Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Travel & Tourism’ Category

Here comes Teotitlán’s danzantes

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2023| 4 Comments »

In Teotitlán del Valle, as part of their three year commitment, each member of the Danza de la Pluma group and, especially their family, is responsible for taking a turn hosting one of the four yearly festivals. It includes several days of serving traditional foods at sit-down breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to the danzantes, band, families, godparents, village officials, and church leaders. For Danza de la Pluma Promesa 2022-2024 danzante, Capitán 2, Hugo Santiago Jimenez’s family, this entailed months of preparation, three pigs and one bull meeting their maker, and days of cooking for over 300 people.

Grupo Danza de la Pluma Promesa 2022-2024 entering Casa Santiago.
Hot chocolate with traditional breads.
Grinding chocolate on metates for atole de espuma.
Atole de espuma waiting to be served.
Hugo Santiago Jimenez and Félix Contreras Ruiz eating higadito.
The women’s table waiting for breakfast at Casa Santiago. Yes, there is a men’s table — separate tables is traditional.

Two days before winging my way to California, I had the privilege of attending the breakfast given by Hugo’s family at the family compound, Casa Santiago. After the meal, tables were folded, chairs were moved to surround the courtyard, danzantes took their places, the band began to play, and Hugo and his fellow Capitán, Félix Contreras Ruiz commenced to dance. Following their dance, the entire group performed and then, led by the band, they took to Teotitlán’s main street to process up to the atrium of the church where they would perform the Danza de la Pluma for almost eight hours.

Papel picado at the fiesta hosted by the family of Capitán 2, Hugo Santiago Jimenez, at Casa Santiago.
Some of the women behind the days of feasting.
Hugo Santiago Jimenez dances in the courtyard of Casa Santiago.
Family watching as Hugo Santiago Jimenez dances in the courtyard of Casa Santiago.
Band leads the way back to the Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo.
Grupo Danza de la Pluma Promesa 2022-2024 processing back to the Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo.

Muchisimas gracias to the people of Teotitlán del Valle and, especially, Hugo and his family for inviting me and for being so welcoming and gracious. And, to my readers, CORTV will be streaming tomorrow (July 24, 2023) evening’s Danza de la Pluma performance by Teotitlán’s danzantes at La Guelaguetza (5 PM Mexico; 4 PM PDT; 7 PM EDT).

Read Full Post »

La Guelaguetza 2023

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on July 16, 2023| 4 Comments »

It’s Guelaguetza time in Oaxaca. And, I know, I should have written this blog post several days ago, but I have the best of excuses for my tardiness — I’m in el norte for a family reunion, thus a little distracted! However, better late than never, Guelaguetza 2023!

See below for the list of delegations by date, time, and the dance they will be performing. Performances will be streamed on CORTV’s YouTube channel.

July 17, 2023 – 10:00 AM
July 17, 2023 – 5:00 PM
July 24, 2023 – 10:00 AM
July 24, 2023 – 5:00 PM

Activities are spread throughout the city with free transportation available between event sites.

For other daily activities and more information, check out the official Guelaguetza 2023 website and Facebook page. Enjoy!

Read Full Post »

A Lucha Libre virgin no more

Posted in Culture, Sports, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on July 10, 2023| 6 Comments »

After fourteen years in Oaxaca, along with several of my neighbors, I finally attended my first Lucha Libre spectacle. And a true spectacle it was — a three hour extravaganza of colorful costumes, menacing masks, aerial acrobatics, ostentatious overacting, and an abundance of hilarity.

The ring — at Casa de los Deportes.
The Emergency Medical Technician.
The masks and more.
The Rasputín merch.
The fans and their cell phones.
The kids in the ring between matches.

The evening’s entertainment consisted of five matches of three rounds each. Each team of two won a round with the third round deciding the winner. I’m not sure why the winners won and I’m not entirely certain the whole thing, including round three, wasn’t scripted. And, did I mention, the referees play favorites and occasionally get in on the action?

