LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN CELEBRATES FELIZ NAVIDAD IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO AT LA PARROQUIA PARISH CHURCH 2013

Feliz Navidad to everyone from San Miguel de Allende, December 2013

San Miguel de Allende's Christmas tree stands before the Parroquia church

Giant Christmas tree at the San Miguel de Allende Jardin

Metal pointed stars and oil cloth stuffed hearts
decorate San Miguel's Christmas tree

Parroquia church the San Miguel de Allende Jardin

Gigante puppet at the San Miguel de Allende Christmas tree

Gigante puppet at the San Miguel de Allende Christmas tree

Laurie Beth Zuckerman wishes you FELIZ NAVIDAD!! I just took a magical trip to San Miguel de Allende in Colonial Mexico, timed to enjoy the twinkling Christmas season with its exuberant religious festivals and processions. The only thing missing was the Baby Jesus in the mangers. Not to worry, there are plenty of different size baby Jesuses on sale at the Artesans Marketplace holiday stalls. Wish I could have stayed in San Miguel through Christmas Day to photograph all of the mangers celebrating the birth of Jesus. Below are my photos of miniature and life-size nativity scenes in San Miguel, known as Nacimientos.

San Miguel de Allende's Christmas manger awaits the birth of Jesus.
This life-size creation stands before the La Parroquia parish church on the Jardin.

El Mercado de Artesanias sells a wide variety of handmade Nativity Scenes.

El Mercado de Artesanias sells small and large Baby Jesuses
for display in traditional home manger scenes, known as Nacimientos.

A Nacimiento photographed in progress at the Casa Carmen Bed and Breakfast.

The completed Nacimiento greets guests at the Casa Carmen Bed and Breakfast.
It is decorated with several varieties of living moss and antique clay figurines.

Love and thanks to my dear Rebecca Brooks for sharing her favorite secrets of San Miguel de Allende with all of us on her Loving Lupita Journey, December 10-19, 2013. I loved every magic moment. Stay tuned for more of my adventures from our journey to this historical World Heritage city in Mexico.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN TOURS SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE WITH REBECCA BROOKS

On December 10, 2013, Laurie Beth Zuckerman will finally meet her artist friend, Rebecca Brooks in person. Over these past many years, our shared blog posts, facebook remarks, and personal emails have nurtured our relationship in cyberspace and deepened our mutual love and spiritual connection to Mexico and all things Mary. Finally we will come together in real space to share Rebecca's Loving Lupita tour of San Miguel de Allende. We arrive just in time to celebrate the festivals of La Virgen de Guadalupe. I just happen to share a birthday with the Guadalupe on December 12. 

Rebecca has invited me to teach my Memory Nicho Altar workshop in conjunction with her folk art and church tour of the region. Eight of the ten women on the trip will work with me over the course of our ten-day journey to create their own interpretation of a Guadalupe shrine, using a variety of old folk art and painting techniques. I can't wait to meet everyone and begin!!!

Above is a photo of the Guadalupe I took in 2005 on my first trip to San Miguel de Allende. I hope to find many more sweet and inspiring images of the Mother of Mexico to share on my blog. Meanwhile, below is a tiled Guadalupe shrine I encountered in the municipal cemetery in Oaxaca, Mexico during the Guadalupe festival of 2009. Dried up Día de los Muertos flowers are still decorating the shrine.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE FESTIVAL IN OAXACA

Laurie Beth Zuckerman photographed these wildly colored and beautifully eclectic Guadalupe shrines in Oaxaca, Mexico during the festival of the Virgen de Guadalupe outside of the Guadalupe church. Each of these lifesize shrine displays were designed and painted by individual vendors. The chairs and donkeys are used as props for children and parents to pose with the Guadalupe and Juan Diego for professional photographs.

On December 10, I travel to San Miguel de Allende for the festival of the Virgen de Guadalupe. I hope to find and photograph similar shrines at the churches and marketplaces celebrating the Mother of Mexico.