Pan, Queso, y Vino

I love festivals because the people-watching (and therefore the candid portrait potential) is excellent. Here in Morelia we live just two blocks from a big park that is a great venue for the many festivals that call the city home, El Orchidario de Morelia. This park has orchid habitats, a planetarium, public library, a dog park, walking trails, and festival space.

Most of these festivals have live music, a great selection of beers, mezcals, tequilas, and foods. We've been to festivals in celebration of coffee, wine, chocolate, mezcal, bread, cheese, beer, and more. There's always something going on there.

The portrait above was taken at La Festival de Pan, Queso, y Vino (Bread, Cheese and Wine) in late October, just before El Día de Muertos. That's why the girl's face is painted with a calavera (flowered skull).

This guy sold cool hippie stuff at the festival. He's very "güey" (pronounced like "whey" but means "duuuuuuuude").

Cheers. This "street" portrait was made at the same festival in honor of the god Bacchus....I mean the Pan, Queso, y Vino festival. Same same, basically.

I don't really get it, but people in México will wear masks to either protect themselves from germs or protect others. Sometimes I see people driving in a car by themselves all masked up. Regardless of what they are doing, they are almost always wearing these masks in a most inefficient manner...like this gentleman here....but damn, it feels good to be a gangsta.

I found this woman to be striking and made a few portraits of her. There's something about her demeanor that reminds me of my mother.

Tasting the wine, buying bottles for later.

The little girl in the red coat.