Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged Flamboyán trees, flower of the day, flowers, hibiscus, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photos, Teotitlán del Valle, Tierra Antigua on June 26, 2019| 7 Comments »
Summer showers bring more flowers.
Night blooming cereus on the terrace of Casita Colibrí
Flamboyán at Tierra Antigua, Teotitlán del Valle
Hibiscus at the home of Edmundo Montaño and Alicia Lorenzo, Teotitlán del Valle
Beauty and blessings brought to the land and people of Oaxaca by Cocijo.
Posted in Churches, Culture, Flora, Food, Markets, tagged barbacoa, Cristo de la Paciencia, market day, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, Tlacolula de Matamoros on June 18, 2019| 13 Comments »
I returned to Casita Colibrí early Friday morning, weary from Aeromexico’s red eye from San Francisco. After emptying the suitcases, bed beckoned! No need to drag myself to the market, as neighbor and gal pal, K, welcomed me home with a delicious dinner. Saturday, was spent putting things away, tending to the garden, and raiding the freezer for a tamal to go along with leftover salad from the night before. However by Sunday I was recovered enough to accompany K on her weekly pilgrimage to market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Doña Aurelia, cocinera at her Puesto de Barbacoa. A yummy way to begin the day!
A stop in the Capilla del Señor de Tlacolula of the Parroquia de la Virgen de la Asunción for a reminder from Señor de la Paciencia (Lord of Patience).
The bell tower of the Parroquia de la Virgen de la Asuncón, Tlacolula de Matamoros. It always pays to look up.
“The sense of responsibility is latent in the human being, with sensitivity we should look for it from childhood, channel it in adolescence, perfect it in the youth to understand and better serve society.”
Far from the madding crowd in search of a baño.
Aprons on and baskets in hand: Marketing on market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
What better way to get back into the swing of things in Oaxaca. Chicken soup for this soul! Gracias a mi amiga.
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged Chiapas, earrings, gourds, indigenous peoples, jícara, jicalpextles, Mexico, murals, Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO), Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Tacuate women, tejate, Zapotec culture on June 6, 2019| 6 Comments »
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.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged Black and white photography, Casita Colibrí, container plant, Crown of Thorns, Euphorbia milii, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, succulents on May 24, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Stepping outside my front door, sometimes the play of light and shadow in Oaxaca takes my breath away.
Crown of thorns (aka, Corona de Cristo, Euphorbia milii) taken November 2018.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Cabellos de Ángel, Epiphyllum hookeri, flowers, garden, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photos, pistachio, popular travel destinations, Pseudobombax ellipticum, Shaving Brush Tree, Spring, trees on May 4, 2019| 4 Comments »
The thermometer hovers in the low 90’s (F), a very occasional late afternoon thunderstorm clears the air and cleans the sidewalks, and the high-pitched song of the cicadas (aka, cigarras and chicharras) add to Oaxaca’s soundtrack.
In addition, “shaving brushes” are seen springing from the branches of the Pseudobombax ellipticum trees — commonly known here as Cabellos de Ángel (angel hair).
In my garden, the night blooming cereus (Epiphyllum hookeri) have been greeting me early in the morning.
And, my pistachio tree, which the leaf cutter ants stripped of all its leaves eight months ago, has rebounded and produced its first nut. Such is spring in Oaxaca!
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Flora, Food, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged agave fields, castillo, construction workers, Día de los Trabajadores, Día del Trabajo, Día Internacional de los Trabajadores, International Workers' Day, labor, Labour Day, May Day, Mexico, mezcal palenque, Oaxaca, photos, vendors, workers on May 1, 2019| 6 Comments »
Happy International Workers Day!
Food vendors at the mercado in Teotitlán del Valle
Fireworks castillo builders in Oaxaca de Juárez
Flower vendor in the Villa de Zaachila market
Teamsters unloading maguey piñas near Santiago Matatlán
Snack vendor on market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros
Construction worker preparing a new roof, Oaxaca de Juárez
Life… brought to you by the workers of the world.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Cee's Flower of the Day, Flor de mayo, flowers, FOTD, frangipani, gardens, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, plumeria, popular travel destinations on April 6, 2019| 2 Comments »
Tonight, the clocks in most of Mexico spring ahead.
