POSTCARD N.172 - MEXICO 

Postcard sent on the 27th November, received on the 6th January 2025.

Postcard image: Queen angelfish of the Cozumel reefs 

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The Phantom rides on.... and we keep track of him not by his footsteps, for it is well known that phantoms do not leave any physical trace of their passage, but by cards and letters that drop by some time later.... that is the way of the ethereal dimension in which the Ghost that Walks moves.... indeed... he moves in a mysterious way...

Danke Sehr, Alex, and I hope you had a great time in Mexico.

Cozumel is an island in the Mexican caribbean, famous for its reefs, which make it a diver's paradise, judging by the colourful angelfish that takes the centre stage in the postcard.

The Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris) is a typical dweller of the coral reefs bathed by the warm waters of  western Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico down to the lower tip of the Brazilian East coast., being an highly prized species for large aquaria, since it can grow up to 45 cm in length.

It is well known that armed violence is something which Mexico has been unfortunately obliged to fight. 

One of the latest strategies to this end is a campaign implemented by the Mexican Government, entitled "Si al desarme, Si a la paz", (Yes to disarmament, yes to peace),  through which people can anonymously exchange weapons for money in local centres where the necessary privacy conditions are granted to those willing to trade their firearms or ammunitions for money.

AS a way of raising awareness to the campaign, Correos de Mexico has issued on 05AUG2024 a three 15 Pesos stamp se-tenant strip themed on it. 

One of the stamps, illustrated with a photo of an army expert  handling a ammunition magazine which he has just taken out of a firearm, was used by Axel on this cover. The stamp also bears the coat of arms and the logo of Mexico city, as well as the slogan of the campaign.

The Postmark bears the location indication of Ventanilla, but I could not find any such place in the island of Cozumel.

POSTCARD N.162 - MEXICO

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 12th August; received on the 14th September 2024

Postcard image: Two wrestlers 
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Luta Libre, (Wrestling) has Intangible Cultural heritage Status in Mexico, so I'm told by Caro, a fellow Mexican postcrosser, who sent me this card. Muchas gracias, Caroline!

Wrestling is Mexico, I read, started to be very popular in the beginning of the 20th century and since then it has but grown in the number of fans it attracts. 

Of note is the fact that Mexican wrestlers usually wear masks, as can be seen on the image on the postcard.

Caro used a stamp which is the 2023 reprint of a stamp first issued in 2005, as part of a definitive series dedicated to folk art, which, since then, has been reprinted quite frequently. The stamp is illustrated with the image of an amber marimba, from the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in the State of Chiapas, amber collected in this Mexican State being famous and subject to a  Denomination of Origin. 

The Postmark seems to indicate that the postcard was mailed from the central post office in Mexico City located in the Palacio Postal, a building dating from 1907.

POSTCARD N.33 -  Mexico

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 27th August from Albuquerque, NM, USA; received on the 9th September
Postcard image: The Map, Flag and Coat of arms of the United States of Mexico
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Receiving this postcard was moving. Postcrosser Jany, whom I could not thank more for her gesture relied on the help of a friend in the US in order to send the postcard, because, due to the pandemic, Post offices where she lives have been closed and she was not allowed to travel at will. 

Te pandemic brought great distress to all peoples and communities around the world and I feel so lucky to  have  already received my 2 Pfizer jabs while some people in the world are still waiting for their first....

Mexico is an enormous country and one I would love to get to know it better. I have been to the Yucatan peninsula and I will never forget the beautiful and serene iguanas that could be seen in the Tulum temple as well as the very interesting historic and archaeological sites, like Tulum and Chichén Iza, to name but two. 

Stamps:

Jany's friend used 2 stamps of the 4 stamp "Forever" self-adhesive set issued on 16AUG2017, dedicated to  "Flowers from the Garden" that showcased 4 paintings by Elizabeth Brandon of white peonies and pink tree peonies in a clear vase;  white hydrangeas, blue hydrangeas in a blue pot (these two being the ones on my card) red camellias and yellow forsythia in a yellow pitcher;  white and pink roses, green hypericum berries, and purple lisianthus in a white vase.

To complete the tariff, a 10 cent self-adhesive stamp issued on 17JAN2016 was also used, depicting a red pear.

Two cancellation marks were applied on the stamps. One manual, I presume, the red one, which unfortunately I cannot read, and one machine applied , that tells us that the postcard was sent from Albuquerque, New Mexico.