Revelations of the heart of Frida, by Suzanne Ludekens, Sept, 15, 2006, Corner drugstore mixes pre-Hispanic and colonial traditions, By Jesús Ibarra, Blow in the New Year—5767, By Pat Hirschl, Amigos de Animales honored

Can anything new be discovered about Mexico’s most famous artist, Frida Kahlo? Since the publication of Hayden Herrera’s biography of Frida Kahlo in 1983, an international best-seller, Kahlo and her art have taken on legendary proportions.

Her face and artwork appear on every imaginable item, from t-shirts and shopping bags to fridge magnets. Her life—tortured by physical pain and tormented by her deep love for her husband, muralist Diego Rivera—is the subject of films, theater productions and even musicals. Her work has inspired numerous imitations in the art world. Yet there remains more to discover of her, and there is now a unique opportunity in San Miguel to pursue personal insights into the life and work of this exceptional and intricately self-aware woman.

On the top floor of the 16th-century building that is home to the store Casa Maxwell is “The Heart of Frida”—the new, private gallery presenting an exclusive exhibit of original love letters and drawings by Frida Kahlo. The exhibit comprises six ink drawings and the remarkable contents of a small wooden box of 37 articles, including 8 letters in self-addressed envelopes, 27 notes and 2 postcards. The love letters and notes offer a passionate view of the main themes of Kahlo’s life—her health, politics and above all her love for Diego.

The exploration of the letters took the couple on a privileged journey into the world of Mexican art and culture. They met art historians, translators and even ex-students of Kahlo in preparation for creating the gallery. From the moment Graeme purchased the drawings and the letters contained in a small, decorated wooden box with “Coyocan, Frida Kahlo, 1950” painted on the inside of the lid, he envisioned a public exhibit of the works. “I sensed that this collection was private,” said Graeme. “That it was not meant to be public, unlike her diary that was always kept on her bedside for all to see, and that it held enormous value for residents and tourists of San Miguel.”

Since September 19, 2005, when Graeme took possession of the letters, he worked with several translators to find the most accurate interpretation of the pieces. For three months Graeme worked with Carlos Vasquez, who transcribed the pieces and faced the arduous task of interpreting Kahlo’s language to create an English translation. More time passed as James Frey, Nitza Ruiz, Pakina Lagenscheidt, Elena Brown and Kris Kegel reviewed the translations.

Reproductions of the letters, notes and drawings were collected in the book The Wounded Eagle: The Courage and Creativity of Frida Kahlo to document the collection and to begin authentication. Fernando Diaz, a San Miguel gallery owner and art history professor at the National Institute of Bellas Artes (INBA), put Graeme in contact with Mexico City artist Arturo García Bustos, who was one of Kahlo’s students—one of “Los Fridos.” García followed Kahlo to paint with her at her home after poor health forced her to give up teaching at the public art school La Esmeralda in 1943. A renowned and highly respected painter, García authenticated the collection early in 2006.

García wrote about the collection: “I can express…my observations about the authenticity of this material because during that time it was possible for me to get to know her unique personality, writing and her pictorial techniques ….

I am pleased to be able to affirm and place my reputation upon 43 authentic pieces of the twentieth century artist of great importance, Frida Kahlo, for which purpose this letter of authenticity attests the originality of these pictorial works, notes, letters and writings that make up the portfolio ‘The Wounded Eagle.’”

An emotional journey of love and pain

According to biographer Herrera, “Frida’s intelligence and humor shone through those eyes; they … revealed her mood: devouring, bewitching, or skeptical and withering.” Those very moods are reflected in the poetic content of the letters and notes of the exhibit. But don’t expect sweet expressions of undying love; the sentiments range from explosive sensual passion to caustic impulsive accusations of betrayal. Exposing the tormented depths of Frida’s love for her husband, these secret documents reveal her complex nature filled with ambiguities and contradiction and disclose other aspects of this woman who lived her life with such intensity that it renders our lives pale in comparison.

Several of the Secret Drawings are on the back of losing lottery tickets, testimony to Frida’s love of popular Mexican culture and depicting her portrait as an impaled butterfly or a crippled eagle. The juxtaposition with her note “The Earthquake” suggests a cascading, sensual passion that ends with the bitter accusation that she made a person of Diego—as she tells him he will sink in a tide of evil. Throughout the exhibit, the pieces move the viewer through powerful emotions, making it both an artistic experience and a highly charged emotional experience.

The pieces in the “Secret Letters” show Frida’s sadness, confusion and anger with irony and powerful suffering.

Local author Lulu Torbert recently saw a preview of the exhibit and said, “I was bowled over by ‘The Heart of Frida.’ It is a gem of a show. Graeme Howard has created an exquisite showcase for this recently discovered trove of Frida Kahlo’s letters and drawings. Visitors will surely take great pleasure in the setting and the browsable library and will appreciate the meticulous presentation and documentation. This small museum sets a high standard for art exhibition in San Miguel. It’s a great addition to our town.”

