A mile or two from the city are fields of corn; a recurring reminder of where the masa used to make tortillas, tamales, and other mealtime staples, comes from. Livestock roam the hills and are often seen being herded down the streets of local villages.
And, at the foot of the stairs of my new apartment is a coyuche bush — the brown cotton plant that has been cultivated in this part of the world for thousands of years.
The ripe buds of the coyuche have been harvested, cleaned, spun, and woven into huipiles and cotones (men’s shirts) by countless generations. However, like many textile traditions, industrialization has taken its toll. The cultivation and use of coyuche is literally hanging by a thread, mostly confined to the Mixteca and Costa Chica regions of Oaxaca. As a result, besides just liking the design and color, I have a profound appreciation for and treasure this old huipil that was given to me a couple of years ago.
It’s in desperate need of repair. My friend and Mexican textile collector and chronicler, Sheri Brautigam, advised me to take it to Odilon Merino Morales, who is from San Juan Amuzgo and leads an effort to revive the use of coyuche. I will ask him if he knows of someone who could give my huipil some tender loving mending.
Living close to the source — there is something wonderful about the coyuche plant’s daily reminder of the origin of one of my favorite huipiles.
Mexican Peso Converter
View From Casita Colibrí 
Sign of the times
Posted in Churches, Creativity, Culture, People, Religion, tagged current-events, illustrations, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, political commentary, Pope Benedict XVI, street art, Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, wall art on February 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Today, Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the Roman Catholic church rode off into the sunset. (Actually, he flew off in a helicopter.) And, naturally, the walls of Oaxaca had something to say…
This was pasted on a wall right across from the south entrance to Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The walls are never silent.
By the way, I did a Twitter search for the hashtag afterPopequit, but came up empty.
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