Dec. 10--A snaggletoothed abuelita wrapped in a blush-pink shawl balances a basket of tortillas on her left shoulder on a lush mountainside. Nearby, a bald old man with a purple and green speckled walking stick holds a basket of bread, his pants torn in both knees, shirt covered in multicolored patches, and his almost toothless mouth open in a smile.
"He's probably had one eggnog too many," Marilyn Gartelmann Quiroz, 74, of Pullman, said with a giggle.
Along with her husband, Alfonso Quiroz, 79, Marilyn Quiroz has been putting together their Mexican Nativity scene, or nacimiento, for more than 50 years. Their display has grown from a few figurines such as baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph and a manger in 1965, to more than 300 miniature statues of people and animals from Mexico, Italy and local stores.
Unlike traditional Nativity scenes, nacimientos do not include the baby Jesus until Christmas Eve. Beyond the main characters in the biblical story -- the three wise men, shepherds, angels -- nacimientos typically include Mexican-inspired handmade characters of rural people making tortillas or fishing. In some Latin American countries, the nacimiento is more important than the Christmas tree.
The project started when the Quirozes visited Alfonso Quiroz's mother in Zamora in the Mexican state of Michoacan. Marilyn Quiroz saw her mother-in-law's nacimiento and fell in love with it, telling her husband how much she would like to have one of her own. When she returned to her home in the Pullman neighborhood, she found that her husband had taken her words to heart and had already started building a manger.
"It's just expanded ever since," Marilyn Quiroz said.
Each time they visit Mexico, the Quirozes pick up more figurines, and to accommodate the growing number, Alfonso Quiroz created a realistic mountain and valley landscape using plaster, chicken wire, dried grass and artificial turf. Borrowing skills he learned while making rail cars at the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Co. for 24 years, Alfonso Quiroz said this was a creative outlet that helped him get in touch with his roots.
"I went to Mexico, and I had gone to villages and I copied and created all of that," he said, gesturing at the display in a sweeping motion. "One thing led to another and it expanded and expanded and that was it, you know? Every year I go to Mexico, I pick up half a dozen figurines and brought them back home."
Despite being inanimate, the Quirozes said the dynamic placing and intricate details bring the figurines to life.
"I would always imagine that the people were actually moving," said Alfonso Quiroz Jr., 43, the couple's son. "You would think of them moving inside, and you would just sort of sit here and contemplate the different scenes of what was happening. We've been here for many generations so it was a very nice way to really be in touch with our Mexican heritage and to continue to be proud of it."
This year, the Quirozes nacimiento will be featured in the Historic Pullman Foundation's annual Candlelight House Walk, which is a holiday-themed tour that showcases historic Pullman row houses and raises money for the nonprofit organization. Pullman, which was designated a national monument in February, owes its name to railroad tycoon George Pullman, who created a company town in the late 1800s where the sleeper cars bearing his name were built and an army of laborers lived in the ornate homes nearby.
"Although it's not a Pullman house, it's a house that was built in the early 1900s, and they've adapted it for modern-day living," said Cindy McMahon, chairwoman of the Candlelight House Walk and vice president of the Historic Pullman Foundation. "The key about their house is the space, and they're able to do their village. It's not only the housing, it's the people in Pullman that help us create the events that we do."
Because the walk begins shortly after sundown, lights inside the display will illuminate parts of the nacimiento, including a cavern with hieroglyphics, a Catholic church and the manger, all of which Alfonso Quiroz built.
"This reminds me of when people came in peace to present something to the child that's born; a cookie, whatever they had, they didn't have much, a piece of bread, whatever they were able to offer," Marilyn Quiroz said. "How wonderful this is. This is what we were taught. In any religion, they all have something that they find inspires them. This inspires us."
Alfonso Quiroz Jr. echoed his mother's sentiments, saying he hopes the tour will go beyond viewing pretty sights and remind people about the positive sentiments during the holidays.
"In today's world, there's a lot of turmoil, especially these days," Alfonso Quiroz Jr. said. "Especially putting up a little village like this for us, just brings us back to why the holidays are important. It's about family, it's about love and it's about togetherness. And when we put this village together, we're reminded of all those things."
gwong@tribpub.com
