Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way.
— Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell.
Archive for the ‘Travel & Tourism’ Category
I’ve looked at clouds today
Posted in Music, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Both Sides Now lyrics, clouds, Joni Mitchell, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on February 16, 2015| 14 Comments »
Love and friendship
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged Day of Love and Friendship, Día del Amor y la Amistad, hearts, Mexico, music, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Trio Santo Domingo, Valentine's Day, video on February 14, 2015| 2 Comments »
February 14th isn’t just a day for lovers. In Mexico, it is known as the Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship). Oaxaca’s balloon, chocolate, and flower vendors do a booming business and restaurants are usually filled to capacity with friends, sweethearts, and families.
I fell in love with Oaxaca the first time I saw her when visiting a friend in 2007. Who wouldn’t when the guitars and harmonies of Trio Santo Domingo drew us to the zócalo on a balmy August evening! Thus, my gift to you on this day of love and friendship:
“La amistad es lluvia de flores preciosas” (Friendship is like a shower of precious flowers) — line from a Nahuatl poem.
Return to Guelavía
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Carrizo, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Guelavia on February 10, 2015| 5 Comments »
Sunday, we returned to San Juan Guelavía, in search of Teresa, the gal from last week’s post about the Feria del Carrizo. With her address, family name, and measurements in hand, I was hoping to commission her to make a couple of lampshades for me. However, there are no detailed street maps for these small villages, so we had to rely on the tried and true, stopping to ask for directions, method.
Outside the church (which, for some reason, was closed this week) we asked, “Where is calle 5 de mayo?” This is a village with a population of less than 3,000 people, thus the reply, “Who are you looking for?” We said, “Teresa.” He responded, “She makes baskets?” Us, “Yes.” Him, “Hmmm… which family?” Fumbling with my notes, I came up with, “Hipolito!” “Ahhh, sí!”
Then directions rapidly cascaded from his mouth to our ears. They included many derechos, derechas, a puente, and dos tienditas. All of this was in Spanish and we turned to each other and asked, “Did you get all that?” We concurred, probably 80%. Hey, we’re getting better at this. Of course, we made a wrong turn or two, went too far south on 5 de mayo, and had to ask a few more people along the way, but eventually we found it!
On the right side of the dirt road, heading south, there is a painted number 46 slightly visible on concrete pole. It made sense that #48 might be behind the Mini Super and so we pulled in and began walking to the back.
People began materializing and we kept repeating, “Teresa.” Then, there she was, emerging from sitting under a tree, recognizing us from last week, and smiling broadly! Immediately, two chairs were brought out and placed in the shade for us. The warm and welcoming hospitality of Oaxaqueños is something to behold.
It’s a family business and once Teresa and I had worked out the size and shape for the two lampshades, the littlest guy above, brought out a small basket with a 15 peso price sticker. I asked him if he had made it, and he very proudly nodded “yes.” Needless to say, I couldn’t resist.
We will return in ten days to pick up my new lampshades and, perhaps, make a few other purchases.
Men at work
Posted in Labor, Renovation, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged Andador Semipeatonal, construction workers, labor, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, road work, workers on February 8, 2015| 3 Comments »
Lots of street action around the city these days, and I don’t just mean marches and blockades! They’ve been hard at work on an Andador Semipeatonal (semi-walking street) since ground was broken on November 24, 2014.
Garcia Vigil has been a construction zone from Templo del Carmen Alto up to the Cruz de Piedra. No cars and trucks allowed, but we pedestrians can walk right on through.
The work on this and the four other downtown streets that have been earmarked for “rescue” and “beautification” is mostly done the old-fashioned way. What can I say? I love the sound of hammer and chisel!
According to news reports, the street will be spiffed up with garbage bins, benches, and planters. Ramps for people with limited mobility and signs for the visually impaired are in the plan, though a bike lane is only contemplated.
Oaxaqueñ@s work really hard!
Seeing red
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Parks & Plazas, Protests, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged Día de Candelaria, Fernando Andriacci, huipil, Mexico, MULT, Niño Dios, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, protests, red huipiles, Triqui, water delivery on February 4, 2015| 8 Comments »
February 2, besides being Groundhog Day in the USA, is Candelaria in Mexico. And so, late Monday morning, I went in search of Niño Díos. None was to be found in the vicinity of the Cathedral. Only the traditional red huipiles of the female Triqui members of MULT caught my eye.
I continued my quest, heading up to Templo de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. However, as I walked through Llano park, no one was carrying a Niño Díos, dressed in this year’s finery, to the church to be blessed. Only a giant red horse sculpture by Oaxaqueño artist, Fernando Andriacci (and its red feedbag?) was there to see.
I turned west and headed for home, hoping I might possibly spot a Niño Díos as I passed Templo del Carmen Alto. But no, only a red-shirted water delivery man caught my eye.
Funny, if we allow ourselves to see things as they are and not as how we expect them to be, we can return home with something completely different and delightful from what we had set out to find.
A-tisket, a-tasket…
Posted in Children, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Arundo donax, baskets, canastas, Carrizo, Fairs, Feria del Carrizo, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Guelavia on February 2, 2015| 8 Comments »
This poster for a Feria del Carrizo arrived in my email inbox a few weeks ago. There are ferias (fairs) for just about everything, so why not, carrizo? Plus, I’d never been to San Juan Guelavía, though I’ve noticed the sign announcing its exit every time I’ve gone to or from Teotitlán del Valle and points south on route 190.
The uninitiated might ask, what is carrizo? As the Wikipedia entry advises, “Carrizo” should not be confused with “chorizo” the pork sausage. Carrizo (aka, Arundo donax, Spanish cane, Giant cane, Wild Cane, and Colorado River weed) is a tall perennial cane that one can easily spot growing along river banks in Oaxaca. (It kind of looks like bamboo.) In fact, if you see a stand of carrizo, you can be almost certain there is a stream nearby. Along with constructing shade structures, window coverings, and mezcal cups, one of its most common uses is in woven basketry.
They range from the simple and utilitarian to the elegant shapes and complex designs that make them a works of art.
And, to those in search of hard-to-find lamps and lampshades, check out the work of Teresa. With measurements of my cast iron standing lamp (in desperate need of a new lampshade) in hand, I plan to pay a visit, muy pronto, to her studio at 5 de mayo, #48 in San Juan Guelavía.
In the meantime, a-tisket, a-tasket I bought a carrizo basket. And, it’s already elicited several compliments!
Of course, when the band played, La Mayordomía, this little girl knew exactly what baskets are for!
Artistry under blue sky and sun, with delicious food, a terrific all-girl band, surrounded by warm and welcoming people. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.
Two hours in Oaxaca
Posted in Culture, Libraries, People, Protests, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged blockade, bloqueo, Charles Barth, fire, Lucha Libre, Mexico, moto taxis, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on January 30, 2015| 2 Comments »
4:45 PM – Bloqueo (blockade) by moto-taxis at the corner of Morelos & Crespo
5:10 PM – Lucha Libre presentation at Oaxaca Lending Library by artist and Lucha Libre fan, Charles Barth
6:45 PM – Fire above Xoxocotlán seen from Casita Colibrí.
I found “Queen”
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged cars, Cars movie, Mexico, movies, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on January 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Sounds & sights of Oaxaca
Posted in Churches, Creativity, Culture, Health, People, Tragedy, Travel & Tourism, tagged Ayotzinapa, demonstrations, Escuela Normal Rural, graffiti, Guerrero, healthcare, La catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Leonel Castro Abarca, marmotas, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, protests, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, street art, sunset, urban art, workers on January 17, 2015| 2 Comments »
Ahhh, it feels good to be back in the warm and wonderful Oaxaca. There are the sounds… I awake to church bells, followed by the loudspeaker cry of “Gas de Oaxaca” from the propane vendor. Last night, as I was heading to bed, rockets exploded and, just now, the camote man’s steam whistle sounded, announcing tooth-achingly sweetened hot sweet potatoes and bananas. Then there are the sights…
The walls continue to talk… On Thursday, I saw this on Calle Morelos as I walked to the Alcalá and comida with friends. It remembers Leonel Castro Abarca, one of the 43 still-missing students from Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero.
On the way home from comida, I detoured to see what was to be seen on the zócalo. Teacher tents remain pitched around the bandstand, but the walkways were free of ambulantes, and, as always, the Cathedral presided over the scene.
Thursday, the familiar sounds of protest were irresistible. I grabbed my camera and headed out the front gate to see a massive march by healthcare workers on their way to the Plaza de la Danza. To be honest, tubas and cohetes would have had me out the door, too! It was way too quiet in el norte.
And, what can I say about last night’s sunset from the terrace?
Naturally, a marmota and pair of monos were waiting on the plaza in front of Santo Domingo this afternoon, awaiting a bride and groom to emerge. After all, it is Saturday — wedding day in Oaxaca!
I wonder what my ears will hear and my eyes will see, mañana…
Change of scene
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Churches, Flora, Geography, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Mexico, New York, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, snow, Templo de San Felipe Neri on January 15, 2015| 2 Comments »
View from my son’s deck, Monday afternoon in upstate New York…
View from my deck, Wednesday afternoon in Oaxaca…
What a difference 48 hours and 2000+ miles makes. Ahhh, it feels good to be warm again!
