Petatlán, Mexico, el veintitrés de Febrero, 2020

Even though there’s no paper to read on Sunday, I can still spend hours doing absolutely nothing!  Eventually I walked to the combis to go to Peta which is about an hour away.  I like to sit in the front with the driver so I have a window and can see out forward.  Taped to the dash was a funny sign        “This seat in front is not a hotel.  Do not fall asleep!”-

Heading south of Zihua, the land is rolling and very dry-

Petatlán is known for it’s magical church. Many miracles have happened so there are a lot of tiendas selling statues-

other religious paraphernalia-

as well as t-shirts-

that say “Remembering my visit to the Sanctuary of Father Jesus”.  I didn’t buy one-

Mass was in progress and the church was packed so I wandered around.  Next door is a statue of Padre Jesus carrying his cross.  There is a table next to it where someone, I saw a nun and then a man in plain clothes sprinkle holy water on people-

On the other side of the church is a room where one can light candles in remembrance of people and to ask for favours.  I like that it’s not in the church because the black smoke makes a mess of everything-

The town is also known for its gold shops and there are many-

I had an agua con piña which was so good, then tacos dorados with cerdo.  They were tasty too-

Finally the church cleared out, sort of.  Guadalupe is a Mexican national icon, thanks to Hermán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec Empire in 1521.  He came from Extremadura, home to Our Lady of Guadalupe. By the 16th century, the Extremadura Guadalupe , a statue of the virgin said to be carved by Saint Luke was already a national icon.  Sundays are huge days in Petatlán and there was even a photographer on site, ready and willing to take your picture in front of  Guadalupe.  There were many people walking around with their 8 x 10s-

A man explained to me that there have been many miracles have occurred in the church.  All you have to do is ask.  I will say that there was very strong energy there.  I felt huge pressure on my breast bone the whole time I was in the church.  

There is another statue of Padre Jesus with his cross above the altar-

Sundays are also big baptism days and the families were gathered in the centre of the church with the priest for this sacrament-

I caught a combi home and had a cold shower and lay on my bed in the air conditioning.  Frick it’s hot.  Tonight I went to the Zorro Sports Bar to watch Einarson barely beat Homan in the Women’s Curling Final.  Homan just doesn’t give up!  I visited with Joy, a retired teacher from Kelowna who is here for 5 weeks with 4 other women.  There was also couples from Minnedosa, Shoal Lake and Quesnal, BC.  Everyone was cheering for Manitoba.

Tomorrow I’m back to the pool, the beach and then to class.  Life is tough!