The exhibit opens to the public on Monday, October 2. There is no admission cost, but the exhibition is dedicated to the Red Cross, and Graeme and Joanne hope the public will reflect their enjoyment through generous donations. They hope to raise 750,000 pesos for the indispensable Red Cross emergency service that handles up to 100 calls weekly. The funds will be used to increase staff salaries and hire more desperately needed staff. To make online reservations, visit www.Frida2007.com

Between 1919 and 1979, the old drugstore called Botica del Sagrado Corazón was located in the building that was once Ignacio Allende’s house. In 1979 the house became a museum. In an attempt to revive an old Mexican tradition, the association “Amigos del Museo” conceived the idea of recreating the drugstore in the same place where it was originally located. Today, four years later, the project is completed, and sanmiguelenses and tourists can admire the old drugstore, a mix of the pre-Hispanic Mexican tradition of herbalism and the colonial drugstores of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The drugstore’s beginnings

The building currently housing the Casa de Allende museum was originally a property of Ignacio Allende’s parents. After the beginning of the war of independence in 1810, the houses of the rebels were confiscated by the Spanish crown, among them Allende’s house.

Years later, after Mexico had gained independence, the house was recovered, but Allende’s family had left San Miguel. The building was bought by Don Enrique González, in whose family it remained until 1919, when Don José María Vega bought it.

Vega was a pharmacist who had previously worked for Don Francisco Lazo, owner of the original Botica del Sagrado Corazón, located at the corner of Plaza Principal and Reloj, where an ice cream and donut store now stands.

When he bought the building, Vega also bought the rights to the drugstore from Don Francisco, and he installed it in his new property, in the location where it now has been recreated. The drugstore remained a property of the Vega family until 1979, when the last of the siblings, Guadalupe Vega, died, and the descendants sold the house to the local government. At that point it became a museum.

The drugstore recreated

The Botica del Sagrado Corzazón was, along with Botica Santa Teresita, located at Reloj and Mesones and still in operation, the oldest drugstore in the city.

The Bastien family, from La Victoriana, located on Hernández Macías near the American Consulate, lent a collection of antique bottles containing remains of herbal medicine from several drugstores in town.

González Rullan said that the huge cabinet containing the bottles was original to the 1919 drugstore. It includes dozens of drawers and a large glass cabinet through which visitors can see the bottles. It had been abandoned in the second floor of the museum until Fondo Cultural Banamex (an association formed by the Mexican bank Banamex to support culture) asked the museum to lend the piece of furniture for an exhibit in Mexico City.

Among other donations to the drugstore there is a collection of medicine bottles from Manuel Martínez Nava, owner of Botica Santa Teresita, mortars from Mrs. Amelia Cullen and a case with syringes from the González family.

Doctor Guadalupe Jiménez Godinach rescued the original drugstore’s account books from an old ranch. These are not yet part of the exhibit, pending location of an appropriate table similar to the original one, which was severely damaged by insects.

González Rulan said she is trying to get a donation of a similar table or even of funds to make a replica of the original, which may be similar to the one in Botica Santa Teresita. The museum’s director said donations can be made through the association “Amigos del Museo.”

Herbal medicine in Mexico

Mexico has a rich history of herbalism. The curative powers of plants have been exploited since pre-Hispanic times. In his letters to King Carlos V, the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés described the herbalists’ street as a place “where there are all kind of roots and herbs found in the soil, and in the pharmacists’ houses medicines made with ointments are sold.”

Benito Díaz de Gamarra, in his “Description of Villa de San Miguel el Grande,” mentions some curative herbs in the region and their uses, such as mint used for stomach diseases, chamomile used for spasms, fennel seeds used for digestion and mastranto used for fainting. Many of these homemade medicines prepared with herbs were still used in the drugstores during the colonial period.

With the appearance of new diseases brought by the Spanish, such as smallpox, the Spanish authorities became especially interested in herbal medicines. Viceroy Bucareli even decreed that pharmacists receive higher salaries and good housing.

During the 19th century, as wars devastated the country, Mexicans still turned to herbalists to cure diseases. During this period, drugstores began to receive a great variety of ointments, tonics and pills coming from different countries, mainly Europe.

Modern medicine has relegated herbalism to second importance, but it is still alive. In Mexico there are about 6,000 species of curative plants, of which almost half are indigenous.

Blow in the New Year—5767
By Pat Hirschl

As the sun sets on Friday, September 22, the Jewish New Year 5767 begins. This first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei is Rosh Hashanah (literally, “Head of the Year”). The holiday marks the beginning of a 10-day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance, which culminates with the fast day of Yom Kippur. These 10 days are referred to as Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe or the High Holy Days.

Shalom San Miguel will celebrate the Days of Awe with a series of events beginning on Saturday, September 16, with the observance of Selichot.

