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Posts Tagged ‘popular travel destinations’

Masked & anonymous

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Desfile de Delegaciones, Guelaguetza, mascaras, masks, Mexico, Oaxaca, Parade of Delegations, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on July 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Who were those masked men?

From the Guelaguetza desfile, July 19, 2014

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Food glorious food!

Posted in Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged chicatanas, Expo Feria de Queso y Quesillo, Festival de los 7 Moles, food, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on July 20, 2014| 8 Comments »

I’m eating my way through the Guelaguetza festivities. It all began on Friday with the kickoff banquet for the Festival de los Moles. Remember the chicatanas from last month? They were there. Check out the mole on the middle left. Giving the mole a little “crunch,” it was muy sabroso!

Mole verde con espinazo de cerdo from Restaurant Los Compadres

Mole de Chicatanas from Putla de Guerrero

One of 3 long tables, each olla (pot) filled with a different mole

My plate, round one

Then yesterday, we ventured out to Reyes Etla for the Expo Feria del Queso y Quesillo (cheese fair), followed by comida at Comedor Colon in Villa de Etla.

Queso decorated with epazote

Queso topped with chapulines

My tlayuda at Comedor Colon

Today, we were supposed to go into the mountains of the Sierra Norte to San Antonio Cuajimoloyas for the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres. Alas, bloqueos blocked our way and so L and I were “forced” to browse (and shop) our way through the countless artesan stalls at the top of the Alcalá and in Llano Park. Of course, this required major nourishment. At a time like this, nothing beats street food!

Tacos with roasted onions and chopped pork

All I can say is, yummmm! And, next weekend, we will again attempt to venture up into the mountains for the wild mushrooms festival.

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Back to Teotitlán del Valle

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, History, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Danza de la Pluma, Doña Marina, Feather dance, festivals, fiesta, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Subalternos, Teotitlán del Valle on July 10, 2014| 3 Comments »

We returned to Teotitlán del Valle on Tuesday and Wednesday the Danza de la Pluma — more of the multi-day fiesta honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

An airborne Moctezuma and the Danzantes

The Danza de la Pluma is a ritual re-enactment of the Spanish conquest. The story is told in 41 bailes (dances) and lasts from early afternoon into the night. It is an honor to be a participant — the Danzantes, Moctezuma, the Subalternos, Malinche, and Doña Marina are selected years in advance and make a promise to the church and community to perform their roles for 3 years.

Dance of Malinche and Doña Marina

All is not completely serious — the Subalternos provide a little levity along the way.

Subalterno trying on the Penacho of a Danzante

The subtext and “hidden” narratives of the danza are multiple and complex and after 5 years, I’m only in the infant stages of understanding. I will leave it to the two scholarly articles listed below to attempt interpretation.

References:

Cohen, Jeffrey. Danza de la Pluma: Symbols of submission and separation in a Mexican Fiesta. Anthropological Quarterly, Jul 93, Vol. 66 Issue 3, p. 149-158.

Harris, Max. The Return of Moctezuma. The Drama Review, Sp 97, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p. 106, 29 p.

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The bells are ringing

Posted in Buildings, Churches, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged church bells, Iglesia de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora, Mexico, Oaxaca, Parroquia de San Juan de Dios, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Templo de San Cosme y San Damian, Templo del Carmen Bajo, Tlacolula de Matamoros on June 28, 2014| 2 Comments »

Awaking to the sounds of church bells chiming. I must be back in Oaxaca.

Templo del Carmen Bajo, Oaxaca de Juárez

Iglesia de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora, Tlacolula de Matamoros

Parroquia de San Juan de Dios, Oaxaca de Juárez

Church somewhere between San Baltazar Chichicapam and Oaxaca de Juárez

Anyone know the name and location of this church? I think maybe I should turn on my camera’s GPS!

And, just one more…

Templo de San Cosme y San Damian, Oaxaca de Juárez

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Just between you and me…

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Baile de Los Viejitos, Between, Carnaval, Carnival, Dance of the Old Men, Holy Week, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Semana Santa, Teotitlán del Valle on June 21, 2014| 4 Comments »

Tête-à-tête between Viejitos (I know, I’m mixing languages), seen between the shoulders of two municipal leaders, on the Municipal Plaza in Teotitlán del Valle during this year’s previously mentioned Carnaval.

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Fathers of Oaxaca, 2014

Posted in Celebrations, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Día del Padre, Father's Day, fathers and children, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on June 15, 2014| 6 Comments »

To all the loving fathers out there…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A very happy Father’s Day!

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This is a good spot

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, artists, buildings, dangerous, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art graffiti, wall art on June 8, 2014| 6 Comments »

The “buildings in a bad state” in Oaxaca continue to multiply.

Where some see unsightly decay, others see opportunity…

including urban artist, SCOM.

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My split second story

Posted in Celebrations, cell phones, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged el Divino Señor del Calvario, festival, Mexico, Mixteca, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca on May 30, 2014| 11 Comments »

“I dunno… not much… festival going on downtown… Yeah, food looks good… couple of bands… castillo tonight… So, ya wanna go?”

Last Sunday on a quiet side street away from the chaos and cacophony of the festival honoring el Divino Señor del Calvario, in San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca, Oaxaca. Of course, it’s probably not at all what was being said, not to mention the fact the conversation was most likely in Spanish or Mixtec. But it’s my split second story.

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Not your Chicago Bulls

Posted in Animals, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged basketball, bulls, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca on May 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Bulls, real…

and imagined…

… yesterday on the streets of San Juan Bautista Coixtlahuaca.

