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Archive for the ‘Travel & Tourism’ Category

A little chocolate now and then…

Posted in Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2012| 3 Comments »

As that wise philosopher and Charlie Brown creator, Charles M. Schulz once wrote,

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

And, chocolate in Oaxaca is easy to find and is almost as well-known as Oaxaca’s cheeses and mole.  Ground almonds and cinnamon give it a distinctive and slightly spicy flavor — and everyone has their favorite.  Mayordomo and La Soledad are two of the most well-known labels, but my favorite brand (as opposed to homemade, which is in a class all by itself), is the much smaller, Conchita.

Conchita poster

Every month or so, I weave my way in and out through the crush of the always teeming sidewalks of Miguel Cabrera to the Conchita puesto immediately to the right, inside the Mercado 20 de Noviembre — the entrance between Aldama and Mina.

Sky blue entrance to the mercado 20 de noviembre.

I’m always greeted with a smile of recognition and the question, “Semi-amargo?”  Sí, I always reply!

Male sales clerk behind counter filled with chocolate products.

I buy the little semisweet chocolate chips for snacking (especially decadent and delicious when mixed with dried cranberries) and the large discs, which I grate into a fine powder to mix with hot milk to add to my morning coffee — a delectable way to jump-start the day!

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It’s in the braiding…

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 3, 2012| 7 Comments »

Oh those beautiful braids of many of the dancers in Guelaguetza!  How do they do it?  In Reyes Etla, trapped between a yellow caution tape barrier and the folding chairs of the Tuxtepec delegation (the pineapple dancers), the answer was revealed…

Number 1:  You can’t do it yourself!

Woman standing braiding a hair extension into a seated woman's hair.

Number 2:  Hair extensions!  (Who knew???)

Close-up of hands braiding ribbons into hair

Number 3:  Practiced hands.

Hands braiding ribbons into hair.

Number 4:  Patience.

Hands braiding ribbons into hair.

But, it’s well worth the effort!

Hands finishing long braid, with red and blue ribbons, that extends beyond top of chair.

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Saving textile traditions: Oaxaca to Lebanon

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Museums, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2012| 1 Comment »

The textiles of Oaxaca are currently on center stage, both literally and figuratively, during these 10 days of Guelaguetza festivities.  And perhaps, besides drawing in much-needed tourist pesos, the Guelaguetza plays an important role in the appreciation and preservation of Oaxaca’s textile traditions.

Delegation from San Andrés Huaxpaltepec, District of Jamiltepec, in the Costa region of the state of Oaxaca.

However, the textile traditions of Lebanon have not fared so well.  According to the article, The End of the silk road, by Ana Marie Lucas and posted to Now Lebanon, silk production, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is on death’s doorstep.  Only two artisanal workshops remaining today.  However, along with the Italian Embassy, the Mexican Embassy, Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation, and Textile Museum of Oaxaca are coming to the rescue.

“We wanted to share our experience with the Lebanese,” Mexican Ambassador Jorge Alvarez Fuentes told NOW Extra. “When I saw the House of the Artisan closed and in need of more attention I thought this was the perfect place to exhibit both Mexican and Lebanese items,” he explained.

“Aside from the exhibition, we wanted to organize two conferences and a workshop of how to dye the silk with natural pigments. This way many people will be able to see how the Phoenicians could extract the purple dye from the Murex shell,” he added.

According to Héctor Meneses, head of the Textiles Museum in Oaxaca, there are surprising similarities between the Lebanese and Mexican traditions in terms of pigment extraction. Mexicans extracted the red dye from a species of snail, very similar to the purple dye extracted by the Phoenicians from the Murex shell. “The difference is that in Mexico, this process is still alive and it’s being used,” he said during a conference.  [Read full article HERE]

FYI:   Alfredo Harp Helú is a Mexican businessman who, like his cousin Carlos Slim Helú (world’s richest man), is of Lebanese extraction.  Harp Helú maintains a residence in Oaxaca and, besides his foundation funding the Textile Museum, he and his foundation are involved in several other philanthropic projects in the state of Oaxaca.

h/t to Margie Barclay for the article.

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Mezcal and cheese, anyone?

Posted in Beverages, Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 28, 2012| 1 Comment »

Besides mushrooms, tejate, tamales, and mole, there is cheese and mezcal… and last Monday I hopped in a colectivo bound for Etla; my destination was Reyes Etla (about 20 km. from the city) for the 2nd annual Queso y Quesillo Expo Feria.  Oaxaca is known all over Mexico for its cheese and, without a doubt, the best comes from the municipalities around Etla — and Oaxaca’s department of tourism is on a mission to promote its position globally.

Ball of cheese decorated with basil leaves and red bell pepper strips.

Vendors tempted with artistic displays and tastings of, among others, queso fresco, queso crema, and quesillo.  Yummm….  It is a dark day around Casita Colibrí when there isn’t a ball of quesillo in the refrigerator.

Display of cheeses with woman vendor behind counter

FYI:  Quesillo (aka:  Oaxacan string cheese) was first made in Reyes Etla in 1884 — supposedly by mistake!  According to one legend, a young girl from Reyes Etla disobeyed her mother and allowed the cheese curds to expand into a spongy mass.  She attempted to correct her mistake by pouring boiling water over the curds, then she kneaded it and pulled it into the first strip of what is now known as quesillo.

Woman vendor wearing mask behind display of quesillo
And, now, we turn to the 15th annual Feria Internacional del Mezcal…  After years of languishing in tequila’s shadow, being considered a “poor relation” — that is, if it was considered at all — mezcal’s profile has risen dramatically in the past several years.

XV feria internacional del mezcal oaxaca 2012

In August 2010, none other than Eric Asimov wrote about, Mezcal, Tequila’s Smoky, Spicy Cousin in the New York Times.  A year later, a NYT ‘s article advised, Move Over, Tequila, It’s Mescal’s Turn to Shine.  (You say mescal, I say mezcal.)

And, sheesh, I was flipping channels the other night and stumbled on Tim and Tim in Oaxaca, being instructed on the art of making mezcal by my landlord, on an episode of the TV program ROAM!  Then there is the No Reservations “Obsession” episode, where  Anthony Bourdain explores Ron Cooper’s obsession with mezcal.

Back to the feria, where over 40 vendors displayed their wares…

Bottles of mezcal lined up in two shelves of a display

poured generous tasting shots…

3 guys behind counter offering shots of mezcal

and sold their mezcals.

.Male vendor reaching for a bottle of mezcal

In addition, there was an exhibit showing the various types of maguey, from which mezcal is made…

Variety of agave plants with labels.

and the equipment used and processes they undergo to become this smoky and complex distilled spirit.

A mezcal still

As the old Oaxaqueño saying goes, “For everything bad, drink mezcal, and for everything good, you also should.”

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Of clouds and mushrooms

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 26, 2012| 4 Comments »

Sunday, we headed up into the clouds of Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte to San Antonio Cuajimoloyas.  At 10,433 feet above sea level and nestled in a forest of pine and oak trees, the setting has an ethereal feel and seems a world apart from the valley below — almost like being in an alpine village in Switzerland.

Wood house with tin roof

Getting up there wasn’t easy, thanks to the bumpy and winding dirt road.  However, reaching our destination, the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (fair of wild mushrooms) was well worth it!

Banner above municipal building, against a cloudy sky, announcing, "Bienvenidos,12va. feria regional de Hongos Silvestres"

Once there, baskets, buckets, and boxes filled with freshly gathered mushrooms greeted us.

Blue plastic bucket of trumpet mushrooms

Close-up of mushrooms

Mushrooms in a box

Orange capped mushrooms in a green container

Not only was there a bounty of raw mushrooms, the aroma of sautéed mushrooms, mushroom tamales, and mushroom empanadas stimulated our appetites and we tried them all, and washed it down with an atole rojo made by this beguiling gal.

Elderly woman mixing atole rojo.

And no, these were not “magic mushrooms” but the experience was, indeed, magical.

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Food porn: tejate & tamales

Posted in Beverages, Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2012| 2 Comments »

Oaxaca is a foodie paradise, in major part, because much of its cuisine draws on and honors its pre-Hispanic roots.  And, right now, during this time of Guelaguetza, various food and beverage ferias and festivals are also happening throughout the city and central valleys of Oaxaca.  Today, on the Plaza de la Danza, the Feria del Tejate y el Tamal, celebrating these specialties of San Andrés Huayapam, opened with the usual fanfare — music, monos, a marmota, and speeches.