Shalom’s celebrations will be eclectic, embracing many Jewish traditions, including conservative, reconstructionist and reform. This is in the spirit of San Miguel’s Jewish community, which has historically had strong ties to the Jewish renewal movement. Michael Lerner, a rabbi within the Renewal tradition, explains: “Attempting to prove that one particular approach is the true reading of the tradition is always bound to fail, particularly in Judaism, where there has not been one central religious authority, and contradictory elements abound.” The Shalom community strives to honor all forms of Jewish observance, thus remaining true to the ideals of Jewish Renewal.

Two holidays will be celebrated during the next two weeks: Selichot and Rosh Hashanah.

Selichot

Selichot, which means forgiveness, refers to the penitential prayers recited by Jews prior to the onset of the high holiday season. It is a solemn and fitting preparation for 10 days of reflection and self-examination.

The spirit of the observance can be gleaned by a quote from an ancient prayer for Selichot:

“Master of the universe! I herewith forgive anyone who may have irritated, angered or injured me, whether acting against my person, my possessions, or my reputation. Let no one be punished on my account, whether the wrong done me was accidental or malicious, unwitting or purposeful, by word or by deed.”

A meditation from the San Miguel service uses more contemporary language:

We are gathered together this night, embraced by the peace of this place of prayer, away from the clamor and glare of the world, away from its confusions and terrors, grateful for the opportunity to meditate upon the year that has gone, and to pray for the year to come.

We face not only a new year, but a changing world, where war, the destruction of our environment, and continual upheavals threaten all life everywhere.

Our lives are burdened with failure and wrongdoing. Our hearts are torn by jealousies and hates. Prejudice confuses our thoughts, transgressions distort our lives. We are ridden by fear, tormented by frustrations, by loneliness and the endless desire for “more.”

We now turn to God to ask for divine pardon, and we turn inwards to ourselves, to seek to purge ourselves of all that is unworthy of our true calling, for we are all created in the image of God.

Selichot will be observed in the TV salon of the Hotel Quinta Loreto, calle Loreto 15, at 9pm on Saturday, September 16.

Rosh Hashanah

Although it includes elements of joy and celebration, Rosh Hashanah is a deeply religious occasion.

Special customs observed on Rosh Hashanah include the sounding of the shofar, using round challah and eating apples and honey (and other sweet foods) for a sweet new year.

Since the holiday falls on Shabbat, the customary shofar blowing will be delayed until the second day, Sunday, September 23. It is not customary to blow the shofar on Shabbat. Special foods are an integral part of Jewish get-togethers, and Rosh Hashanah is no exception. Honey cakes and apples dipped in honey will be part of the Shalom San Miguel celebration.

Rosh Hashanah is also considered the birthday of the world, and some congregations celebrate it as if they are giving the world a birthday party. Children dressed to represent fish, fowl, sun, moon and stars parade into the synagogue at the beginning of the service to remind the congregation of the creation story in the book of Genesis. The San Miguel children in the Hebrew class, however, are putting their energies into presenting a version of the Jonah story on Yom Kippur.

What does a birthday party for the world mean? A commentator from the reconstructionist tradition explains: “To celebrate the creation of the world, as we do on Rosh Hashanah, is to see ourselves as an integral part of all that is and not to see ourselves as the measure of all things. The egotistical, self-centered part of our mind … always leads us to experience our separateness from the natural world. When we see ourselves as part of creation, born primarily to tend the garden and nurture it, then we will be acting out of our higher selves.

Rosh Hashanah is a call to reintegrate ourselves into the fabric of the natural world and to do our part to preserve the universe out of which we come.”

Two of the three Rosh Hashanah services will be eclectic, combining elements from a variety of Jewish traditions in the spirit of Jewish Renewal. The second day of Rosh Hashanah will be more in the conservative tradition but will include commentary in English, a fresh approach to the liturgy and joyful music.

All are welcome to attend any of the events. There will be no charge for services, but it is considered appropriate to give Tzedakah according to your ability at this time of year. Pledge envelopes will be available for this purpose at all services.

In order to plan more efficiently, reservations are requested, especially for the Rosh Hashanah comida on Saturday, September 23. Call 154-9478 or email mexicanpat@yahoo.com to make a reservation. There will also be a community Shabbat dinner at 4:30pm at the Quinta Loreto before the Erev Roshanah service on Friday, September 22. Please call Linda Sorin at 154-9004 or VOIP 503-821-7503 or email lindasorin@yahoo.com to make a reservation. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, September 20.

Schedule of services (all in the Quinta Loreto TV Salon)

Selichot: Saturday, September 16, 9pm

Erev Rosh Hashanah: Friday, September 22, 7pm (eclectic service)

Rosh Hashanah, day 1: Saturday, September 23, 9:30am (eclectic service,

comida to follow, reservations necessary)

Rosh Hashanah, day 2: Sunday, September 24, 9:30am (traditional service, Oneg to follow)

Kol Nidrei: Sunday, October 1, 7pm (eclectic service)

Yom Kippur: Monday, October 2, 9:30am (traditional service, break-the-fast to follow, reservations requested)

Pictured on the right is Arno K. Naumann, president emeritus of Amigos de Animales and government liason, accepting the platter from interim San Miguel mayor Juan Antonio Jaramillo Villalobos.