Today, August 9, is International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, so designated by the United Nations. This year’s focus is on the right to education — a timely and white-hot issue in Oaxaca and several of the other Mexican states with significant indigenous populations. I can think of no better way to honor the day and native peoples worldwide, than to share yesterday’s adventure in the Zapotec village of Teotitlán del Valle.
As I previously mentioned, in my endeavor to single-handedly boost the local economy, I commissioned the weaving of a tapete (rug) from my friend, Samuel Bautista Lazo’s family business, Dixza Rugs. The design is a Tree of Life, with a light moss green background. Thus, yesterday, led by Sam, we (a young Aussie fellow staying at the family’s Airbnb, blogger buddy Chris, and I) ventured out near the far end of the village dam to gather yagshī, the plant to be used to dye wool the desired color.
Sam is explaining that his mother wants the young bright green shoots for the dye bath, as she wasn’t at all satisfied with the color the older leaves yielded.
Sam, about to hand off a bundle of yagshī to me to put on our pile.
Into the cauldron of hot water, it went. That’s Sam’s tiny powerhouse mother, Leonor Lazo González. She was making that face because the smoke from the hardwood fire below really stung the eyes.
Like strands of spaghetti, into the yagshī dye bath, the lana (wool) yarn went.
Now you see Sam, now you don’t!
Leonor stirring the pot.
Leonor measuring the weight of the alum mordant to be used to set the dye. Yes, she’s using a tortilla press as a table.
Sam adding the alum (dissolved in water) to the pot.
Pasta al pesto? The yarn will marinate in the dye bath overnight.
Mom knows best and seemed to be pleased with the day’s results!
Sam is a very smart guy and has a Ph.D. in Sustainable Manufacturing from the University of Liverpool. However, being schooled in the traditions, language, and Zapotec way of knowing by his parents, grandparents, and elders of the community is an education that is just as valuable and should never be lost.
This year’s “like it used to be” rainy season has brought Morning Glories climbing their way to my doorstep and adding a little color to an otherwise grey morning.
Obviously, I’m not the only one who enjoys the green of their heart-shaped leaves.
The reports are in regarding tourism during the Guelaguetza and, unfortunately, they confirm our observations and discussions with merchants, restaurateurs, and hoteliers. Hotel occupancy was only at 53% and tourism was 37 points below estimates for the period, July 22 to August 1. Artisans had to pay 2,600 pesos (US$138.00) for a stall at the state sponsored, Encuentro Artesanal Guelaguetza (exposition and sale), which ran from July 16 to August 1, and many said they barely broke even, especially when taking into consideration expenses getting to and from the site and having to purchase meals.
However, I tried my very best to help the local economy throughout Guelaguetza. As regular readers know, I love the textiles of Oaxaca and thus I have a few new treasures hanging in my closet. First, this modern take by Muchitos on the traditional huipil.
I purchased it at Letra Capital, a 4-day contemporary design market, held in the courtyards of the Biblioteca Pública Central de Oaxaca.
And, then there was this traditional huipil woven by Juana Reyes García from San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, and purchased at the 4-day Tianguis Artesanal at the Centro Cultural San Pablo.
Juana has been recognized for her work using natural dyes and has won several prizes.
Then there was the tunic-length (at least on me) blusa from one of the extraordinary embroiderers of San Antonino Castillo Velasco — bought at the above-mentioned Encuentro Artesanal Guelaguetza.
I have been wanting one for years and years. However, whenever I’m in San Antonino, it’s usually for a festival or during Día de los Muertos and, while there are stalls upon stalls selling blouses and dresses, I’m distracted by the event at hand — never mind, that I don’t usually carry enough money to pay for one of these treasures. Isn’t the work exquisite?
I’ve already worn all three of my new textile treasures several times. And, that wasn’t the end of my shopping spree. My other big splurge was commissioning a tapete from my friend, Samuel Bautista Lazo’s family business, Dixza Rugs. They had a stall at the Encuentro Artesanal Guelaguetza and a rug I fell in love with. Alas, it was too big, so they are making me a smaller one. Sam has promised it will be done within a month. Blog post to follow!
