Within the framework of the educational program on Trades and focusing on the photographer's trade, we screened this film featuring the story of Sebastião Salgado and how he portrayed the planet, approaching with admiration people from communities that photography did not usually portray. Attendees enjoyed a moving documentary that raised awareness about the physical disposition that skilled work demands, in some professions even in a risky manner, and definitely in a transformative way.

Within the framework of the Educational Program on Trades and on the occasion of the electrician's trade, we screened a cinema classic that also allowed us to reflect on the inventiveness intrinsic to the practice and work with electricity. It was especially interesting to screen a film almost 100 years old to discuss a profession that is also long-standing, but one that constantly reinvents and renews itself.

Within the framework of the Educational Program around Trades and to mark the beginning of spring, we decided to talk about the trade of floristry. Thus, Marco Arias proposed screening this story about working with flowers, and the surprises this approach can bring to our lives. As it was an animated film, we had children and not just adults present during the screening, and we were able to invite attendees to the After-dinner Talk and Floristry Micro-workshop that would take place in the same space in the coming days.

Within the framework of the Educational Program on Trades and on the occasion of International Women's Day, Casa Gallina was part of the exhibition circuit of Nomads of 57, a film that tells the story of a female truck driver in northern Mexico. This trade, like so many others, being traditionally associated with men; the film's narrative fostered an interesting conversation among, in addition, a total of female neighbors attending the screening. Mostly, elderly. We talked about the arduous jobs, involving effort, schedules, and dedication, to which professionals like the protagonist are exposed; her challenges as a woman both for work and for day-to-day survival.

Within the framework of the educational program on Trades, we sought to collaborate with allies to curate a two-part film series on this topic. For the first date of this first part of the year, Marco Arias from Cineclub Micelio proposed screening The Super Mario Bros. Movie, thus beginning to explore the theme through the plumber's trade. In the conversation, we were able to reflect on the different knowledge and practices of repair, ingenuity, and even adventure that can be associated with plumbing; and to give rise to invitations for subsequent events, such as the Sobremesa (post-meal conversation) and the Plumbing Micro-workshop.

With the aim of resuming this type of neighborhood gathering, a group of residents from the neighborhood was randomly invited to dinner at Casa Gallina to get to know each other, recognize each other, and share the space with a sense of surprise. It was an opportunity to talk about professions, housing, the history of the neighborhood, the way we inhabit the city; about the struggle of women, about the struggle of men; about care, upbringing, generational changes, and the pleasure of meeting for the first, second, or third time in life.

In order to fund the “This Is a Home” project, which includes the publication of a book and the production of an exhibition at the UNAM Geology Museum, we organized a community fundraising day. Neighbors aged 60 and over contributed stews and desserts to sell, we prepared tamales and drinks to raise funds with the visit of locals and outsiders. The musical group Psique-son performed in a Huasteco trio format, encouraging attendees to sing and dance. We installed game stations such as lottery and marbles; collaborators of the Communal shop of the year were present offering their products, and an art auction was held with pieces that artists allied with the organization contributed to the cause. In this way, we managed to not only reach but exceed the established goal.

To remember our deceased in community, members from the neighborhood brought photographs of their people to place a collective altar during the days of the dead. According to the traditions of the Huasteca region, where this season of the year is called Xantolo or Todos Santos, apart from the essential elements like flowers, bread, incense and flower arches; certain songs are played, sang, and danced. This way the members of the Trio Masakali came to share a little of the spirit of these festivities, of which neighbors shared their own experience and knowledge, also dancing for the memory of those who are no longer there.

The trades constitute the wisdom of the neighborhood to attend, do, solve, recreate and inhabit our daily lives. With their expertise, the workers hold a great source of knowledge from their experience, which preserves memory, tradition, innovation and bonding in the territory. How has the historical journey of these ways of knowing and doing in our community been? How have they been transformed, how were they before, and how are they now? How are they learned? How many trades survive in the neighborhood, what diversity of them can we find in the rest of the country? These are some of the questions that guided our intervention on the walls of Salón Huev@, with the aim of activating an educational program in 2026 that will enable us to discuss, experience, appreciate, recognize, and revalue the living practices of those who contribute so much to the social fabric of our neighborhood, and to reflect on how we can continue to inhabit it collectively as a community. The illustration is from Enrique Sañudo and Mr. Adam Navarrete, from Alzate Labels, was responsible for putting it on the walls of space.

Since early 2019, seasonal dances have been held to create a gathering space that strengthens community ties for neighbors over the age of 60, who attend individually or with their friends from the neighborhood. In addition to the dances, on certain occasions social activities are organized, such as board games connected to participants’ experiences, projects, and personal interests, as well as activities related to the neighborhood, including the installation of a photo studio where they can be portrayed with family and friends. Dances provide an opportunity for seniors to meet, create new friendships, and enjoy moments of leisure. This aligns with Casa Gallina’s overall interest in offering alternatives to the conditions of isolation and emotional vulnerability in which many of them live.

