Decorations have begun going up around town and, at this time of year, La Olla offers the complete dining experience…
A warm welcome from the hostess.
Waiters standing ready to take your order.
And, una mariposa hanging out, ready to wish you “¡buen provecho!”
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Holidays, Religion, Restaurants | Tagged Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Días de Muertos, decorations, La Olla, Mexico, Oaxaca, restaurants, skeletons | 1 Comment »
6 AM this morning, I awoke to fireworks and riotously clanging church bells coming from the cathedral, calling my attention to the October 23rd annual fiesta of Señor del Rayo. Like Guelaguetza, Noche de Rabanós (Night of the Radishes), and Día de la Samaritana (Good Samaritan Day), it is an “only in Oaxaca” celebration.
This image of Christ on the Cross was brought to Oaxaca during the 16th century. It was placed in the temple of San Juan de Dios, a church which had adobe walls and a straw (or possibly wood) roof. Legend has it that lightning struck the church and everything was destroyed, save for this statue. Un milagro!
The statue became known as Señor del Rayo (Lord of Lightning), eventually was moved to his own chapel in the newly built cathedral, and has been much venerated ever since. However, on October 21, in anticipation of his special day, the statue is moved to the main altar of the cathedral, the cathedral is filled with lilies (the scent “breathtaking”), and the faithful flock to pray before Señor del Rayo.
Flowers are daily sprayed with water, to keep them fresh… BUT, as the signs say, please do not uproot and carry them away.
Posted in Celebrations, Churches | Tagged Catedral de Oaxaca, flowers, lilies, Mexico, Oaxaca, Señor del Rayo | 2 Comments »
Another brilliant blue sky day…
But where did that purple, white, and red flag on top of Santo Domingo de Guzmán come from???
Posted in Churches, Weather | Tagged flags, Mexico, Oaxaca, Santo Domingo de Guzmán | Leave a Comment »
Hmmm, no rain for a week, cool nights, and warm, clear blue-sky days. Even concrete boxes beg for a photo…
Posted in Neighborhoods, Weather | Tagged Mexico, Oaxaca | 3 Comments »
Strolling up Macedonio Alcalá on Sunday, I stumbled on an exhibit and workshop being set up in the middle of this walking street, courtesy of Puntos de Encuentro, Primer Festival de Artes Visuales Oaxaca 2011 (Meeting Points, the First Visual Arts Festival, Oaxaca 2011).
Reason number ??? (I’ve lost count) why I love Oaxaca!!!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions | Tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, Primer Festival de Artes Visuales Oaxaca 2011, Puntos de Encuentro, visual arts | Leave a Comment »
October 16 is World Food Day, as declared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. A headline from the front page of today’s Noticias announces, Oaxaca: 77%, con hambre, meaning 77% of the Oaxacan population have problems with receiving adequate nutrition.
The article further explains that according to the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition (INNSZ), at 34%, Oaxaca is the Mexican state with the highest rate of child malnutrition. The consequences are children who suffer from iron deficiency anemia, fatigue, apathy, extreme thinness, spots on the face, breathing problems, infections, and diarrhea.
Update: A couple more articles…
Posted in Health | Tagged hunger, Mexico, Oaxaca, World Food Day | 2 Comments »
A Global Day of Action, in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. has been called for tomorrow, October 15. According to a current tally, demonstrations will be held in 950+ US cities and 80+ countries, the latter including Mexico City. Who knows what will unfold in Oaxaca, where occupations, marches, and road blocks are an almost daily event.
Confession: This is personal… I’m one of the 99% and lost my job as a result of the economic collapse brought about by the voracious, unconscionable, and unbridled greed of US capitalism. Heck, even in my old ‘hood, more than 200 ‘Occupy Marin’ protesters demonstrated in front of Bank of America a few days ago. It’s one of the few times, I wish I was still in El Norte, so I could participate.
