Last Sunday at the weekly market in Tlacolula de Matamoros…
Chickens
Rebozos
Seeds
Lunch
It’s not just about produce, bootleg DVDs, tools, and underwear.
Archive for the ‘Markets’ Category
More from the market
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Gardens, Markets, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged artisan markets, chickens, grilled onions, market day, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, rebozos, seeds, shawls, Tlacolula de Matamoros on May 26, 2018| 4 Comments »
Fashion form following function
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, cooking, embroidery, mandiles, Mexico, Oaxaca, People, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle, textiles, Tlacolula de Matamoros, women, Zapotec fashion on May 15, 2018| 12 Comments »
The lowly utilitarian apron has been elevated to an art form by the Zapotec women of the Tlacolula valley in Oaxaca. Worn every day, mandiles (aprons) are an essential and practical part of their traditional dress. Most women own several and take great pains to color coordinate them with the day’s attire.
Fiesta honoring the Virgen de Guadalupe at the home of Fidel Cruz and Maria Luisa Mendoza, Teotitlán del Valle.
Plainer aprons are worn around the home. However, they don one of their “Sunday best” aprons for special occasions. These are heavily embroidered and often have necklines and hems that are scalloped and, as a fashion statement, are frequently worn to the weekly market.
Vendor at the Sunday market in Tlacolula del Valle.
Mandiles are made of store-bought poly-cotton fabric, usually in a small plaid design. While “100% cotton” sounds more desirable to many of us, the blend is undeniably more practical. After all, who wants to iron when there is work to do and the temperatures are summery all year ’round?
Andrea weaving in Teotitlán del Valle.
Even though the embroidery is done by sewing machine, the more elaborate designs can take from three to four days days to make. Aprons range in price from approximately 150 to 700 pesos.
Leonor Lazo feeding a baby goat in Teotitlán del Valle.
Given that, in addition to being practical, these are also a fashion accessory, it should come as no surprise that styles can vary from village to village.
Young women from San Miguel del Valle attending a festival in Teotitlán del Valle.
I grew up with aprons. My grandmother lived next door and could always be found wearing a “house-dress” and a pinafore style apron with front patch pockets. Some were plain, but many she decorated with embroidery. Thus the mandiles of Oaxaca spoke to me and I listened.
Reyna Mendoza speaking to her El Sabor Zapoteco cooking class.
My first “Oaxaca” apron was a maroon plaid cobbler style with only a moderate amount of embroidery. After a year or two, it became so much a part of my home attire that I bought another in brown plaid. These are my workhorses and I wear them every day while cooking, cleaning, and even gardening. And, I proudly bring my own apron to cooking classes and make sure to pack one when I’ve been invited to a fiesta in Teotitlán del Valle — putting it on to help clear tables. I always get smiles from the women (and some of the men, too).
Me, the metate, and maiz at El Sabor Zapoteco cooking class in Teotitlán del Valle.
However, after countless Sunday market day trips to Tlacolula de Matamoros, not to mention, spending a lot time over the past several years in Teotitlán del Valle, I couldn’t help but be inspired by the fashion statements women, both young and old, were making, so I bought a slightly more elaborately embroidered pinafore style and then another and another.
Three of my mandiles; the red is the newest.
I even dared to wear one recently in New York at my granddaughter’s first birthday party. With children ranging in age from six weeks to six years, I thought it was a very practical fashion statement on my part. And, guess who got one for her birthday?
Birthday present to my granddaughter — a toddler-size mandil.
A good place to check who is wearing what style of mandil is at Tlacolula’s Sunday market. And, should you want to buy one for yourself and/or give one as a gift, there are at least eight apron stalls at the back of the market on Sundays.
Apron stall at the back of the Tlacolula de Matamoros market.
Shopping life and color
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, art, barbacoa, mandiles, markets, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, tianguis, Tlacolula de Matamoros, traje, vendors, women on February 5, 2018| 2 Comments »
After three weeks in el norte, all my bags are packed and I’m ready to return to Oaxaca. While malls and supermarkets abound here in the San Francisco Bay Area, shopping doesn’t hold a candle to experiencing the Sunday market in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Sidewalk murals greet shoppers on their way to the mercado.