Mono and marmota with "Huayapam" printed around it.

Present were a number of local dignitaries, including Evelyn Acosta López, the recently elected corn goddess, la Diosa Centéotl 2012, who presides over the Guelaguetza.

Evelin Acosta López seated.

Tejate is a foamy, refreshing, and nutritious non-alcoholic pre-Columbian beverage made from Nixtamal corn, mixed with tree ash, and toasted cacao beans, mamey seeds, and Rosita de Cacao flowers.

Rosita de Cacao blossoms.

One frequently sees tejate, served in these colorfully painted gourds, in the mercados of Oaxaca, at festivals, and street side stands.

Dried and hollowed-out gourds painted red with blue, yellow, and green decoration.

And, yes, it is safe to drink.  The water and ice that are added…

Woman with surgical mask pouring water from bucket into large pot of tejate

come from garrafons of “pure” water.

Stack of garafons (jugs) of pure water.

And, please, don’t be put off by the women, up to their elbows, mixing the ingredients.  Just think about it…  Chefs often use their hands when preparing food and arms are generally much cleaner than hands!  Believe me, these women take great pride in their expertise and product.

Hand and lower arm mixing tejate as water is added

Oh, right, there were also tamales!  Once I finished taking photos and drinking a tall cup of tejate, I made my day’s tamal purchase; chepil, chichilo, and mole.  Tomorrow, I will be returning for more.

Large galvanized aluminum bucket filled with a variety of tamales wrapped in corn husks and banana leaves.s

The Feria del Tejate y el Tamal runs today and tomorrow at the Plaza de la Danza, then moves up to San Andrés Huayapam for Saturday and Sunday.  You can find a little more information about the feria in last year’s blog post, Tejate and tamales.

And, sheesh, I still haven’t blogged about the cheese feria, mushroom feria, not to mention, the Feria Nacional del Mezcal — all of which I’ve attended during the past several days!

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Guelaguetza live streaming

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Live and direct from Oaxaca’s Guelaguetza Auditorium; see what all the fuss is about!  Watch the July 23 and 30 Guelaguetza performances, along with the July 29 production of the Legend of Donají, stream live on the internet at:

Night shot of colored smoke billowing from Guelaguetza Auditorium.

View from the terrace…  The Guelaguetza Auditorium during last night’s Legend of Donají show.

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Perfect day, part 2

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Serendipity, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2012| 1 Comment »

And, then there was the Festival de los 7 Moles opening buffet lunch set amidst the beauty and tranquility of the Jardín Etnobotánico.  Serendipity and synchronicity brought us there… running into a friend, conversation, investigation (see pots below), and her enthusiasm and powers of persuasion (gracias, Rosa!) had us purchasing tickets on the spot.

While kitchen staff prepared the serving platters and bowls…

Woman in apron and wearing hairnet, scoops cooked rice out of a large bucket.

Dancers gathered on the Alameda for a calenda that would lead people the luncheon.

Two women displaying their long colorful full skirts

They included a number of small children…

Woman squatting down and clasping hands with a toddler-age boy - both in indigenous dress

The calenda, including the requisite marmota (giant cloth balloon), monos (giant puppets), band, dancers with canastas (see yesterday’s post), and the sponsoring banner of CANIRAC (national association of the restaurant and food industries), made its way up the Alcalá…

Procession with marmota, monos, and banner

before turning onto Constitución and entering the Jardín, where wait staff and divine moles awaited.

Wait staff, wearing black, white, and grey gathered next to table.

Yummm, mole negro…

Large green pottery bowls filled with black mole.

Mole amarillo…

Green pottery bowls of red colored moles

Mole coloradito…

Green ceramic pot with red mole.

Mole verde…

Green mole in green ceramic pot

There was also mole chichilo, mole manchamanteles, and mole rojo.  I tried them all!!!  And, I haven’t even mentioned the cervesa, mezcal, aguas, and appetizers of quesillo, chicharon, and tacos filled with guacamole and chapulines (grasshoppers).  You’ll have to switch over to Chris’s blog to see those and much more.  Oh, and for dessert, a scoop of each of my favorite nieves (sherbet); leche quemada (burned milk) and tuna (cactus fruit).

