Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, tagged 142 Throckmorton, El Picacho, here and there, Mexico, Mill Valley, Mt. Tamalpais, Oaxaca, Teotitlán del Valle, wall art, Zio Ziegler on January 4, 2012| 1 Comment »
Wall art from here…
Wall of 142 Throckmorton theatre on Madrona, Mill Valley, CA by Zio Ziegler
to there.
Wall of Espacio Zapata on Porfirio Díaz, Oaxaca de Juárez, OAX
And, sacred mountains from here…
to there.
Transition time… Mill Valley back to Oaxaca.
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, tagged comparsa, Day of the Dead, Días de Muerto, Etla, Mexico, Oaxaca, parade, video, Vista Hermosa on December 31, 2011| 2 Comments »
A little craziness from the November 2, 2011 comparsa in Vista Hermosa…
Muchisimas gracias to all my readers. Thank you for stopping by, your perceptive comments, and your encouragement. Peace and joy in 2012, if not in the world, at least in your heart!
Posted in Challenges, Culture, History, Language, tagged bienes comunales, cargo, communal land, Guelaguetza, indigenous peoples, Kathleen Melville, Mexico, Oaxaca, racism, Upside Down World on December 28, 2011| 2 Comments »
Fascinating and revealing… from Upside Down World. I encourage you to read the full article.
Defying the Myth of Native Desolation: Cultural Continuity in Oaxaca
Written by Kathleen Melville
Friday, 09 December 2011 15:56
“There is no remedy, and the Indians are coming to an end.” – Don Felipe Huamán Poma de Ayala, 1615 (quoted in Restall, 100)
Despite the passage of nearly four hundred years, Huamán Poma’s dismal pronouncement remains the sad ending to many popular narratives of the conquest. In classrooms throughout the United States, students learn that the arrival of Columbus spelled the end of Native American civilization and that the Spanish conquest obliterated indigenous culture and society in the Americas. As Matthew Restall notes in “The Seven Myths of the Conquest”, this pervasive “myth of native desolation” (102) obscures the strength and vitality of indigenous people throughout history and into the present.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, the lives and work of indigenous people belie the myth of native desolation and attest to thousands of years of continuous, evolving culture. In July, over 30 educators from the United States convened in Oaxaca for a summer institute funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities. Our goal was to better understand the histories and cultures of indigenous people in the region so that we might help illuminate and preserve them through our teaching. With unit plans that we designed and shared, we hope to disturb and diminish the myth of native desolation and to enrich our students’ perspectives on native culture.
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Globalization and transnational corporations also pose a significant threat to indigenous cultural continuity. Artisans in Oaxaca complained that Asian companies have been mass-producing textiles and wood carvings abroad and then undercutting the tourist market locally. As documented in several articles on this site, the agricultural corporation Monsanto aims to expand its reign into Oaxaca and eliminate small maize farms like the Vicente family’s. Drug cartels, their own breed of transnational organization, also jeopardize indigenous culture by increasingly luring young people into lives of violence far from home. These giants make for formidable foes in the fight for cultural survival, but the indigenous communities of Oaxaca have faced formidable foes in the past. From the Aztec conquest to the Spanish conquest to the present day, indigenous communities in Oaxaca have endured and evolved, defying the myth of native desolation and defining a culturally sustainable future for themselves. [Full article]
(FYI: I just had first-hand experience with the threat cheap imports pose to the livelihoods of Oaxaca’s artisans. I do all my Christmas shopping in Oaxaca (so much more enjoyable than hitting the malls in the USA) and purchased backscratchers for stocking-stuffers that “looked” like they were made from the ubiquitous carrizo found anywhere a trickle of water is found in Oaxaca. However, there they were in a bin at one of the chain drug stores here in el norte! I’m thinking they were made in China. Wood carvers, potters, and weavers, the conversation is the same; business is down and these creative and talented folks are being forced to return to work in the fields.) — casitacolibrí
Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, tagged Benito Juárez, Bolinas, California, graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, wall art on December 26, 2011| 3 Comments »
Apparently, I’m not the only one who has made the journey from Oaxaca to California. The San Francisco Bay Area has been basking in sun and Oaxacan-blue-skies. Even though the temps don’t match-up, the coast beckoned…
And, wall art greeted us in Bolinas.
Gosh, except for the subject matter, I felt like I was in Oaxaca!
Wait! Who is that I see?
None other than Oaxaca’s favorite son, Benito Juárez. The subject matter IS the same!!!
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged celebrations, dance, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, travel, video on December 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Buildings, Culture, Libraries, Renovation, tagged Centro Académico y Cultural San Pablo, cultural center, ex-convento, libraries, Mexico, Oaxaca, research center, San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center on December 5, 2011| 3 Comments »
… in all manner of ways; there’s a lot of that here. Successful meetings between old and new are a matter of debate. The newly renovated Centro Académico y Cultural San Pablo is no exception. It was acquired, designed by architect Mauricio Rocha, renovated, and repurposed by the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation.
Located in the heart of the historic district, between the Museo Textil and the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, this former Dominican convent, originally established in 1529, has been one of those ubiquitous crumbling and peligrosos buildings for a long time. In addition, to the features of the original cloister, archeological remains from 2,500 years ago were uncovered and have been preserved.
The buildings will house a research center (including a library), dedicated to the study of the languages and cultures of the indigenous of Oaxaca, serve as a venue for cultural presentations, and provide exhibit space for the philanthropic endeavors of the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation, which (among several others) includes the Textile Museum, Museum of Philately (stamps), Institute of Oaxacan Historic , and Children’s Library.
