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Archive for the ‘Places’ Category

Pick a color, any color, and you will find it in Oaxaca, be it people…

Places or things…

Today, I choose orange.  Tomorrow, who knows???

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On another glorious day in Mill Valley…

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There’s a high flyin’ [blimp], flying way up in the sky,

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I wonder if she looks down as she goes on by?

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Apparently, her name is Despicable Me 2.  It’s all about the advertising and, grrr, I’ve fallen into their trap.

Only four more days, and I’ll be leaving on a jet plane, on my way back to Oaxaca!

(Apologies to Billy Edd Wheeler for borrowing a few lines from “High Flyin’ Bird” and to Richie Havens and his sublime version of it.)

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Last night, under starry skies, I returned to Casita Colibrí.  The streets were wet and potholed (more than usual) and even in the dark, my garden looked green and lush, all thanks to the rains Hurricane Carlotta brought and a storm track that continues to have Oaxaca in its sights.

After a verrry slow morning spent renewing my apartment’s acquaintance (remember, no TP in the toilet), gazing at the view, and unpacking, armed with two shopping bags, I headed down to Mercado IV Centenario (my local mercado) for some much-needed restocking, only to find doors locked.   Ooops!  I’d forgotten, as of mid May it was temporarily relocated to Jardín Morelos, due to a long overdue renovation project.  So, down the stairs and across Independencia to the new site, I went.  How nice it was to see the familiar faces of my favorite vendors and what warm greetings I received.   Ahhh… it’s good to be back!

The route home took me up through the Plaza de la Danza.  And, what to my wondering eyes did appear?   A boxing ring, boxing fans, and a boxing match in progress.  Darn, I neglected to bring my camera.  Hey, it was just supposed to be a grocery shopping trip!  However, this from my iPod Touch camera.

2 boxers in boxing ring with referee in background.

Concerts, dance exhibitions, fireworks staging site, ferias and now boxing in the Plaza de la Danza.  As I’ve said, the public spaces in Oaxaca are well used!

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The public spaces of Oaxaca are well-used.  The cobblestone-paved Jardín del Pañuelito (Little Handkerchief Garden), that borders the south side of the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, complex is no exception.

Especially on Saturdays, when it is often used for wedding processions…

Wedding procession with dancers

Occasionally, it is converted into a conference venue…

Folding chairs set up under a partial tent

Frequently, a stage is set up and a concert ensues…

Outdoor stage

And, last year it was transformed into a movie set!

Movie set depicting early 1800s Mexican camp site

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…fighting in Oaxaca.

Colorful gigantic papermache bull

Corrida de Toros, as it is known in Mexico, was outlawed by, then governor of Oaxaca, Benito Juárez.  The ban was instituted throughout Mexico in 1867 by Juárez during his presidency.  Some say it was to “civilize” Mexico, but others contend it was for nationalistic reasons, as bullfighting had been a legacy of the Spanish conquest.  I tend to think the latter tipped the scales.

Close-up of the head of a colorful giant papermache bull

However, Porfirio Díaz reinstated it during his presidency, but the ban remained in Oaxaca in honor of her favorite son.  And thus, on the Plaza de la Danza, we have only a paper mache bull ready to charge at his shadow…

Design of fish heads, Mitla frets, triangular mountains, etc.

and serve as a canvas for imagery, ancient and contemporary.

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About two months ago, new street signs began appearing in Oaxaca on each side of each street corner.  Eight signs per each 4-way intersection, in Spanish and Braille, are at hand touch and wheelchair eye level, and provide arrows to make it clear if the traffic flows this way…

Mariano Matamoros; esq. M. Garcia Vigil; circulacion -->

… or that.

M. Garcia Vigil; Esq. Mariano Matamoros; Circulacion <--

By the way, Oaxaca has a library for the blind and visually impaired — the Biblioteca Jorge Luis Borges, housed in the Biblioteca Infantil in the Barrio de Xochimilco.  Named after the blind Argentine writer, the library was founded in 1996 by world-renowned Oaxacan artist, Francisco Toledo.  It houses his collection of books in Braille, a permanent workshop teaching Braille, computers with special programs for the blind, and scholarships to outstanding visually impaired students.

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