11122014Wed
Last updateTue, 11 Nov 2014 11am
La Nueva Posada

City Living - November 1, 2014

Just a-maize-ing

If the idea of getting well and truly lost in a labyrinth of corn appeals to you, then make a beeline for Mundo Maiz, a new attraction in the Tlaquepaque suburbs to the south the metropolitan area.

Billed as the biggest corn maze in Latin America, Mundo Maiz boasts 15 kilometers of paths winding through 22 acres of live corn. There are four different “trails” to choose from in this vast corn crop that, according to its creators, contains 2.4 million stalks of white corn.

The attraction includes family and food areas, as well as an extreme zone for those seeking a more intensive thrill (including a zip-line and a climbing wall).  

Educational workshops are available on the different uses of corn and farming techniques.

Since its opening on October 17, the attraction has garnered positive reviews. Its owners say the corn stalks are still growing and will reach a final height of around two meters in a few weeks.

Special events are scheduled frequently, with a “zombie challenge” held on weekends from 6:30 p.m.

A special Star Wars event is planned on Friday, November 7, from 6 p.m., and on November 23, visitors are invited to enjoy the full moon and meteor shower.

Corn mazes are popular tourist attractions in the United States and Canada, and have become a means for farmers to create additional income.

Mundo Maiz is located at Prolongación Avenida 8 de Julio, 2.5 kilometers south of the Periferico, in Toluquilla, next to Fraccionamiento Paseos del Prado in the municipality of Tlaquepaque.

Open Tuesday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Closed on Mondays.

For more information call (33) 3826-2039.

Mundo Maiz will be open through December 7.

Object theater

Not for the first time, Guadalajara puppet theater company Luna Morena has teamed up with La Tortue Noire of Saguenay, Quebec to produce a piece of creative, experimental theater.

The co-production “Memento Mori” – described as an exercise in object theater – will play on Fridays and Saturdays throughout November at the Teatro Guadalajara del IMSS.

Stage direction is in the hands of La Tortue Noire’s Dany Lefrançois, a specialist in object theater, a genre that has been described as “deliberately using everyday objects, either as is or transformed into other things, requiring the skill of the performer and the imagination of the audience for its success.”

Memento Mori is a Latin phrase that means, “remember you will die.”  Aptly during a month when Mexico honors the departed, the experimental piece revolves around the theme of death and its many interpretations.

Performances start at 8:30 p.m. The Teatro Guadalajara del IMSS is at Av. 16 de Septiembre 868,  across from the entrance to the Parque Agua Azul.  Tickets cost 80 pesos.

Hunger Banquet

The Guadalajara Catholic Diocese Food Bank hosts its annual Hunger Banquet (Banqueta de Hambre) on Tuesday,  November 4.

Diners dress up in suits and ties and pay 1,500 pesos to eat a meal comprised of Mexican staples, or food that one would find on the tables of ordinary citizens: beans, rice, tortillas, agua fresca, etcetera.

Money raised from the dinner goes to support the food bank, which helps hundreds of economically challenged families in the state of Jalisco.
Food Bank directors will present their annual report at the event.

For more information about attending the “Banquet,” call (33) 38-11-35-00.

Day of the Dead

Zapopan will host a special Day of the Dead Festival on Sunday, November 2, featuring a parade and displays of Catrinas (fancy-clad skeletons), music, dance, theater and plenty of food and drink stands.  The action starts in the huge Plaza de las Americas, facing the Basilica, at 6 p.m. and carries on to around 10 p.m.

Movies in a cemetery

Enjoy an open-air film festival focusing on suspense films among the graves at the Panteon de Belen (Belen 684, corner of Eulogio Parra) in downtown Guadalajara every Tuesday this month, 8 p.m.

November 4: “The Others” (2001) Director Alejandro Amenabar.
November 11: “The Shining” (1980) Director Stanley Kubrick.
November 18: “Shallow Grave” (1994) Director Danny Boyle.
November 25: “Rebecca” (1940) Director Alfred Hitchcock.