There are various places around México City to shop for antiques and secondhand item.  On Saturday’s it’s going to the Plaza del Angel located, in México City’s La Zona Rosa.  Though I find this market a little more expensive than others I often go because I can find some real unusual and elegant items.

Last Saturday at the Plaza de Angel I found a book on the late artist Dr. Atl.  The book, titled Dr. Atl is a big picture book filled with numerous examples of Dr. Atl’s work, a letter from the President of México at the time, Luis Echeverria praising Dr. Atl and then the prologue written by Carlos Pellicer, one of México’s most poetic and literary gentleman.  My first inclination was that the book was going to be expensive – but it wasn’t.  I think this is because I found the book not in an antique bookstall but in a furniture store resting under a hat.

Being that I live on the street Dr. Atl in Col. Santa Maria la Ribera, I couldn’t wait to get home and show the book to my neighbor landlady, Mely.  But when I got to Mely’s apartment I noted she had company and said I could come back.  She said, no I want to introduce you to my friend Luis Aguirre an artist and someone I have not seen in a long time.

As I was showing Luis and Mely my book Luis shouts Hey, I recognize that book.  He opens the book to the inside cover and points to a handwritten dedication in the book, something I had missed.

Luis says, see, I wrote that dedication and he had, dated in 1981 – 29 years ago!

pictured below is Luis Aguirre,

the man that dedicated my book 29 years ago

with my lovely Mely.

When I first moved to Col. Santa Maria la Ribera in December 15, 2009, I not only loved the neighborhood but meeting an 81-year old artist, Humberto Martinez.

Mr. Martinez sketched everyday Monday through Saturday at the Café Alameda on Salvador Diaz Miron and on Sunday, he was at the Café Santa Maria on Dr. Atl.  He sketched with a passion, well that was how he made his living  – selling his sketches for $50 & $100 pesos, depending on the size of the sketch you selected.

I found Martinez’s prices to be a bargain for they were original and very detailed; Sketches he drew with a fine point Bic pen.  I always bought Martinez’s sketches, especially when he mentioned that he had not sold anything in a couple of days and he needed money for medication.  Though I never found out if this were true, I always bought work from Martinez – I mean he did need to eat.  Or really to buy and drink his strong espressos that he drank the whole time he was at the café – while smoking his filter less cigarettes.

When I was able to get a short story of Martinez published in the Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times he was thrilled.  Martinez displayed the copies of his stories on the table to display to customers.   After the articles were publish, Martinez was most happy to see that people were coming to pay him a visit and to purchase his art.  I always took guests from Dallas to meet Martinez.

But all this attention was short lived.  I had not seen Martinez in a couple of weeks.  The first week I thought maybe Martinez had maybe gone out of town.  But the week turned to two and three.  I went looking for Mr. Martinez at the Café Alameda.  I asked, where was Mr. Martinez and the young lady at the cafe frowned and said, he died.

I was shocked but not surprised.  I guess one cannot live forever on espressos and filter less cigarettes.  I miss seeing Martinez sketch and bringing him new customers that always wanted to meet THE artist of Col. Santa Maria la Ribera.

Click photo above of Martinez’s work for a short slideshow.

my tribute to a man that had made the world

& Col. Santa Maria a better place.

WOW:  Well I have not posted since November 28, 2009!  Well that is because I have been busy running around, I mean this is the holiday season so it is hard for me to sit still and blog.  My holiday season started the first week in December too :-)

In short: I went to San Luis de la Paz, Xichu, Mineral de Pozos and a Chichimeca Indian reservation.  Went to the lighting of world’s largest Christmas tree, something we have here in Mexico City sitting on Paseo de la Reforma.  Hey Placido Domingo gave a free Christmas concert at the Angel of Independence too and I was there.  Went to Christmas parties, have spent time with guests that came in from out of town.  Just walking around looking at Christmas decorations in Mexico City has been fun too.  And then of course I have been shopping. Living in México City is just grand.

Anyway, I promise to do regular postings on my blog at the beginning of the year and I also plan on getting published more by writing more columns and articles about my life in México City.  Too I will limit my alcohol intake and will eat better and start going to the gym, etc. etc.  All those things I have been trying to do for the last 40 years LOL.

Take a look of my recent pictures and videos by clicking the links above.  Don’t forget to keep up with my daily life, find me on FaceBook at facebook.com/jesuschairez and Twitter at http://twitter.com/JesusChairez as well.

Happy New Year and see you on a regular basis in come January 2010.

I have always felt that México was enchanted:  Full of card and palm readers,  Curanderos (healers) and witches.  A Mexican friend of mine that now lives in Dallas says that all this is “nonsense.”  But after she says that she also adds, BUT you now live in México and strange things happen there.  So here is my story of a strange happening  …

picture of aloe vera a.k.a. in Mexico as planta savila

Being that I saw numerous aloe vera plants sitting at the entrance of homes and businesses I asked why and I was told, to ward off mala vibra, negative energy.  So being I didn’t want negative energy in my home I got a plant too and put it at the entrance of my home – there my plant sat for months.

BUT then the other day I had a visitor, we talked, drank wine and then went to dinner.  We visited my home again and then he left:  I went to bed.

The next morning as I walked past my aloe vera plant I noted it was leaning to one side of the pot looking sickly. My first thought was that it needed water, but it looked fine the evening before – strange.  I picked up the pot and touched the plant and it flopped to the other side of the pot.  I picked up the plant itself and it came apart:  Did my guest, one that I had not known before, have bad energy?  Had the plant absorb the bad energy and kept it from me or from entering my home? Or did it just fade away?

I was going to throw the plant away in my kitchen trash can, but thought better of it:  I don’t want bad energy in my home so I took the dying plant and threw it in the garbage across the street.   I then walked to my local market, Mercado, to purchase another aloe vera plant or planta savila as it is called here.

As I carried my new plant home, I walked by the seamstress that does my sewing.   I said hello to the lady and stopped for a moment to chitchat – something I often do.  She saw my plant and says, that she keeps one at home and business too and pointed to the plant at the door.  I thought OK, but I didn’t mention what had happened to my plant.

Then she says, that the plant is not the original that she had when she opened the business six months ago.  She replaced the original because one day she noticed the plant was leaning in the pot, she had checked it out and it was dying.  But then she said, the base of the leaves had red like if it had been crying tears.  I said OMG, my plant too, which is why I was buying me another.

I cannot explain what happened, but my plant suddenly died after what I thought was a enjoyable visit:  As I left the lady said, be careful of whom you let into your home.

below pictures of my dying aloe vera that took the hit