Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged band, Banda los Magueyitos de Matatlán, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, stars on April 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »
There always seems to be live music in Tlacolula de Matamoros on Sunday market days. Today it was the hot band, Los Magueyitos de Matalán. The horns had me seeing stars!
Hopefully, Chris over at Oaxaca-The Year After will eventually post the video he took. In the meantime, here they are on SoundCloud.
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged enchiladas, food, market day, markets, meat, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Tlacolula de Matamoros on February 23, 2015| Leave a Comment »
If it’s Sunday, it must be market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Women doing their marketing, and the men who follow.
Carne, right off the hoof, for the carnivores.
And, delicious dining for all!
Another delightful domingo in Oaxaca.
Posted in Celebrations, Children, Creativity, Culture, Food, Holidays, Markets, Protests, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged Children's Guelaguetza, Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres, Gorilla Gallery, Karen and Jasen Willenbrink, moto taxis, New Year's Eve, Oaxaca, pan de muerto, Paseo de los Viernes de Cuaresma, photographs, photos, Procession of Silence, Quinceañera, San Antonio Cuajimoloyas, San Pablo Villa de Mitla, tapetes de arena, Teotitlán del Valle on January 1, 2015| 8 Comments »
Adiós to 2014. It was another year filled with the always amazing and often surprising sights and sounds of Oaxaca.
January – The new year began with a Quinceañera at Iglesia Sangre de Cristo on the Macedonio Alcalá.
February – Most of the month was spent in California and New York, but returned to Oaxaca sun, blue sky, and buildings with character.
March – Ahhh… the flowers, the boys, and the girls of the “only in Oaxaca” Paseo de los Viernes de Cuaresma.
April – The banners of the Procesión del Silencio (Procession of Silence) on Good Friday during Semana Santa (Holy Week).
May – Karen and Jasen Willenbrink exhibition at Gorilla Gallery.
June – Pretty in pink, a protest by tuk-tuks (moto-taxis) on the zócalo.
July – Up into the Sierra Norte for the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (Wild mushrooms fair) in San Antonio Cuajimoloyas.
August – Mini Guelaguetza sponsored by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) on the Plaza de la Danza.
September – A rainy morning walk up to the presa (dam), Piedra Azul in Teotitlán del Valle.
October – Day of the Dead tapetes de arena in progress on the Plaza de la Danza.
November – Ofrenda in San Pablo Villa de Mitla with the village’s traditional and intricately decorated pan de muerto.
December – Nochebuenas (poinsettias) for sale at mercado Sánchez Pascuas.
Muchisimas gracias to all my wonderful 2014 blog readers! I am blown away that people from 125 countries have stopped by View from Casita Colibrí this year. Your presence, comments, and encouragement have been SO very much appreciated.
¡Feliz año nuevo a tod@s! I can’t wait to see what 2015 will bring.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged Christmas decorations, Mercado Benito Juárez, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, piñata on December 15, 2014| 3 Comments »
In between the virgin days, it’s beginning to look a lot like Navidad in Oaxaca…
Piñatas on high at Mercado Benito Juárez.
Posted in Buildings, Markets, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged Cathedral of Oaxaca, converge, Flannery O'Connor, La catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on November 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »
In the words of Flannery O’Connor, “Everything that rises must converge.”
In front of the Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, the lonas rise and the ropes converge.
Posted in Animals, Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alice's Restaurant, El Día de Acción de Gracias, market day, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Thanksgiving, Tlacolula de Matamoros, turkeys on November 27, 2014| 1 Comment »
Seating for twenty-two has been scavenged from around the apartment complex, tables (three of which are borrowed) are covered with oilcloth and set with plastic cutlery, cranberry sauce has been made, stock for gravy is simmering on the stove top, and the turkey has been stuffed and is currently roasting in my little oven.
Turkey sellers on market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca – Oct. 26, 2014.
Neighbors, a former neighbor, and the latter’s Oaxaqueño coworkers will be bringing another turkey, more stuffing, potatoes (mashed and sweet), pumpkin pies, and beverages. Now to put together a playlist which, naturally, will include Arlo Guthrie’s, Alice’s Restaurant Alice’s Restaurant Massacree — a turkey day family tradition since 1967.
Inevitably our guests will ask, “So what exactly does Thanksgiving celebrate?” Do we continue to pass along the myth or do we explain the inconvenient truth, “that the first official Thanksgiving Day celebrated the massacre of 700 Indian men, women and children during one of their religious ceremonies.”
Then there is the question, “How is this holiday celebrated in the USA?” The following holiday rituals will no doubt be described: Many televisions will be tuned to the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade of giant balloons and traditional turkey day football (North American) games. And, as soon as the last piece of pie has been eaten, growing numbers people will be racing to the nearest shopping mall or computer to take advantage of early-bird “Black Friday” pre-Christmas sales.
