Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Caracus

Quote:"For hours, they wait under the sun for their turn to pay penance. They kneel down and proceed on their knees towards the town's church while praying for a miracle to be granted". By Irene Caselli BBC News, Naiguata http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-22753331

BOOK: Venezuela El Avila by Eco Ediciones I found this book on eBay at thrift books.


I love the tropics. The city of Caracas has old world charm with modern tastes. In spite of the unrest or maybe because of it the spiritual atmosphere is evident. The statues and art tell the essence of the Venezuela courage.

As we continue touring the city, fountains and clouds on the mountain help us think cool thoughts.You can see Avila from every part of Caracas. Caracas is called the Sultana Del Avila (Ruler of the Avila.) The Caribbean Sea is on the other side of the mountain. Ninety five per cent of the people of Venezuela live closest to the Caribbean Sea. The other five percent are located south of the Orinoco River.

We saw a lot of artist shops and other fine places to shop and purchase souvenirs along the Plaza De Altamer. I thought the yellow house was a spectacular attraction on our tour. Everyone was taking pictures. I continue to wonder what Simon Bolivar would think of today’s problems in this country.

We all took many pictures. I hope Neva can build a poem around the statues of the dancing devils. A little fast research on my phone explained their ferocious looks. The costumes depicted are from rituals built by enslaved African and the indigenous of Venezuela. They are part of the symbols the Spanish church attempted to eradicate. Like all such historical folklore it was eventually swallowed up within the church and changed to fit the evolving culture. They are now a part of the feast of Corpus Christie.

Los Diablos Danzantes (Devil Dancers), dressed in devilish costumes move through the streets. They visit shops and homes purging evil and are given gifts for their efforts. Women and men both dance but only the men dance in the streets. There are beautiful carpets with intricate artwork laid in the streets with colored sawdust. The carpets are not touched until the Devils dance through the streets crossing the carpets. Only certain parts of Caracas participate in this ritualistic dancing. The amount of horns on a mask is a symbol of the hierarchy of the dancers. The dance ends with the devils bowing in submission to the church. Venezuela declared this traditional a part of their national heritage in 2002.

We had to take two vans furnished by the hotel to tour today. The drivers knew how to get us to the places we wanted to tour safely as some of the main thoroughfares are blocked by protestors. There were more police and tear gas raids against the protestors in the night since yesterday when Nicolas Maduro arrested the leaders of the opposition Leopold Lopez and Antonio Ledezma. This is being viewed by internationals as an outrage. Peru has stepped up to accept the flow of refuges leaving Venezuela.

I just heard that there is a young Mormon couple who were arrested one year ago still being held in the prisons. They are newly weds who were arrested 3 days after their marriage. The young man in from the USA. The women is Venezuelan. Pleas for help to once President Obama, and now President Trump and Nicolas Maduro by the family have not achieved any results in their release so far.

It was a long day and we were all glad to be able to continue touring the many sites of Caracas safely so far. Even Blue Moon is taking the political unrest well as we travel around. It will be good to relax in the hotels comfort. Perhaps, I can take a swim before I turn in for the night. Swimming and reading will relax me for a good nights rest. No pillow fight Kittiara. I’m sure Lyn has a full day planned for tomorrow.