Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve - La Buena Noche ("the good night") - is always a day of furious activity here, as everyone makes last minute preparations. Markets are crowded and overflow onto the streets, where many people take advantage of the crowds to sell flowers or cheap imported toys and other gifts.

Turkeys are herded into makeshift pens where they await their fate. Families bring their prepared turkeys to the nearest bakery, where for a few dollars it will be baked to perfection. Families of modest means usually have stoves that use LP gas cylinders. By making use of the bakery oven, they can bake a larger turkey (or pig) than will fit in their own oven, and not have to worry about running out of gas while baking.

Taxis and "motos" are in great demand and can charge higher fees. But many refuse to travel to the inner city, because traffic jams reduce the number of trips they can complete, and expose them to much higher risk of being robbed.