Unlike last Saturday, there was no rain on yesterday’s Guelaguetza parade. There was music, mezcal, and tepache. (Click on photos for full image.)
There were headdresses and bling.
There was awesome pride and joy.
And, there were kids to carry on the traditions.
Muchisimas gracias to the extended family of Hotel Casa Catrina who allowed me to seek shelter from last Monday’s rain and yesterday, saw me across the street and invited me for a shot of mezcal and to watch the desfile with them. That’s Oaxaca — warm, welcoming, and wonderful!!!
I was last on Callejón de Hidalgo about a month and a half ago and a new (to me) mural charmed me. I’ve been meaning to post photos, but there has been way too much going on and they got lost in the pictures shuffle.
Murals are usually a “no-go-zone” for graffiti. However, yesterday, walking with friends, I again found myself on that lovely little lane, but was dismayed to discover someone(s) had tagged Peter Cottontail and his tree-lined neighborhood with graffiti.
I don’t know who you are, Mainy-Dauer, but I want you to know your mural made be smile.
I’m glad I have the above photos to remember it by.
As regular readers know, I have a huge soft spot in my heart for the people and cultural traditions of the Zapotec village, Teotitlán del Valle. Blogger buddy Chris and I go out there often, especially for their major festivals where the Danza de la Pluma is performed. Earlier this month, a new group of danzantes de promesa assumed the sacred 3-year commitment to perform the Danza de la Pluma and, for the first time in recent memory, they were selected to dance in this year’s official Guelaguetza. As you can see from the Vive Oaxaca video below, their 17-minute performance Monday evening was spectacular!
¡Felicidades! to the band, Los Reformistas, led by Maestro Antonio Servando Bautista González; to the breathtaking dancing of Sergio Gutiérrez Bautista (Moctezuma), who was front and center and flawless during the entire performance; and to all the Danzantes, who impressively executed the complicated and visually stunning choreography of Maestro Javier Gutiérrez Hernandez. While I may only be a (albeit, frequent) visitor to Teotitlán del Valle, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of the dancers and the way they represented their strong, vibrant, and historic community.
Yesterday, two friends and I hailed a taxi and headed out of the city. We disembarked at the Viguera crucero, where we crowded into blogger buddy Chris’s car enroute to the intimate Guelaguetza in Las Peñitas Reyes Etla.
The day was overcast and there were a few light sprinkles, but the welcome we received on this grey day warmed our hearts.
As they have in past years, for three and a half hours, the members of the folkloric dance group, Danza Balachi, danced, changed costumes, danced, changed costumes, and danced some more.
The sun eventually made an appearance and our day ended with very yummy estofado at our favorite restaurant, Comedor Colón in Villa de Etla. It was a great day!
Yesterday, as the Guelaguetza dancers gathered at the Cruz de Piedra and Conzatti Park waiting for the desfile (parade) of delegations to begin, the sky darkened, thunder rumbled, lightening flashed, the wind picked up, and the rain began falling. While they may be making their first appearance (in recent memory) at the Guelaguetza, the Grupo de Danza de Pluma Promesa from Teotitlán del Valle came prepared.
They donned rain ponchos and covered their penachos (headdresses) with clear and specially sized plastic bags.
They were good to go!
Dance master and choreographer extraordinaire, Javier Gutiérrez Hernandez, must have hauled his old costume out of storage to fill in for one of the danzantes. But he looked stoked!
I’m not sure which Subalterno this is. Florentino Martínez Ruiz is that you? Or, is it Juan Bautista Ruiz? Before and during the desfile, both clowned around a little and assisted the danzantes a lot.
There is something about kids and rain… Five year old, Quetzali del Rayo Santiago Ruiz (Malinche) looked happy as a clam.
Perhaps there was a little trepidation among the danzantes at the conditions and concern if the desfile was really going to happen.
However, at almost exactly 6 PM, police sirens sounded, the leading band struck up, and the parade of Guelaguetza delegations began dancing their way through the city’s rain slicked streets.
Not long after it began, the torrential downpour subsided and the plastic began coming off the danzantes penachos.
