The stencil, seen on Sunday’s walk along Av. José María Morelos, may be of women from San Miguel del Valle, but the words speak to women everywhere.
We are the struggles won by our ancestors.
Posts Tagged ‘aprons’
To women everywhere
Posted in Creativity, Culture, tagged aprons, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, Santa Ana del Valle, stencil art, street art, strong women, urban art, wall art, women, Zapotec women on November 10, 2020| 2 Comments »
Looking back at 2018
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Año Nuevo, aprons, Cathedral, ceramic pottery, cooking school, El Sabor Zapoteco, ENBIA, Feria del Barro Rojo, full moon, Fundación En Via, girls, jewelry, José Jorge García García, Las Sanjuaneras, mandiles, Mexico, mezcal, microfinance tours, murals, New Year's Eve, Oaxaca, Palenque, photos, pistachio tree, protests, Rancho 314, Reyna Mendoza Ruiz, San Baltazar Chichicapam, San Juan Colorado, San Marcos Tlapazola, San Miguel del Valle, Señor del Rayo, textiles, Tlacolula de Matamoros, Tlacolulokos, urban farms, Waje, weavers, zócalo on December 30, 2018| 10 Comments »
Looking back and appreciating life in Oaxaca, 2018.
January – View through the terrace pistachio tree of full Wolf Moon.
February – Guest helping to harvest Waje dinner at Rancho 314 urban farm in Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán.
March – Reyna Mendoza Ruiz demonstrating metate technique at El Sabor Zapoteco cooking class in Teotitlán del Valle.
April – Pit for cooking agave piñas to make mezcal at the palenque of Faustino Garcia in San Baltazar Chichicapa(m).
May – Tlacolulokos mural in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
June – Summer afternoon on the Zócalo in Oaxaca city.
July – Feria del Barro Rojo in San Marcos Tlapazola.
August – Fundación En Via microfinance tour to San Miguel del Valle.
September – Protest by students from the Escuela Normal Bilingüe e Intercultural de Oaxaca.
October – Celebrating el Señor del Rayo at the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
November – At the home/workshop of filigree maestro, José Jorge García García.
December – Pop-up sale in Oaxaca city by the Las Sanjuaneras weavers from San Juan Colorado.
Feliz año nuevo y muchisimas gracias to all my wonderful blog readers from near and far! Thank you for reading, for commenting, for sharing, for the opportunity to meet some of you, and for inspiring me to continue. Onward to 2019!!!
Ye shall know them by their aprons
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Economics, Textiles, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, embroidery, expo-venta, Fundación En Via, mandiles, Mexico, microfinancing, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, San Miguel del Valle, textile arts, textile traditions on July 20, 2018| 10 Comments »
As I’ve mentioned before, the ubiquitous aprons (mandiles) worn by the Zapotec women of the valley of Oaxaca have been elevated to an art form. Each village has developed their own unique style and none is more distinctive than those worn by the women of San Miguel del Valle.
Their full-skirted pinafore style aprons, made from poly-cotton plaid fabric, are elaborately machine-embroidered with colorful flowers and birds. Worn daily, they are the “uniform” of the women of the village beginning when they are little girls. And, most women have a wardrobe full — one to match each dress.
Thanks to microfinancing assistance from Fundación En Via, many of the women have developed profitable businesses selling these aprons and also have branched out to making tote bags and purses. The Fundación recently held a 3-day expo-venta in Oaxaca city and guess what I came home with?
I’m hoping to go on one of the Fundación microfinancing tours next month — to meet and learn from the women who benefit and to further contribute to this worthwhile endeavor. Empowering women empowers communities!
Fashion form following function
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, cooking, embroidery, mandiles, Mexico, Oaxaca, People, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle, textiles, Tlacolula de Matamoros, women, Zapotec fashion on May 15, 2018| 18 Comments »
The lowly utilitarian apron has been elevated to an art form by the Zapotec women of the Tlacolula valley in Oaxaca. Worn every day, mandiles (aprons) are an essential and practical part of their traditional dress. Most women own several and take great pains to color coordinate them with the day’s attire.
Fiesta honoring the Virgen de Guadalupe at the home of Fidel Cruz and Maria Luisa Mendoza, Teotitlán del Valle.
Plainer aprons are worn around the home. However, they don one of their “Sunday best” aprons for special occasions. These are heavily embroidered and often have necklines and hems that are scalloped and, as a fashion statement, are frequently worn to the weekly market.
Vendor at the Sunday market in Tlacolula del Valle.
Mandiles are made of store-bought poly-cotton fabric, usually in a small plaid design. While “100% cotton” sounds more desirable to many of us, the blend is undeniably more practical. After all, who wants to iron when there is work to do and the temperatures are summery all year ’round?
Andrea weaving in Teotitlán del Valle.
Even though the embroidery is done by sewing machine, the more elaborate designs can take from three to four days days to make. Aprons range in price from approximately 150 to 700 pesos.
Leonor Lazo feeding a baby goat in Teotitlán del Valle.
Given that, in addition to being practical, these are also a fashion accessory, it should come as no surprise that styles can vary from village to village.
Young women from San Miguel del Valle attending a festival in Teotitlán del Valle.
