Posted in Culture, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged bougainvillea, Casa Colonial, flowers, Mexico, mural, music, musicians, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on March 1, 2017| 3 Comments »
Sunday afternoon at Casa Colonial in Oaxaca: Sun filtering through the trees of a lush tropical garden, the smell of hamburgers and hotdogs grilling on a barbecue, a friendly bartender, and a great jazz combo. What more could anyone want?
Thank you to the Casa’s owner Jane Robison and manager Amado Bolaños. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday.
Posted in Animals, Casita Colibrí, Gardens, tagged birds, fountain, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on February 27, 2017| 1 Comment »
Yesterday, as my BFF and I sat outside drinking our morning coffee…
…we were joined on the terrace. Nothing like that first sip of the day!
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Flora, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged flowers, frangipani, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plumeria on February 23, 2017| 2 Comments »
A plumeria (aka, frangipani) blossoms on the terrace…
During this, the middle of a very dry, dry season, a perfumed promise of primavera.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Gabinete Grafico, graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, wall art, woodcuts, xilografia on February 18, 2017| 5 Comments »
Yes, we know… ephemeral it may be; effective it is.
As do the artists of Gabinete Grafico, who bring their woodcut art to the streets.
And yesterday, Gabinete Grafico’s artists inaugurated a brick and mortar gallery at Calle de M. Bravo 216 in Oaxaca city.
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged Abigail Mendoza, Maria Luisa Mendoza, mayordomía, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, stewardship, Teotitlán del Valle, Virgen de Guadalupe on February 13, 2017| 5 Comments »
From the outdoor kitchens of Fidel Cruz and María Luisa Mendoza of Casa Cruz and Bulmaro Perez Mendoza, a three-day feast came forth to celebrate the mayordomía (stewardship) of La Virgen de Guadalupe in Teotitlán del Valle.
The roles are set in the stones of the metates…
But, it’s the hands of generations of women…
who continue to shape traditions and nourish bodies and souls.
With apron strings tied, the women of Teotitlán del Valle, from celebrated cocinera Abigail Mendoza…
to her sister, María Luisa Mendoza…
to the abuelas…
and their hijas, nueras, nietas, and sobrinas.
It takes a village of women to make feast.
Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged A.M.A.R.I.L.L.O. poem, arboles, art, birds, Edward Kofi Louis, Emiliano Zapata, Espacio Zapata, Greater Kiskadee, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Primavera amarilla, trees, wall art, yellow on February 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Yellow is the color of winter in Oaxaca, be it flora, fauna, or nature-inspired human intervention…
Primavera amarilla (Tabebuia chrysantha) on Calle Porfirio Díaz.
Corner of Calle Porfirio Díaz and Calle de M. Bravo.
Great Kiskadee sitting in the tree next door surveying the scene.
Emiliano Zapata looks out from above the entrance to Espacio Zapata and Atila del Sur restaurant.
A. M. A. R. I. L. L. O.
by Edward Kofi Louis
Aim high in life and, always seek for peace!
Making it possible to share with others;
As the sun always rises from the east! !
Resting down west to respect the muse of nature.
In the light of Life,
Lights in the sight of the truth! !
Living with positive morals,
Onward with the joy of life.
Posted in Buildings, Travel & Tourism, tagged doors, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, puertas, wood rot on February 7, 2017| 2 Comments »
After being “under the weather” and cooped up in my apartment with doors and windows shut for the past four days — both due to clouds of demolition dust coming from next door — I gathered what little energy I could, and ventured out to pay my Telmex (phone company) bill. My brain must not have been functioning on all cylinders, as I took the steep way back home.
What was I thinking??? After only a few blocks, I had to stop in front of this door to catch my breath. It looks like I feel!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Travel & Tourism, tagged Donald Trump, Enrique Peña Nieto, graffiti, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, political art, popular travel destinations, street art, wall art on February 2, 2017| 2 Comments »
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged baskets, canastas, Fairs, Feria del Carrizo, festivals, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Guelavia on January 31, 2017| 4 Comments »
If it’s the end of January into the beginning of February, it must be time for the Feria del Carrizo in San Juan Guelavía. About twenty minutes east of the city, this village was known for their beautiful and functional baskets hand-woven from carrizo (Arundo donax, Spanish cane, Giant cane, Wild Cane, and Colorado River weed), a tall perennial cane that grows along river banks. 
