This week, I have a couple of interviews, one with Christopher Mattocks at Lighthouse Specialty Foods on Lazaro Cardenas, on the South Side of Puerto Vallarta,  and my featured guest Mavi Graf of Arte Culinario and we will be talking about her and her cooking classes and all about herself, but first, what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico March 21st, 2018.   Listen to The Show   [caption id="attachment_2687" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Mavi Graf[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2689" align="alignleft" width="220"] Mave Arte Culinario[/caption] Semana Santa in Puerto Vallarta Semana Santa is coming early this year. Yes, Easter falls on April first and Semana Santa Starts Sunday the 25th of March, and ends on Saturday the 31st. Then Easter on Sunday…April Fools, and another week of Spring Break. Remember that Puerto Vallarta will be at full occupancy during this time. You have the locals on spring break from school, you have many families coming in from Guadalajara and the surrounding areas. So, if you are thinking about a nice quiet time, look out. The beaches are crowded, the hotels are full and college age visitors from all over, descend on Vallarta. I talked about Semana Santa in the episode with the owner of El Arrayan, Carmen Porras last year, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt to do a quick [caption id="attachment_2695" align="alignright" width="336"] El Arrayan[/caption] review of the holiday and how it’s celebrated here in Mexico. As you may have noticed, here in Mexico, they like to celebrate. They love holidays, and this is no exception. And they go big. We are coming up on a two-week holiday consisting of Semana Santa (The Holy Week, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending Easter Saturday) and Pascua (Starting with Easter Sunday and ending the following Saturday). Semana Santa is without a doubt, the most important holiday in Mexican culture. All over Mexico, Mexicans celebrate the last days of Christ during Holy Week with elaborate processions, ceremonies, and rituals. Most of the larger Semana Santa celebrations include a dramatic reenactment of the capture, the trial, and the crucifixion of Jesus. Mexicans have been known to practice acts of physical torture, public displays of political/social ridicule, and displays of resolutions and commitment. And as I mentioned last year, some of the more devout regions of Mexico like Taxco, the reenactments include penitents – men and women who show their penitence and prove their faith by inflicting physical pain. Many of us have seen these reenactments. But in Puerto Vallarta, they don’t go all out Taxco. They do have lots of parades and processions. It’s very cool. Just be ready for the crowds. Mexico Celebrates The Birthday of Benito Juarez Today is the birthday of Benito Juarez who was the 26th president of Mexico. Juarez was born March 21st 1806. And although they celebrated the holiday on Monday, due to Article 74 of the Mexican labor law (Ley Federal del Trabajo) which provides that the third Monday of March (regardless the date) will be an official holiday in Mexico. As with Constitution Day, the holiday was originally celebrated every year on the same date (March 21), but the federal labor law was modified in 2005 so the holiday is always celebrated on a Monday however, this is the day of Juarez’s birth. What a mouthful! A quick Wiki search https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Ju%C3%A1rez#/media/File:Benito_Pablo_Ju%C3%A1rez_Garc%C3%ADa.png [caption id="attachment_2662" align="alignright" width="248"] Benito Juarez[/caption] He was of poor, rural, indigenous origins, but he became a well-educated, urban professional and politician, who married a socially prominent woman of Oaxaca City.[3] He identified primarily as a Liberal and he wrote only briefly about his indigenous heritage.[4] He was a key figure in the group of professional men in Mexico's indigenous south, and his rise to national power had its roots in that power base.[5] He was not an intel