Category: In Pursuit of Monarchs

The chance to see the magnificent Monarch butterfly en masse and to learn about its migratory practices drew us to México.  These delicate but clearly hardy creatures move each year across practically the length of North America – from Canada to the mountains of central Mexico – to spend the winter.

But first – we must get there ourselves.   Our flight to Mexico City on a relatively small Aeromexico flight had the most traffic of physically-challenged people we have ever seen on a single plane.  Out of approximately 100 passengers, at least 15 of them gained priority boarding in wheelchairs.

Not quite sure what this means – but it made us happy to still be ambulatory, and conscious of the fact that we don’t have all the time in the world left…… perhaps like the Monarch butterflies, whose numbers are dwindling for reasons we will explore over the next week.

First stop in Mexico City – the Medellin market with earthy beans, lentils, peppers and spices….

Also pork skin or chicharrons, of which I am clearly not a fan…

Henry interviews a local purveyor of chicken to find out once and for all why the chickens here are yellower than those available commercially in the US….

The answer has to do with the corn-based cuisine and free-range lifestyle these birds enjoy in Mexico, versus the cramped cages and grain-based feed they get in the US. The Mexican poultry supposedly tastes richer…..

Love of dogs is a characteristic that many share across cultural and language divides…..Wouldn’t it be great if we could all bond together with our dogs and forget about political and religious differences?

Murals became a premiere art form in Mexico in the early 20th century, most notably by Diego Rivera, whose works reflected his communist convictions….. through glorification of the working class…..

And scorn for the capitalist society…… here watching their wealth grow on ticker tape in 1928 (before the stock market collapse that gave rise to the Great Depression).

Other works at the mural museum celebrate aspects of the Mexican economy and culture….

And the common history of Latin America as a whole….

From the mural museum, we hiked through the area surrounding the big cathedral in moderate rain…. Which did not dissuade this hurdy-gurdy player.

Henry hoped for divine intervention to bring out the sun…..

While a holy man of the Aztec community performed a cleansing ritual involving crushed herbs and smoke….

Speaking of Aztecs….. long before they emerged as a significant power in this part of the world, there was……. Teotihuacan. Near Mexico City is the site of an ancient metropolis that in its heyday (about 100 BC to 650 AD) had a population of as many as 100,000 people and a sophisticated economic and political structure. Aside from archeological remains, little is known of these people and why their culture crumbled in about 750 AD.

It’s now a major tourist site with lots of vendors, guides and other people hoping to make a bit of money off the many sightseers who come through. The enormous pyramids and broad sweeping thoroughfares are nonetheless breath-taking.

We easily traveled to the site with Uber, but unfortunately could not get a signal to summon a return to the city. A local “tour guide” offered to have a friend drive us back…. Who coincidentally had a credit card swiping machine

After several unsuccessful swipes, we became suspicious and opted to take the city bus back to town. All of which demonstrates that it’s all well and good to know where you’re going, but it’s also helpful to know how you’re going to get back again!

Next we will be joining our group to travel into the mountains west of Mexico City on our butterfly adventure.

On a personal and sad note – we had to say farewell to our beloved canine friend Raider a few weeks ago. He had a great run – taking care of us during the pandemic and joining us for several road trips. We will miss him greatly.

 

(There are many videos in this posting….. if you get email notification, please click on the words “Read on blog” or “Reader” in the upper right-hand corner so that you can see the dazzling moving pictures……)

The butterfly sanctuaries are in the mountains about 100 miles west and a little north of Mexico City. The small former mining town of Angangueo is the prime jumping-off point for treks to see the pretty pollinators and reminders are all over town:

Our group of 15 completely took over this charming hotel, with its equally colorful resident parakeet…..

Getting to the monarch nesting sites is not a quick trip. First you take an open 4-wheel-drive truck from the town to the entrance to the sanctuary, at about 10,000 feet in elevation.

From there, you cover the next 1,000 feet of elevation, first on horseback…

And then on foot (which can be a little challenging for those of us who live at sea level!)

Conditions were less than spectacular on our first foray….. it was cold and cloudy, followed later by sleet!

We were not quite prepared for our first sightings of butterflies to be of those who hadn’t survived…..

In these weather conditions, the Monarch roosts just look like clusters of leaves…..

A few broke loose and came to rest on human passers-by.

Unfortunately, adverse conditions brought an early end to Days 1 and 2.

The morning of Day 3, however, was a revelation….sunny and dry and thrilling for all of us, watching as the Monarchs emerged to enjoy the warmth and to get a drink of water.

Friends, we have literally hours of this material if you need more……

Just a few fun facts about the Monarch butterflies…..

— Although mankind has been aware for years of the annual migration from Canada to the southern part of North America, it was only in 1975 that intrepid wildlife scientists found the Monarch winter nesting sites near Angangueo….since then, ecotourism has grown, and local communities are actively involved in caring for and sustaining the environment that is so critical to their continued existence.

— The life span of a Monarch butterfly is typically 2 to 6 weeks; however, the generation that is born in Canada in August each year will live for 7 to 9 months in order to make the migration south to Mexico and reproduce for the good of the species.

— Collective nouns for a group of butterflies can include “flutter” and “kaleidoscope”. How apt!

A couple of closing photos just for fun…. A beautiful view of the mountains, and an irresistibly-gorgeous young rooster with attitude.

After several days following the butterflies, we return to Mexico City for a few more days via the town of Toluca. Thanks to the World Wildlife Fund and its travel partner, Natural Habitat, for a spectacular experience. More later!

Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, is the site of a botanical garden with a magnificent stained glass installation – the Cosmovitral, designed and built to express the relationship between humankind and the universe. And the flowers and plants were nice too..

Definitely worth a side-trip!

Some friends and acquaintances expressed concern about our trip to Mexico – the thugs, the cartels, the victimization of innocent tourists! Even the US State Department issues dire warnings about travel there. We honestly felt quite comfortable, even with our unescorted wanderings in Mexico City; that said, it is always wise to be aware of your surroundings, keep a low-key profile, and respect the integrity of the people and places you encounter. And Mexico has such beautiful places, sweet people and gorgeous scenery…. A shame to pass it up.

We stayed in three distinctive but centrally-located neighborhoods in the City….

• In Roma Norte, a lovely quiet neighborhood… mostly residential but with diverse intimate eateries and shops – many catering to dog-lovers. The bed and breakfast was small, in a turn-of-the-century townhouse on a pedestrian alleyway – with a pretty breakfast table.

• Near Chapultepec Park – which contains lots of attractions, including the anthropological and other museums, a huge castle, fountains and monuments – and dog walkers! Also the Voladores de Papantla, acrobats who perform an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony by climbing and then descending from a 100-foot pole while sacred music is played on flute and drum. (It is thought the ritual is meant to bring rain from the gods. Sometimes they comply.)

• The Zona Rosa… a popular neighborhood with a vibrant street scene and some historical and cultural points of interest

A thrill of going to a big city for those of us from the sticks is the availability of different kinds of food. One cuisine that is abundantly available in East Texas is Mexican and Tex-Mex (in addition to hamburgers and BBQ). One thing we don’t often find at home is inventive vegetarian fare!

And so, spirits renewed and enlightened, we head home, where a couple of faithful canines wait for us…..

We are grateful to have found a fabulous home/dog sitting couple who kept everything together beautifully in our absence. Our next foray will be to Western Europe this summer…to be joined part of the time by Henry’s daughter Holly and her family.

Thanks for reading, and hasta luego!