A day filled with light, color, music, fabulous food, and, most of all, wonderful friends — the recipe for a perfect day!

(ps)  There are almost 50 restaurants around town that will be featuring mole as part of this 12-day festival.

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A perfect day, part 1

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 20, 2012| 4 Comments »

It didn’t start that way; I awoke to horrifying news from Colorado.  Thank goodness blogger buddy Chris called and the heart that beats in Oaxaca beckoned.

First stop was the “Al Son del Valle,” an exhibition of canastas from 17  villages in the central valleys of Oaxaca.  These are baskets that are carried on the heads of women during calendas (parades); you may remember them from previous posts on the convites in Teotitlán del Valle.  The art of crafting canastas and the traditions and culture they represent have been proudly and lovingly passed down through the generations.

San Antonino Castillo Velasco canasta decorated with Flor Inmortal, the flower that never dies.

Canasta from San Mateo Macuilxóchitl

From San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya, these canastas are lit and become pinwheels of fireworks at the end of a calenda.

Canasta of Las Chinas Oaxaqueñas of the city of Oaxaca

Canasta from Tlacolula de Matamoros.

Canasta from Zimatlán de Álvarez made of crepe paper.

Muchas gracias, Oaxaca, I needed that!

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Let the festivities begin!

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the modern Guelaguetza festival in Oaxaca.  The calendar is filled with official Guelaguetza activities and other events that take advantage of the massive annual influx of tourists (especially from other parts of Mexico).  The colorful and distinctive costumes worn by the Guelaguetza delegations from each of the 8 regions of the state of Oaxaca play a major role in wowing visitors and residents — including, me!

Huipil de San Andrés Chicahuaxtla, Putla Villa de Guerrero, Oax.

As a result, the “Oaxaca Xaba Lulá” exhibition has been mounted in the Government Palace.

Traje de la Villa Sola de Vega, Oax.

These are only a fraction of the items on exhibit and the photos were chosen primarily because they showed the least amount of reflection on the plexiglass display cases.  It is a beautiful, but challenging to photograph, setting!

Huipil de San Bartolomé, Ayautla, Teotitlán, Oax.

The collection of trajes típicos (typical costumes) representing the 8 regions of Oaxaca runs through the end of the month.

Rebozo de San Juan Colorado, Jamiltepec, Oax.

The dresses, hats and accessories were donated by Oaxacan citizens from different regions of the state and were made in the traditional way, with many using natural dyes.

Huipil de Gala de San Lucas Ojitlán, Tuxtepec, Oax.

At the July 6 opening, José Zorrilla de San Martin Diego (Minister of Tourism and Economic Development), explained that they reflect a cultural essence that has prevailed for centuries in customs and traditions of the people of Oaxaca.

Funda de San Jerónimo Tecoátl, Teotitlán. Oax.

He observed that the Oaxacan costumes are a reflection of the depth of the culture, traditions, and ancestral weaving techniques that have been passed from generation to generation of Oaxacan hands.

Traje de Santa María Tlahuitoltepec, Mixe, Oax.

“The huipiles display in all their splendor the details that form a labyrinth of colors, a tiny universe that reflects the vastness of fertile nature and the symbolism that characterizes our native land and which graces the greatest festival of Oaxacaños,” Zorrilla de San Martin Diego very poetically suggested.

Huipil de Jalapa de Díaz, Tuxtepec, Oax.

Needless to say, during the next two weeks, I’m going to try to hit as many of the fairs, parades, dances, and exhibitions as possible.  Stay tuned…

Save

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The gates are open

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2012| 1 Comment »

Intricately designed and executed iron gates have been installed at either end of Antiguo Callejón de San Pablo, ushering visitors into the “Old meets new” grounds of the Centro Académico y Cultural San Pablo.

Iron gate

Oaxaca’s favorite son and Mexico’s foremost living artist, Francisco Toledo, narrates a video documenting the construction of the gates.  It’s in Spanish, but even if you don’t understand the language, it’s worth watching, anyway.

By the way, today is Toledo’s 70th birthday.  ¡Feliz cumpleaños, maestro!