We were there for day four of the annual fiesta in honor of el Divino Señor del Calvario and to see the Templo y ExConvento de San Juan Bautista — another of the grand Dominican churches currently undergoing restoration. More about both later. No bull!

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Monos on the move

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Expat Blog, Expat interview, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on May 24, 2014| 6 Comments »

Yesterday, I was walking along calle de Flores Magón, and what to my wondering eyes did appear?

Husband and wife? Novia y novio?? “Just” friends???

I’ve got to say, they looked rather stiff and not very comfortable. Hope their trip was a short one!

By the way, if you want to read a little about my journey to Oaxaca and expat life, Expat Blog recently published an interview with me, American Expat Living in Mexico – Interview with Shannon. There is even a photo of a couple of monos supervising a banda. Perhaps friends of the above???

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Eve of (mural) destruction

Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Central Connecticut State University, culture, Diego Rivera, Mexico, Mike Alewitz, mural painting, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on May 18, 2014| 1 Comment »

Mexico has a long and important place in the history of communication through murals — from stories related by pre-Hispanic civilizations…

Maya fresco circa 790 C.E. – Bonampak, Chiapas.

through the world-renowned and influential Mexican muralists of the twentieth century: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros, and others.

History of Mexico by Diego Rivera, 1931 – National Palace, Mexico City.

And, as many of you know, murals on the walls of Oaxaca are part of the urban landscape, authorized or not, like them or not, they celebrate…

One of the murals in the pedestrian tunnel to the Guelaguetza auditorium.

One of several murals in the pedestrian tunnel to the Guelaguetza auditorium in Oaxaca city.

educate…

San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca.

reveal past and present — and hopes and fears for the future.

Calle Tinoco y Palacios, between Vasconcelos and Niños Héroes, Oaxaca city.

Those found on the streets we expect to be ephemeral, but commissioned work, both inside and outside of buildings, we hope would have a longer and more permanent lifespan. Of course, the Rockefeller family’s destruction of Diego Rivera’s Rockefeller Center mural showed differently. And, more recently, my friend and artist, Mike Alewitz experienced the obliteration of his mural on the side of the Pathfinder Building, also in New York. Both were instances of political differences and, while distressing, perhaps not too surprising.

However, today Mike is leading a battle in defense of his students’ murals. According to NBC Connecticut:

Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) has built up one of the largest mural collections in the country since the program started in 2001. But Professor Mike Alewitz, who oversees CCSU’s mural painting program, said that collection is at risk.

The school has painted over six of the murals without notice and plans to do the same with another 12, Alewitz said Richard Bachoo, director of operations, confirmed. He said he hopes an appeal to the university and community support will protect the remaining murals.

“It made them feel part of the larger world, that they weren’t looking at blank walls inside an institution, but they were looking at the hopes and dreams of young people,” Alewitz said. “We found out that 18 murals were scheduled to be destroyed.”

<snip>

He says in the 14 years the mural program has existed, the policy has never been implemented in this way. Alewitz said in a statement that this is “the largest destruction of public art in recent history.” While administrators have removed murals in the past, they normally consult with the art department first, he said.

“The real policy has been that people love the murals, so when they’ve been painted, they’ve stayed up,” Alewitz said.

Oaxaca would lose much of her character and lessons would be lost, if we were to wake one morning and find all her murals disappeared. The story is the same at CCSU. For the full article, click HERE. To send messages of protest and to see some of the amazing student murals that enliven the walls and stimulate thinking at CCSU but are slated for destruction, click HERE. And, Why Bureaucrats Fear Art, is a letter to students and fellow artists, by Mike Alewitz.

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Shadows on the wall

Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged architecture, cactus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, shadows on May 16, 2014| 4 Comments »

Everyday and everywhere there is something to see…

if we just open our eyes.

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Information please

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Gorilla Glass, graffiti, Jason Pfohl, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art on May 13, 2014| 8 Comments »

These creatures began materializing around town a couple of months ago. I wonder…

Who are they?

Where did they come from?

What do they want?

Perhaps, I should ask here!

The walls of Oaxaca… you have questions, they have answers.

Update: The monsters sprang forth from the mind of SCOM.

h/t Jason Pfohl of Gorilla Glass.

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Feliz cumpleaños Oaxaca!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged airplanes, aviones, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Pilatus PC7, popular travel destinations on April 25, 2014| 2 Comments »

Today the City of Oaxaca celebrates 482 years as a colonial city. (*** See below for a little history.) The day began at 6 AM with the ringing of the Cathedral’s bells, the singing of Mañanitas Oaxaqueñas, and marimbas and tamales on the Alameda de León. Alas, that was a little early for me to be up, dressed, and downtown. However, all I had to do was step out on my terrace to watch the next event of the day.

Five Pilatus PC7 Mexican Air Force planes put on a show over the city.

They made several passes over the city.

For their finale, contrails displayed the green, white, and red of the Mexican flag.

And then they were gone. I love how Noticias concludes their report, “After 45 minutes, the ‘steel birds’ returned to their base, pending a new appeal to challenge gravity.”

Celebrations continue through May 8 and a schedule of events can be found HERE.

*** In 1532 Spanish settlers (their bloody way paved by Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores) successfully petitioned the Queen of Spain for a land grant of 1 square league. The colonists had already established their own town on the site of Huaxyacac, renamed it Antequera (after an old Roman city in Spain) and received a Royal Charter from King Charles I of Spain. However, Cortés had successfully gotten the entire Valley of Oaxaca (hundreds of thousands of acres) declared as his own private marquisate and, his greed knowing no bounds, kept trying to evict the colonial townspeople. By obtaining the queen’s charter, this end-run around Cortés insured the rights of the townspeople to the land.