These baskets have traditionally been used as carriers and storage bins since before the Spanish set foot on the soil that became Mexico. However, their popularity and demand took a nosedive, along with the economy of San Juan Guelavía, upon the arrival of plastic baskets. The answer, in 2012, was to promote these artisans, their wares, and their creativity with a fair. Several days preceding Sunday’s inauguration of the 6th annual fair and sale, there were misas (masses), parades, and fireworks.
As with all festivals and fairs in Oaxaca, there are folkloric dance performances.
And, artfully positioned decorations adorning walls and gates and hanging from the ceiling.
There is barbacoa and tortillas hot off the comal.
And, impossibly adorable children carrying on traditions.
The fair was in full swing when we arrived in late morning (note to self, get there earlier next year) with carrizo woven baskets, birdcages, bottles, and baby cradles piled high.
So many choices… Is it too early to begin Christmas shopping?
I kept my eye out for Teresa, who made beautiful lampshades for me two years ago. However, it wasn’t easy as there were so many people coming and going and crowded around all of the vendor tables.
It took a while but, on the second pass around, I finally found her and her delightful family. There was much handshaking, cheek kissing, and catching up.
And, more than a little laughter about her fowl friend, who was keeping watch under the table.
Another wonderful, warm, and welcoming day in one of the villages in the valley of Oaxaca. The fair continues this week with a 4-day jaripeo (rodeo) and closes on February 5, so you still have time! Never fear, if you miss it, these carrizo treasures can often be found at the weekly Sunday market in Tlacolula de Matamoros.
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Chinese New Year, Dragon and Lion dance, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Taiko drum, Year of the Fire Rooster on January 28, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Even in Oaxaca, Chinese New Year is being celebrated.
A Taekwondo school brought the Year of the Fire Rooster to the zócalo late this afternoon, replete with a Taiko Drum and Dragon and Lion dance.
According to Huffington Post Canada, people born under this sign “are considered trustworthy and responsible, with a strong sense of timekeeping.” However, “they can be ‘overly blunt'” and, beware, they are not very compatible with people born in the Year of the Rat. ¡Feliz Año del Gallo!
Posted in Culture, Music, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged #WMGlobal, #WomensMarchOaxaca, El Demagogo video, Lila Downs, lyrics El Demagogo, lyrics The Demagogue, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Women's March Oaxaca, Women's March on Washington sister marches on January 27, 2017| 16 Comments »
It has been six days since the voices of women, and those who love and respect them, rose as one throughout the world. Email, Facebook postings, Instagram photos, YouTube videos, memes, and tweets have been circulating the globe, resistance is rising, and unity is being forged.
Here in Oaxaca, we have been overwhelmed by the messages of support for our Women’s March Oaxaca, tee shirt sales (175-200), inquiries of “what next?” and we have been blown away by the final police and media count, that puts the total between 2000 and 3000. Amazing!!! We have added press reports about our march to the website, along with photos and video of it.
And, it has been seven days since the toxic, twittering human smokestack of polluted right-wing demagoguery was sworn in as the 45th president of the USA. This single week has been marked by a flurry of executive actions — and lots of bombast and argument with the press and, among other things, the launching of a war against truth, facts, science and transparency, women’s rights, the environment, healthcare, Muslims, not to mention disrespecting Mexico and opening up the possibility of a trade war with the USA’s third-largest goods trading partner.
Mexicans are incensed and hoping their president Peña Nieto’s newly-found backbone continues to hold. And, a grassroots effort among Mexicanos has been launched calling for boycotts of U.S. companies in fury at Donald Trump. I think now is a good time for El Demagogo (The Demagogue) by Lila Downs (lyrics in English below).
by Lila Downs
At the edge of the world
Where the factories are
There’s a burning of hatred
That’s crossing the lines
There’s a blue eyed devil man
Thinks he’s king of the world
He’s a bully, a salesman
Selling fear and hate
Who do you think you are?