BTW, the poster art and slogans coming out of this movement are awesome! Take a look at the following sites:
If you don’t hear us, can you see us???
Posted in Labor, Politics, Protests | Tagged Global Day of Action, Mexico City, Occupy Wall Street, poster art | 4 Comments »
Today is Día de la Raza (Day of the Race) in Mexico. A stroll around town revealed…
Like almost everyday in Oaxaca, La Raza are working incredibly hard!
Posted in History, Holidays, People | Tagged Día de la Raza, Mexico, Oaxaca, workers | 3 Comments »
Yesterday, a couple of gal pals and I headed south of the city to San Martín Tilcajete.
They were in search of alebrijes (hand-carved and intricately painted wooden creatures). We shared the roads…
and the sidewalks with local inhabitants.
With real critters like this, it’s no wonder the carvers and painters of San Martín Tilcajete are inspired to imagine and create the beautiful and fanciful.
I hadn’t planned to buy anything, but couldn’t resist a colibrí refrigerator magnet, to add to my growing collection of hummingbirds… both real and imagined!
While there, we discovered San Martín Tilcajete will be holding an exposition at the end of the month to showcase, promote, and (hopefully) sell Oaxacan folk art.
In addition, the Oaxaca Lending Library will be presenting a slide show on Oaxacan Folk Art on October 26.
Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions | Tagged alebrije, Mexico, Oaxaca, San Martín Tilcajete | 2 Comments »
Remember Argiope from 2-1/2 weeks ago?
Turns out, she isn’t as sweet as she looks. Today, HE came, HE saw, and SHE conquered!
Leaving him a shell of his former self…
Within a half an hour, she had finished him off… leaving not a trace that he had ever existed.
And, she was alone again, naturally! Alone, that is, until their offspring hatch…
Posted in Animals, Gardens, Nature & Science | Tagged Araneidae, Argiope, Casita Colibrí, garden, Mexico, Oaxaca, orb weaver, photographs, photos, spider | 4 Comments »
I’m an Apple person… from the Apple II days… even before I worked at a library funded by Apple employee #5, Rod Holt. I’m writing this on my MacBook Pro and I just upgraded from my ancient (by computer carbon dating) iPod Shuffle (max 100 tunes) to a new 64 GB iPod Touch.
Like most of the world, I’m incredibly saddened by the loss of creative genius, Steve Jobs. So, when my neighbor proposed going up to the newly opened iShop Mixup (it’s what the official Apple stores are called in Mexico) in Colonia Reforma, to see what was happening, I enthusiastically agreed. I’d been watching CNN International and their coverage of iPad virtual flames and real flower memorials in front of Apple Stores from Cupertino, California to China. With camera in hand, I thought there would be a great photo-op, blog material, and a chance to pay tribute to the person who had eased my non-techie brain’s entry into computer being, who put the end-user at the forefront, and who encouraged new grads to “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
Alas, there was nothing… no flowers… no black ribbon over the doorway… no photos of Steve Jobs… no virtual candles flickering on the iPads, MacBook Airs, and iPhones… not even a tribute posted on the Oaxaca iShop Mixup Facebook page. When I returned home a couple of hours ago, I posted the Spanish language version of Steve’s 2005 commencement speech at Stanford and the front page article (en español) from CNN México on their Facebook page.
Why nothing? Perhaps it’s because the store is new and hasn’t become a center for Apple users. But, I think it’s also because… according to The Oaxaca Fund Initiative, “Over 76% of its residents live in extreme poverty, lacking basic necessities such as food, water, education and healthcare.” Staying hungry isn’t a just metaphor.
Posted in People | Tagged Apple, iShop Mixup, Mexico, Oaxaca, Steve Jobs | 2 Comments »
Sunday, Oaxaca blogger buddy Chris (Oaxaca-the-year-after) and I returned to Teotitlán del Valle for the Danza de la Pluma. Another day awash in sights and sounds. As I discussed in July’s post, Danza de la Pluma, it is a multi-layered ritual reenactment of the Conquest. And, like the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany, the Danza de la Pluma lasts 7-8 hours!