Wearing traditional skirts, blouses, rebozos, and aprons, vendors compete for customers.
Stopping inside the mercado for barbacoa de chivo is a delicious way to take a break.
The apron selection, like everything else, is mind boggling!
Lastly, another sidewalk mural to send shoppers on their way home.
There is nothing like the life and color of shopping in Oaxaca. ¡Hasta pronto!
Gift of chocolate…
Posted in Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged chocolate, chocolate beans, chocolate skulls, Conchita, food, mercado 20 de noviembre, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations on August 23, 2017| 2 Comments »
As I’ve previously mentioned, my grandson loves skeletons and skulls AND he also loves Oaxacan chocolate. Recipe for the perfect gift to take to him: Go to my favorite chocolateria, Conchita (local # 210) inside Mercado 20 de Noviembre.
Take 1 kilogram of chocolate beans, add 1 kilogram of sugar and 25 grams of cinnamon sticks, and mill in the Mexicano embalado.
Bring home a plastic bag full of warm chocolate, spread out on a cookie sheet, let cool, then cut and stamp.
A recipe for the perfect gift to bring to my Day of the Dead loving, chocoholic grandson.
Week in Oaxaca – Day 6
Posted in Markets, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged Criollo restaurant, markets, Mercado de la Merced, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Week in Oaxaca on August 19, 2017| 6 Comments »
Sunday was the last day of B’s Week in Oaxaca and he had some last-minute shopping to do. Family back home had requested a stack of tlayudas (also spelled, clayudas), the 12″ diameter handmade and dried tortillas, and quesillo, Oaxacan string cheese. The closest mercado to B’s hotel was Mercado de la Merced. It’s one of the best in Oaxaca city — selling fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and dried chiles, healing herbs and incense, meats and poultry, breads and cheeses, baskets and oil cloth, housing juice bars and small restaurants (like the well-known Fonda Florecita), and more — almost everything one could ever need. These mercados make shopping social and fun — way more enjoyable than impersonal supermarkets and shopping malls.
After purchasing the requested items and wandering up and down the maze of aisles, we returned to B’s hotel to off-load the cheese (hotel’s refrigerator) and tlayudas (spread out on the bed to dry). Our appetites having been stimulated, we walked across the city to the off-the-beaten-path location of Criollo, the year-old creation of Chef Enrique Olvera (Pujol in Mexico City, Cosme in New York), Chef Luis Arellano (originally from the Cañana region of Oaxaca), and architect Javier Sánchez.
It was a good thing we were famished, as the 7-course tasting menu was more than enough. However, each plate brought such deliciousness, we happily continued on. And, the setting? While on an extremely busy street, once one steps inside this modern take on the traditional colonial courtyard, a sense of peace takes over. Sated, we wandered to their orchard at the back of the restaurant, where we were warmly greeted and offered a cup of poleo tea brewed in the outdoor kitchen set in the orchard. Our hostess explained this kitchen allows for the traditional preparation of some of the menu items. In addition, she pointed to another building that she explained was going to be a culinary bed and breakfast.
By the time we left Criollo, it was late afternoon. Before B returned to his hotel and I to my apartment, we marveled at what a full, delicious, and delightful six days it had been.
Just a note: A week isn’t nearly enough time to experience all that Oaxaca city and surrounding villages have to offer. We never made it to the Sunday market in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Hierve el Agua, Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CASA), the alebrije pueblos of San Martín Tilcajete and San Antonio Arrazola, San Bartolo Coyotepec for their black pottery and Museo Estatal de Arte Popular de Oaxaca (State Museum of Folk Art (MEAPO), Santa María Atzompa for green pottery and the archaeological site, the Pueblos Mancomunados of the Sierra Norte, and then there are the mezcal palenques in the valley of Oaxaca. I guess B will just have to come back!