The grand opening, with all the requisite fanfare and dignitaries, was November 26. Alas, I missed it! However, the courtyard provided the setting for several performances during the Instrumenta Oaxaca 2011, a 2-week long chamber music festival that ran from November 3rd to the 18th; two of which I attended. I was dazzled by the setting (and the acoustics weren’t bad, either) and was especially gratified that the library, which the seating faced, presented a prominent and dramatic architectural feature.
Written on the wall of the building housing a small collection from the BS: Biblioteca Infantil (Children’s Library), a quote from Dostoyevsky (of all people): Los libros son mi aliento, mi vida y mi futuro. In English: Books are my breath, my life and my future.
For more (in English) about the Centro Académico y Cultural San Pablo, see Norma Hawthorne’s article, Oaxaca Center Promotes Indigenous Language and Culture, Opens November 26, 2011.
Update: Read how this cultural and historical gem, lost in plain sight.
Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Markets, Music, tagged dance, dancers, Danza de la Pluma, Guelaguetza, Guelaguetza Auditorium, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, Zaachila on December 3, 2011| 2 Comments »
In August 2011, Vive Oaxaca launched a campaign to showcase the best of the state through a series of video shorts. Two have already been released online:
Esto es Zaachila
and, Esto es Guelaguetza
I’m looking forward to Monday night’s online release of, Esto es Oaxaca de Juárez. I guess you know what my Tuesday morning blog post will be!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, tagged Arte Jaguar, Asaro, Bouler, Espantapájaros, graffiti, Lapiztola, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pan-American Highway, Primer Festival de Artes Visuales Oaxaca 2011, public art, Puntos de Encuentro, Uriel Marín, visual arts, Viyegax on December 1, 2011| 2 Comments »
… equals public art on Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec, a section of the legendary Pan-American Highway in Oaxaca’s capital city.
On October 27, 2011, representatives from the groups Espantapájaros, Asaro, Bouler, Viyegax, Arte Jaguar, Lapiztola, and Uriel Marín set to work transforming a long drab wall into a work of art representing the social, cultural, and political life of Oaxaca and Mexico. The wall of graffiti was part of the Puntos de Encuentro, Primer Festival de Artes Visuales Oaxaca 2011, previously mentioned in my mid-October blog post, Meeting Points….
As of a few days ago, the artwork remains to catch the eye of drivers (yikes!), passengers, and pedestrians.
Posted in Culture, Music, tagged bus, guitarists, guitars, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, transportation, Zaachila on November 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Creativity, Culture, tagged graffiti, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, wall art, Zaachila, Zimatlán de Lázaro Cárdenas on November 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »
… in Zaachila
and Zimatlán de Lázaro Cárdenas.
I have no idea what they mean… But, who cares?
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Religion, tagged celebrations, cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Días de Muerto, flor inmortal, flowers, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, San Antonino Castillo Velasco on November 24, 2011| 1 Comment »
Today is Thanksgiving in los Estados Unidos de América… and besides my wonderful family and friends, I am so grateful to see and experience places like San Antonino Castillo Velasco during los Días de Muertos.
¡Feliz Acción de Gracias a todos!
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Religion, tagged celebrations, cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Días de Muerto, flor inmortal, flowers, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, San Antonino Castillo Velasco on November 22, 2011| 2 Comments »
San Antonino Castillo Velasco, a Zapotec community near Ocotlán, is a village known for its flowers. They are, no doubt, the inspiration for beautifully embroidered linens and clothing sold in the mercados and found in museum collections. And, a specialty is the “flor inmortal” (immortal flower), so named because, even when dried, it retains its brilliant colors. They are used to create intricately designed figures on display December 23 in the city of Oaxaca, during Noche de Rábanos and to decorate the graves of loved ones during Días de Muertos in San Antonino.
As I’ve previously mentioned, each village seems to have its own unique traditions for the Days of the Dead. Villagers here mix the area’s very fine dirt with water, cover the graves, use a trowel to smooth it, outline designs and religious imagery into the dried coating, and then use flowers (fresh and dried), to paint the scene. Entire families are involved, young and old, and the atmosphere is filled with joy, purpose, and most of all… Love.
For a very special moment, that is a metaphor the two days spent at San Antonino, see Chris’s post, Moments make a life..
Posted in Animals, Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, tagged cemetery, Day of the Dead, Días de Muerto, flowers, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, San Antonino Castillo Velasco on November 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »
San Antonino Castillo Velasco, to be precise. Young and old converged on the municipal cemetery to decorate the graves with the magenta of cockscomb and yellow to orange to rust of marigolds (cempazúchil or zempoalxochitl) grown in nearby fields.
They came by car and truck…
By horse (note wooden saddle)…
By pedal-powered cart…
By horse-powered cart.
And, on foot…
Laughter, artistry, and pride followed. Stay tuned for images of their meticulous labors of love.
Posted in Culture, People, Politics, tagged IFAD, indigenous peoples, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Latin America, Lila Downs, Mexico, Oaxaca on November 15, 2011| 2 Comments »
Mexico’s favourite singer-songwriter dishes on development, gender, indigenous issues, peace and music. An interview with Lila Downs (in English) from the IFAD social reporting blog:
http://blip.tv/ifad/lila-downs-reverence-hope-change-5672813
By the way, Chris, over at Oaxaca-The Year After has posted more from the recent concert at the Guelaguetza Auditorium, covered in my Sublime sounds and spectacle post.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 