However, the flowers are on their own time and the Flor de Mayo (aka, Plumeria, Frangipani) have already begun to bloom.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged bougainvillea, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain storms on March 23, 2019| 2 Comments »
After a few nights of a drop or two, we had an real rainstorm last night.
The sound of rain lulled me to sleep last night.
This morning I awoke to clear a clear sky and a glistening garden.
While no one believes this is the start of the rainy season, it is much welcome evidence that Cocijo hasn’t forsaken the valley of Oaxaca.
Posted in Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged color pink, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, pink poui, rosy trumpet tree, Spring, Tabebuia rosea, trees on March 14, 2019| 8 Comments »
Purple isn’t the only color signaling spring is on the way in Oaxaca.
The city is also alive in the pink of Tabebuia rosea blossoms.
To borrow from the old Perez Prado song…
It’s Tabebuia rosea and jacaranda time.
Posted to ThursdayTreeLove
Posted in Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged color lavender, jacaranda, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Spring, trees on March 1, 2019| 18 Comments »
From gnarled tree limbs throughout the city…
purple blossoms have emerged.
Set against clear blue skies, it’s jacaranda time…
a not-so-subtle sign that spring is on its way.
Posted to Thursday Tree Love
Posted in Agriculture, Animals, Beverages, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged agave, bats, flowers, hummingbirds, Lapiztola, mague, Mal de Amor palenque, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, quiote, Santiago Matatlán, wall art on February 24, 2019| 5 Comments »
Let us all raise a glass to the hummingbirds and bats of Oaxaca.
Without the work they do pollinating the flowers on the quiotes (stalks) that shoot up from the agave,
there would be no maguey piñas to harvest and cook…
and no mezcal to drink!
*Mural by Lapiztola on the side of the Palenque Mal de Amor (makers of Ilegal mezcal) 2+ miles north of Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca. Check out their other mural at the palenque HERE.
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Bottle Brush tree, Callistemon, Christmas season, garden, Mexico, Noche Buena, Nochebuena, Oaxaca, photos, red flowering plants, terrace garden, trees on December 20, 2018| 2 Comments »
Yes, I know, the Poinsettia is the unofficial red flowering plant of the Christmas season — in Mexico, it even shares the name for Christmas Eve, Nochebuena. However, there is another red flowering plant that provides holiday color this time of year, the Bottle Brush tree (genus, Callistemon).
On the rooftop, my container-planted Bottle Brush tree.
Any way you look at it, it brightens the day and brings a bit of Christmas cheer to the garden.
Bottle Brush, the other red of Christmas!
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, crumbling buildings, graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, plants, popular travel destinations, street art on December 6, 2018| 6 Comments »
Posted in Flora, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged bananas, Central de Abastos, markets, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, Plátano morado, plátanos on November 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Up until my first visit to Oaxaca, I had no idea that bananas came in any other color than yellow. However, I soon discovered a Banana bonanza of sizes, shapes, and colors — and red bananas became my favorite. I haven’t seen them for a while, but on a visit to Central de Abastos, I pulled up short in front of these babies!
This variety of banana is smaller and the peel is thicker than the common yellow Cavendish, but it hides a creamy sweet flesh that is perfect for slicing over a bowl of cereal or served with a sprinkling of lime juice and a dash of Tajín Clásico seasoning. We asked what this variety is called and the vendor just shrugged and said, “Plátano morado.” He says purple, I say red. Whatever they are called, they are delicious!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged Casita Colibrí, Crown of Thorns, flowers, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, roses on November 11, 2018| 6 Comments »
Day three of cut roses from the Mercado de Abastos. Gracias a Kalisa!
Crown of Thorns… new addition to the rooftop garden from the weekly Sunday plant sale in the Jardín Morelos.
Winter may be coming, but there are always flowers blooming in Oaxaca.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 