Mazatlan, Part 2: the Cathedral

We also went to the cathedral in Mazatlan, which was interesting. It was pretty run down and I think the brick was actually just an idea someone had—they just painted rectangles on plaster, I think. The cathedral was very impressive and featured some technological improvements. You know the little red devotional candles? The votives, if were raised protestant? Well, I like the votives, even if they are a hassle or whatever or a fire hazard. Well, they now make votives with electric flames. So now you can go to the votive station (I was raised Presbyterian) and put your money in and get an electric flame. Also, they had random little glass boxes with small dolls inside them. I saw a woman praying to one of the dolls and they were in the middle of a mass, so we just had to decide on our own that the dolls were for individual people maybe? Who were important in the community? There were little boxes of dolls all around, kind of like those collectable dolls from the 80’s—kid faces but ornate dresses and hair you can brush? Also, there were confessionals that were very cavalier. The place for the priest had a screen that would cover his face and an ornate top that was wicker and had a cross at the top, but nothing covered his knees or hands. And the confessor was as covered as you would be in an average voting booth with no curtain—just a foot wide slab that separated you from the congregation—but your back would be totally visible. Entirely not private. There are babies all over Mazatlan, so either the church is really successful or not at all.

Also, oddly, there is a shoe shine section in Mazatlan. This is right by the cathedral. There were 2 solid blocks of the central square, all for shoe shining. Of course!

We then had lunch in a café over the market, with a terrace that overlooked the street. There were two very dirty parakeets in a cage behind us who were textbook dirty birds with a bent metal bottom. Becky had a fun time making dirty bird jokes, then an old man came in and spoke to the birds and jumped up and down like he was possibly insane.

A great sight today was watching 4 Mexican guys trudge through the sand on the beach. One was carrying a standup bass, two had acoustic guitars, one had one snare drum. They were walking with about 6 feet between them.

Also, there are always cats on the beaches of Acapulco—I have to add this in case I forget. It seems completely against everything that it means to be a cat, except for the litter box part. Still, they love it and even take naps. On the sand, out in the open. O cats.