Oaxaca loves Valentine’s Day! Rojo is the color of the day… red tablecloths cover the tables of restaurants under the portales… red shirts, sweaters, skirts, and shoes capture the eye. The Zócalo is teeming with people… young men carefully carrying cone wrapped roses for their sweethearts, girls clutching their regalos… stuffed animals, bouquets of flowers, and balloons.
And speaking of balloons…
Posted in Holidays | Tagged balloon sellers, Día del Amor y la Amistad, Mexico, Oaxaca, Valentine's Day | 1 Comment »
As I write there are 18 upcoming activities listed on the Oaxaca Lending Library website — and these are just for the remainder of February through March. I know, because I put them there and there are several more events waiting in the wings for me to add!
Snowbirds and full-time residents alike, can fill their days by attending classes and book talks, touring nearby crafts villages, enjoying spa pampering, exploring ecotourism, and more…
Posted in Culture | Tagged book talk, classes, ecotourism, Oaxaca Lending Library, spas, tours | 3 Comments »
Early yesterday morning, standing on my terrace, I gazed up, beyond the twin bell towers and dome of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, at a hilltop only a few miles to the west… platforms of the ancient Zapotec capital of Monte Albán, one of the four Classic cities of Middle America, visible in the clear mountain air. It’s one of those sights that takes my breath away and I never cease feeling privileged to be living here, among its descendants.
Then there was last night… At the base of this ancient city that once commanded the Y-shaped valley of Oaxaca, a gringo friend and I sat in my apartment, again looking west, but this time, not at the hills beyond, but at the TV in the immediate foreground. Instead of imagining those early ballgames played up on Monte Albán, we were engrossed by the modern day skills, of the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, played under a dome in a $1.2 billion dollar stadium.
For you non (American) football fans, it was Super Bowl Sunday. The game was exciting… the Packers won (yay!)… and members of the losing team weren’t ritually sacrificed!
This particular juxtaposition seems to be developing into a pattern… Last year, a friend and I cheered as the New Orleans Saints defeated Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV…
… from our room, in a hotel carved out of the jungle, just a couple of miles from the stunning Mayan ruins of Palenque.
Hmmm… I wonder where I will be next year?
Posted in Culture | Tagged football, Monte Albán, Palenque | Leave a Comment »
A musician friend recently told of hearing a young Oaxaqueña singer with a breathtakingly beautiful voice. And, the current front page of the Oaxaca Times announces, Alejandra Robles: the new oaxacan voice. I don’t know if this is who he was referring to, but in the words of the article, “her powerful voice reflects her training in Opera but her style is traditional Mexican with a rhythmic flare.”
Alejandra Robles - photo from Oaxaca Times
Alejandra Robles is following in the immensely talented and extremely popular steps of Oaxaqueña vocalists, Lila Downs
Lila Downs - photo from Wikipedia
and Susana Harp, who have carved out successful careers celebrating their Oaxacan roots.
Susana Harp - photo from Wikipedia
I haven’t knowingly heard Alejandra Robles sing; I say “knowingly” because music is everywhere and often free… you just never know when and where you will round a corner to find it. This past November, from the comfort of my terrace, I had a ringside seat for a free Lila Downs concert a block away at the Plaza de la Danza. And, the previous May, I wandered down to the zócalo to hear Susana Harp performing (for free) with the Oaxaca State Band under the shade of the laurel trees.
And then there was this unknown singer…
In September, her beautiful clear and powerful voice drew me off the rooftop and over to the Plaza de la Danza where she and her talented band were performing to an audience of less than 100 people… part of events celebrating the Bicentennial. Regretfully, I was too shy to try out my limited Spanish and ask, “¿Quién es?” I searched the local newspapers and cultural calendars, but never was able to figure out who she was. Anyone know?
Update: She is Natalia Cruz, a proud Zapoteca from Ixtaltepec in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Muchisimas gracias to one of my readers!
