"Serapes"
Believe it or not it does get cold in Mexico. This may come as a surprise to many – I know it did to me. It’s not Moscow cold or anything but it does get cold in many parts of the country from now until about February of thereabouts. “Why is this?” you may wonder. Well, even though most of the country is in the tropics a lot of the country is high up in the mountains and by “high up” I really do mean high up – the central plateau is over 2000 metres up. So it gets cold – over night at least. I just had a little look on the Yahoo weather site and Atlacomulco, where we have our house is, is looking at a low of 3°C overnight. Nearby Toluca is predicted to have a low of 0°C at the weekend.
Now this is not as cold as the northern part of the US or as Canada but you’ve got to remember that Mexico is not geared up for cold, even though it happens year in year out. Mexican houses are built for heat – to allow the breeze to circulate during the hot dry days of May and June where the thermometer can hit 30°C or 40°C (depending which part of the country you’re in.) What does this mean? The cooling spring and summer breezes do get into the house but so do the cold winter winds. Cooling tiled floors are great in the heat but horrible in the cold. High ceilings in old houses help spread the hot summer air but disperse any warmth in the winter. There’s no double glazing as far as I know and no central heating. It’s cold! Carpets are not common and rugs just don’t do the same thing. I hope someday that we will be able to have some kind of heating or maybe a real fireplace in our house, but for the moment we are going to freeze. Not now, of course, as we’re in Japan, but next winter when we’re there. (OK, we’re freezing in our house in Japan, but that’s a whole different story!)
The other point to remember here is the contrast – Mexican winter weather is extreme up in the mountains – lows below zero over night but highs in the low 20s during the day. It’s insane for someone like me from England, with lows just below zero and high maybe a degree or 2 higher! (Ok, this is a minor exaggeration but you get the idea.) What does this mean? Well, it means you end up choosing clothes that make you resemble an onion – lots and lots of layers. You gradually take them off during the day and then put them back on in the afternoon. When we lived in Toluca I even had my winter coat sent over to me as I had to be out of the house way before the crack of dawn as I started class at 7am! Mexicans don’t seem to worry so much. They do have thick jackets, jumpers, gloves, hats and scarves but they don’t seem to dress up with so many layers – especially not with huge coats. Young people especially don’t seem to put on that many layers but I guess that’s young people in general.
Something I love about Mexico is all the hats, scarves and gloves you can buy on the street. Often in the main cities you will find people selling typical clothing at very low prices. This is usually knitted. There’s often jumpers, cardigans, waistcoats and even socks and babies’ bootees, all knitted in thick wool with traditional designs and patterns. I love to see this. Mexicans also make fabulous blankets and “serapes”. They are multi-coloured and vary from region to region. “Serapes” are relatively thin as they are from warmer states. My favourite blanket came from Zacatecas though Tlaxcala is famous for making them too. Aguascalientes is famous for its blankets though they are different. They are not wool but acrylic made with picture designs. So, when the winter nights are getting too cold to handle, go out and buy yourself a nice blanket or two. You won’t regret it. And they make great throws for your sofa too!
