Pick a color, any color, and you will find it in Oaxaca, be it people…
Places or things…
Today, I choose orange. Tomorrow, who knows???
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Places, Travel & Tourism, tagged brass band, buildings, Carnaval, Centro de las Artes de San Agustín, Día del Barrendero, Mexico, monos, murals, Oaxaca, orange, plants, popular travel destinations, San Juan Guelavia, San Martín Tilcajete, signs, street art, trucks, Viernes del Llano, wall art on March 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Pick a color, any color, and you will find it in Oaxaca, be it people…
Places or things…
Today, I choose orange. Tomorrow, who knows???
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged Basilica de la Soledad, celebrations, Día del Barrendero, garbage collectors, garbage trucks, marmotas, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Sindicato Independiente 3 de Marzo, street sweepers, toritos, Virgen de La Soledad on March 5, 2015| 6 Comments »
Tuesday morning, from the plaza in front of the Basilica de la Soledad, the sound of speeches, music, and explosions announced Día del Barrendero — a day celebrating the founding of the Sindicato Independiente 3 de Marzo. These are the street sweepers, garbage collectors, and laborers of Oaxaca.
Earlier in the morning, a procession brought union members, their families, and friends from Cinco Señores to the Basílica, where a special mass was celebrated to honor the patron saint of Oaxaca, la Virgen de la Soledad. Raul, a lifelong street sweeper whose work day begins at 3 AM, is quoted as explaining, “We have to thank our mother, the Virgin of Soledad, for the blessings every day gives us.”
March 3rd — brought to you by the gals and guys who keep the city clean.
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged Basilica de la Soledad, celebrations, dancers, Día del Barrendero, garbage collectors, garbage trucks, marmotas, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Sindicato Independiente 3 de Marzo, street sweepers, toritos on March 4, 2013| 9 Comments »
Yesterday was another of the “ya just never know…” days. Returning to the city from Xoxocotlán after looking at the house my (soon-to-be-former) neighbor is building, the taxi driver pointed down Independencia and said something that we interpreted as, “day of the garbage collector.” So, instead of going home, my camera and I walked in the direction he pointed and, sure enough, a side street was lined with decorated garbage trucks.
However, this day wasn’t for just any old garbage collectors; being March 3rd, it celebrated the founding of the Sindicato Independiente 3 de Marzo of the municipality of Oaxaca. Depending on which newspaper report one reads, it is either the 34th, 38th, or 39th anniversary.
These are the city workers who keep the state’s capital clean — the garbage collectors, street sweepers, drivers, and laborers. And, the city of Oaxaca IS clean, putting San Francisco to shame! After a Thanksgiving mass, most of the 1,200 “trabajadores de limpia” and their families filled the plaza in front of the Basilica de la Soledad. And, like all good Oaxacan celebrations, there were monos, dancers, marmotas, bands, toritos, and the whistles, whirrs, and booms of fireworks (of the all bang, no bling variety).
So, now you know where to be and what to do next March 3rd!