Fish Frenzy at Paloquemao

Hawking hanging fish in Paloquemao.

With Easter Week comes Lent, when millions of practicing Catholics give up meat for fish. That means packed fish markets, especially Paloquemao today which we visited during a bike tour.

Sliced bagre.

Dried, salted fish.

The demand was so great that they set up tents outside the market.

The fruit section was packed, too.

But the red meat section...abandoned.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Easter Irreverence

This irreverent, perhaps even heretical, theatre group from Ecuador did a silent performance this afternoon on the plaza across from the Iglesia Las Aguas.

Judging from many of their costumes, I suspect that it was no coincidence they did this during Easter Week, and across the street from a very traditional Catholic church.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Easter on Bogotá's Streets

The Virgin makes her way up Calle 11.

The Congregation of the Iglesia de Egipto, perhaps the most active and observant among the churches of central Bogotá, held their annual Easter parade today thru the streets of La Candelaria.

It's a colorful, impressive affair. Nevertheless, a friend who participated in the parade two decades ago told me that back then 'it was ten times bigger.' Or, perhaps memory exaggerates.

The priest of La Iglesia de Egipto, in red and white, reads the bible while leading the procession. 

A family rests with their candles. 

A young, tired-looking gladiator. 

The banner of the 'cargueros' de Egipto. 

A packed street, but not like it used to be. 

Military drummers wait for the procession to start up again. 

A family of gladiators. 

A group of devout Catholics carry a virgin statue into the La Tercera Church on Ave. Septima. 

On the 28th and Good Friday, thousands of Bogotanos fulfilled the annual tradition of visiting 'Los Siete Monumentos', or seven churches. 

Crowds and a Jesus statue by the San Francisco Church. 

Faithful crowd the steps of Bogotá's Cathedral.

It's a capitalist society. Street vendors take advantage of the crowd on Ave. Septima.

Who would terrorize an Easter celebration? Evidently, the government believes that somebody might. Here, heavily-armored police on the lookout on Plaza Bolivar.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A Big Week for Fish

I don't remember the fish's name, but it's from the Amazonia.

This being Easter Week, fish are big business in Paloquemao and other Bogotá markets. 


Such a lovely fishy!

 

Sadly, however, many Colombian fish species are being severely overfished, and so may not be available many more years. If you're concerned, ask for farmed fish. Fish farming does have its own impacts, such as pollution and contamination of wild fishes' gene pools. But farmed fish aren't going extinct.

Bizarrely, despite having two coasts and lots of rivers, Colombia imports fish from Vietnam (as it does coffee).

Piles of dried, salted fish for sale in front of Paloquemao market.

Bagres smiling back at you.

Not just fish is for sale.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours





Easter Parade in La Candelaria

Today the folks from the Egipto neighborhood church carried out their annual Easter parade thru La Candelaria. Here are a few photos.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours