The “buildings in a bad state” in Oaxaca continue to multiply.
Where some see unsightly decay, others see opportunity…
including urban artist, SCOM.
Archive for the ‘Travel & Tourism’ Category
This is a good spot
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, artists, buildings, dangerous, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art graffiti, wall art on June 8, 2014| 6 Comments »
Ready for her close-up
Posted in Agriculture, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged cactus, Dragon fruit, flowers, garden, Hylocereus undatus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pitahaya, succulents on June 4, 2014| 16 Comments »
Several mornings ago, after a day and night of rain, I went out on the terrace to check on the garden and found…
Yikes, one of my Pitahaya (Hylocereus undatus – aka, Dragon fruit) had bloomed overnight! Must be a relative of my other Night Blooming Cereus.
Two years ago, the original cuttings had been laying in the campo of a friend in San Martín Tilcajete. When Chris (Oaxaca-The Year After) asked if we could have some, the answer was, “¡Por supuesto!” Loving the wall of Pitahaya at Centro Académico y Cultural San Pablo, six months later, with the original five cuttings becoming fifteen, I could use them to begin to screen the chain link fence at the new Casita Colibrí. I kept pruning and sticking them in the planter boxes.
June 2, 2014, 8:40 AM
And now, they have begun blooming. Having missed the “night-blooming” of my first flower, I was determined not to miss the unfolding of the second blossom, seen above near the top of the pole, providing the weather cooperated. It did!
June 2, 2014, 7:20 PM
June 2, 2014, 8:40 PM
June 2, 2014, 11:00 PM
By the next day, it had closed, never to reopen again.
June 2, 2014, 2:54 PM
However, there will be fruit…
They’re back!!!
Posted in Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged chicatanas, culinary traditions, food, insects, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, salsa, tzicatana, video on June 1, 2014| 12 Comments »
The rainy season has definitely arrived in the city, bringing several hours of lluvia every night for the past five nights. The first rains of the season also bring (drum roll, please) chicatanas! Early this morning, I went out onto the terrace with my coffee to be greeted with these not-so-little insects. Flying (into my hair, eeek!) and crawling all over the place!
Female chicatana on a very wet table.
What, you may ask are chicatanas? They are giant flying ants that emerge with the first rains of the season — and by giant, I mean about 4 cm from the head to the tip of the wings for the females. (As in much of the insect world, males are smaller and wingless.)
Male chicatana on the deck.
This occurs early one morning each year and lasts only a few hours. My first experience with them was a couple of years ago, when I arrived at Oaxaca’s airport for my 8:30 AM flight one May morning, to find, yikes(!) an infestation of insects. I had no idea what they were, but nobody seemed to mind, and kids were running around collecting them. The answer came after I boarded the plane and began talking with a Oaxaqueña across the aisle. She explained that the arrival of the chicatanas was a much-anticipated event because they are a delicacy. As the video below documents, they are soaked, cleaned, toasted on a comal, ground, seasoned, and made into a salsa.
According to this post in a Chicago based culinary chat site, it has been almost “500 years since Bernardino de Sahagun reported to Europe on the tzicatana [chicatana in Nahuatl] in his Nueva Historia, from its divine associations to its swarm ethology (mirroring the movements of the Aztecan armies) to its apparent deliciousness to the Nahuan-speaking people in the region.” And, long before that, tzicatanas were mentioned in the Florentine Codex.
Female chicatana doing the back stroke on the table.
By 9:30 this morning, they were gone. However, should you find yourself in Oaxaca during a brief visit by the chicatanas, here is a recipe for Chicatana Salsa.
My split second story
Posted in Celebrations, cell phones, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged el Divino Señor del Calvario, festival, Mexico, Mixteca, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca on May 30, 2014| 11 Comments »
“I dunno… not much… festival going on downtown… Yeah, food looks good… couple of bands… castillo tonight… So, ya wanna go?”
Last Sunday on a quiet side street away from the chaos and cacophony of the festival honoring el Divino Señor del Calvario, in San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, Oaxaca. Of course, it’s probably not at all what was being said, not to mention the fact the conversation was most likely in Spanish or Mixtec. But it’s my split second story.
Not your Chicago Bulls
Posted in Animals, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged basketball, bulls, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca on May 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Bulls, real…
and imagined…
… yesterday on the streets of San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca.
We were there for day four of the annual fiesta in honor of el Divino Señor del Calvario and to see the Templo y ExConvento de San Juan Bautista — another of the grand Dominican churches currently undergoing restoration. More about both later. No bull!
Monos on the move
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Expat Blog, Expat interview, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on May 24, 2014| 6 Comments »
Yesterday, I was walking along calle de Flores Magón, and what to my wondering eyes did appear?
Husband and wife? Novia y novio?? “Just” friends???
I’ve got to say, they looked rather stiff and not very comfortable. Hope their trip was a short one!
By the way, if you want to read a little about my journey to Oaxaca and expat life, Expat Blog recently published an interview with me, American Expat Living in Mexico – Interview with Shannon. There is even a photo of a couple of monos supervising a banda. Perhaps friends of the above???
Are your eyes open?
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Albert Einstein quote, Bob Marley quote, eyes, graffiti, Marcel Proust quote, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, urban art on May 21, 2014| 8 Comments »
The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes… —Marcel Proust
He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. —Albert Einstein
Open your eyes, look within: Are you satisfied with the life you’re living? —Bob Marley
Eyes looking out on the world from the mural on Tinoco y Palacios, between Vasconcelos and Niños Heroes.
Eve of (mural) destruction
Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Central Connecticut State University, culture, Diego Rivera, Mexico, Mike Alewitz, mural painting, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on May 18, 2014| 1 Comment »
Mexico has a long and important place in the history of communication through murals — from stories related by pre-Hispanic civilizations…
Maya fresco circa 790 C.E. – Bonampak, Chiapas.
through the world-renowned and influential Mexican muralists of the twentieth century: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros, and others.
History of Mexico by Diego Rivera, 1931 – National Palace, Mexico City.
And, as many of you know, murals on the walls of Oaxaca are part of the urban landscape, authorized or not, like them or not, they celebrate…
One of several murals in the pedestrian tunnel to the Guelaguetza auditorium in Oaxaca city.
educate…
San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca.
reveal past and present — and hopes and fears for the future.
Calle Tinoco y Palacios, between Vasconcelos and Niños Héroes, Oaxaca city.
Those found on the streets we expect to be ephemeral, but commissioned work, both inside and outside of buildings, we hope would have a longer and more permanent lifespan. Of course, the Rockefeller family’s destruction of Diego Rivera’s Rockefeller Center mural showed differently. And, more recently, my friend and artist, Mike Alewitz experienced the obliteration of his mural on the side of the Pathfinder Building, also in New York. Both were instances of political differences and, while distressing, perhaps not too surprising.
However, today Mike is leading a battle in defense of his students’ murals. According to NBC Connecticut:
Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) has built up one of the largest mural collections in the country since the program started in 2001. But Professor Mike Alewitz, who oversees CCSU’s mural painting program, said that collection is at risk.
The school has painted over six of the murals without notice and plans to do the same with another 12, Alewitz said Richard Bachoo, director of operations, confirmed. He said he hopes an appeal to the university and community support will protect the remaining murals.
“It made them feel part of the larger world, that they weren’t looking at blank walls inside an institution, but they were looking at the hopes and dreams of young people,” Alewitz said. “We found out that 18 murals were scheduled to be destroyed.”
<snip>
He says in the 14 years the mural program has existed, the policy has never been implemented in this way. Alewitz said in a statement that this is “the largest destruction of public art in recent history.” While administrators have removed murals in the past, they normally consult with the art department first, he said.
“The real policy has been that people love the murals, so when they’ve been painted, they’ve stayed up,” Alewitz said.
Oaxaca would lose much of her character and lessons would be lost, if we were to wake one morning and find all her murals disappeared. The story is the same at CCSU. For the full article, click HERE. To send messages of protest and to see some of the amazing student murals that enliven the walls and stimulate thinking at CCSU but are slated for destruction, click HERE. And, Why Bureaucrats Fear Art, is a letter to students and fellow artists, by Mike Alewitz.
Shadows on the wall
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged architecture, cactus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, shadows on May 16, 2014| 4 Comments »
Information please
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Gorilla Glass, graffiti, Jason Pfohl, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art on May 13, 2014| 8 Comments »
These creatures began materializing around town a couple of months ago. I wonder…
Who are they?
Where did they come from?
What do they want?
Perhaps, I should ask here!
The walls of Oaxaca… you have questions, they have answers.
Update: The monsters sprang forth from the mind of SCOM.
h/t Jason Pfohl of Gorilla Glass.
Speaking of insects…Liladownsia fraile
Posted in Animals, Culture, Environment, People, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged Chapulines, Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, grasshoppers, Lila Downs, Liladownsia fraile, Mexico, Oaxaca, science discoveries, Sierra Madre del Sur, singers, Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Liladownsia fraile on May 9, 2014| 4 Comments »
Yippee!!! A new, and extremely colorful, species of grasshopper has been discovered in the pine-oak forest of the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountain Range in Oaxaca. Liladownsia fraile has been named for Oaxaca’s favorite daughter and one of my favorite performers, Lila Downs, someone I’ve written about often.
(Photo Credit: UCF)
From Science Codex,
A newly discovered grasshopper by University of Central Florida scientists now bears the name of Grammy-award winning singer and activist Ana Lila Downs Sanchez.
The scientists named the new species discovered on the side of a mountain road near Oaxaca, Mexico, after the Mexican-American singer as a nod to her efforts to preserve indigenous culture and penchant for wearing colorful, local costumes as part of her performances.
“It was primarily Paolo’s idea to name the grasshopper after the singer” said Derek Woller, one of the authors of the paper referring to colleague Paolo Fontana. “He’s a big fan of Lila Downs (her stage name). The grasshopper is so beautiful, so vibrant and colorful. When he told us all about her, her work, her colorful clothes, and that she was born in the region where we found the specimens, we thought, yeah, that’s great, let’s do it.” Read full article HERE.
According to the Zootaxa article, Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Liladownsia fraile, a new genus and species of Dactylotini (Acrididae: Melanoplinae) and an updated molecular phylogeny of Melanoplinae (a mouthful, I know, but the photos are worth scrolling through the article), Liladownsia fraile had been sighted in San José del Pacifico, Suchixtepec, and Pochutla.
By the way, if you are in Oaxaca, Lila Downs is performing tonight at the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá — a benefit for Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of the young indigenous women of Oaxaca through education.
On top of Picacho
Posted in Animals, Celebrations, Culture, Religion, Sports & Recreation, Travel & Tourism, tagged athletes, cicadas, Día de la Santa Cruz, El Picacho, foot race, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, runners, Teotitlán del Valle on May 4, 2014| 4 Comments »
Yesterday, we returned to Teotitlán del Valle to join in their annual Día de la Santa Cruz hike up El Picacho, the sacred mountain that watches over this incredibly special pueblo. This year, instead taking the route up the mountain directly from downtown like we did last year (and it kicked our a$$), we drove to the presa (dam) and headed up a surprisingly well-marked trail from there. A symphony of cicadas (cigarras or chicharras, en español), serenaded us as we climbed, young people passed us, and Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, off in the distance, got smaller. However, after more than an hour, we sighted our first pack burro (they bring up the food and drink) and knew we had almost reached our destination.
We were welcomed at the top by the family hosting the gathering and given cups of agua de jamaica — just what the doctor ordered! There were even more people than last year, music blared from large speakers the aforementioned burros must have carried up the mountain, a new cross had replaced the one that had been hit by lightning last year, and, of course, the views were breathtaking.
But, with spectacular views in all directions, why was most everyone looking down toward the road from the village to the presa?
A foot race! From what we could understand, there were 3 classes of runners; one that ran all the way from mercado in the center of Teotitlán and other two “only” ran up from the presa. Whichever route they took, as one of the runner’s t-shirt says, they were all “chingon!”
The winner!
Young, lean, and tall.
The first place girl!
Wow, runner and SF 49er fan!
Not all runners are tall and lean.
His parents raised him well.
And so was this gal, who was on her way up as we were coming down.
Muchisimas gracias, yet again, to the people of Teotitlán del Valle for another unforgettable experience.
Take me out to the ball game
Posted in Culture, Sports & Recreation, Travel & Tourism, tagged baseball, beisbol, Guerreros de Oaxaca, Mexican League, Mexico, Minor League baseball, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Triple-A baseball on May 2, 2014| 6 Comments »
Many of you may not know that Oaxaca has a Minor League baseball team, the Guerreros de Oaxaca, a Triple-A team in the Mexican League. They play at Estadio de Béisbol Lic. Eduardo Vasconcelos, right off the Pan American Highway, and most seats look out onto the sierras to the east. Tickets are inexpensive (women, seniors, and children usually pay even less), a friend insists it’s a great place to learn local Spanish swear words, and it’s a mere 25 blocks from Casita Colibrí (definitely within walking distance).
However, until Tuesday night, I hadn’t been to a game in almost three years.
The Guerreros were playing the Vaqueros Laguna from Torreón, Coahuila AND women got in free! Besides the action by the players on the field, there were cheerleaders. What can I say??? They certainly know how to toss their hair!
Despite the free ticket promotion for women (and men only paid 25 pesos), the stands were about an eighth full. However, this guy and his drum walked up and down the main aisle, drumming up fan support.
Unfortunately, in the bottom on the second inning, the rain that had been threatening, finally came. The game was halted, the players headed into their respective dugouts, and the ground crew pulled out the tarp.
It was already 8:15 PM, and we succumbed to being “fair weather fans” and left. The game eventually resumed and the Guerreros lost, 2-5, BUT they won the next night, 12-5, and are currently in third place in the Mexican League Sur.
I will return… THIS season!
Celebrate the children
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Holidays, Museums, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, children, Children's Day, Colorum, Day of the Child, Día del Nino, exhibitions, MEAPO, Mexico, Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, San Bartolo Coyotepec on April 29, 2014| 4 Comments »
On Saturday, we drove to San Bartolo Coyotepec for the opening of the exhibition, Colorum, an exhibit of art by the children of Oaxaca, mounted as part of tomorrow’s el Día del Niño (Children’s Day) celebrations. We went primarily to support my friend Juan, as his son Allan was one of the young artists participating in the show. However, we stayed because it was a wonderfully inspiring and uplifting experience and I applaud the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO) for encouraging and showcasing the imagination and creativity of the children of Oaxaca.
What is given to children, the children will give to society.
Children are the most important resource in the world and the best hope for the future.
The free imagination transforms the world and makes things fly.
The Colorum exhibition lasts until May 20, 2014. It is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday.
Invasion of the giant dragonfly
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Travel & Tourism, tagged Andador Turístico, art, Calle Macedonio Alcalá, culture, dragonfly, exhibitions, Fernando Andriacci, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, public art, sculptures, street art, urban art on April 27, 2014| 2 Comments »
No, not a newly discovered mutant killer variety — only one of the sculptures currently hanging out along the Alcalá. It is part of a public art exhibit, “El migrante,” by Oaxaqueño artisit, Fernando Andriacci.
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