Pause that refreshes
Posted in Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged aguas, beverages, Casilda Aguas Regionales, fruit drinks, markets, Mercado Benito Juárez, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on May 10, 2017| 3 Comments »
Nothing like stopping in Mercado Benito Juárez at Casilda Aguas Regionales midway through a morning filled with errands. The posted list of fruit drinks is mind boggling: Horchata, horchata con tuna, guanabana, melón, limón, sandía, jamaica, limón on chía, tamarindo, piña guayaba, kiwi, coco, crema de coco, durazno, ciruela, lichie, mandarina, mango, and maracuya.
Translated: Rice-based drink, rice-based drink with prickly pear cactus fruit, soursop, cantaloupe, lime, watermelon, hibiscus, lime with chia, tamarind, pineapple, guava, kiwi, coconut, coconut cream, peach, plum, lychee, mandarin orange, mango, and passion fruit.
What to choose? While I love horchata con tuna, I chose the unlisted limón con hoja santa (2nd from left in top photo) reeled off by the waitress. It was a lime with “sacred leaf” kind of day. Ahhh… the pause that refreshes!
BJ’s birthday bouquets
Posted in Food, Holidays, Markets, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Benito Juárez, herbs, markets, Mercado Benito Juárez, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on March 19, 2017| 1 Comment »
Currently, View from Casita Colibrí is being brought to you from el norte. Alas, tax season has come around again and mine need to be prepared. Then there is never-ending house maintenance and repair. I admit, it’s not all work and no play; being here means I get to spend time with family and friends, eat sushi, and give my regards to the Pacific Ocean.
However, despite the ease of grocery shopping when one has use of a car, pricey supermarket herbs packaged in puny plastic boxes don’t feed my soul and delight my senses the way the stalls overflowing with fresh and dried herbs at Mercado Benito Juárez in Oaxaca do.
Speaking of the former governor of Oaxaca, Mexico’s much beloved five-term and only indigenous (Zapotec) president, Benito Juárez, his birthday is coming up on March 21. He is the only individual in Mexico to have his birthday designated as a national holiday (celebrated this year on Monday, March 20).
We would all do well to remember AND practice his famous words: Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz. (Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.)
First stop: mi mercado
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged building renovation, groceries, grocery shopping, markets, Mercado Sánchez Pascuas, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, tamales on December 6, 2016| 4 Comments »
I returned to Oaxaca late Sunday night, a little dazed and confused. Of course, getting the dreaded “red light” at customs didn’t help. All was fine, though the word “bagels” didn’t register until someone behind me offered the word “pan” (bread), I nodded my assent, and the customs officer smiled and nodded hers. Whew!
First on Monday morning’s “to do” list was a trip to my local market, Mercado Sánchez Pascuas. It felt SO good to be walking again, even up hill! Reaching my destination, completely unbidden, an “expletive deleted” popped out. How could I have forgotten? The mercado was in the midst of a month and a half renovation!
This is a three million peso project that includes replacement of the roof, waterproofing of the slab area, and structural maintenance. Most of the approximately 100 stalls have been relocated to the patio in front of the Tinoco y Palacios entrance and the parking lot at the Porfirio Díaz entrance. The latter, I was pleased to see, found room for the annual display of poinsettia. I will return!
But first and foremost, food! I found (or they found me) my favorite vendors. They may not know my name, but they recognized and called to their gringa customer, who they haven’t seen for almost a month. Quesillo (Oaxaca string cheese), verduras (vegetables), fruta (fruit), tamales (mole, verde, amarillo, and rajas), and salsas (green and chipotle) were purchased.
My two shopping bags filled, I headed back down the hill to home, sweet, Oaxaca home. It’s great to be back! The icing on the cake, especially coming on top of the sticker shock of el norte, was the above, plus 8 bottles of beer, came to a grand total of 335 pesos — that’s $16.42 (US dollars), at today’s exchange rate.
Market day in Tlacolula
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged market day, markets, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, tianguis, Tlacolula de Matamoros on June 26, 2016| 5 Comments »
Sunday is market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros and I was so ready to escape the city. No bloqueos blocked our way and Sunday traffic was even lighter than usual, thus the drive was uneventful. In addition, though rumors of gasoline shortages have been rampant, we had no trouble filling up at one of the numerous Pemex stations along our eastbound route. Once we arrived, we found the market was a beehive of activity, aisles had us crowded shoulder to shoulder with shoppers from Tlacolula and the surrounding villages.
