The Poinsettia
Day 21
I only have 5 more days here in Mexico City. I wish I could take Abuela Inez, Victor, Cecilia, Ana, and Crespin with me to Mérida. We are going to see the ruins of the Aztec capital city Tenochtitlan today. Actually, we are visiting the ruins of Templo Mayor, the main temple of the ancient city. Mexico City was built on top of the ruins of Tenochtitlan so there are not a whole lot of visitor sites. I am still ecstatic to see what does remain of this amazing historical site. I have to go get ready. It is going to be a long day!
Day 26
I wanted to write a little before I packed my bags and went to the airport. The Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan was amazing. I am traveling to Mérida today. I am really sad to leave the wonderful family that I have been staying with but ready to see what the rest of my trip has to offer. I will write again when I get to Mérida. --Ellie
Here is a picture of Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor:
Day 26, Mérida.
I only have 5 more days here in Mexico City. I wish I could take Abuela Inez, Victor, Cecilia, Ana, and Crespin with me to Mérida. We are going to see the ruins of the Aztec capital city Tenochtitlan today. Actually, we are visiting the ruins of Templo Mayor, the main temple of the ancient city. Mexico City was built on top of the ruins of Tenochtitlan so there are not a whole lot of visitor sites. I am still ecstatic to see what does remain of this amazing historical site. I have to go get ready. It is going to be a long day!
Day 26
I wanted to write a little before I packed my bags and went to the airport. The Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan was amazing. I am traveling to Mérida today. I am really sad to leave the wonderful family that I have been staying with but ready to see what the rest of my trip has to offer. I will write again when I get to Mérida. --Ellie
Here is a picture of Tenochtitlan's Templo Mayor:
Day 26, Mérida.
My plane landed
about two hours ago. I just arrived at the place
I am staying and unpacked. For those of you that don't know
Mérida is located in the Yucatán Peninsula in the
southern part of Mexico. It is very tropical here. I am
loving the weather. Mérida is
nicknamed "The White City" but no one is really sure why. Some
people say it is because the city is really clean. There is quite
a bit of things to do and see here so it looks like I am going to be
pretty busy. I can't wait to try the food. It is different
from what most people think of as "Mexican" food. I am going to
go out right now and try some salbutes and panuchos which are cooked
tortillas topped with things like turkey, chicken, and lettuce with
habanero peppers. Yum!!
Day 30
Today I went walking around the city and saw all the wonderful sites that this city offers. The oldest cathedral in North America is in Mérida. I visited it today. I also went to the Museo de Arte Popular (The Museum of Popular Art). It showcased magnificent art from ethnic groups all around Mexico. While walking back towards the place I am staying, a man selling flowers stopped me. He had all kinds of beautiful flowers in his street-side stand. I stuck around for a minute to talk to him.
"What is your favorite flower?" the flower man asked to me.
"Lillies. But during the Christmas season I love poinsettias. They are such a deep, pretty red," I answered.
"Poinsettias, we call them Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) here in Mexico. Would you like to know why they turn that beautiful red color during the Christmas season?" the man asked as he handed me a bouquet of flowers.
"Sure, I love stories." I then turned all my attention to what the man was saying as he began the story of the poinsettia....
Poinsettias grow wild here in Mexico so they are everywhere. They haven't always turned red at Christmas though. A poor, young girl named Pepita did not have anything to give Christ at the Christmas Day services. She was really sad that she didn't have an offering so she stopped on the way to the church and picked some wild flowers. She got to the church and placed her scarce-looking bouquet of blooming weeds at the altar. As soon as she sat the weeds at the altar, the leaves turned a beautiful red. Everyone was amazed at such a miracle, and on Christmas Day none the less. Every since that day, poinsettias have always turned red during Christmas.
"Wow. What a great story!" I said. "Thank you for taking the time to tell it to me. I have to get going now. Thanks again!"