An average of 60 people usually gather for the social gathering, where drinks and food are shared, and the space is adapted into a dance floor. The music comes from the house rockola, which contains a selection of songs chosen by neighbors and local businesses in the neighborhood, which have been put together by young people like musician Javier Celis, baker Christian Zepeda, or Sebastian Navarro and Alberto Olvera.

The menus for the dance are usually cooked by the Casa Gallina team, although for the closing dance of 2022, neighbor Norma López helped by preparing vegetarian tacos de canasta and punch. Similarly, in December 2023, the ally Angélica Palma prepared a dish with quelites de la milpa, called tortilla del tiempo verde- tlaxcalxopantlaualli in Nahuatl-. During that dance, seed cushions made by neighbors were also donated from a workshop led by neighbor Ere Lo. And at our 2025 summer dance, Fábrica de Huertos provided us with baskets with vegetables and a diverse harvest, to be able to give to the attendees at the end of the event.

On the occasion of the first 11 years of Casa Gallina and in a fortunate alliance with the Baxin Cagal family, a collective celebration was held that allowed the sharing of music and festive foods prepared in accordance with the traditional knowledge of the Los Tuxtlas region, Veracruz. With the guidance of Doña Juana Cagal and Hortencia Baxin, we prepared tatabiguiyayo prepared for the more than 100 attendees of the anniversary. The entire family—also bearers and teachers of the Sotavento musical tradition—played, sang, and danced selections from their repertoire of sones jarochos, while sharing their recent story: the replanting and continuity of their art across younger generations. Thus, from the grandparents to the grandchildren, and together with the great family and community of Casa Gallina, we celebrated the journey traveled and the one yet to come.

On the occasion of the Market’s eighth anniversary—an ally of Casa Gallina in previous projects and held in the neighboring borough of Azcapotzalco as a local initiative connecting producers and consumers interested in conscious agri-food processes in our city—two short films were screened in Salón Huev@: Mercado Capital Verde: cosechando cercanías y alimentando la vida (Dir. Gabriela Medina) and Sano y justo sabe mejor: propuestas de sustentabilidad alimentaria en la Ciudad de México (Prod. CEIICH, COUS - UNAM & La Sandía Digital). The same producers and transformers from the market, their coordinators, regular consumers and members of the neighborhood, who enjoyed the testimony, registration and video reflection on the process of proposing and sustaining this short chain of marketing in the north of the capital.

We welcomed the Baxin Cagal family, originally from Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, at the neighborhood gathering Musical Flavors. This family, dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of son jarocho, shared their traditions through music and gastronomy. Residents of Santa María la Ribera enjoyed traditional dishes prepared by Juana Cagal, while we talked about the countryside, Veracruz cuisine, and the cultural roots of the region. Maestro Arcadio Baxin also shared his wisdom regarding agricultural cycles and music, performing sones jarochos that reflect the link between the land and the musical tradition of Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz.

We welcomed the Baxin Cagal family from Los Tuxtlas, state of Veracruz, to the Musical Flavors encounter among neighbors. This family is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the son jarocho folk music genre, sharing its traditions through music and gastronomy. Neighbors from Santa Maria la Ribera enjoyed the traditional dishes prepared by Juana Cagal while we talked about the countryside, the cuisine of Veracruz and the region’s cultural roots. Furthermore, Master Arcadio Baxin shared his wisdom surrounding agricultural cycles and music, interpreting jarocho son that reflect the link between the land and the musical tradition in los Tuxtlas, Veracruz.

Neighborhood Lending is a system based on trust and the notion that sharing is better than consuming. It began operating in June 2017 in the annex of Casa Gallina, making a common fund of tools and household utensils available to the residents of Santa María la Ribera, who can borrow up to three items for a period of two days, with the option to renew twice. To access the service, residents need to register by presenting proof of address, official identification, and providing two references from other neighbors. This service is completely free and non-profit, appealing to the care and proper use of tools and utensils; users are responsible for returning all borrowed items in optimal condition.

As of August 2025, 2700 lending processes have been carried out with 572 registered neighbors, who have also donated 56 tools to expand the available collection. The Neighborhood Lending space opens three times a week, and has a designated neighbor in charge who is knowledgeable about the general use of tools and utensils, and can advise neighbors on their individual projects.

The Neighborhood Lending has 321 household tools and utensils available for loan to the residents of Santa María la Ribera; the most requested items are electrical extension cords, drills, jigsaw, sewing machine, rotary hammer, pressure washer, sander, and 7 and 2-meter ladders.

Neighborhood dinners attended by 12 guests who are selected from names placed in a bowl in Salón Huev@. Attendees are accompanied by two members of the Casa Gallina team, and they engage in a free conversation among themselves. The team prepares a dinner, which is served in the kitchen, identifying some of the key ingredients, so that participants can learn more about the origin and nutritional quality of the food. At the end of dinner, attendees can stay for an after dinner conversation or sobremesa, which lasts for a few hours, after which they usually leave in groups heading towards the different parts of the neighborhood where they live.

As of May 2022, neighbors with local cooking projects have been invited to prepare the supper, with Pausita Café and Umani launching this format.