Original Villages | San Antonio Tecómitl, Milpa Alta: Fountain Play, Quinceañera and Carnaval

Water Play

The taxi bringing us from the Tláhuac Metro station, at the end of Line 12, to Pueblo San Antonio Tecómitl drops us off at the central plaza. The pueblo stands literally at the northeast entrance to Delegación Milpa Alta, next door to San Juan Ixtayopan (Place on White Soil), in Delegación Tláhuac. We had visited San Juan a year ago in January for its Fiesta of the Virgin of Solitude. Tecómitl is Nahuatl for the Place Where There Are Stones for Cooking Corn (possibly heating it to prepare for adding lime to the masa, corn dough made from dried corn, the calcium making it more nutritious) (from Toponimias de los pueblos de Milpa Alta, [Toponomy (history of place names) of the Pueblos of Milpa Alta] from the online magazine Nosotros, (Us), Aug. 14, 2017).

This is our first visit to Delegación/Alcaldía Milpa Alta to witness a community celebration. It is a Carnaval being held in early April, before Easter, but we have no information as to when it will begin. Our photographer's eye roves around the plaza, looking for whatever is of interest.  (See our introduction to Delegación/Alcaldía Milpa Alta: Countryside in the City.)

In one large corner, next to a modern clock tower, is a fountain-playground, clearly a fairly recent addition to the old space. Water shoots up in changing and unpredictable patterns from holes spread across the concrete pavement. With a warm sun shining, these fountains absolutely call children to run through their showers, just as we did through lawn sprinklers in our childhood. Such fountain-playgrounds are a popular innovation in Mexico City. There is one on the plaza in front of the historic Chapel of the Holy Conception Tlaxcoaque in South Centro and another at the Monument to the Revolution.

We sit on one of the benches alongside the watery playground, together with parents and other adults, just watching and enjoying the children´s joyous play.  Our photographer's eye relishes, as always, in the children at play but also roves around the plaza to see what else might be of interest.

Quinceañera

Suddenly we notice a young woman crossing the plaza, dressed in an elaborate, embroidered gown and wearing a huge, embroidered sombrero. Two older adults accompany her, evidently her parents. Four flaco (skinny) teenage boys, dressed in white charro (fancy cowboy) suits follow behind. They move at a hurried pace. At first, we wonder whether she is to be part of the Carnaval. They frequently include "queens" riding elaborate coches alegóricos, floats designed with some symbolic or historic theme.

Then we realize they are headed for the church, which stands, in classic Spanish village design, at  one side of the plaza.

The steeple of the Church of San Antonio
peaks over the wall of the church atrio (atrium).

Church of San Antonio.
Like many other old churches
in the city,
it was damaged in the earthquake
of September 2017 and is closed.
Services are being held
beneath a large tent in the atrio.

The young woman,
named, like our wife, Jenny,
is celebrating her quinceañera,
her fifteenth birthday,
her coming of age.
In past times, it meant a girl
was available for marriage. 

Abrazo de una abuela orgullosa,
hug from a proud grandma.

Jenny with her obligatory escorts.
After the ceremony, there are the requisite formal, professional photographs,
which we piggyback.

A most beautiful young woman
in the moment honoring her coming of age.

The celebratory group leaves the atrio by a side entrance. By the time we get to the street, they have disappeared. Then we are presented with another surprise:

A cabalgata (parade) of horsemen in cowboy attire pass by.

This caballero (horseman)
knows how to "sit a horse".
And the horse knows how to be
"on the bit".

Then Jenny, in her glory, is escorted by.

¡Carnaval!

We are relishing our good fortune to have happened upon this quinceañera with its additional gift of a cabalgata, when we hear the sounds of cohetes (rocket-style firecrackers) and a brass banda coming from the other end of the plaza. They are the sure signs that the Carnaval desfile (parade) is arriving. We hurry across the plaza to catch up with it.

La Banda

Comparsa (troupe) of chinelos, the "disguised ones".

This is the most explicit portrayal
of the Spanish Conquest of the Azteca/Mexica
we have ever seen on any fiesta costume.
The yellow and black-spotted figure
is an Aztec jaguar warrior.

Another comparsa from Barrio Xaltipac,
one of five composing San Antonio Tecómitl.
(Barrio Bajo, low, may refer to it being 
at the edge of the chinampas, man-made islands in 
former Lake Chalco created for farming.)

Alguna Gente del Pueblo | Some People of the Pueblo

And a good time was had by all.

A Rich Day in San Antonio Tecómitl: Three for One

Wow! What a day! We arrived in San Antonio Tecómitl not knowing what to expect, which is the case with all of our ambles to new pueblos. We did expect some kind of Carnaval, but we had no idea of what to expect as to its size or complexity, let alone its level of energy. We were given a very fun Carnaval. It was not grand in size, but it was full of the ánimo mexicano, Mexican spirit, we always hope to find on our adventures to pueblo celebrations. 

And on top of that, there was the exuberant ánimo of children running with delight through cascades of cool water. Then there was a different ánimo, more subdued than the others, one of a moment of significant transformation in a person's life. A beautiful young woman bloomed towards adulthood at her quinceañera. And it was topped off with a cabalgata, always a treat for this old caballero! Who, as the saying goes, could ask for anything more?

We leave San Antonio Tecómitl, our first foray into Delegación/Alcaldía Milpa Alta ("Milp'alta" as the locals pronounce it) muy satisfecho (very satisfied) and full of alegría (joy). We hope to get back to "Milp'alta" soon. After all, there are twelve other pueblos, further up the hillside, to get to know.

Delegación Milpa Alta (light yellow) is in the southeast corner of Mexico City.
It is just south of Xochimilco (pink),
and east of Tlalpan (mustard yellow)

Pueblo San Antonio Tecómitl (yellow/red star) is at the northeast entrance to Delegación/Alcaldía Milpa Alta,
directly adjacent to Pueblo San Juan Ixtayopan in Delegación/Alcaldía Tláhuac.