Message is in the mural
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged artists, graffiti, Mexico, murals, Normal Rural Ayotzinapa, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, Tlacolula de Matamoros, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art on January 10, 2015| 1 Comment »
More of the mural from yesterday’s post…
“¡Solo Dios perdona!” (Only God forgives!)
Seen on the same wall in Tlacolula de Matamoros where we were stopped in our tracks by the Tlacolula never dies mural in August. Both were conceived and created by the Tlacolulokos colective.
The artists are known for fusing iconic Mexican imagery with political and social commentary and can be found on Facebook.
These traditional religious standards voice today’s messages, “against all governments” and “alive we want them.” The latter refers to the disappeared and murdered students from the Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos, teachers’ college in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, one of whom, Christian Tomás Colón Garnica, is from Tlacolula.
A splash of red
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged forest, graffiti, Mexico, moto taxis, New York, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, red garage, snow, street art, Tlacolula de Matamoros, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art on January 9, 2015| 3 Comments »
Finally over the flu, I flew to the east coast, arriving along with an arctic cold front. Brrr… it was -14ºF early yesterday morning!!! However, here on a frigid New York Friday…
And, there on a sunny Tlacolula Sunday…
A splash of red to liven up the day.
* Mural by Tlacolulokos.
Filling empty walls
Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged EmBe, graffiti, Keith Haring quote, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, urban art on January 4, 2015| 2 Comments »
Instead of writing this blog post, I should be rendezvousing with gal pals at the de Young Museum for the Keith Haring exhibition. However, this season it is a more perfect world for the flu virus. Grrrr…
Thus, in the spirit of public art and social commentary, images from EmBe seen on calle Tinoco y Palacios in Oaxaca:
And, words from Keith Haring:
“One day, riding the subway, I saw this empty black panel where an advertisement was supposed to go. I immediately realized that this was the perfect place to draw. I went back above ground to a card shop and bought a box of white chalk, went back down and did a drawing on it. It was perfect–soft black paper; chalk drew on it really easily.”
“I kept seeing more and more of these black spaces, and I drew on them whenever I saw one. Because they were so fragile, people left them alone and respected them; they didn’t rub them out or try to mess them up. It gave them this other power. It was this chalk-white fragile thing in the middle of all this power and tension and violence that the subway was. People were completely enthralled.”2
“I was always totally amazed that the people I would meet while I was doing them were really, really concerned with what they meant. The first thing anyone asked me, no matter how old, no matter who they were, was what does it mean?”3
“The context of where you do something is going to have an effect. The subway drawings were, as much as they were drawings, performances. It was where I learned how to draw in public. You draw in front of people. For me it was a whole sort of philosophical and sociological experiment. When I drew, I drew in the daytime which meant there were always people watching. There were always confrontations, whether it was with people that were interested in looking at it, or people that wanted to tell you you shouldn’t be drawing there…”
“I was learning, watching people’s reactions and interactions with the drawings and with me and looking at it as a phenomenon. Having this incredible feedback from people, which is one of the main things that kept me going so long, was the participation of the people that were watching me and the kinds of comments and questions and observations that were coming from every range of person you could imagine, from little kids to old ladies to art historians.“
Looking back to posts left unposted
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.
Oaxaca for the kids
Posted in Archaeology, Children, Culture, Education, History, Museums, Travel & Tourism, tagged archaeology, children, Cri-Cri, El Quinto Sol, history, Mexico, museum, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, toy store, toys on December 27, 2014| 6 Comments »
Oaxaca is one of the most child friendly places you will ever visit. Kids are welcome most everywhere — it’s part of the culture — and there is much for them to see and do, including El Quinto Sol, an archaeological museum for children.
I’ve been meaning to write about this colorful, yet hidden, gem since a friend and I discovered it in 2008 on an early Sunday morning ramble. It was closed for remodeling, but we managed to peek in and vowed to return.
Of course, we didn’t write down the address or name and all I remembered was that it was somewhere south of the zócalo. It took several expeditions once I moved to Oaxaca before I found El Quinto Sol again.
According to the museum’s brochure, this delightful and educational museum was the brainchild of Oaxaqueño, Manuel Ramirez Salvador and first opened March 19, 2000 in order to teach, preserve, and appreciate the “great heritage bequeathed by our Mesoamerican ancestors.”
Not only a museum, there is also a fabulous “old school” toy store, El Cri-Cri, named for the “grillito cantor” (the singing cricket), a character created by the beloved Francisco Gabilondo Soler. There are no plastic, battery-powered games and toys in sight and I guarantee those “of a certain age” will be reminiscing and exclaiming, “Ooh, I used to have one of these!” and “Ahh, I always wanted one of those!”
By all means, pay El Quinto Sol a visit — even if unaccompanied by a child.
Address: Xicotencatl No. 706 (at the corner of La Noria)
Telephone: 951.514.3579
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM and 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Saturday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Closed on Sunday
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