My Beautiful, Beautiful Queretaro & Central Mexico: Part One

How do I begin a story...

About a beautiful place so full of glory...

A place so lovely for the eye to behold...

A place so, so lovely of this world...

Mi quierida Queretaro and Central Mexico...

I desire to share this story on this night for it is the eve of the Presidential Elections in my beautiful Mexico. All the elections are very important in Mexico, but this years' especially holds exception. For months and months now the people of Mexico have been preparing for this day, election day which will be tomorrow on Sunday, July 1st 2012.

In Mexico no alcohol is being served tonight or tomorrow and people generally vote after church for the polling places are set right near. Mexico, being a very Catholic country, has used this practice for centuries. Voting is taken very seriously and to be hung over and to vote would be considered not honorable.

I wish to dedicate this particular piece to mi querida Mexico in honor of her phenomenal peoples, as well as the breath taking country she is, also, of the honor of, to have much of my heritage from. Both of my grandparents on my mother's side came from this part of Mexico, and it is a part of the country, that people who live outside in other countries, have little idea of. It is one of the grandest of treasures. My grandmother came from the State of Guanajuato and my grandfather, from La Ciudad...Mexico City, both of which are considered Central Mexico.

I had the great honor of traveling there when my youngest Alexander was about ten. We stayed in the magnificent State and City of Queretaro for a month and a half. When one is able to spend that amount of time in one particular area it is absolutely amazing how acquainted you can become with the essence of the people and of the fantastic culture.

Please for further research until I return to become more acquainted with our neighbors of the South and what they are facing and what the people are attempting to do. I highly recommend the link to Democracy Now!

http://www.mexinsider.com/mexican-political-parties.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Action_Party_(Mexico)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutional_Revolutionary_Party

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_Calder%C3%B3n

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/5/10/mexican_poet_javier_sicilia_leads_us

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/13175/javier_sicilia_leading_his_caravan_to_washington/

Maria Juarez Beam

Musical Selection: Mana "Latinoamerica"

http://youtu.be/ZchjV0wJm7E 

Please Enjoy!!! Viva Mexico..Viva Latinoamerica!!! :) En Paz y amor...

Hello everyone! I hope all are well. I do wish to apologize  with all my  heart and my soul, but I may be unable to finish this piece today. I did not realize that the day today was planned for me, and a going away lunch, and a party tonight. It is a SURPRISE! So, since I am flying off to California, my family and friends here wanted to be sure to send me off well...:) This is do truly appreciate. Yet, unfortunately will unable to finish this vital piece today. So, I shall return to Beam the light Be the Change, I am hoping by the end of the week. By then of course, the poll results for the President of Mexico will be in, and I will be able to post many pictures from the day of election, and the days afterward, for this is such an important time in Mexican history. I ask all of my wonderful readers to please bare with me...I would be grateful. Until, my return, I wish you all sweet peace, love, and light...En Paz y Amor, Maria :)

I have returned! I do hope that today I will finish this piece of writing. ;) I have been spending the last several hours looking for the pictures that I had taken while in Mexico City, and Teotihuacan, but alas, I could not encounter these precious pictures. I had them before I left for Iowa and I know that I packed them in a "special" place so that I could find them easily for my return back to California. This place has escaped me, for the time being at least.

When I do find them, I will be sure to post them. In the meantime, I may need to put in images that I did not take. The postcards of Quetertaro I took on whiteboard. Sadly, I have lost all the photos from this amazing place. I also, took the pictures of the murals of Diego Rivera from the postcards that I had bought at the National Palace in Mexico City. I do prefer my own photography...:)

Now, let's see, back to where I left off many moons ago. I left you off on the eve of the Presidential Elections in Mexico. The winner of the election was Pena Nieto of the PAN (National Action Party).
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-mexico-election-penanieto-idUSBRE8610TT20120702

From what I have learned from a fellow Twitterer, massive protests are being held by the people of Mexico to demand a better and non-corrupt government.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/08/mexicans-protest-pena-nieto-election

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-mexico-poverty-idUSBRE86O1PY20120725

The corruption of Mexico's Government has its roots in Spanish Colonial Rule. Prior to the arrival of Hernan Cortes in 1519, the land of what is now called Mexico, was filled with various and many tribal indigenous peoples of which many maintained a matriarchal society. When the Spanish arrived and conquered these peoples, the Spanish patriarchal system was implemented into the ruling government. The system of Viceroys was used and the Center of Government was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, a wondrous canal city of the Aztecs.

The reason for my writing of this particular piece is two-fold. I want to share my personal experience of the area of Central Mexico. I desire to acquaint you with its wondrous peoples and culture. I also want to assist in knowing the people of Mexico with a new lens. I find that the people are phenomenal. The people are kind, loving, giving, intelligent, and passionate. Yet, at the same time there is the horror of the "Drug Wars," and it is unfair to deem this entire war upon the shoulders of the Mexican people. The Mexican Government is greatly responsible, the United States Government is greatly responsible, and those who are creating the demand for the drugs, the consumers of, are also greatly responsible. I will do my very best to do this piece of writing the justice that it deserves.

Not only are the people of Mexico protesting in the streets of their country, Mexico is also bringing the message to the United States. Javier Sicilia has launched with Global Exchange, The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity commencing August 12th, 2012 in San Diego, California and will hit many cities in the US to its final destination in Washington D.C. Mr. Sicilia, who lost a son to the "Drug Wars," feels that the United States, along with Mexico needs to be a part of the creation of change to bring an end to this senseless and brutal war upon the people of Mexico and the people of the United States. I shall attach a link if you care to become a part somehow. I think that it will be an amazing piece of real time history to be involved in, sadly, at the time the Caravan launches, I will be in my beautiful Mexico to begin my work of peace...

http://www.globalexchange.org/mexico/caravan

Musical Selection:

Mana: "Bendita Tu Luz" (Bless Your Light)

http://youtu.be/44kityInDvM

Please enjoy until I return to you again...:)

En Paz y Amor,

Maria Juarez Beam