesday, with a showing of Academy Award winning picture, 'The Cove'. Ric O'Barry, the star of the American-made movie, was amongst those viewing it, at Benito Juarez Poliforum, in Cancún.

'The Cove' highlights the plight of thousands of dolphins and porpoises killed, each year, by the whaling industry. As well as its Academy Award, for best documentary, it also received the Audience Award, at the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival.

O'Barry made his name as a dolphin trainer, for the popular show 'Flipper'. He later changed course, becoming an activist on dolphin related issues. This was after a dolphin apparently committed suicide in his arms, by closing its blow-hole in order to suffocate itself.

'The Cove' is just one of 7 feature length movies, 12 shorts and several animated shorts, which will be shown as part of the summit. The Mexican resorts of Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and Cancún are all lending their movie theaters for the event.

The hub of events is Hacienda Tres Ríos, just north of Playa del Carmen. This is a luxury resort, which is also at the forefront of local conservation concerns. It is built entirely out of sustainable, natural materials, while the grounds and guided tours are all about protecting wildlife, the environment and safeguarding the region's cultural traditions.

It is at Hacienda Tres Ríos where the Environmental Film Summit will culminate. Judges will view each of the film entries, air their critiques and award prizes, based on how well the film-makers raise awareness of the issues at hand. The event is open for anyone to go and see the movies. If you're in the vicinity, it would be well worth taking the trip over there to check it out.

Monsters: Now It's Our Turn to Adapt

British born Gareth Edwards had a vision. He was tired of watching movies about alien invading; those never told you what happened next? How did the people survive? How did they carry on with their lives, when their world was no longer entirely their own?

Moreover, Edwards wanted to prove that blockbluster special effects and brilliant cinematography could be achieved without a Hollywood budget. He wanted to create an intimate movie, against a backdrop of stunning scenery. He had $15,000; a crew of four other people; two American actors; and a van. He came to Mexico.

The result was 'Monsters'. It is set six years after aliens have created a colony on Earth. A NASA probe had been sent to collect samples from a world suspected of sustaining life. The spaceship got into trouble, on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, and crashed into the Mexico. The creatures that emerged soon began terraforming our world into one that could hatch their young. They were here to stay and now huge swathes of Mexico belong to them: the infected zone.

But that is just the backdrop. The movie focuses upon the human aspect, as seen through the eyes of two Americans and the people that they meet. Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) is a photojournalist, who has arrived in Mexico to capture images of real people living right on the edge of the zone. He can get a lot of money for a picture of a dead child; or a tottering building; or a family rendered destitute and homeless by an alien raid.

Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) is the daughter of his boss. She's also in Mexico, which isn't thrilling her wealthy father. When she's involved in a accident, spraining her wrist, Kaulder receives a call from his boss. He's to find and chaperone Wynden back to America or find his career taking a downturn. It shouldn't take long. There is a train to the coast, then a ferry across the Gulf of Mexico, avoiding the infected zone.



Obviously things don't work out as planned. Thus two days later, the couple find themselves relying on the kindness of strangers well within the zone itself. There is a sub-plot of a couple falling in love. The main story, though, is a chronicle of all they witness and experience en route.

This is Edwards's debut offering and it ticks the boxes of many genres: sci-fi, horror flick, post-apocolyptic/disaster movie, road movie, love story and 'long journey home' movie. Many are comparing it favorably to 'Cloverfield' and 'District 9', but it's not a remake of either. It feels like a documentary. 'Monsters' was in American theaters in the fall; and it is currently being launched to European cinema-goers.

Most remarkable of all is how the film was shot. Apart from McNairy and Able, every other person seen on the screen is not an actor. The van would pull up, at a likely location, and ask passer-bys if they would like to be in a movie. The fact that Able spoke fluent Spanish was a bonus in these negotiations. The cab driver was a real cab driver; the ticket vendor really does sell ferry tickets; the lady, who invited them into her home, was a real mother and that was really her home. They were actually her children. Edwards, via Able, would explain the plot and their role in it. They would be paid, there and then, for their part in the movie.



Such an approach meant that a script quickly became impossible. Edwards wrote out a paragraph describing each scene. All of the dialogue was ad libbed, by the actors, at the time. Edwards gave them points to hit, but all of the rest was the couple emersing themselves into their characters.

On the subject of realism, McNairy and Able were a real life couple when Edwards hired them. They are both professional actors, but they had also been dating for four months. He wanted a couple who were actually in love. The movie shoot worked for them. They got married last month.

All of this does lead to a very intimate movie. It's not really about monsters. It's about people living in a world, which also happens to include something bigger and scarier than themselves.