Posted in Culture, Parks & Plazas, People | Tagged Alejandra Robles, Lila Downs, music, Natalia Cruz, Oaxaca, singers, Susana Harp | 4 Comments »
Last night I had the pleasure of introducing a new friend to pozole, Oaxacan style. We walked over to La Gran Torta, my favorite restaurant for this pre-Columbian, hominy based meal in a bowl.
I always order the same dish (Why mess with success?), Pozole “Guerrero,” a caldo verde, with avocado, cabbage, radishes, cilantro, pork, and chicharrón. I push the chicharrón off to the side, but ohhh the flavor it adds! Wash it down with an ice cold Corona and for 70 pesos, you’ve got a perfect dinner on a winter’s night.
Oh, and my friend raved about the caldo rojo Pozole “Especial de la Casa.”
La Gran Torta is located at Porfirio Díaz No. 208 (between Matamoros and Morelos), Centro Histórico, Oaxaca.
Posted in Restaurants | Tagged La Gran Torta, Oaxaca, pozole | Leave a Comment »
Another reason I love Oaxaca…
Yes, I know street blockades are inconvenient for drivers and I know the trade unions are not immune from the corruption that dominates politics here, but at least workers are not sitting on their hands doing nothing as austerity measures threaten to take away what little they have.
According to signs posted on various trucks, trash collectors are demanding cancellation of a 300% increase in the cost of using the municipal dump, access to the dump 7 days a week, and the dismissal of the municipal services director.
Last fall massive protests against austerity measures spread across Europe, the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia earlier this month was sparked by the self-immolation of a young college graduate who couldn’t find a job, and, as I write, hundreds of thousands of students, women, industrial workers, unemployed, and others are marching in Egypt in what is being called “a day of wrath against poverty.”
Workers in the USA should be taking notes…
Posted in Labor, Protests | Tagged Oaxaca, protests, strikes, trash collectors | Leave a Comment »
One of my favorite authors, Diane Ackerman, has written a new book, Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways to Greet the Day. From the dust jacket: “Ackerman’s thrilling observations—of things ranging from cloud glories to the endangered whooping cranes of the book’s title—urge us to live in the moment, to wake up to nature’s everyday miracles.”
Yesterday, in the courtyard of a simple restaurant in Etla…
h/t chris
Posted in Nature & Science | Tagged Diane Ackerman, Etla, peacocks | Leave a Comment »
Sunday, in the Plazuela de Carmen Alto, celebrations honoring the Christ of Esquipulas (Black Christ) were in full swing. I was awakened at 6 AM to the sound of fuegos artificiales (fireworks) and eventually drifted off to sleep after 11:30 PM, as fireworks’ explosions resumed.
Festivities lasted all day and I couldn’t resist heading up to the church courtyard to see what was happening.
When I arrived, seats in the shade were filled and a small crowd was gathered behind a barricade; a castillo, laying on its side in three parts, was being constructed; a teenage Oaxacan brass band, with the requisite tuba towering over the other instruments and their players, was waiting to play; and young dancers were performing with a combination of earnestness and joy.
Dance always seems to be an integral part of celebrations both secular and religious, and, in reflecting on my love for this, at times, perplexing and contradictory place, dance is one of the things that resonates the most.
A small stage set up under the trees; dancers, their handmade and unique costumes; energetic music; choreographed steps passed down through generations spirited me back to my childhood…
Let’s dance!
Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Remembering, Travel & Tourism | Tagged Black Christ, celebrations, dance, mom, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, Señor de Esquipulas, Templo del Carmen Alto | Leave a Comment »
Ahhh… back in the warm embrace of Casita Colibrí.