After 35 minutes of dancing through, what became, a light drizzle, they reached the intersection of Crespo and Morelos, only a half a block from the parade’s end at the Plaza de la Danza. Next on their dance card, Monday evening’s Guelaguetza performance! I’ll be watching on the local CORTV station. However, if you are not in Oaxaca, CORTV will also be streaming the 10 AM and 5 PM Guelaguetza performances live, this week and next.
Orgullo is the Spanish word for pride and you hear it a lot in Oaxaca. But, rather than just the personal, it encompasses the dignity, honor, and respect felt for one’s community’s history and cultural heritage. Remember, there are 16 indigenous groups in the state of Oaxaca – each with its own language, dress, culinary traditions, music and dance, celebrations, and crafts. While the modern Guelaguetza is an invention to attract tourism, it doesn’t detract from the pride expressed by its participants in their unique contributions to what makes Oaxaca. Thus, a few scenes from Friday…
Fresh handmade tortillas accompanied the mole at the Festival de los Moles luncheon. Chefs from all over the state, presented their moles — I lost count at twenty different kinds — which were served by culinary students from the Universidad Tecnológica de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca.
Internationally known Zapotec chef Abigail Mendoza from Teotitlán del Vallebeing interviewed.
Diosa Centéotl (Corn Goddess) competition to reign over the Guelaguetza. Young women representing the regions of Oaxaca showcased and explained the costumes and traditions of their communities, as well as, speak a few lines of their materna lengua (mother tongue).
Eventual winner, Leticia María Reyes Salinas from Santiago Jamiltepec, second from left.
Calenda (procession) on the Alcalá by people from the Gulf of Tehuantepec region. They were heading toward Santo Domingo — and yes there were a few Muxes among the participants.
During Guelaguetza, orgullo wraps you in its presence.
This morning I was greeted by several flowers on my night blooming cereus, with one acting as a rich playground and dining room for a guest in the garden — a very welcome honey bee.
I have no idea how long she had wiggled and wallowed before I saw her. I stood mesmerized for a minute or two before running into my apartment to get a camera.
I continued to be intrigued by her industry and pleasure for another five (plus) minutes before returning inside — letting her continue in privacy, while I turned to my morning cup of coffee and bowl of cereal.
She may have been nourishing her body, but she was also nourishing my soul.
If you’ve been to Oaxaca, you have probably gazed up at the palms along Constitución next to Santo Domingo — an area known as Jardín del Pañuelito. In early 2012, color changing mood lighting was added to illuminate the trees.
However, last Thursday, on my way to the Oaxaca Lending Library, I noticed something was amiss; fronds had been removed from the tops of two of the palm trees.
Saturday, the image was more ominous; one of the denuded palms was missing and crowds were focused on another.
Most everyone had their cell phone cameras out, aimed aloft. And then…
Timberrrr!!! Down it went, amidst oohs and aahs. Then the soundtrack turned to the buzz of chainsaws, as workmen began cutting the trunk into manageable pieces.
Sad… I know about the where and how, but I’m not sure about the who, what, and why.
July is the month of the Guelaguetza. It has its origin in pre-Hispanic corn festivals — a time when maíz seeds were (and continue to be) sown in many of the villages in the valley of Oaxaca and people gathered to exchange seeds and celebrate. The annual festival was resurrected in 1951 by the city’s leaders to encourage tourism — and it has worked. Ancillary activities, in the form of fairs, festivals, and cultural presentations have been added over the years to attract and entertain even more domestic and international tourists.
And so, despite the continuing and contentious issues regarding education/labor forms, the show must go on! Calendas (parades) are already occurring on the city’s streets and banners advertising Guelaguetza events are hanging from street lights on the major calles. Below is the official Guelaguetza 2016 program of events and a selection of some of the addition activities happening this month. (Click each poster for a larger and more readable image.)
If you are in Oaxaca, there is no reason to be bored. ¡Disfruta! Enjoy!
Artisans from the eight regions of Oaxaca have moved their hand-crafted textiles, pottery, wood carvings, jewelry, and more into the previously mentioned booths near the top of the Andador Turístico (Alcalá/walking street) and Paseo Juárez el Llano (Llano Park). Not all the signs are in place, but the artisan vendors are. The exposition and sale will run through the last Guelaguetza performance (August 1), so today’s mission was just to do an initial reconnaissance — to check out new vendors, see what I absolutely cannot live without, and connect with some of my favorite vendors.