However, in between the above, there is always dining table conversation — catching-up stories, old and new jokes, loving reminiscences, and the occasional arguments over politics and/or religion. But, as the folks at the Presente.org Team wrote in an email to their subscribers this morning, for Latinos in the USA, “Thanksgiving dinner might be hard when you’re sitting across the table from a loved one who was left out of the President’s executive action. When the subject comes up, don’t drown your sorrows in a bottomless pitcher of gravy. We created a graphic to help you have that tricky conversation.”
Besides my wonderful family, friends, and blog readers, I am extremely grateful to be a guest in a country where, amidst the beauty and warmth of its people and land, it’s almost impossible to ignore awkward and difficult truths. ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias a tod@s!
Posted in Food, Markets, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged food, grilled meat, Hall of smoke, Mexico, Oaxaca, pasillo de humo, photographs, photos, Tlacolula de Matamoros on August 26, 2014| 2 Comments »
One of my favorite things…
The women and their grills in el pasillo de humo (the hall of smoke).
Another Sunday market day in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Posted in Buildings, Markets, Renovation, Travel & Tourism, tagged markets, Mercado Benito Juárez, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on April 2, 2014| 11 Comments »
Braving 90+º F temperatures this afternoon, I headed down to the, you-can-buy-anything-you-want, Mercado Benito Juárez. This is my “go to” market for nueces (pecans), arándanos (dried cranberries), coffee beans, chapulines (grasshoppers), fruits, and vegetables. There is also mole, meats, fish, textiles, flowers, souvenirs, piñatas, costumes, lucha libre masks, baskets, leather goods, hats, hair-care products, jewelry, and much more — the original “mall.”
Today, all I needed was my favorite tiny Dominico bananas and a couple of avocados. However, suspicion set in when I noticed NO double-parked vehicles or even much traffic on Las Casas. A bloqueo (blockade)? No. Muy extraño (very strange). I crossed the street and walked down to my regular entrance into the market and noticed the corrugated metal doors of the vendor stalls along the street were tightly shut and then saw a sign at the gate to the market that read…
Closed for maintenance work!!! No reason why, no re-opening date, and no relocation site for the vendors was given. I flashed on visions of the six-month renovation of my neighborhood, Mercado IV Centenario. Hmmm… does it have something to do with the aguas negras (sewage), due to a short-circuit underground that was reported last week? I’m guessing, yes. According to today’s report in NSS Oaxaca, there is dredging going on (Oaxaca’s version of Roto Rooter?), vendors will then clean up (disinfect?) their stalls, and the mercado will reopen tomorrow. Por favor, keep your fingers crossed.
Update: Mercado Benito Juárez re-opened yesterday, as promised. According to my favorite fruit and vegetable vendor, it was closed on Wednesday due to the aguas negras problem.
Posted in Culture, Markets, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged balloons, ice blocks, iceman, marimbas, markets, Mercado IV Centenario, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street musicians on October 22, 2013| 10 Comments »
Sunday morning, walking up Avenida Morelos, The Iceman Cometh.
Arriving at Mercado IV Centenario, marimba rhythms start to play…
Down to the zócalo. As Winnie the Pooh said, “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”
Sunday morning strolls through the streets of Oaxaca always make me smile.
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo, cooking, food, Mexico, Oaxaca, One Plate at a Time, Pilar Cabrera, restaurants, Rick Bayless, Susana Trilling, television shows on August 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I kind of have an unwritten rule for this blog of not promoting commercial enterprises. However, being an alumna of the sixties, I wholeheartedly subscribe to the rule that rules (especially unspoken ones) were made to be broken. Thus I encourage you to click on the “Behind the Scenes” videos of season 9 of Rick Bayless, Mexico: One Plate at a Time in Oaxaca. Start with episode 13 and work your way backwards. These “Behind the Scenes” clips really do give a flavor of the culinary culture, traditions, and scenery of Oaxaca.
If you are in El Norte, watch the shows. What’s not to like? Come on down!!!
h/t: Margie B.
Posted in Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged market day, markets, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Tlacolula de Matamoros on July 9, 2013| 13 Comments »
Sunday is market day in Tlacolula. The sounds and sights…
The smells and tastes…
And, most of all, the people…
Much needed chicken soup for my soul.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Markets, People, tagged artesania, California, Casa Oaxaca, Guillermo Robles, Mi Pueblo Food Center, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, store displays on June 7, 2013| 12 Comments »
I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area for a lengthy stay — a necessary trip to el norte to sell my grandparents house. I’ve only been here for three weeks but I’m missing Oaxaca, already! However, driving up Solano Ave. on my way to Berkeley, a storefront caught my eye. Skeletons, tapetes, a riot of color…
Where am I???