A few days before leaving the Bay Area to return to Oaxaca, I spent a chilly, but crystal clear day in San Francisco with two old friends attending the wonderful, but crowded, Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism exhibit at the Palace of the Legion of Honor and having a delicious lunch at the Mandalay, a Burmese restaurant. A picture perfect day, I took the scenic route, through the Presidio, back to Mill Valley
… and was overwhelmed with appreciation for the perfection of the scene before me; a much needed tonic to the relentless wet, gray days and multiple circumstantial challenges I’d been experiencing. And so, I boarded the plane on Saturday feeling refreshed, with a sense of renewal in the opening days of 2011.
Once in Houston for a five hour (ugh!) layover, I settled into a comfy seat in a quiet corner of an airport restaurant for a long lunch. And then, I glanced up at the TV and was confronted with breaking news of the Tucson shootings. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn’t… just sickened and incredibly saddened.
Most reasonable, thinking people teach their children that words have consequences; that it is irresponsible to cry “fire” when there is no fire in a crowded auditorium. And Buddhism teaches that “right speech” is the first principle of ethical conduct. Venomous rhetoric, from people like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, incites irrational fear and inflames unwarranted passions, especially amongst those who feel disaffected. Thus, I say I wasn’t surprised.
At last, I boarded the little Embraer… even more eager for my return to southern Mexico. However, the news there wasn’t good, either. The friend who picked me up at the airport relayed the news of more political killings in Oaxaca. No escape.
However, geckos are chirping, the pinks and oranges of the setting and rising sun against the mountains paint a magnificent mural, hummingbirds are flitting from one succulent flower spike to another, and I’ve got a mariposa beginning the arduous task of emerging from its pupa.
The words from a 1960s era poster come to mind, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
Renewal…
Posted in Violence | Tagged butterflies, mariposas | Leave a Comment »
Every year for 20+ years, on Christmas Eve day, my older son and I would take the ferry across the San Francisco Bay for a day of soaking in the holiday sights of the City. No shopping was allowed, save for a new ornament for the tree, but there was lots of walking, and hot chocolate for him and cafe mocha for me… a much needed warm-up from that damp San Francisco cold.
This year, with son remaining on the East Coast with his wife’s family, I jumped at the opportunity to meet an old (long time, not aged!) friend in the City on Dec. 24. I didn’t even consider driving or taking the bus; the mode of transport was to be the Larkspur Ferry. The weather cooperated… a day’s break from the relentless gray and wet.
Nothing but blue skies do I see... at the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Looking up... San Francisco Ferry Building
You are now leaving the Port of San Francisco
It really is a beautiful city…
Posted in Holidays | Tagged Christmas, San Francisco, San Francisco Ferry Building | Leave a Comment »
I’m back in Mill Valley for a month-long holiday visit; loving all the festivities and spending time with family and Bay Area friends. The weather, on the other hand, has been a different story; it’s been gray, rainy, and winter high tides have brought intermittent flooding. I’m definitely no longer acclimated to this damp cold!
However, last night the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and I had iTunes shuffling through hundreds of “moon music” tunes, as I gazed up at the night’s celestial show; a total eclipse of a full moon on the Winter Solstice. It was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the Winter Solstice since 1638! All was quiet, save for the occasional car heading up Mt. Tamalpais, as La Luna did her disappearing act. She started out big and bright, halo glowing, she then began turning orange, slowly going into hiding, and finally she went missing, not even a sliver of light in sight.
It was especially mystical, amazing, and wonderful because, as the moon was reaching total eclipse, I could hear the unmistakable gravelly voice of Bob Dylan, introducing the song, Mr. Moon ( I have lots of Theme Time Radio Hour music) by a band, in Dylan’s words, “you never heard of them probably, but should have.” The band, Clover, was composed of local guys I went to school (grammar and high school) with here in Mill Valley and… just as Alex Call (writer of 867-5309/Jenny) hit and held the final note, in his falsetto voice, the moon completely disappeared. A perfect moment!
Happy Winter Solstice to all!