Naturally, some cameo appearances were never going to be filmed in Mexico. You could climb onto the top of any Maya pyramid and gaze out across miles, as the couple in the film did, but no alien is going to come trampling into view. There is also a distinct lack of ravaged homes and rusting military vehicles. Those bits were added in later, on Gareth Edwards's home computer. He's very, very good.

Packing for your Cancún Vacation

The tickets are bought. The currency is changed. The last day at work is over and done with; and the beach is beckoning. So all there is left to do now is to pack for your Cancún vacation. If this is your first time here, then this is the moment of pause. What to take? What to take?



Let us recommend a few things:

* Passport. This is necessary to enter another country and then return to your own.
* Plane/boat tickets and other travel documentation. Unless you're planning on walking, swimming, driving or catching the train, then you'll need these to get there.
* Accommodation documentation. This is only necessary if you have booked your hotel in advance and they have asked that you bring it along with you. This does, however, include the name and directions to where you're staying. That way you can direct a taxi driver or find it for yourself.
* Medical and automobile insurance documentation. This is only necessary if you are planning to rent a car. Copies of documentation will be fine.
* Credit card/ATM card/money. This is to pay for all of those trips, taxis/buses/rental cars, food, drinks, souvenirs etc. For more information on the age-old issue of dollars versus pesos, as well as learning about Mexico's tipping etiquette, click here.
* Essential medication. These drugs might be keeping you alive. However, it is worth checking out their legality in Mexico. There is more information about that here.

In reality, we could actually stop there. You are not heading out into the wilderness. Mexico has plenty of shops, while Cancún itself has dozens of malls and markets. Whatever you have forgotten from this point doesn't matter. It can be bought or replaced quite easily; in some cases, far more cheaply than its counterpart back home. It would be the very epitomy of travelling light, but it is feasible!


La Isla Shopping Village, one of the many retail areas in Cancún

However, let's assume that you don't want to spend all of your vacation money on kitting yourself out. The rest of the list are suggestions, with the rationale alongside, for you to decide what you actually need.

Bags and other Luggage

* Suitcase. Obviously needed to carry all of this stuff. It's worth getting a sturdy one, then attaching something to it, like a ribbon, so you can recognize it later on. Your suitcase is stored in the cargo hold during your flight. It's then tossed onto a conveyor belt for you to pick up later. You'll be thankful of the ribbon, if you and all of the other 300 passengers brought the same brand and color suitcase with you.
* Collapsible bag. So you packed your suitcase to the brim on the way out, then you went shopping for souvenirs. 12 gorgeous Mexican blankets and 3 sombreros later, it suddenly occurs to you to ask how you're going to get them home again. Out comes the collapsible bag, that you had flat at the bottom of the suitcase. Voila! Something to check in with all of your new purchases in it.
* Hand luggage. All airlines will have restrictions on the size of the bags that you can keep with you on the plane. Also, in these days of high security, there will undoubtedly be limitations on what you can pack in it. Check with your own airline to see what you can use here. Many airline security guards will secretly want to kiss you, if you purchase a transparent bag. It makes their job a lot easier.
* Beach-bag. To be fair, this could double up as your hand luggage for the plane. Ideally a beach-bag will have zippers on it, so that things don't drop out to became buried treasure. Think of what you might need on a beach (book, suntan creme, beer...) and choose a bag sized accordingly.

Clothes and Footwear

Cancún is very laid-back and the weather is hot. Most people will be wearing summer clothes/swimwear and flip-flops. A light cardigan is fine for the evenings, though you might not even need that.

* Swim-suits. Bring two or three. You will probably be living in these, so it gives one set chance to dry out, while you wear the other set. Then swop again the next day.
* Swim-suit Cover-Up. Viva sarong! Even the most shapely supermodel might feel a little self-conscious nipping to the shop in a bikini or swimming trunks. Also remember the heat of that sun. Sunburn might make you want to cover those shoulders for a while.
* Two or three summer outfits. Shorts, t-shirts, summer dresses etc. This is attire for shopping malls and day-trips. It is best here to think in terms of complimentary colors. That way you can recycle things by mixing and matching, thus keeping your luggage weight down.
* One dressier option. Some of the classier restaurants will require you to be dressed up. Also, you may wish to sign up for a romantic cruise around the lagoon. Substitute this for your clubbing gear, if you are going to tour Cancún's huge array of nightclubs.
* Light cardigan/thin sweater/cotton jacket. You might want this during the evening. You will more likely be wanting it when you get off the plane back home.
* Flip-flops, sandals or similar. This is what the majority of people will be wearing around you. The sidewalks can get very hot in the sun, so flip-flops will stop you burning the soles of your feet.
* Water shoes. With such a selection of water-based activities, water shoes can be very helpful. This is more of a health and safety consideration. They will help your grip on slippy steps at the edge of cenotes; they reduce the risk of picking up verucas from fellow tourists etc.
* Closed-toe casual footwear. Sneakers, tennis shoes and the like. This is mainly for some of the trips, where such articles are required. For example, no-one will let you go zip-lining in flip-flops. Also, this could be your footwear in which to arrive and depart, assuming that your home country isn't as hot as Mexico right now.
* Smart shoes. These are only to compliment your dressier outfit; so don't bother taking them, if you aren't packing that.