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Respect and ritual

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The convite (covered in the Uplifting post) is only one of the traditions of the patronal festival of La Preciosa Sangre de Cristo.  During the five days of the celebration, the church is filled with floral arrangements and believers stream in and out clutching flowers; the Danza de la Pluma (with Moctezuma, Cortez, Malinche, Doña Marina, danzantes, and soldados) is performed several times; and the cargo holders of the community preside, are honored, and presented with fresh fruits, vegetables, sacred herbs, and beverages.

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Sunday was another amazing day in Teotitlán del Valle.  And I haven’t even mentioned the tacos and tamales we devoured during our three visits this past week!

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Food for the soul

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, fellow blogger, Chris, and I drove out to Teotitlán del Valle for their yearly patronal festividad de La Preciosa Sangre de Cristo.  The rains came and we didn’t stay long.  But, as we almost always find, just being out there provides much appreciated food for the soul.

Black and white photo of Zapotec woman sitting upright with a rebozo draped on her head.

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Surreal in SF

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Museums, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 15, 2012| 2 Comments »

As hoped, I managed to make my way to the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco for .  It’s the exhibit (I mentioned a few days ago) that celebrates the Zapotec artists of Oaxaca from Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo to those they encouraged and influenced.

On the consulate’s ground floor the scene was a familiar one — signage and conversations en español; the eagle, serpent and green, white, and red of the Mexican flag prominently displayed; waiting room filled with patiently waiting people — a sliver of Mexico in San Francisco.  Climbing the two flights of stairs (elevator was broken) up to the third floor, a friend and I found the exhibit…

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According to the article, Oaxacan surrealism hits the SF Mexican consulate, the consulate’s cultural affairs attache, Marimar Suárez Peñalva, hopes the gallery and its exhibitions will offer Mexican expats an opportunity to connect with the creativity, not just the bureaucracy (my word), of their culture.  However, I don’t know how many of those waiting on the first floor make it up to the third floor; early in the afternoon, we had the gallery to ourselves.

And yes, works by Tamayo and Toledo are included, but I thought I’d feature some of the lesser known artists.  By the way, did you notice the name, Alejandro Santiago Ramírez?  This is the same Alejandro Santiago of the 2501 Migrantes sculptures that I’ve previously written about.

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From Oaxaca to San Francisco

Posted in Creativity, Exhibitions, Food, Museums, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2012| 4 Comments »

I’m again in the San Francisco Bay Area, visiting family and friends and taking care of the odds and ends of still maintaining a presence here, while living in Oaxaca.  We’ve had clear blue skies and sun and, except for the high-speed pace and exorbitant price of food, it “almost” feels like home.  Hey, I even bought some resin chairs for my son’s backyard and ate some of the best Mexican food ever (in the USA) at Doña Tomás in Oakland.  (FYI:  The Callos con Sopa de Elote — puréed corn soup with seared day boat scallops and fingerling potatoes, roasted poblano chiles and cilantro, served with arroz achiote — was divine.)

To also keep from getting too homesick for Oaxaca, there are a currently a couple of exhibits in San Francisco I plan to see while here.  I found out about The Magic Surrealists of Oaxaca, Mexico from the Oaxacan surrealism hits the SF Mexican consulate article in the SFBG, which explains…

Aquatint etching

Francisco Toledo’s aquatint etching “Self Portrait”

The Zapotec identity … is one of the unifiers of the exhibit, which contains the works of not only [Rufino] Tamayo and [Francisco] Toledo but also artists who were inspired by their work like Justina Fuentes Zárate, she of the reclining mermaid and arresting red dress. Perhaps the works don’t look similar, but they represent the diversity and breadth of the work to come out of the surrealist Zapotec tradition in Oaxaca.

And, then I read the NPR story, In Mexico, Mixed Genders And ‘Muxes’, about a Galería de la Raza exhibit.

Parade of Muxes in traje of Juchitán

Photo from the exhibit

Searching for Queertopia revisits the experiences of Alexander Hernandez’s participation and Neil Rivas’ visual documentation of what is called, the Vela de ‘Las Intrépidas.’ This event, a 3-day celebration, is held annually in the town of Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, México, in honor of its Muxe community.

Hmmm… maybe I’ll take the ferry over to “The City” tomorrow.

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