Cozumel News September 22, 2015: MetLife Ironman 70.3 Cozumel 2015 Results, Part Two Our Vacation in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico: Our Visit to Magical Catemaco, The Brujas of Catemaco, and Cozumel Event Calendar September & October 2015.
MetLife IRONMAN 70.3 Cozumel Results
MetLife Ironman 70.3 took place in our beautiful Cozumel this past Sunday with 1,166 athletes from all over the world competing. 
The Event consisted of one-loop; 1.2-mile swim off the coast in the Caribbean Sea. 
Following the swim, athletes embarked on a 56-mile bike course from the Chankanaab Park parking lot and finished next to Cozumel’s City Hall in the heart of downtown. 
The 13.1-mile run course is all flat and paved, and passes many of Cozumel’s signature sites—the waterfront walk, downtown main plaza and historic neighborhoods.
Top 5 Pro Men
1 Boecherer, Andi GER 0:22:07 2:02:08 1:19:51 3:48:10
2 Beals, Cody CAN 0:23:38 2:05:14 1:16:01 3:48:33
3 Zemtsev, Viktor UKR 0:22:39 2:06:16 1:18:45 3:51:18
4 Weiss, Michael AUT 0:25:27 2:02:34 1:18:47 3:51:35
5 Tejada, Raul GUA 0:23:35 2:04:58 1:20:17 3:52:46
Top 5 Pro Women
1 Schaerer, Celine CHE 0:23:31 2:23:44 1:34:29 4:25:47
2 Seymour, Jeanni SAF 0:24:38 2:22:19 1:38:27 4:29:37
3 Stott, Georgia AUS 0:24:36 2:27:35 1:39:08 4:36:22
4 Mack, Danielle USA 0:26:27 2:27:39 1:39:37 4:41:27
5 Kristick, Corrie USA 0:25:03 2:25:42 1:49:02 4:44:54
Aurita’s Corner
Our Family Vacation in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico
Part Two
I have driven to Cozumel from the United States a number of times via Matamoros. The first trip totally blew my mind, I had no idea Mexico was so beautiful. The wide range of beautiful scenery from mountains to the shores along the gulf and everything in between is amazing. The natural resources, ranches, wildlife, structures, culture, it is a feast to the eyes and an educational experience to boot.
On our first crossing, we had spent the night in Alvarado Veracruz and rose early morning to drive the next trek of the trip. About an hour later, from high up on a mountain I looked down and saw this amazing sight. There was a huge Laguna or lake at the foot of the mountain. Out of the beautiful clear waters arose these little plush green islands, and just above the Laguna hung fluffy clouds. It looked like something out of a fairy-tale storybook, it was mystical. Finding that location again was the highlight of future trips and I was rewarded each time confirming that it was not my imagination the place looked magical. I have told friends and family about this find, never able to tell them the name of the place, just that is was south of Alvarado Veracruz. I remembered the place on our road trip and reminded the family of my experience.
Once we settled into our hotel in Coatzacoalcos, and I saw all the city had to offer I had no desire to go anywhere else, as originally planned. However, son Bartolo wanted to take my husband to a Church in Catemaco that he had heard of. As the story went, miracles have been performed there as years ago a Saint appeared to a fisherman.
Off we went one day, on a three-hour drive north to Catemaco. To my delight, the place he longed to visit, and my town with the magical Laguna were the same! Not surprising is the fact that the town is considered magical by both the Catholic Church and practitioners of black and white magic!
We had lunch and chartered a tour of the Laguna. The tour included stops at the various islands. Each island held an attraction, monkeys, rare birds, plants, natural spring water, and Shaman. Yes, one island was set up for the practice of white magic. A number of Shamans worked there and offered spiritual cleansing and health supplements. Our family stayed in the boat and enjoyed refreshment at this stop, so no pictures or details. The exception is one of our fellow passengers went for the cleansing and came back with a facial mask. She cleaned off the mask in the fresh spring water at our next stop.
We saved the Church for last. I was too tired to explore it all, and my poor husband was unable to see the inside after the strain of getting in and out of the boat. We will be returning to this town in the future, next time for a few days.
Catemaco
The city of Catemaco is located in southern Veracruz, about 160 km from the port of Veracruz and 220 km from the state capital of Xalapa. In the early pre Hispanic period, the area was dominated by the Olmecs, but the name is derived from Nahuatl, meaning “place of the burned houses.” This name is probably in reference to an eruption of the San Martin Volcano.
