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Maya Calle — Sunsets, Skeletons, and Hippy Hoppy Hats!

Post author By David Murphy
Post date July 15, 2012
2 Comments on Maya Calle — Sunsets, Skeletons, and Hippy Hoppy Hats!

More skeletons, much to my delight.

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Fotos de Merida.

Not for the faint of heart. The poster advertises book adaptations into cinema, and the careful observer will note that (among adaptions of Orwell, Conrad, and Hemingway) on 19 July (19 de Julio), the Marquis de Sade´s infamous book, 120 Days of Sodomy, will be adapted to film. Having read the book myself, and knowing it to be little more than an imprisoned Frenchman´s peculiar and pornographic fantasy — in which there are pages upon pages of kidnappings, rapes, orgies, religious blasphemies, and murders — one may safely wonder, “Huh?”

Mary, a nun, was kind enough to pose for me after Sunday mass

Stones for sale

Relics of the conquistadors

Sunset in Merida

Walking to the church for a wedding

A young Mayan girl sells traditional goods

Outside Yucatan University

More skeletons, much to my delight.

Modeling a hippy hoppy hat. The ´hippy hoppy hat´ is the name that Mexicans and Mayans use to describe this hat — I admit to having no idea where they got this term. The hat is woven in humid caves from a material called sisal or henequen, a kind of agave, by Mayans. They weave underground because the high humidity allows the sisal to remain supple while the workers weave it. The hats, which are quite pricey, can be worn on formal occassions — such as during a wedding — or as a stylish street wear. The hats are said to repel mosquitos because of the odor of the sisal plant. Mexico is the second largest producer of henequen in the world, after Brazil.

The zocalo at night

Church by night

Clocktower by night

A street musician with his guitar

Parishioners congregate in the courtyard after Sunday mass

The contemporary museum of art is located next door to the old stone church

A blind man begs for change outside the church on Sunday morning

Display of hippy hoppy hats with colorful bands

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By David Murphy

David Murphy writes mystery novels, poetry, and other books, including a ranking of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
Visit his website at: www.davidlandonmurphy.com

2 replies on “Maya Calle — Sunsets, Skeletons, and Hippy Hoppy Hats!”

Most every photo was a surprise. Did you feel the same? Are you biking back now?

Back in the good ole US of A! By the way, I started reading The Savage Detectives when I was in Merida, a book by Roberto Bolano, and he kept mentioning Octavio Paz — since you asked me if I was reading Octavio, all the references to Paz had me thinking of you. 🙂 Hope all’s well! 🙂

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