Posted in Creativity, Culture, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged camouflage, culture, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Plaza de la Danza on February 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »
A mono in camo, seriously???
I guess it really is a jungle out there. But, it isn’t easy to stay hidden when your buddy is laughing at you.
Just another day crossing the Plaza de la Danza on my way to the market. As I keep saying, you just never know what you will uncover walking the streets of Oaxaca.
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!
Posted in Celebrations, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged cab drivers, cars, Día de los Taxistas, Día del Taxista, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, taxis, taxista, taxistas, transportation, travel, Virgen de Guadalupe, Virgin of Guadalupe on August 12, 2012| 2 Comments »
Hmmm… hope you didn’t need a taxi in Oaxaca today. It’s not that they weren’t around; they were everywhere! August 12 is Día del Taxista and, instead of picking up fares, taxis are decorated and parade through the city, accompanied by banners, bands, monos, and the Virgen de Guadalupe.
I think I managed to capture one of each of the (color-coded) taxi organizations participating — 13 by my count. However, the procession didn’t seem as long this year and I’m thinking some of the organizations were missing. Charges of corruption, going back to the previous governor have been ramping up and the July 25th blockade that paralyzed transportation into and out of the city, by some taxistas, seemed to put the issue on the front burner. But, who knows??? Certainly not this gringa!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Food, Serendipity, Travel & Tourism, tagged calenda, CANIRAC, chichilo mole, cloth balloon, Festival de los 7 Moles, food, marmotas, Mexico, mole, mole amarillo, mole coloradito, mole manchamanteles, mole negro, mole rojo, mole verde, monos, Oaxaca, parade, photographs, photos, restaurants, travel on July 21, 2012| 1 Comment »
And, then there was the Festival de los 7 Moles opening buffet lunch set amidst the beauty and tranquility of the Jardín Etnobotánico. Serendipity and synchronicity brought us there… running into a friend, conversation, investigation (see pots below), and her enthusiasm and powers of persuasion (gracias, Rosa!) had us purchasing tickets on the spot.
While kitchen staff prepared the serving platters and bowls…
Dancers gathered on the Alameda for a calenda that would lead people the luncheon.
They included a number of small children…
The calenda, including the requisite marmota (giant cloth balloon), monos (giant puppets), band, dancers with canastas (see yesterday’s post), and the sponsoring banner of CANIRAC (national association of the restaurant and food industries), made its way up the Alcalá…
before turning onto Constitución and entering the Jardín, where wait staff and divine moles awaited.
Yummm, mole negro…
There was also mole chichilo, mole manchamanteles, and mole rojo. I tried them all!!! And, I haven’t even mentioned the cervesa, mezcal, aguas, and appetizers of quesillo, chicharon, and tacos filled with guacamole and chapulines (grasshoppers). You’ll have to switch over to Chris’s blog to see those and much more. Oh, and for dessert, a scoop of each of my favorite nieves (sherbet); leche quemada (burned milk) and tuna (cactus fruit).
A day filled with light, color, music, fabulous food, and, most of all, wonderful friends — the recipe for a perfect day!
(ps) There are almost 50 restaurants around town that will be featuring mole as part of this 12-day festival.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 