The moves — número 1.
The moves — número 2.
The moves — número 3.
The woman — Cataleya.
The hometown hero, Rasputín — El Exótico.
The kiss — Rasputín and Místico — as the crowd chanted, “besos, besos.”

I haven’t laughed so much in ages — and we all agreed we would definitely return. A cultural experience of a different kind!

Read Full Post »

Maguey to mezcal to music

Posted in Beverages, Creativity, Culture, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 29, 2023| 10 Comments »

From the streets of Oaxaca, maguey to mezcal in murals.

And then comes the music, “Dos Botellas de Mezcal” (Two Bottles of Mezcal).

Cheers! ¡Salud! ¡Dixeebe!

Read Full Post »

Happy Father’s Day 2023

Posted in Celebrations, Children, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on June 18, 2023| 5 Comments »

To all the fathers and father figures, I wish you ¡Feliz Día del Padre!

May you find joy in your role and continue to share your wisdom, traditions, and love.

Read Full Post »

Fine dining, Oaxaca style

Posted in Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , on June 14, 2023| 16 Comments »

I realized I haven’t tempted your taste buds with any food porn this year. From fine restaurants to street food, I’ve been eating out a lot and the following are just a small sampling. Actually, they are from the few times I remembered to take out my phone or camera and snap a photo before “digging in.”

February 1, 2023 – Pizza at Cafe Bistro Epicuro in Oaxaca city center.
February 8, 2023 – Guacamole at Con Vista al Mar in Barrio de Jalatlaco.
February 22, 2023 – Salad at Biznaga in Oaxaca city.
April 2, 2023 – Empanada at our favorite street stall in San Antonino Castillo. Velasco.
April 27, 2023 – Taco at Humar in Oaxaca city center.
May 3, 2023 – Tacos at Casa Oaxaca in Oaxaca city center.
June 8, 2023 – Tomato salad at Levadura de Olla in Oaxaca city center.
June 10, 2023 – Hamburger at Carn&Voro in Oaxaca city.

While there are no photos from March, I can assure you, I did not starve!

Read Full Post »

Hail, yes!

Posted in Flora, Gardens, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 6, 2023| 3 Comments »

This spring has brought some wild weather to Oaxaca. It began with the previously blogged about freak hailstorm in April and this past week, besides the usual late afternoon rain, the city experienced two more hailstorms — definitely not normal. They are very localized, with nearby towns remaining dry or receiving only a few showers.

Late yesterday afternoon, while the city continued to bask in sunshine, Teotitlán del Valle only 23 miles away was hit with its first violent hailstorm in many years. One minute all was calm as friends and I sat outside at Restaurante y Galería Tierra Antigua sipping mezcal. However, within minutes, the sky darkened, wind began to blow, and the heavens opened.

Almost without warning, hailstones, some the size of two peso coins, began pelting us. Needless to say, we grabbed our belongings and copitas of mezcal, as quickly as we could, and ran inside the restaurant. Once all the customers were safely inside, staff scrambled to close doors and windows. Then all watched as the force of Cocijo, the Zapotec god of rain and lightening, among other powerful forces, took center stage. It was an awesome 15+ minute performance! And, thankfully, save for some shredded foliage, there didn’t appear to be any damage.

Read Full Post »

Peaceable kingdom calls for help

Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, Environment, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2023| 9 Comments »

The violent storms Oaxaca experienced in mid April brought down 30+ trees in the city, including one of her beloved old Indian laurels in Llano Park. And, when a tree falls in Oaxaca…

Left to right: Cuetzpalin/iguana; Coatl/serpiente/snake; Ocelotl/jaguar; Ozomatli/mono/monkey

Talented artist, Heriberto Castro López, grabbed his chainsaw and chisel and, with the blessings of the powers that be, turned the fallen tree into a public work of art, a language lesson, and a plea for help.

Cuauhtli/águila/eagle

A monkey, a jaguar, an eagle, a rabbit, an iguana, and there’s a snake in there somewhere — all animals iconic to Oaxaca — emerged.

