¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

He was the joke of the country. He went to the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Latin America's largest literary event, to campaign for his Presidency. When asked to name an important book in his life, it took him several extremely awkward seconds to realize that he, in fact, could not think of a single book. So his reponse was, "Uhhhh . . . well . ..  uhhhh . . . passages . . . passages of the Bible?" When asked to share one his favorite passages of the Bible, his response was, "Some passages of it."

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

"The truth is, when I read a book, I often don't fully register the title." 

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

His daughter responded to this debacle by sending out an angry Tweet calling those who criticized her father as being envious, proletariat wimps. 

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

When asked what the minimum wage is in Mexico, he confidently responded that it was 900 pesos per day. It is actually 60 pesos per day. When asked how much a kilo of tortillas costs, he said, "I am not the housewife."

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

He fathered two children from two different women all while being married to another woman. This woman died suddenly and mysteriously. Now he is married to a soap opera star. 

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

He became the face of a billboard campaign promoting adultery. The billboard looks like this: 

 (Unfaithful to his family. Faithful and committed to his country.)

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

A story was released by the Guardian in May outing the Presidential Candidate and his ties with the media super-giant, Televisa. Turns out, the polls that had him 20 points ahead for the entire year leading up to the elections were all fabricated, and that they had promised to give him only favorable coverage. Televisa is the largest media corporation in Latin America, and controls two-thirds of the programming on Mexican television. 

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

When he was governor of the state of Mexico, he ordered one of the most horrific and repressive policies that the country has ever witnessed. 3 people were killed. 206 people were tortured. 26 women were raped. 10 human rights were violated: arbitrary detention, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, burglary, false imprisonment, lack of communication, torture, sexual abuse and rape, right to life, rights of minors, and rights to legality and legal certainty.

He specifically ordered the rape of women as a tactic to break down the will of the people. In May of this year, when he was asked if he felt regret about this decision, his response was "I decided to use the police to maintain order and peace ... the incidents were enacted ... the action was legitimate right to use the police to restore peace and order."

And all because the government wanted the people's land to build an airport.

¡Ay, que Peña Nieto!

Despite all of this, and the countless other tremendously immature, sexist, racist, classist and idiotic things that he has said and done, he is the next President of Mexico. 

Why? Because he looks like this: 

And has this:

And is besties with these people:

. . . Ay, que Peña Nieto . . . 

Feria de San Antón

Last Friday, our sweet little Colonia San Antón transformed from a typical Mexican neighborhood with storefront bakeries, mechanic shops and fruit stands to a booming, bustling festival of carnival games, fried foods and double-layered trampolines. This week was the festival of San Antonio, the patron saint and namesake of our neighborhood. Each year in each neighborhood or small town in Mexico, celebrations take place to honor the Patron Saint of that neighborhood or town - but mostly it's an excuse to stay up late, walk in the street and eat as much elote as your body can handle.

Everyone who lives on the street has a love/hate relationship with the feria. For the most part, I love it. I love sitting in my apartment hearing children squeal with delight as they bounce up and down on a trampoline that is 15 feet in the air. The smell of elote and tacos floating in through the windows is something that has become so comforting and sweet and delicious. Greeting the umbrella seller and the chamoyada stand that have a temporary home two feet from my doorway make me feel like we've got a nice, little community here. And the best part is the hour long parade of the Morelos-born Chinelos, traditional dancers dressed up to make fun of the Spanish conquistadors, who walk and dance and jump and blast their trumpets twice a day for ten days in a row, never hinting that they are hot or tired or have done this 20 times before. 

The down-side to the festival is the fireworks (not the pretty kind, but the loud kind) that blast from our next-door lot at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, 5 am and then about 100 to 150 at 6 am. Also, throughout the day. Always when you least expect it. 

It's not my favorite. And as they continually go off tonight and as I smell the smoke and see the residue, I'm a little anxious for the end of this fest. But until then, here's a little snippet of the fair:

That's our house! (the green one)

Daily Chinelo Parade