As previously mentioned, I am currently in el norte. Visiting my family and friends has taken me from Oaxaca to New York, across the country to California, followed by Colorado, and then back to California. I have been on multiple airplanes, traversed through multiple airports, and been complimented multiple times on my earrings. We are not talking gold or silver filigree, we are talking about earrings made from jícara — the fruit of the Crescentia cujete (aka, Calabash tree). [Click on images to enlarge.]
Earrings are not the only things made from the dried fruit of these humble trees that grow in less-than-ideal environments. The Tacuate women of Santa María Zacatepec (Oaxaca) use them as hats.
The gourds are cut in half, washed, and with seeds removed, set out in the sun. Once dry, throughout southern Mexico, they frequently are lacquered, decoratively painted, and used as cups for tejate and other traditional beverages.
As youi can see, in Villa de Zaachila, in the valley of Oaxaca, this use is even celebrated in a Día de Muertos mural.
Larger jícaras, known as jicalpextles, are a specialty of Chiapa de Corzo (Chiapas). However, they have assumed a special role in the Zapotec village of Teotitlán del Valle (Oaxaca), where they are filled with handmade sugar flowers and carried during weddings, religious celebrations, and other important fiestas.
And, recently there was an exhibition of carved jícaras by Salomón Huerta and José Cruz Sánchez from Pinotepa de Don Luis (Oaxaca) at the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO). At last, the talent of the artisans who create these pieces is being given the recognition it deserves and their creations are being appreciated as works of art.
So, hurray for the not-so-humble jícara and the ingenuity and creativity of the indigenous peoples of the world whose traditions teach them to honor and not waste the gifts of planet earth.
Mexican Peso Converter
Love this post, Shannon. Thank you. Great photos and village insights. When I was in Pinotepa de Don Luis, they told me that anthropologist Marta Turok suggested years ago that they turn their Jicara hats used to secure the huipil (worn over head and draping over shoulders) into a tourist marketable product — carved bowls to use for peanuts (a coastal product) and containers for all sorts of things. It has morphed into food and beverage co gainers, most especially mezcal! Oaxaca entrepreneurship at its best.
Thank you, Norma. Versatile jícara and resourceful gente!