Obviously, the performers occasionally need to take a break…
Soldaditos, need nourishment after all that marching around…
Banners need to chill on a chair…
Cortes needs to take a breather from all that conquering…
Danzantes need some male bonding time…
Their feathered headdresses need time off for good behavior…
Malinche and Doña Marina need to share some giggles…
And, even tubas need a nap…
Posted in Celebrations | Tagged Danza de la Pluma, Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario, Mexico, Oaxaca, Teotitlán del Valle | 6 Comments »
To borrow from Russian actor and director, Konstantin Stanislavsky, “there are no small parts, only [very] small actors.” And the children of Teotitlán del Valle begin learning their lines at a very young age.
They were in full view Friday night as the convite (parade) of unmarried young women and girls opened the multi-day Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario.
Young boys, carrying marmotas led off the parade, that began at the pueblo’s Sangre de Cristo church.
They were followed by traditional indigenous drums and a band.
Then the stars of the evening took center stage. From the oldest to the youngest, all were wearing the traditional red woolen skirt (woven in the village, of course!) and blouses painstakingly and lovingly hand embroidered.
Arms above head, balancing their canastas, they wound their way through the slick (it was drizzling) cobblestone streets of the village for an hour, before eventually returning to the church.
I don’t know how they did it; even the dogs were in awe!
Sunday’s events to follow…
Posted in Celebrations | Tagged convite, Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario, Mexico, Oaxaca, Teotitlán del Valle | 6 Comments »
Hanging out In Teotitlán del Valle…
On a rainy day…
Waiting for a parade to pass me by…
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity | Tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, parade, Teotitlán del Valle, wall art | Leave a Comment »
At various times in her past, La Ciudad de Oaxaca has been referred to as the “Emerald City” and “City of Jade,” because of the green cantera stone used to construct her buildings and pave her sidewalks. On rainy days when sun seems to magically appear, I’m tempted to look behind closed doors for the Wizard of Oz.
Today a new kind of green is catching on. No, not money, green technology — though money most certainly figures into the equation.
Several, mostly international, companies have established wind turbine farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec over the past several years. And, anyone who has driven along the carretera (highway) down there, can understand why. However, I would be remiss not to mention, as a NACLA article explains, La Ventosa is a controversial endeavor.
Less controversial, was a two-day conference, billed as the first International Forum on Renewable Energies, held this week in the “City of Jade.” Organized by the Technological University of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca (UTVC) and the Statistics and Information Center for Development (CIEDD) of the State Government, its main objective was to raise awareness, share knowledge, and promote further research, dissemination, and development.
While panels, discussions, lectures, and workshops were held in the Cultural Center of Santo Domingo, outside, at the intersection of Constitución and 5 de Mayo, exhibits by the university students were set up for conference attendees and passers-by to see.
According to the information posted, above is a prototype solar thermal house, that harnesses the sun’s energy and utilizes “healthy for the environment” building materials of natural fibers to provide durability and thermal-insulation.
And then there was this one… close to this rooftop gardener’s heart:
The project explains vermiculture biotechnology was virtually unknown here until recently. California red worms were used to convert waste from San Pablo Huixtepec and obtain a dark and rich loam.
I confess, I coveted it! However, I really am quite pleased with the results I’m getting by freezing my green kitchen waste for several days and then mixing it with the, less than ideal, soil purchased from a local vivero (nursery). In a week, the organic matter has completely broken down and I’m left with great potting soil.
Posted in Environment, Gardens, Science & Nature | Tagged compost, composting, Foro Internacional sobre Energías Renovables, International Forum on Renewable Energies, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, La Ventosa, Mexico, Oaxaca, renewable energy, sustainability, wind turbines | Leave a Comment »
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 