Tochtli/conejo/rabbit

The animals seem appropriate, as Parque el Llano (aka, Paseo Juárez, El Llano de Guadalupe, and Alameda de Nezahualcoyotl) housed a zoo from 1945 to 1971 (dates not verified) — hence the gold painted lions at the four main entrances to the park.

Cuetzpalin/iguana

However, this time the animals aren’t confined to cages — they are free and calling on us to save this planet we all call home before it’s too late.

Many thanks to Heriberto Castro López for his “Llamado de Auxilio” gift to Oaxaca.

Read Full Post »

Honoring the mothers

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 9, 2023| 7 Comments »

May 10 is Día de la Madre in Mexico and to honor the mothers, grandmothers, mother figures, and the daughters, whose future is in their hands, some recent murals seen in the city and countryside.

The celebration of Mother’s Day migrated south from the USA in the early 20th century and was embraced and promoted by the Catholic Church AND the anticlerical Revolutionaries. Their reasons being:

around the 1850s the Liberals… were nervous about women’s growing participation in the public sphere.  Establishing motherhood as venerable and the home as sanctified… would give women a sphere of their own where they could be boss.  Also, it would keep them off the streets and out of the workplace where they had begun to compete with men for jobs. Under their watch, everyday motherhood became an exalted madre-hood…. The twentieth-century Revolutionaries who succeeded them took the idea and ran with it, adding in 1922 a ritual, Mother’s Day. [Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liza Bakewell, p. 84]

As for keeping them out of the workforce, according to a report citing the 2010 census, 33.3% of women work and this doesn’t even include those working in family operated enterprises. However distasteful the reasons behind the establishment of Mother’s Day in Mexico, it does nothing to diminish the need to honor these beautiful, hardworking, formidable, and loving women.

And to the girls and young women, may you be empowered by the strength and love of the maternal figures in your life to reach for the stars, live without fear, and be whatever you choose to be.

Read Full Post »

Honoring and including the children

Posted in Celebrations, Children, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on April 30, 2023| 2 Comments »

The United Nations declared November 20 as World Children’s Day. However, that is Día de la Revolución in Mexico, thus in 1924, President Álvaro Obregó and Minister of Public Education José Vasconcelos designated April 30 as Día del Niño — the day Mexico celebrates and honors her children. Schools organize parties with games and treats, communities organize special activities, and parents may give their hijas and hijos gifts. However, one of the features of life in Oaxaca that I most appreciate is the way children are included all year round in celebrations.

July 4, 2022 – Convite for the festival honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Teotitlán del Valle.
July 4, 2022 – Wearing traditional dress, with her canasta, watching and learning at the Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo convite, Teotitlán del Valle.
July 4, 2023 – Practicing with a marmota at the convite honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Teotitlán del Valle.
July 5, 2022 – Playing the roles of La Malinche and Doña Marina in the Danza de la Pluma, Teotitlán del Valle.
September 16, 2022 – Young escaramuza participating in the Independence Day parade in Oaxaca City.
February 4, 2023 – Young boy twirling a marmota during wedding festivities in front of Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Oaxaca.
February 18, 2023 – Young cachudos from Santa María Coyotepec participating in the Carnaval parade, Oaxaca.
February 18, 2023 – Young participant in the Carnaval parade, Oaxaca.
February 21, 2023 – Carnaval in San Martín Tilcajete.
April 2, 2023 – Carrying an offering in the Good Friday procession, San Antonino Castillo Velasco.

“… the objective of this [Día del Niño] celebration is to dedicate a moment to understanding the child population, promoting their social inclusion and carrying out activities to promote their well-being and the rights to which they have access as human beings.” (Google translation from this article)

Read Full Post »

April “showers”

Posted in Casita Colibrí, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2023| 8 Comments »

With thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and a massive hail storm, April “showers” heralded the end of the dry season — in a most spectacular way!

The evening of April 14 the city of Oaxaca and surrounding villages were hit with a freak hailstorm. Needless to say, I closed my doors and windows, unplugged critical electronics, and hunkered down inside until the storm had passed — which seemed like at least two hours. When I eventually ventured out, I found the apartment complex patio five inches deep in water, hail piled outside my rooftop laundry room door, and a garden of plants with shredded leaves.