Posted in Nature & Science | Tagged Alex Call, Clover, La Luna, lunar eclipse, Mill Valley, Moon, Winter Solstice | Leave a Comment »
… and then there was the “Exploring Oaxaca for Mammillaria and Echeveria” lecture, sponsored by the Oaxaca Garden and Nature Club.
The lecture was held at the Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. The gardens are part of the magnificent old monastery complex of Santo Domingo, and have a storied history. The Dominican Order began construction in 1570; during the revolution, the buildings were used to house the cavalry; at one time it was “made available” to the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca; and in 1994 citizens protested plans to turn the grounds into a luxury hotel/convention center. Oaxacan artist and benefactor, Francisco Toledo and his foundation, Pro-Oax came to the rescue. The original impressive underground cistern system was uncovered and put into use and an (almost) 6-acre ethnobotanical garden was established to preserve, protect, and propagate Oaxaca’s rich biodiversity, that has nourished the people’s and their culture of this valley for thousands of years.
The speaker, John Pilbeam, is from England and leads expeditions to Oaxaca every year in a quest to see various cactus and succulents in their natural habitat. He is a 70-year-old man with that wonderfully dry British sense of humor that he used throughout the talk… definitely not boring! I learned a lot, even the name of one of my favorite rooftop garden plants:
Echeveria Pulvinata "Ruby"
The icing on the day’s cake, was John sat next to me at the luncheon that followed at La Olla and we had several delightful conversations throughout the meal, including his stories of growing up in World War II, London.
Posted in Gardens | Tagged Casita Colibrí, Echeveria Pulvinata "Ruby", Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, John Pilbeam, photographs, photos | 1 Comment »
November 5th was opening day of the inaugural Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival. Having volunteered at the Mill Valley Film Festival for eight years and attending it for many more, I enthusiastically poured over the nine-day schedule and made sure to arrive at the newly reopened Auditorio Ariel for the first film a half an hour early. Of course, the theater wasn’t open, no line had formed, and the only other people not sporting official film festival badges or wearing official volunteer t-shirts, were other gringos. When will I ever learn?!!
Other days and films followed, including the wonderful documentary, Awakening From Sorrow: Buenos Aires 1997. The voices of the now grown children of the disappeared, tortured, and murdered during Argentina’s “dirty war” of the late 1970s and early 1980s, are woven, along with haunting artwork, music and archival film footage into an exquisite “tapestry of remembrance” in their quest for justice. And, come to find out, it screened at last year’s Mill Valley Film Festival.
In addition to the films, the festival also featured an English language and a Spanish language literature competition. The Oaxaca Lending Library, where I volunteer, underwrote the English competition, including bringing the winner, Charles Whipple, to Oaxaca from his home in Japan(!) and hosting a reception on Nov. 11. The evening temperatures were mild, perfect for gathering in the courtyard of the stately 17th century home of the Rufino Tamayo Museo de Arte Prehispanico de Mexico, savoring the delicious canapés created by Jean-Michel Thomas of ¿Donde esta el chef?, and listening to Charles Whipple read his awarding winning story, A Matter of Tea.
The evening closed with the Mexican premiere of, Twenty Five Hundred & One, a documentary chronicling Oaxacan-born artist, Alejandro Santiago’s sculptural tribute to the thousands of men and women who have left his pueblo almost deserted, in their search for jobs. Alejandro Santiago and several of his family members and the crew who help create the 2,501 sculptures were present, as was director, Director, Patricia Van Ryker. It was a lovely way to spend an evening…
Photos from the reception can be found in a photo album on the Oaxaca Lending Library’s website.
Posted in Culture | Tagged Alejandro Santiago, Awakening From Sorrow: Buenos Aires 1997, Charles Whipple, Donde estal el chef, Mill Valley Film Festival, Oaxaca, Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival, Oaxaca Lending Library, Rufino Tamayo Museo de Arte Prehispanico de Mexico, Twenty Five Hundred & One | 1 Comment »
Mexican Peso Converter