From the 16th century, the area was part of the province of Santiago Tuxtla, which became a municipality after Independence. The city itself was founded in 1774. In 1881, it officially became a town and in 1966 declared a city. It is located inland, extending 2.5im along the shore of Lake Catemaco, a large freshwater lake, which is one of the city’s main tourist attractions, along with its cuisine and its tradition of sorcery.
Along the lake, the city has a 1.5 km breakwater/boardwalk, which is frequently crowded with both visitors and vendors, especially those selling charms and a local freshwater snail called tegogolo. The city’s docks are located in the center of this area, classified as a fishing and tourism port by the federal government. Most of the boat traffic is for tourism, especially during vacation periods.
The other main section of the city is the main plaza, popular with both residents and visitors. The main structure here is the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Veneration of this version of the Virgin Mary, the patroness of the municipality, began in the early colonial period, as a substitute for the local worship of Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of water and fishermen. This basilica contains an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been credited with miracles. It is rivaled in devotion only by a shrine on an island in Lake Catemaco called El Tegal, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared. The current structure was begun in 1799 but was not finished until 1961. The church is a combination of Baroque and Neoclassical with a cupola 21 meters high. The surrounding stained glass windows depict the lives of Jesus and Mary. Each year, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated at this basilica, a launching of boats in procession to Agaltepec Island and traditional music including danzón, Son Jarocho and other tropical music, using guitars, violins, the vihuela and double bass]
Other landmarks in the city include the Statue of the Fisherman, the Torre Del Reloj (Clock Tower), the Brizuela Absalón House, the Gasca Blanco House and the Herrera García House. The Casa de los Tesoros is a large gift shop, which offers bagels, bizcochos and Mexican handcrafts and folk art.There is a bus station principally connecting the city with the ports of Veracruz and Coatzacoalcos.
The “witches” of Catemaco
Catemaco is known in Mexico for its community of “brujos,” which can be translated as ‘witches’ or ‘sorcerers’, as most are men. The history of magical practices here extends back to the pre-Hispanic period and may have survived because of its relative isolation, but Lake Catemaco is said to emit a kind of energy, along with the Mono Blanco Mountain that rises above it.
These magical practices are an uneasy mix of Catholic rite, especially the invocation of saints and pre-Hispanic beliefs and rituals. Though many tourists are simply amused by the kitschy t-shirts of witches or other souvenirs or attractions, some do take the practice seriously. There are practitioners of both “white” and “black” magic, with the white version being more acceptable. Those who practice the black version charge more.
Sorcery is one of the main attractions of Catemaco. The belief in magical practices has attracted people from all lifestyles, from waiters and taxi drivers to national-level politicians. Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera Beltrán even pushed for a national school for sorcery in Catemaco, without success. He is a regular at the annual event. Visitors usually seek limpias (ritual cleansings), healing or something to give them an edge in business. These magical practices have also migrated out of the Catemaco area as residents move to other places such as Ciudad Juárez to work.
Although the sorcery is a main attraction, it is not promoted as part of Halloween or Day of the Dead .The main event for practitioners is the annual Congreso Nacional de Brujos de Catemaco (officially called the Ritos, Ceremonias y Artesanías Mágica because of objections from the Catholic Church). The main event is the opening, on the first Friday of March. This begins with a “black mass” on the edge of Lake Catemaco by the “brujo mayor” (loosely translated as “high witch or sorcerer”), which attracts up to 5,000 people. The event was founded in the 1970s by former brujo mayor Gonzalo Aguirre and today attracts around 200 shamans, healers (curanderos), herbalists, psychics and fortunetellers. It also brings in as much as three million pesos to the local economy.
The popularity of the brujos and the event has created problems as well. Many con artists have taken advantage of the situation, making the finding of genuine practitioners difficult. There have been disputes among the practitioners over clients, tourism, and who leads the rites at the annual gathering. There has also been controversy related to those who sacrifice animals or petition Santa Muerte the Devil.
IMAGES FROM THE TOUR OF THE ISLANDS!
Cozumel Events September and October 2015
Cozumel Fiesta De San Miguel Archangel Sept. 21
https://www.thecozumelsun.com/cozumel-news-august-18th-2014/
ITU World Cup Cozumel Oct. 3
http://www.triathlon.org/events/event/2014_cozumel_itu_triathlon_world_cup
Ironkids Cozumel Oct. 3
http://www.asdeporte.com/portal/eventos/ad2-lstInscripciones.asp
