This is the story of my experiences living as an ex-pat in Mexico since 2003. It's to culminate in a published book. With your help, I'll be editing, selecting a title, and cover art: a participatory project. Your comments encouraged!

Don Karp

About

Memoir

Presentations

Workshops

Contact

May 26, 2018

Sounds of

Tepoztlan, Mexico

Tepoztlan, in Central Mexico, is a "magic city." It is tourist oriented and the streets are crowded on weekends. During the week there are many fiestas.

In a prior blog, I wrote of how noisy Tepoztlan is, and how I acclimated to the noise in time.

What kinds of sounds are there? In this blog I will document them with video and the usual sound track recording (above right, in two parts). I'll begin with the sounds of the morning, move on to the afternoon, and describe those at night. These are all recorded from where I live, in a residential neighborhood on the outskirts of town, a mile away from Centro.

The hen (and rooster) house. Photo by Don Karp.

Morning and Afternoon

You might think a rooster goes "cock-a-doodle-do," but in Mexico it's "kick-a-ree-kee."

I made the following video from where I live. Starting before sunrise and in the early mornining, I was on the back terrace. Later in the morning and in the afternoon, I recorded from the front window that faces the street.

Sounds of Tepoztlan, Part I: Morning and Afternoon. Video by Don Karp.

Sunday Market and Night

I like to go to the market on Sunday afternoon. This is when the streets are most crowded. Mostly it's tourists on day trips from Mexico City and Cuernavaca.

In the market we see fruits and vegetables hawked, barbacoa (boiled goat meat, with the skulls shown here), and other items. People sit and eat while entertained by musicians.

The main streets are lively and lined with booths selling crafts, clothing, and what not. Musicians take advantage of the multitudes to earn a little spare change.

In the night I was on my back terrace enjoying a light show of nature, a lightning storm, and fireworks.

Sounds of Tepoztlan, Part II: Sunday Afternoon Market and Night. Video by Don Karp.

Music of Tepoztlan

Here are two videos with music of the streets on Sunday afternoon. The first features a CD salesman playing Elvis, some children playing folk music, and others playing long hair style (classical). The second, a group of European expats followed by a funeral march.

Music of Tepoztlan, Mexico: Part One. Video by Don Karp.

I hope you've enjoyed my sampling of the sounds of Tepoztlan. If you want to hear more, you'll have to come visit. If you decide to make the trip, let me know and I'll help you.

Producing these blogs is a labor of love. It's very challenging and time consuming for me. I put out a lot of effort. The pay off is hearing what your experience is of them. Please jot a comment below, or email me. My email address is on the "contact" page of this site.

For archives, click on the Letters button at the top right of this page.

Music of Tepoztlan, Mexico: Part Two. Video by Don Karp.