Aug 22, 2008

Local colours at a puppet show in La Corrala.


I took this photo during San Isidro on May 15th. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid so there are fiestas and shows all over the city. This is a crowd from my barrio. Corralas are apartment blocks built during the 19th century. The buildings surround an interior courtyard with balconies overlooking the courtyard. La Corrala in Lavapiés is a monument of historic interest because it exemplifies this type of tenement. This corrala however was never completed so the courtyard is now a plaza and with balconies facing it and ubiquitous laundry dangling from it. Nowadays La Corrala is the stage for operas and puppet shows. 

I like this photo for all the chaos, colours and different types of faces and expressions. Lavapiés gets a lot of flack for crime due to it's large immigrant population. People fear the place. But I love this barrio and its colourful nature. Here we have the multi-ethnic community of Lavapiés enjoying a puppet show together. How refreshing.

I've got more photos of Lavapiés locals in my earlier blogs An August Night and Dancing on the streets of Lavapiés.

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