Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruiz

El Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruiz (Eduardo Ruiz' national park) is situated in Uruapan, Michoacan. This park is composed of various man-made fountains in order to display the beauty of its waterfalls along with its immense vegetation. The national park is the only natural park in Mexico situated inside a city. With 527 hectares, and situated on a hill the park gives birth to the Cupatitzio river, which in the Purepecha dialect means "singing river."

Another main component of the park are the legends that "created" the park. One of the most popular legends about the park is the "Devil's Knee" legend. According to the people of the community, during the year 1530, many strange and evils things were happening in that place. At that time Friar Juan de San Miguel, was visiting Uruapan from Spain. The community asked the Friar to bless and spread holy water to the place in order to get the evil out of the place. When the friar was blessing the place,the devil showed up kneeling down and asking for forgiveness. The devil disappeared, but he left his knee marked on a rock. At that moment water started coming out of the rock and that is how the park came to exist. This and many other legends have been invented as to the creation of the park.

Inside the park there are huts and booths selling snacks such as fresh fruit, and traditional dishes such as enchiladas but with the Uruapan style. Outside the park there are also street vendors selling homemade ice cream and fruit bars. One of the popular ice cream flavors are tequila and the popular avocado fruit bar(since Uruapan is considered to be the world's capital of the avocado). Across from the park, there are also street vendors selling handcrafts such as flower vases, frames, cups and many other home decors.

Las Posadas

Las posadas are a Mexican tradition that start on December 16, and last until December 24. These nine days commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. The posadas are popular in every town of Mexico. In order to celebrate the posadas, the local church assigns a specific day to each barrio, in the town, so they can host the posada for the rest of the community. Then the people of the designated barrio get together and decide who is going to make or cooperate for the the pinatas, the goody bags,the traditional ponche (hot punch), and nowadays the DJ. Once everything has been decided, and organized the celebration begins.

The posada usually starts at 7 or 8 p.m. The people from the barrio and the rest of the town gathers up at an specific location to start the procession. Candles and artificial lights are passed out to the people. Also two kids from the neighborhood dress up as Joseph and Mary; and sometimes even a small donkey is brought in to the posada in order to carry Mary. Once every one has gather up, the people start singing villancicos (Christmas carols) from door to door. Until they get to the house where they are going to be able to "stay" for the night. Once they are allowed to enter the party begins.

First, the goody bags are distributed to the kids, and the hot punch to the adults. Sometimes the "hosts" make tamales or pozole in order to give out the the people. After everybody is done eating and drinking; its pinata time! The kids then, get a turn to hit the pinata until it brakes. After that is done the dance begins. The new trend for posadas is to include a DJ for the celebration. The posada ends with the DJ, and depending on the barrio's budget the DJ can play up to 2 or 3 a.m.

La Feria de San Marcos

La Feria de San Marcos, Aguascalientes is one of the most popular and biggest fairs in Mexico. This fair is famous for its variety of pavilions, atractions and expos. The begining of this fair dates back to 1828, when the community started celebrating and honoring the patron Saint Marcos. One of the most important days in the fair is April 25th, which is the day designated to honor the saint. This year the fair will begin on April 23 and last until May 15, 2011. Each year, a state from Mexico is choosen to represent their gastronomy, arts and culture at the fair. This year's nominated state was Chiapas.

Some of the activities at the fair include the Teatro del Pueblo (the people's theather). In the theather, various artists of all genres perform including: Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez , Julieta Venegas, La Rondalla de Saltillo and many more. Another traditional activity that takes place at the fair is the Palenque (regulated cockfights), at the cockfights there are also music performances by the regional artists and most important of all money bets.

Another of the popular atractions of the fair is The Fiesta Brava (the brave party). This atraction consists of bull fights, since bull fights are really popular in the Aguascalientes' region, they had to be included at the fair. Everyday there's a bull run at the Plaza de Toros(bullring).

Besides the atractions there are also four sweepstakes, in which kids, can participate by creating a painting or a story about the fair. For the adults, the contests consist of creating a culinary dish or a tipical regional gown, representing the fair and the customs of Aguascalientes. These and many other activities can be found at the fair. With the three weeks the fair lasts, one can enjoy of all the expos and attractions.

Spring Break

Do you need another Spring Break? If so, then, the perfect destination to go to is Jerez, Zacatecas. In Jerez, Zacatecas, you will have the opportunity to enjoy their Feria de la Primavera (Spring Fair). This year the festivities will start on April 23 and last until May 2, 2011, so you can have plenty of time to see and experience the customs and traditions of the Jerez community. For each and every day of the fair, there are plenty of activities to do.

One of the highlights of the fair is their Sabado de Gloria celebration (Holy Saturday). Holy Saturday is a religious day in which Catholics prepare for Easter Sunday, thus ending the lent season. Some of the traditions that this day include are the burning of Judas, which signifies the burning of the evil. Another common tradition is to throw water at each other, signifying the starting of a new spirit and cleansing the soul from evil. However, in this fair instead of using water, the community uses beer. So be prepared for a beer rain!

At the fair, the charros (Mexican Traditional Horsemen) parade around the streets of Jerez with their dancing horses. The charros also perform some other type of equestrian activities at the local arena. Moreover, through out the day and all around the plaza, there are many local regional bands playing. If you want to contract the band for an hour or more they'll gladly play all the songs you wish to hear for a negotiable amount of money. The night ends with the traditional dance, where regional bands such as La Autentica Banda Jerez, La Numero Uno Banda Jerez and many other local bands play until 3 a.m.