Then two nights ago another massive thunderstorm hovered over us for hours, turning streets into rivers and sending trees toppling all over the city.

Will these April showers bring May flowers?

Read Full Post »

Ch-ch-ch-Chia

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2023| 4 Comments »

As Semana Santa approached, Oaxaca’s annual invasion of the Chia Pets began. On altars in churches, homes, and businesses, terracotta animals sprouting Chia appeared.

Good Friday 2023 – 5th Station of the Cross in Barrio de Jalatlaco.

Before you lament commercialized products from the USA intruding on the sanctity of Holy Week, I can happily report Salvia Hispanica (aka, chia) filled clay animals were symbols of the season long before Joe Pedott ever set foot in Oaxaca in the late 1970s and “discovered” them.

According to an article in MexConnect, “Growing greens remind the viewer of the resurrection and renewal of life.”

Native to Mexico, Salvia hispanica was the third most important food (after corn and beans) of the Aztecs as chia seeds are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. By the way, the name of the Mexican state of Chiapas comes from Chiapan, an ancient city whose name in Náhuatl means, “the place where the chia sage grows.”

(ps) Sorry about the Chia Pet advertisement ear worm!

Read Full Post »

Jalatlaco prepares…

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2023| 11 Comments »

Purple papel picado (actually, plastic) began appearing above streets a month ago. And, in the past few days, the atrium of Templo San Matías Jalatlaco has been decorated with olive trees, sheaves of wheat, and crosses embellished with flowers woven from the base of Sotol leaves.

Yesterday, Calle de Miguel Hidalgo in front of the church was closed to traffic and the Alfombristas Mexicanos colective from Huamantla, Tlaxcala began creating a beautiful tapete (rug) made of colored stones along the length the block.

Purple decorations can also be seen festooning the fronts of homes and businesses in the neighborhood.

You might ask, why all the purple? According to the Ecclesiastical Sewing website, purple symbolizes “the royalty of Christ, His passion and death for our sins, and the coming of spring.” For more of an explanation, click on the link to their website.

Read Full Post »

Palms for Palm Sunday

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2023| 3 Comments »

Despite the construction on the Alameda across from the Cathedral, the palm weavers from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca are back to sell intricately woven palm fronds to be blessed and carried on Palm Sunday.

And, like most artisan traditions, it’s a family affair.

Read Full Post »

From an artisan’s hands

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 25, 2023| 17 Comments »

Many years ago, I attended a benefit sale at Galería La Mano Mágica to raise money to enable famed ceramicist Josefina Aguilar to have cataract surgery. My eyes were immediately drawn to a sculpture by her granddaughter, Fran Garcia Vásquez. I bought it and the Tehuana sculpture remains one of my most treasured pieces — though she has had her ups and downs.

The 8.2 earthquake in September 2017 resulted in a broken arm. It was a clean break and I was able to make the repair.

Alas, in June 2020 (due to my carelessness), she suffered more serious injuries — the extent of which were well beyond my abilities to mend. She and all her pieces were carefully cushioned in a box and there she lay through the worst of the pandemic and my move to Barrio de Jalatlaco.

It was only a month or so ago that it dawned on me to contact her creator, Fran Garcia Vásquez to ask if she could repair my sculpture — after all, she had the clay, paint, and expertise! She readily agreed and on March 13, I took my treasured Tehuana to the workshop she shares with family members in Ocotlán de Morelos (Av. Morelos #428). Five days later, the repair had been completed and she brought the sculpture to my home.

Fran Garcia Vásquez

When Fran unwrapped and placed the Tehuana in my hands, I must admit I became a little teary eyed. The sculpture is as good as new and looks proud and serene in her new home.

March 19 was Día de las Artesanas y los Artesanos in Mexico and the entire month of March is designated “Month of the Artisan.” I want to thank all of them deeply for carrying on, often renewing, and always enriching traditions with their own creative spirit.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »