To all the fathers and father figures, I wish you ¡Feliz Día del Padre!
May you find joy in your role and continue to share your wisdom, traditions, and love.
Posts Tagged ‘Mexico’
Happy Father’s Day 2023
Posted in Celebrations, Children, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Día del Padre, Father's Day, fathers and children, Mexico, Oaxaca, parades, photos, popular travel destinations on June 18, 2023| 5 Comments »
Fine dining, Oaxaca style
Posted in Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged dining well, food porn, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, traditional cuisine on June 14, 2023| 16 Comments »
I realized I haven’t tempted your taste buds with any food porn this year. From fine restaurants to street food, I’ve been eating out a lot and the following are just a small sampling. Actually, they are from the few times I remembered to take out my phone or camera and snap a photo before “digging in.”
While there are no photos from March, I can assure you, I did not starve!
Hail, yes!
Posted in Flora, Gardens, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged freak hailstorm, hail, Mexico, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, rain, Restaurante y Galería Tierra Antigua, Teotitlán del Valle, video, wind on June 6, 2023| 3 Comments »
This spring has brought some wild weather to Oaxaca. It began with the previously blogged about freak hailstorm in April and this past week, besides the usual late afternoon rain, the city experienced two more hailstorms — definitely not normal. They are very localized, with nearby towns remaining dry or receiving only a few showers.
Late yesterday afternoon, while the city continued to bask in sunshine, Teotitlán del Valle only 23 miles away was hit with its first violent hailstorm in many years. One minute all was calm as friends and I sat outside at Restaurante y Galería Tierra Antigua sipping mezcal. However, within minutes, the sky darkened, wind began to blow, and the heavens opened.
Almost without warning, hailstones, some the size of two peso coins, began pelting us. Needless to say, we grabbed our belongings and copitas of mezcal, as quickly as we could, and ran inside the restaurant. Once all the customers were safely inside, staff scrambled to close doors and windows. Then all watched as the force of Cocijo, the Zapotec god of rain and lightening, among other powerful forces, took center stage. It was an awesome 15+ minute performance! And, thankfully, save for some shredded foliage, there didn’t appear to be any damage.
Cereusly azul
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged blue wall, Flower of the Day Challenge (FOTD), flowers, Mexico, Night Blooming Cereus, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden on May 29, 2023| 3 Comments »
Early Sunday morning on the rooftop terrace…
Night blooming cereus against the blue wall. By 9:00 AM, its twelve hours of beauty was gone.
Peaceable kingdom calls for help
Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, Environment, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged carved animals, Heriberto Castro López, Indian Laurel tree, Llano Park, Mexico, Nahuatl language, Oaxaca, Parque Juarez El Llano, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, tree sculptures, tree trunk art, urban art, wood carving on May 23, 2023| 9 Comments »
The violent storms Oaxaca experienced in mid April brought down 30+ trees in the city, including one of her beloved old Indian laurels in Llano Park. And, when a tree falls in Oaxaca…
Talented artist, Heriberto Castro López, grabbed his chainsaw and chisel and, with the blessings of the powers that be, turned the fallen tree into a public work of art, a language lesson, and a plea for help.
A monkey, a jaguar, an eagle, a rabbit, an iguana, and there’s a snake in there somewhere — all animals iconic to Oaxaca — emerged.
The animals seem appropriate, as Parque el Llano (aka, Paseo Juárez, El Llano de Guadalupe, and Alameda de Nezahualcoyotl) housed a zoo from 1945 to 1971 (dates not verified) — hence the gold painted lions at the four main entrances to the park.
However, this time the animals aren’t confined to cages — they are free and calling on us to save this planet we all call home before it’s too late.
Many thanks to Heriberto Castro López for his “Llamado de Auxilio” gift to Oaxaca.
What’s the story, morning glory?
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged Bye Bye Birdie, Cee's Flower of the Day (FOTD) challenge, flowers, Mexico, Morning glory flowers, Oaxaca, photos, rooftop garden, The Telephone Hour (song) on May 16, 2023| 8 Comments »
What can I say? The last few mornings, as I checked on my rooftop garden, I started singing, The Telephone Hour song from 1960s musical, Bye Bye Birdie.
What’s the story, morning glory?
What’s the word, hummingbird?
Yes, I’m that old!
Honoring the mothers
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Día de la Madre, Mexico, Mother's Day, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on May 9, 2023| 7 Comments »
May 10 is Día de la Madre in Mexico and to honor the mothers, grandmothers, mother figures, and the daughters, whose future is in their hands, some recent murals seen in the city and countryside.
The celebration of Mother’s Day migrated south from the USA in the early 20th century and was embraced and promoted by the Catholic Church AND the anticlerical Revolutionaries. Their reasons being:
around the 1850s the Liberals… were nervous about women’s growing participation in the public sphere. Establishing motherhood as venerable and the home as sanctified… would give women a sphere of their own where they could be boss. Also, it would keep them off the streets and out of the workplace where they had begun to compete with men for jobs. Under their watch, everyday motherhood became an exalted madre-hood…. The twentieth-century Revolutionaries who succeeded them took the idea and ran with it, adding in 1922 a ritual, Mother’s Day. [Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liza Bakewell, p. 84]
As for keeping them out of the workforce, according to a report citing the 2010 census, 33.3% of women work and this doesn’t even include those working in family operated enterprises. However distasteful the reasons behind the establishment of Mother’s Day in Mexico, it does nothing to diminish the need to honor these beautiful, hardworking, formidable, and loving women.
And to the girls and young women, may you be empowered by the strength and love of the maternal figures in your life to reach for the stars, live without fear, and be whatever you choose to be.
Honoring and including the children
Posted in Celebrations, Children, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged celebrations, Children's Day, Día del Nino, festivals, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations on April 30, 2023| 2 Comments »
The United Nations declared November 20 as World Children’s Day. However, that is Día de la Revolución in Mexico, thus in 1924, President Álvaro Obregó and Minister of Public Education José Vasconcelos designated April 30 as Día del Niño — the day Mexico celebrates and honors her children. Schools organize parties with games and treats, communities organize special activities, and parents may give their hijas and hijos gifts. However, one of the features of life in Oaxaca that I most appreciate is the way children are included all year round in celebrations.
“… the objective of this [Día del Niño] celebration is to dedicate a moment to understanding the child population, promoting their social inclusion and carrying out activities to promote their well-being and the rights to which they have access as human beings.” (Google translation from this article)
Spring flowers
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, tagged bougainvillea, Cee's Flower of the Day (FOTD) challenge, Epiphyllum Argus, Epiphyllum hookeri, Flor de mayo, flowers, frangipani, Mexico, Oaxaca, Pachypodium lamerei, photos, popular travel destinations, rooftop garden, spring flowers on April 26, 2023| 2 Comments »
And now the April “showers” have brought spring flowers to Casita Colibrí.
April “showers”
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, Weather, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, flooding, freak hailstorm, hail, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, rain, thunderstorms, video on April 21, 2023| 8 Comments »
With thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and a massive hail storm, April “showers” heralded the end of the dry season — in a most spectacular way!
The evening of April 14 the city of Oaxaca and surrounding villages were hit with a freak hailstorm. Needless to say, I closed my doors and windows, unplugged critical electronics, and hunkered down inside until the storm had passed — which seemed like at least two hours. When I eventually ventured out, I found the apartment complex patio five inches deep in water, hail piled outside my rooftop laundry room door, and a garden of plants with shredded leaves.
Then two nights ago another massive thunderstorm hovered over us for hours, turning streets into rivers and sending trees toppling all over the city.
Will these April showers bring May flowers?
Ch-ch-ch-Chia
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged altars, Chia Pet advertisement, Chia Pets, Good Friday, Holy Week, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, religious traditions, Salvia hispanica, Semana Santa, Viernes Santo on April 13, 2023| 4 Comments »
As Semana Santa approached, Oaxaca’s annual invasion of the Chia Pets began. On altars in churches, homes, and businesses, terracotta animals sprouting Chia appeared.
Before you lament commercialized products from the USA intruding on the sanctity of Holy Week, I can happily report Salvia Hispanica (aka, chia) filled clay animals were symbols of the season long before Joe Pedott ever set foot in Oaxaca in the late 1970s and “discovered” them.
According to an article in MexConnect, “Growing greens remind the viewer of the resurrection and renewal of life.”
Native to Mexico, Salvia hispanica was the third most important food (after corn and beans) of the Aztecs as chia seeds are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. By the way, the name of the Mexican state of Chiapas comes from Chiapan, an ancient city whose name in Náhuatl means, “the place where the chia sage grows.”
(ps) Sorry about the Chia Pet advertisement ear worm!
Jalatlaco prepares…
Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alfombristas Mexicanos, cross, Easter decorations, Lent, Mexico, Oaxaca, olive trees, papel picado, photos, popular travel destinations, purple, sotol flower art, street art, tapetes de arena, Templo San Matías Jalatlaco, urban art on April 6, 2023| 11 Comments »
Purple papel picado (actually, plastic) began appearing above streets a month ago. And, in the past few days, the atrium of Templo San Matías Jalatlaco has been decorated with olive trees, sheaves of wheat, and crosses embellished with flowers woven from the base of Sotol leaves.
Yesterday, Calle de Miguel Hidalgo in front of the church was closed to traffic and the Alfombristas Mexicanos colective from Huamantla, Tlaxcala began creating a beautiful tapete (rug) made of colored stones along the length the block.
Purple decorations can also be seen festooning the fronts of homes and businesses in the neighborhood.
You might ask, why all the purple? According to the Ecclesiastical Sewing website, purple symbolizes “the royalty of Christ, His passion and death for our sins, and the coming of spring.” For more of an explanation, click on the link to their website.
Palms for Palm Sunday
Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Domingo de Ramos, Lent, Mexico, Mixteca palm weavers, Oaxaca, palm fronds, Palm Sunday, photos, popular travel destinations, woven palm fronds on April 1, 2023| 3 Comments »
Despite the construction on the Alameda across from the Cathedral, the palm weavers from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca are back to sell intricately woven palm fronds to be blessed and carried on Palm Sunday.
And, like most artisan traditions, it’s a family affair.
From an artisan’s hands
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged artesanias, artisans, broken and repaired, ceramic sculptures, Día de las Artesanas y los Artesanos, Fran Aguilar, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Tehuanas on March 25, 2023| 17 Comments »
Many years ago, I attended a benefit sale at Galería La Mano Mágica to raise money to enable famed ceramicist Josefina Aguilar to have cataract surgery. My eyes were immediately drawn to a sculpture by her granddaughter, Fran Garcia Vásquez. I bought it and the Tehuana sculpture remains one of my most treasured pieces — though she has had her ups and downs.
The 8.2 earthquake in September 2017 resulted in a broken arm. It was a clean break and I was able to make the repair.
Alas, in June 2020 (due to my carelessness), she suffered more serious injuries — the extent of which were well beyond my abilities to mend. She and all her pieces were carefully cushioned in a box and there she lay through the worst of the pandemic and my move to Barrio de Jalatlaco.
It was only a month or so ago that it dawned on me to contact her creator, Fran Garcia Vásquez to ask if she could repair my sculpture — after all, she had the clay, paint, and expertise! She readily agreed and on March 13, I took my treasured Tehuana to the workshop she shares with family members in Ocotlán de Morelos (Av. Morelos #428). Five days later, the repair had been completed and she brought the sculpture to my home.
When Fran unwrapped and placed the Tehuana in my hands, I must admit I became a little teary eyed. The sculpture is as good as new and looks proud and serene in her new home.
March 19 was Día de las Artesanas y los Artesanos in Mexico and the entire month of March is designated “Month of the Artisan.” I want to thank all of them deeply for carrying on, often renewing, and always enriching traditions with their own creative spirit.
Water, water everywhere…
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, Cuaresma, Day of the Good Samaritan, Día de la Samaritana, Lent, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations on March 19, 2023| 8 Comments »
The day before yesterday, there was water, water everywhere and lots of drops to drink! It was the fourth Friday of Lent, Día de la Samaritana, an “only in Oaxaca” celebration.
The Day of the Good Samaritan was inspired by the Gospel of John story in the New Testament when a tired and thirsty Jesus, on his way to Galilee, asks a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in Sychar for some water. The request was highly unusual because, according to the Old Testament, “Jews regarded the Samaritans as foreigners and their attitude was often hostile.” The woman complied with his request and the rest is history.
Celebrating the Good Samaritan in Oaxaca began in the atria of churches at the end of the 19th century and is a popular and much-loved tradition. People of all ages, from small children to grandparents, line up at bougainvillea and palm decorated booths in front of churches, restaurants, businesses, and schools for the traditional Día de la Samaritana free flavored waters.
By noon, masses of people had gathered in the atrium of the local church, Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco, where two long rows of tables, under the shade of the tented atrium, were lined with massive bowls filled with colorful aguas on offer. However, I preferred to avoid the crowds and wander through the streets of my Jalatlaco neighborhood.
By the way, we are not talking plain water, these are divinely flavored aguas frescas made with fresh fruits, herbs, flowers, and more — jamaica (hibiscus), horchata, chilacayote (squash), tamarindo, sandia (watermelon), and tejate.
In the name of the environment, an appeal was made for people to bring their own cups. And, I think a majority complied!
After almost two hours, three aguas, and being surrounded by smiling people enjoying this celebration of generosity, I returned home with my heart full of gratitude for this Oaxacan tradition. I love this day and the message it imparts and the way it brings neighbors together.
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