Topic by Category: Sandra del Castillo

By Guest Blogger Sandra del Castillo
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”  And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:2-4
In the early 90’s my children and I lived in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. [...]

Spring Cleaning & Spring Equinox- equinox is the time of year when the length of the day and night are equal.
“Solo venimos a sembrar, solo venimos a cortar flores…” -Nahuatl poem
This year the vernal equinox arrives at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20th. All over Mexico thousands will dress in white and go to the pyramids [...]

“La Anciana and the Solstice”
“Around her hearth is where she plays music and resounds- says, shouts and whistles, says. She is the mistress of the household says… Her voice and her breath are good, says. There is no problem nor any difficulty, says. There is no garbage, there is no dust- says.
Around her [...]

From guest blogger Sandra del Castillo, mythologist, writer, and performance artist – a comment on Maria Sabina.
It begins w/an excerpt of her chants during the velada ceremony and concludes with a very brief overview of her work, from a mythopoetic viewpoint
María Sabina: March 17, 1894- November 22, 1985,
Huatla, Oaxaca, Mexico
“Holy Mary, says
She [...]

La Llorona, the wailing woman, remains one of Mexico’s most prevalent legends. A version not so renowned comes from the state of Michoacán. In Purhépecha lore, the Llorona archetypes were called Auicanimes or Naná Ku-Kú.  These were women who died in labor, trying to give birth to their first child.
Having observed their plight, the benevolent [...]