He plays us with his hate
Turns man against man
But it’s really not a game
And I pray to the ancestors’ love
Do not be fooled by this man’s foolish talk
The serpent woke again
In different times and places
There’s a burning cross
Leading the mob
People in chains
He’s a Quak circus act creeping from the past
He’s the symbol of the monster we no longer want to be
(what we used to be…)
The earth trembles with these names
Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, Pinochet
No respect for woman, no respect for race
No respect for anything that lives, the human race
But he cannot buy our soul
(CORO:)
NO A ESE MURO
Voy cortando el odio
Voy sembrando amor
NO A ESE MURO
De la explotación
Pero es mi casa
NO A ESE MURO
La luz de la mañana
El lugar de mis ancestros
Las flores del desierto
NO A ESE MURO
Gonna show that my love
Is much stronger than hate
I’m gonna call to the four winds
I’m gonna change my fate
I’m gonna rise up singing
I’m gonna stand for this place
It’s a long time, Mi Gente
There’s no turning back
There’s no turning back
There’s no turning back
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged baskets, canastas, dishes, food, mayordomía, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Teotitlán del Valle, Virgen de Guadalupe on January 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Blogger buddy Chris and I were filled with wonder and gratitude to be invited to the home of Fidel Cruz and María Luisa Mendoza, primero (first) mayordomías (sponsors/stewards), for a 3-day fiesta honoring the Virgen de Guadalupe. There were orchestrated rituals of seating, music, and dance; a bounty of some of the best cocina Zapoteca food one could ever hope to eat; hundreds of people from small children to great grandparents; and the most amazing warm, welcoming, and communal spirit.
El atole de espuma
Higadito waiting to be served
Poultry hanging around, awaiting their turn
Canastas (baskets) used to bring food, dishes, and serving pieces
Chile spiced oranges and cucumber to cleanse the palate
Never ending piles of dishes waiting to be washed by a myriad of women’s hands
It was an amazing couple of days! And these still lifes only begin to tell the story. I promise more, but in the meantime, check out Oaxaca-The Year After.
Posted in Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged #WhyIMarch, #WMGlobal, #WomensMarchOaxaca, Emma Lazarus poem, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, The New Colossus poem, Women's March Oaxaca, Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017| 7 Comments »
The Women’s March Oaxaca was an overwhelming success! The sun was shining, the sky was blue, pussy hats were present, and estimates put the crowd at almost 2,000 people from the USA, Canada, Mexico, and a few other countries. We even made the front page of Noticias, one of Oaxaca’s major daily newspapers.
I was helping to hold the lead banner, so my photos only begin to tell the story of this amazing event. To tell you the truth, I got teary eyed at the feeling of solidarity from those who marched, those on the sidewalks, and those watching from windows and doorways.
Why did I march? I marched because I want a future for my grandchildren that is not based on hate, fear, and environmental catastrophe.
I marched because, in the 7+ years I have lived in Oaxaca, I have been treated with kindness, generosity, and respect and I want the same for Mexicans and all other immigrants (with and without papers) living in the USA.
I marched because I believed those words on the Statue of Liberty my 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Robinson, had us memorize:
The New Colossus
By Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
See the Women’s March Oaxaca website for more photos, videos, and press reports.
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, tagged #WMGlobal #WomensMarchOaxaca, Espacio Zapata, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, printing, t-shirts, Women's March Oaxaca on January 19, 2017| 8 Comments »
T-shirts hot off the Espacio Zapata presses for Women’s March Oaxaca in solidarity with the Women’s March on Washington.
I’ll be wearing mine on Saturday. See you January 21, 2017 at 11 AM in front of Templo Santo Domingo!
Posted in Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged brooms, escobas de otate, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, twig brooms on January 17, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Remember Have brooms will travel? One day a motorcycle, another day a cart.
And today, the man behind the brooms.
Escobas de otate are the best for street sweeping!
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 