Today, John and I took a day trip to Tequisquiapan
The locals call it Tequis.
It was there that we encountered Hugo and Luis,
The fortune telling canaries!
They live in a small wooden cage
lovingly painted up like a circus wagon in gloss enamel.
Their owner Francisco explains –
That canaries picking your fortune
Is a very traditional form of entertainment here in Mexico.
Francisco has a little box from which
Hugo or Luis pull little folded papers
Which have your past, present and future,
And secret fortune just for you.
After the birds pull your fortunes,
Francisco places them in a tiny little envelope
For you to take home and read.
Hugo y Luis Fortune Tellers
Hugo y luis Tequisquiapan July 12 2012 with John from Suzanne da Rosa on Vimeo.
Francisco describing the fortunes to John
And Luis choosing which ones were just right for him.
Tequisquiapan on a Sunday Afternoon from Suzanne da Rosa on Vimeo.
Originally, the prevalence of genuine craft
Was a big part of why we were attracted to Mexico.
On that score our Tequis trip
Was a huge disappointment.
It was a sugar coated tourist trap.
Block after block of junky crafts,
A destination for the undiscerning masses.
But Senior Francisco’s prop for fortune telling,
The little cage on a stand, was totally unique.
The whole thing was fastidiously staged,
A conservatively dressed gentleman,
The freshly painted cage
Two cute and healthy birds,
The connection with the mystical,
The pitch without irony,
The little folded fortunes
And to cap it all off,
The tiny air mail envelope they were placed in.
We walked away smiling.
And here’s a few pictures of the town
Click on the photo of the church
To start the video