The color… the energy… the bounty… the people… the smells… the street food…the life. It was all just what the doctor ordered! And, when I got home and turned on my computer, a documentary on market day in Tlacolula popped up on my Facebook news feed. (h/t Zeferino Mendoza)
It may be from 2012, but not much has changed. This Sunday open air market (tianguis) is one of the oldest continuously operating in Mesoamerica.
No place like home
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged 20 de noviembre mercado, art, Aves Sin Paraíso, El pasillo de las carnes asadas, food, graffiti, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, stencil art, street art, students, urban art, wall art on May 2, 2016| 4 Comments »
A pause in the Cuba coverage to echo Dorothy, “There’s no place like home” — especially if that home is Oaxaca. I needed (yes, needed!) chocolate and coffee and, thus, headed toward the Benito Juárez and 20 de noviembre mercados. As always, even just a grocery shopping trip is a feast for the senses.
First, a calenda on Calle Independencia of students, academics, and workers to launch the registration of candidates for rector of Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca (UAJBO).
A peek into el pasillo de las carnes asadas (ahhh, the smells) in 20 de noviembre mercado, while waiting for my chocolate guy to finish with other customers.
A look at the finished murals (and merchandise) in a newly opened shop at Calle Macedonia Alcalá 100.
Stopping to gaze up at the “Aves Sin Paraíso” exhibition above the Alcalá.
Almost back to Casita Colibrí, a new stencil at the corner of Morelos and Tinoco y Palacios.
By the way, I got the chocolate, but couldn’t find my coffee guy in the maze of temporary stalls set up on the streets surrounding the Benito Juárez mercado (it’s undergoing a much-needed renovation). There’s always mañana — I’m not completely out, yet.
Women of red clay
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged barro, Festival de la Nieve Mezcal Gastronomía, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, pottery, San Marcos Tlapazola, Tlacolula de Matamoros on April 22, 2016| 3 Comments »
A few weeks ago, blogger buddy Chris and I returned to Tlacolula de Matamoros for the 5th annual Festival de la Nieve, Mezcal, Gastronomía. Besides yummy food, ice creams, and drink there were vendors of textiles, baskets, and barro.
These are the women of San Marcos Tlapazola and their elegant and functional pottery. I already have several oft used pieces, including a comal. However, the girl in the red dress and blue apron above, talked me into a little salsa dish. How could I resist?
You can always find these women of red clay selling their wares on Sunday market day in Tlacolula and, if you are in the market for a comal, they stroll the aisles of the Mercado Benito Juárez in Oaxaca city almost everyday. That’s where I got mine!
And, if you want to see these gals in action, check out the video Mujeresdelbarrorojo.
Cooking with Hope
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged Augustín Canseco, Cooking Classes Oaxaca, cooking schools, guacamole, Mexico, mole, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on March 2, 2016| 7 Comments »
My BFF (since age twelve) has briefly escaped Alaska’s winter to spend two weeks with me in Oaxaca. A couple of things happen when I have out-of-town guests. The first is that blog posts are few and far between. The second is the reason why. It’s because I’m too busy going places and doing things that I’ve always wanted to do! Thus, a couple of days ago we walked down to the zócalo to meet Agustín of Cooking Classes Oaxaca.
After all six budding Oaxaca street food cooking students had gathered, we proceeded to mercados Benito Juárez and 20 de noviembre to begin our lessons in products and cleanliness. We then hailed a couple of taxis to take us up to Colonia Reforma to our classroom for the day, where we gingerly wound our way up the narrowest and steepest spiral staircase I have ever encountered.
Once at the top, we were introduced to our teacher Esperanza (“Hope” in English), shown where the beer was stocked, and oriented to the many types of chiles we would be using. Then commenced the hands-on work, beginning with making two salsas (verde and rojo), guacamole, and chicken tinga.