Crowd in Cancún

Sundries

* Toiletries. This includes your toothbrush; toothpaste; deodorant; perfumes; aftershave; shaver/razor; make-up; moisturizers; gels; contact lens solutions et al. all of the things that make you look and smell beautiful. It is worth packing these inside waterproof bags, in case they burst in transit. Shampoo, shower gel, soap and bubble bath bottles are usually complimentary in the hotel rooms. Most hotels also provide hairdryers in your room.
* Sunglasses. This is an absolute must. The sun can be very bright out there.
* Sunhat/Sun visor/Cooler headbands. Anything that shades your face from the sun and/or cools you down could well become your best friend. Cancún and its environment can become very hot.
* Beach Towel. While hotels do have towels for use in the rooms, few will allow you to take them down to the beach. Some hotels will rent beach towels to you though. If in doubt, ask your hotel what their policy is regarding beach towels, then pack accordingly.
* Book or magazine. Just something to read during those lazy days sunbathing.
* MP3 player. Lots of places will be playing music anyway, but sometimes you just want to listen to your own special tunes.
* Camcorder/Camera/Underwater camera. You will only need an underwater camera if you intend to snorkel or go scuba diving. They can be rented to you from resorts, but usually at a high price. Remember to include camera film/memory card/batteries/recharge cable.
* Biodegradable sunscreen. If you are planning on swimming in the sea or a cenote, or indulging in a water-based activity, then you will often find that you have to use biodegradable sunscreen. This protects the local flora and fauna, not to mention helps save the coral reef. More information on that is here.
* Mosquito spray. You will only need this if you are venturing out into the jungle.
* Small/basic First Aid kit. This is only for those minor cuts and aches that you can easily deal with, without wasting valuable vacation time seeking out the hospitals. It could include Band Aids; aloe gel for sunburn; hangover cures etc.
* Electrical adaptor. You will only need this if you are a) bringing electrical items that need plugging in or charging; and b) your home country's sockets are different to those in Mexico. More information is here.

Cancún in December

The snow falls across the North Americas and Europe. Those in colder countries awake in the dark, to scrape car windows in plummeting temperatures, just so they can struggle to work. Woolley hats, scarves and gloves cloister around this year's thick winter coat. Coughs, sniffles and bad chests abound.

It must be terrible.

Here in Cancún, the sun is shining. Today's temperatures are set to soar to 26°C (78°F) and the sea is twinkling a wonderful turquoise. The beach and pool loungers are filling up with tourists and locals alike. The only white stuff on the ground is the sand. The hurricane season has receded and the city escaped for yet another year. The Christmas and New Year vacationers are on their way, or already here; the Spring Breakers are excitedly making their bookings. Are you coming too?



For some poor souls, this is a journey into the unknown. They've not yet experienced the paradise that is Cancún at this time of year. For the record, December is the favoured month for many visitors to our country. The sun is hot, but not the breathless heat of the midst of summer. It is that tropical haze that most people can only dream about. There are no rainy days (those occur in September and October), just glorious weather across the board. The freezing north feels like a world away.

Christmas is celebrated throughout Cancún. The malls have their mammoth Christmas trees already up and decorated. The lights have been hung along the streets. Santa Claus awaits the children in a variety of locations (he obviously has to rush between them, unless he can arrange for a helper to stand in). Just about every restaurant, bar, nightclub and hotel has its festive happenings and seasonal menus. The main issue, for visitors to our city, is trying to decide between them.

Then there are the official, public events. Look out for all of the free concerts, held in the plazas and the malls. Traditional carol singing from the city choir through to rock music. This has already begun in many places, but the main week is December 20th to 31st.

December is Cancún's busiest month. This reaches its zenith during the Christmas and New Year weeks. We are often asked if everything closes down on Christmas Day. No, everything tourist-related will not only be wide open, but filled to the rafters with partying, happy people. (Reservations are recommended, if you wish to be seated in a timely fashion.)

Also look out for the 'posadas'. Mexico is a Christian country and no-one will ever forget that Christmas is a religious festival. The posadas are the traditional events, masses, parades and tableaus for all of those wishing to celebrate the birth of Christ. This is, after all, what it's all about.