It’s that time of year, again. Daylight doesn’t last quite as long, the large red-orange blossoms of the African tulip trees have mostly fallen (onto my terrace!), and the hummingbirds have mostly departed, leaving the airspace to the dragonflies and butterflies.
However, the season of yellow marigolds (cempazuchitl) and the yellows, oranges, and purples of flor inmortal (immortal flower) has begun and that means Días de los Muertos and Noche de Rabanos can’t be far behind.
In the meantime, during the past week, Teotitlán del Valle celebrated La Santísima Virgen del Rosario and early Friday evening, the unmarried girls and women gathered with their canastas for the traditional convite (holy procession).
And, given the season, flor inmortal played a prominent role in the decorations of many of the canastas.
And, as always, I’m amazed and captivated by the girls and women who, with arms raised, balance these sizable baskets on their head, as they navigate the sacred route along the cobbled (and, this day, rain-slicked) streets of Teotitlán del Valle — for almost an hour!
It’s a scene that I never tire of — of course, I’m not carrying a canasta on my head!
More photos and commentary over at Oaxaca-The Year After.
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Absolutely fantastic. I hope I can be there to see it someday! And thanks for the information about the convites at the other blog. Anne
Weaving is a centuries old endeavor. Originally Zapotec women were the first weavers, making cotton clothes and blankets to offer as tribute to the Aztecs, and then later to the Spanish colonizers. The Dominican Bishop Lopez de Zarate is said to have introduced the fixed-frame pedal loom, the spinning wheel, churro sheep, carding paddles scissors and steel needles. This enabled Zapotec weavers to create a new product — the wool sarape (blanket). He also taught weaving to men who had the strength to work with the heavier material and larger looms.
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