I grew up with aprons. My grandmother lived next door and could always be found wearing a “house-dress” and a pinafore style apron with front patch pockets. Some were plain, but many she decorated with embroidery. Thus the mandiles of Oaxaca spoke to me and I listened.
Reyna Mendoza speaking to her El Sabor Zapoteco cooking class.
My first “Oaxaca” apron was a maroon plaid cobbler style with only a moderate amount of embroidery. After a year or two, it became so much a part of my home attire that I bought another in brown plaid. These are my workhorses and I wear them every day while cooking, cleaning, and even gardening. And, I proudly bring my own apron to cooking classes and make sure to pack one when I’ve been invited to a fiesta in Teotitlán del Valle — putting it on to help clear tables. I always get smiles from the women (and some of the men, too).
Me, mi mandil, a metate, and maiz at El Sabor Zapoteco cooking class in Teotitlán del Valle.
However, after countless Sunday market day trips to Tlacolula de Matamoros, not to mention, spending a lot time over the past several years in Teotitlán del Valle, I couldn’t help but be inspired by the fashion statements women, both young and old, were making, so I bought a slightly more elaborately embroidered pinafore style and then another and another.
Three of my mandiles; the red is the newest.
I even dared to wear one recently in New York at my granddaughter’s first birthday party. With children ranging in age from six weeks to six years, I thought it was a very practical fashion statement on my part. And, guess who got one for her birthday?
Birthday present to my granddaughter — a toddler-size mandil.
A good place to check out who is wearing what style of mandil is at Tlacolula’s Sunday market. And, should you want to buy one for yourself and/or give one as a gift, there are at least eight apron stalls at the back of the market on Sundays.
Apron stall at the back of the Tlacolula de Matamoros market.
More from the traditional cooks
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, artisan markets, artisans, Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca, cooking, Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca 2018, food festival, Mexico, mocajete, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, produce, textiles on May 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »
I couldn’t resist posting more from the Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca 2018 to tempt you to put next year’s gathering of traditional Oaxacan cooks on your calendar.
Higadito by Cristina Cruz, Villa Díaz Ordaz
Cocineras from San Andrés Chicahuaxtla
Aguardiente from Ixtlahuaca
Amazing traditional cooks from the state of Oaxaca served up taste tempting fare in the Plaza de la Danza for four full, and I mean FULL days, April 25-28.
Nicuatole prepared by Teresa Rosa Antonio Hernandez in the city of Oaxaca
Garnachas Istmeñas
Marzipan sweets from Ejutla de Crespo
Pozole Triqui from San Andrés Chicahuaxtla
And, should one be inspired to immediately head to one’s own kitchen, the Mercado Oaxaca set up in the courtyard of the Facultad de Bellas Artes (across from the Plaza de la Danza) offered mouth-watering fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs, dried chiles, honeys, vinegars, and so much more. I came away with a luscious cantaloupe.
In addition, to assist one in the preparation and serving of one’s own delicious meals, Arte de la Mesa presented vendors, next door in the courtyard of the Palacio Municipal, selling “made in Oaxaca” glassware, utensils, pottery, placemats, tablecloths, and dish towels, aprons, metates and molcajetes, among other kitchenware.
Do you see the piggy-face molcajete? I bought it and have spent hours and hours, not to mention muscle power, seasoning it. If you don’t believe me, use your favorite search engine to check out the various methods — there are no shortcuts!
Shopping life and color
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged aprons, art, barbacoa, mandiles, markets, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, tianguis, Tlacolula de Matamoros, traje, vendors, women on February 5, 2018| 2 Comments »
After three weeks in el norte, all my bags are packed and I’m ready to return to Oaxaca. While malls and supermarkets abound here in the San Francisco Bay Area, shopping doesn’t hold a candle to experiencing the Sunday market in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Sidewalk murals greet shoppers on their way to the mercado.
Wearing traditional skirts, blouses, rebozos, and aprons, vendors compete for customers.
Stopping inside the mercado for barbacoa de chivo is a delicious way to take a break.
The apron selection, like everything else, is mind boggling!
Lastly, another sidewalk mural to send shoppers on their way home.
There is nothing like the life and color of shopping in Oaxaca. ¡Hasta pronto!
Behind the scenes with abuelas
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged abuelas, aprons, Carnaval, Carnival, fiestas, Mexico, mole amarillo, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle on April 8, 2016| 7 Comments »
The poster announces, Lanii xh’tee búul (La fiesta de los abuelos) — the annual Festival of the Grandparents in Teotitlán del Valle that occurs five days immediately following Easter. Pre-Hispanic in origin, masked “ancients,” in ritualistic, lively, and hilarious fashion, impart their “wisdom” to the village leaders at a grand “Danza de los Abuelos” on the municipal plaza. (If only I could “get” the jokes!)
However, prior to each evening’s merriment, a home in one of the five sections of the village hosts a feast with enough food and drink to feed an army. And, like the world over…
…we know who are the behind-the-scenes heroes of fiestas like this.
It is the abuelas with their hands, hearts, and mouthwatering recipes (like the mole amarillo, above) handed down from their grandmothers.
Even while bouncing nietos (grandchildren) on their knees, with good humor, grace, and their elaborately embroidered aprons, they make certain everyone is fed.
And, they keep a strict accounting of all that is spent!
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