Next up was making tortillas. We mixed the masa placed a “3-finger” size ball onto the tortilla press, pressed, turned, pressed, turned, pressed, turned and removed our thin and perfectly shaped tortilla. Piece of cake! However, the most difficult task of the day was yet to come. Believe it or not, laying the tortilla on a very hot comal proved to be incredibly challenging for most (not all) of us. Holes and wrinkles happened more often than not, but Esperanza provided patient and gentle guidance and encouragement and occasionally we were rewarded with a nicely puffed tortilla.
Esperanza
Following a brief snack of chicken tinga wrapped in our freshly-made tortillas, we turned our attention to quesadillas filled with epazote leaves, flor de calabaza (squash blossoms), a sliver of jalapeño, and a generous pinch of shredded quesillo. We then folded, fried, and topped each with guacamole, chapulines (grasshoppers), guaje seeds, and queso fresco. We took our creations out onto a table thoughtfully set on the rooftop with tablecloth, utensils, glasses, and a bottle of water. Ooops, that wasn’t water, it was mezcal!!! By the way, if we had cooked our quesadillas on a dry comal, they would have been called empanadas. Either way, they were light, tender, and delicious!
Once fed and refreshed, we returned to the kitchen for the day’s crowning achievement — mole coloradito. We separated various types of dried chiles from their seeds, added pinches and “lady” handfuls of herbs, spices, nuts, onions, garlic, ginger, raisins, and more to a pan to sauté. However, I admit, we all fled the room when Esperaza began cooking the chiles, but returned for the blending, stirring, and simmering.
Once Esperanza discovered one of our class members was a vegetarian, she adapted a portion of each recipe for her. Thus, while the carnivores among us prepared and savored chicken bathed in a silky smooth chicken broth-based red mole, our vegetariana dined on a equally divine water-based red mole enchilada.
As rave Trip Advisor reviews attest, our smiling and satisfied group was not alone — there have been many happy customers. The handwriting was on the wall…
Agustín Canseco
By the way, for my Bay Area friends and relations, Agustín used to cook at the Hayes Street Grill, Zuni Cafe, and Vicolo Pizza, among other popular San Francisco restaurants.
Tomorrow, BFF, several friends and neighbors, and I head out for a day of mezcal tasting. Hmmm… I wonder how long it will take to work that into a blog post?
Brooms in waiting
Posted in Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, otate, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on January 14, 2016| 6 Comments »
Back in Oaxaca and it’s scenes like this that make me smile…
At the Tinoco y Palacios entrance to the Mercado Sanchez Pascuas. Otate waiting to be made into escobas (brooms)?
Shopping Oaxaca style
Posted in Culture, Gardens, Holidays, Markets, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged artisans, courtyard, expo-venta, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, shopping, textiles, weavers on December 2, 2015| 5 Comments »
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are in the rear view mirror, December is upon us — only twenty-three more shopping days until Christmas — and the shopping frenzy in el norte continues. Thanks, but no thanks, I say. I prefer this…
Weaver from the Katyi Ya’a Taller Colectivo de Algodón Native (Collective workshop using native cottons)
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I took leisurely stroll down to the 2-day expo-venta (exposition and sale), sponsored by the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and held in the tranquility of the Centro Cultural San Pablo patio. After much oohing and ahhing and talking with many of the artisans, I headed up 5 de mayo to one of my favorite pocket courtyards and the shops tucked in along its garden path…
5 de mayo #408 – home to tapetes (rugs) at the Fe y Lola gallery and Seasons of My Heart retail store, among other small shops.
I won’t reveal where or if I bought anything — I wouldn’t want to spoil any Christmas surprises! What I will say is… I prefer strolling to rushing; personally meeting and paying the artisans for their work to handing over a credit card at an impersonal department store; and, perhaps most of all, experiencing the pride radiated by an item’s creator when I admire their work.
It’s beginning to look a lot like…
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged calacas, calaveras, Día de los Muertos, decorations, Mexico, Oaxaca, ofrendas, photographs, photos, sugar skulls, Tlacolula de Matamoros on October 27, 2015| 6 Comments »
To borrow from Meredith Willson, it’s beginning to look a lot like Muertos…
Everywhere you go.
No “five and tens” here…
Just a street stall set up in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Beginning to shop for my Día de Muertos ofrenda.
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