Isn't that a great story? I am really tired. I have had a long, exciting day. --Until Next Time, Ellie
Author's Note: I chose to tell the story of why the poinsettia turns red during the Christmas season. I chose for Ellie to hear this story from a man selling flowers on the street. This made the most sense because it is a story about a flower. The story of why the poinsettia turns red is a rather short story so I added a lot of details leading up to the actual story. Since the original story was so short, I was able to add my own details and decided exactly what would happen in the story. This story is very different from the other stories in my storybook. The previous two stories, El Chupacabra and La Llorona, were not as pleasant as the story of the Poinsettia. El Chupacabra was a bit mysterious and scary, as was La Llorona. They were not necessarily sad stories but they were not happy ones either. The Poinsettia is a story with a happy ending that is not the least bit scary. Ellie finished up her trip in Mexico City in this story and will finish up in Mérida in the next story. She will also travel to Cordoba and hear the story of The Mulatta of Cordoba. She will be wrapping up her trip and heading back home.
Image Information
Poinsettia. 416-Florist
Templo Mayor. Sheryll
Bibliography
Mérida, Yucatán. Wikipedia.
Story: The Poinsettia
Book: Mexico: A Primary Source Cultural Guide
Author: Allan B. Cobb
Year Published: 2004
Web Source: Google Books
Day 30
Today I went walking around the city and saw all the wonderful sites that this city offers. The oldest cathedral in North America is in Mérida. I visited it today. I also went to the Museo de Arte Popular (The Museum of Popular Art). It showcased magnificent art from ethnic groups all around Mexico. While walking back towards the place I am staying, a man selling flowers stopped me. He had all kinds of beautiful flowers in his street-side stand. I stuck around for a minute to talk to him.
"What is your favorite flower?" the flower man asked to me.
"Lillies. But during the Christmas season I love poinsettias. They are such a deep, pretty red," I answered.
"Poinsettias, we call them Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) here in Mexico. Would you like to know why they turn that beautiful red color during the Christmas season?" the man asked as he handed me a bouquet of flowers.
"Sure, I love stories." I then turned all my attention to what the man was saying as he began the story of the poinsettia....
Poinsettias grow wild here in Mexico so they are everywhere. They haven't always turned red at Christmas though. A poor, young girl named Pepita did not have anything to give Christ at the Christmas Day services. She was really sad that she didn't have an offering so she stopped on the way to the church and picked some wild flowers. She got to the church and placed her scarce-looking bouquet of blooming weeds at the altar. As soon as she sat the weeds at the altar, the leaves turned a beautiful red. Everyone was amazed at such a miracle, and on Christmas Day none the less. Every since that day, poinsettias have always turned red during Christmas.
"Wow. What a great story!" I said. "Thank you for taking the time to tell it to me. I have to get going now. Thanks again!"
Isn't that a great story? I am really tired. I have had a long, exciting day. --Until Next Time, Ellie
Author's Note: I chose to tell the story of why the poinsettia turns red during the Christmas season. I chose for Ellie to hear this story from a man selling flowers on the street. This made the most sense because it is a story about a flower. The story of why the poinsettia turns red is a rather short story so I added a lot of details leading up to the actual story. Since the original story was so short, I was able to add my own details and decided exactly what would happen in the story. This story is very different from the other stories in my storybook. The previous two stories, El Chupacabra and La Llorona, were not as pleasant as the story of the Poinsettia. El Chupacabra was a bit mysterious and scary, as was La Llorona. They were not necessarily sad stories but they were not happy ones either. The Poinsettia is a story with a happy ending that is not the least bit scary. Ellie finished up her trip in Mexico City in this story and will finish up in Mérida in the next story. She will also travel to Cordoba and hear the story of The Mulatta of Cordoba. She will be wrapping up her trip and heading back home.
Image Information
Poinsettia. 416-Florist
Templo Mayor. Sheryll
Bibliography
Mérida, Yucatán. Wikipedia.
Story: The Poinsettia
Book: Mexico: A Primary Source Cultural Guide
Author: Allan B. Cobb
Year Published: 2004
Web Source: Google Books