First up were the artisans in Llano Park, where I rendezvoused (stall #70) with my old (though he’s young) friend, Samuel Bautista Lazo, from Teotitlán del Valle. As I’ve mentioned before, I met Sam and his family during my first visit to Oaxaca in 2007 and (of course) bought two tapetes to bring back to the San Francisco Bay Area. The rugs returned to Oaxaca with me when I moved here in 2009. Between then and now, Sam has gotten his Ph.D. in Sustainable Manufacturing at the University of Liverpool (yes, England!), returned to Oaxaca, and is currently helping his family market and manage Dixza Rugs & Organic Farm — their weaving and Bed & Breakfast business.
At one of the stalls along the Alcalá, I spotted the unmistakable work of Amalia Martínez Casas from Tamazulápam del Espíritu Santo, a mountain village in the Mixe. Alas, it was her daughter staffing the booth. She assured me that Amalia’s health was okay, but that she’s getting old and had decided not to make the tiring journey down from the mountains into the city. I have several huipiles and a serape of Amalia’s but I must admit, I am very tempted to add another piece to my oft-worn collection.
Lastly, I stopped by to greet Honorina Gómez Martínez and Pablo Martínez Martínez from Santa María Tlahuitoltepec, also in the Mixe, and just a few miles up the mountain from Tamazulapam. It never ceases to amaze me how clothing styles vary dramatically in Oaxaca, not only from region to region, but also from village to village, within the same region. You may remember, Doña Honorina Gómez was a leading spokesperson in the plagiarism dispute with a couple of French designers, which the embroiderers of Tlahuitoltepec eventually won and which prompted Oaxaca’s congress to declare indigenous costume and language as part of the state’s “Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
However, a new charge of plagiarism is being reported— this time, against Argentine designer Rhapsodia — for copying designs from San Antonino Castillo Velasco. When I return to the expoventa in the next couple of days, I will have to ask one of the artisans from San Antonino about it. Besides, I’ve always coveted a dress from San Antonino.
From top to bottom, Guelaguetza preparations are in full swing. There is yet another attempt in the Never-ending tale of a velaria, as workers scramble hundreds of feet in the air to add the missing “wings” to the Guelaguetza Auditorium canopy.
Workmen are prepping buildings in the Historic District for fresh coats of paint.
Near the top of Macedonio Alcalá (aka, Andador Turístico), puestos (booths) have been erected for artisans, invited from throughout the state, to display and (hopefully) sell their wares.
And, everyone is holding their breath and making offerings to the gods overseeing phase two of the García Vigil pedestrian walkway that the work will be completed before the first Guelaguetza desfile (parade of delegations) on July 23.
And, me? I just bought tickets to the Mole Festival degustación at the Jardín Etnobotánico on July 22! Yummm…
The program of delegations for Guelaguetza 2016 is out and, according to all reports, the show will go on! And, at long last, this year the Danzantes de Promesa from Teotitlán del Valle have been invited to perform. It was the talk of the village this past weekend; the pride in their history and traditions and in this new group of dancers was palpable.
As you can see above, they will be performing on Monday evening, July 25. Though I won’t be there in person, I will be rushing home from the Guelaguetza celebration in Reyes Etla to watch the live TV broadcast. Hopefully, as in past years, both the morning and evening performances on both Mondays will be live-streamed. I will post the link, once I know.
To whet your appetite, here is my short video of the Guelaguetza 2014 performance I attended at the Guelaguetza Auditorium on Cerro del Fortín.
If this tempts you to come, please do! Hotels have experienced a 32% cancellation rate, so you should have no trouble reserving a room. And, the restaurants and artisans could really use your support. While there are only a few reserved seats available through Ticketmaster at the performances up on Cerro del Fortín, local communities in the valley host their own Guelaguezas that are small, free, and provide an up-close and personal view. In addition, the delegations dance their way through the streets of Oaxaca on the two Saturdays prior the performances, there are artisan ferias and food festivals in the city and surrounding villages to experience and enjoy.
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View From Casita Colibrí 