Casa Oaxaca is a gift shop featuring arts and crafts from Southern Mexico. Artesanía from Chiapas, Guerrero, Puebla, and (of course) Oaxaca cram every nook and cranny of the store.
Casa Oaxaca’s delightful owner, Guillermo (“Memo”) Robles, was born and raised in the city of Oaxaca and he returns frequently on buying trips. All items are carefully (and lovingly, I think) bought directly from crafts people and artisan collectives.
I stood talking with Memo for almost 30 minutes and, surrounded by the artesanía I have come to know and love, it was almost like being back in my adopted city. Ahhh… If you go, don’t forget to look up!
I’ve also discovered Mi Pueblo Food Center in San Rafael, one of a small, privately owned, chain of supermarkets in Northern California. I came home with Tajin seasoning, a bag of still warm tortillas, a whole roast chicken, quesillo, along with fruit, fresh herbs, vegetables, and a case of Modelo Especial (the latter especially for my son, in whose home I’m staying) — all for a better price than the unnamed, but well-known, big chains. On my next visit, I’ve got to try their tamales.
Posted in Buildings, Food, Markets, tagged building renovation, grocery shopping, markets, Mercado IV Centenario, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, renovation, vendors on November 21, 2012| 3 Comments »
After 6+ months of being Under construction,
today, the waiting is over!
This morning, Oaxaca’s governor, the city’s mayor, and the head of the Ministry of Tourism and Economic Development opened the newly constructed entrance on Independencia…
and welcomed vendors and shoppers to the newly renovated Mercado IV Centenario.
New stalls, with improved electrical and sanitation systems are part of this renovation project.
Vendors, including one of my favorite vegetable sellers, began moving their goods from the temporary site in Jardín Morelos to their new stalls.
After only a few hours, my vendedora de frutas already looked happily ensconced in her new digs!
There are still a few stalls waiting to be filled…
Any takers???
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Holidays, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged calaveras, cempasuchitl, Day of the Dead, day of the dead bread, Días de Muertos, food, incense burners, marigolds, markets, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, ofrenda, popular travel destinations, puestos, sugar skulls, Tlacolula de Matamoros, vendor stalls on October 30, 2012| 2 Comments »
Sunday, blogger buddy Chris and I drove out to Tlacolula for market day. It didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t your usual Sunday market — there seemed to be twice the number vendors and twice as many shoppers. It was the Sunday before the Días de los Muertos and this mega mercado was providing those who live in the surrounding area with everything they could possible need for their ofrendas (Day of the Dead altars).
Mounds of apples, tangerines, and other fruit.
Rows upon rows of pan de muerto (the special Day of the Dead bread).
Wheelbarrows full of peanuts and pecans.
And, in the city of Oaxaca, special Muertos vendor stalls have been set up between the Benito Juárez Mercado and 5 de Mayo Mercado for city dwellers to stock up. Intricately decorated sugar and chocolate skulls (calaveras) to satisfy the sweet tooth of Mictlantecuhtli (Goddess of Death).
Decorated clay incense burners…
waited to burn copal resin and perfume the air with its wonderful, and now familiar, scent.
Doll house size tables were filled with miniature clay food and beverages (favorites of the departed) …
and included these diminutive plates of mole and arroz (rice) — which I couldn’t resist buying for my altar!
And, of course, there were mounds and mounds of Cempazuchitl (marigolds), the flower of the dead, that grows wild in Oaxaca at this time of year.
All the necessary purchases have been made, now to build my ofrenda.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged automobilies, California, cars, farmers' market, Linda Ellerbee quote, markets, mercados, Mexico, Mill Valley, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Porche, similarities, vegetables, VW bug, wall art, Zio Ziegler on September 28, 2012| 12 Comments »
I’m back in Oaxaca… arrived last night after a brief trip to El Norte. However, over the last three years, culture shock (on both sides of the border) has subsided and I am struck and heartened that despite our differences, humans share so much more… especially the compulsion to make even the most common and utilitarian, beautiful.
Artist, Zio Ziegler added a little pizzazz to a car in Mill Valley… (Yes, I know, a Porche!)
Car in Oaxaca… (Ahhh, a VW bug!)
Wall in Mill Valley (also by Zio Ziegler)…
Wall in Oaxaca…
Veggies in Mill Valley…
Veggies in Oaxaca…
From one of my favorite journalists, Linda Ellerbee: “People are pretty much alike. It’s only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities.”
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