Posted in Agriculture, Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged #DíaNacionalDelMaíz, corn, Día Nacional del Maíz, maíz, Mexico, murals, National Day of Corn, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations on September 29, 2021| 2 Comments »
Feliz Día Nacional del Maíz (Happy National Day of Corn).
Mi orgullo es mi raiz, el maíz (My pride is my root, the corn).
But what would corn be without the hands that have cared for it for hundreds of years. — CONABIO (National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity)
Sin Maíz No Hay País (Without corn there is no country)!
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, brass band, bride and groom, Chinas Oaxaqueñas, marmotas, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photos, wedding procession, weddings on September 26, 2021| 6 Comments »
If it’s Saturday, it must be boda (wedding) day in Oaxaca. I caught this one as it was leaving Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco in the requisite post-ceremony procession that would stop traffic as it wended its way through the streets of the neighborhood.
While the wedding party may not have been as grand as the Saturday weddings at the over-the-top ornate Templo Santo Domingo de Guzmán, this one had all the festive elements of a boda in Oaxaca.
What’s not to love about a Oaxaca wedding?!!!
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, Canada, Dario Canul (artist), Encuentros indígenas: Canada-Oaxaca 2021, indigenous artists, Mexico, murals, Nuestro sol se ha ido (mural), Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Rolande Souliere (artist), street art, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art on September 21, 2021| 9 Comments »
Under the shade of the 361 year old Coquito de la Iglesia de Jalatlaco tree, onlookers (and bloggers like yours truly), dignitaries, media, and the artists of the Tlacolulokos collective gathered for the inauguration of the previously mentioned new mural in Jalatlaco.
The mural, “Nuestro sol se ha ido” (Our sun has gone) is a collaboration between Rolande Souliere of the “Anishinaabe” people in Canada and the Zapotec Tlacolulokos urban art collective from Oaxaca’s central valley.
The mural’s inauguration was live streamed on Facebook on the Secretaría de las Culturas y Artes de Oaxaca page.
Unfortunately, Rolande Souliere could not travel to Oaxaca. However she described some of the symbolism of the mural: “We decided to portray the mythological beings of the Canadian thunderbird and the Zapotec deity of the Cosijo throne, these fantastic beings are responsible for the thunder and rain that the world experiences and that come together thanks to the clouds…. symbolic imageries such as Zapotec patterns, the route of thunder and the four directions of the first nations represented by the colors red, black, yellow and white… important signifiers in both communities since they represent the continuation of indigenous culture in contemporary society.”
Dario Canul, representative of the Tlacolulokos colective further explained, “The mural, ‘Our sun has gone,’ is a representation of celebration, life, rain, thunder, and tears that all indigenous peoples have shed over time.”
The inauguration launched the 2-1/2 week long Encuentros indígenas: Canadá-Oaxaca 2021 (Indigenous encounters: Canada-Oaxaca 2021) — a series of activities in Oaxaca city and surrounding villages — that runs from September 20 to October 8, 2021.
In remarks by Graeme C. Clark, the Canadian Ambassador, at the inaugural event and reports from this article, the collaboration seems to be an expression of the mea culpa by the Canadian government with regard to their historic treatment of the first peoples of the territory that is now called Canada. Better late than never. The indigenous peoples of the USA are still waiting.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged artists at work, Barrio de Jalatlaco, Mexico, mural painting, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art, work in progress on September 17, 2021| 5 Comments »
Today, I decided to change up what has become my Friday shopping routine. Instead of walking north to the fruit and veggie vendor, I headed south to explore the Friday tianguis — relocated from Llano Park a couple of years ago and now residing near the Polideportivo.
And, what an excellent decision it was! Only blocks from home, I came across a massive mural in progress on Calle de la Noche Triste at the corner of Calle Ignacio Aldama.
With scaffolding and tools of the trade in place, men were at work.
The style looked familiar, so I stopped to ask, and discovered they were the Tlacolulokos – my favorite artist collective from Tlacolula de Matamoros!
I think the guy I spoke to was a bit taken aback to find that this gringa was quite familiar with their work — including the murals for the Downtown Central Library in Los Angeles, California. Stay tuned…
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged cloudy sky, dusk, eerie sky, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain storms, rainbow, rainy season on September 15, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Pink sky at night, sailors’ delight.
Pink sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
What about a weird sky at dusk?
Last night’s sky over Oaxaca was the talk of locals on Facebook. Rain came an hour later.
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, El Mes de la Patria, Mexican flag, Mexican Independence Day, Mexico, Oaxaca, patriotic decorations, photos, popular travel destinations on September 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Decorations in green, white, and red began going up the first of September.
No, it’s not beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
The entire month of September is designated the Mes de la Patria — a month celebrating Mexico’s independence from Spain — a war which began on September 16 1810 and finally ended 200 years ago on September 27, 1821.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, rainy season, video on September 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s view from my front door…
A late afternoon deluge. This is the rainy season in Oaxaca!
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 