Life and death is a family affair…
November 1 and 3, 2012 in the panteón municipal, San Antonino Castillo Velasco.
Posts Tagged ‘popular travel destinations’
Old rugged cross
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Zaachila on November 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »
The Y-shaped valley of Oaxaca is about 700 square kilometers, not all that big when compared to California’s Sacramento Valley, which is approximately 2,570 square kilometers. Yet, unlike the “sameness” one encounters in Sacramento Valley towns (sorry, CA), one can’t help but be struck by the unique identity of each of the Zapotec villages that are only kilometers apart. One specializes in red clay pots, another in black pottery, and another in green glazed ceramics. There are villages of woodcarvers near weavers of cotton and others of wool, never mind the fashion trends!
Thus, it should come as no surprise that Day of the Dead celebrations and cemeteries differ, often dramatically, from village to village. And so, from the whitewashed graves of Santiago Apóstol and the candlelight of Santa María Atzompa (today’s earlier post), we came to the carved wooden crosses in the Panteón Municipal of the Villa de Zaachila.
Along with livestock, produce, and household goods, wood gathered from the hills surrounding Zaachila is a major part of Zaachila’s weekly Thursday tianguis (open air market). It’s one of my favorites!
Dualism beginning to vanish…
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, dualism, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, religion, Santa María Atzompa, Santiago Apóstol on November 28, 2012| 1 Comment »
With only a couple of days left in November and the Christmas holiday season already making its presence known, it’s now or never to finish sorting through this year’s Día de los Muertos photos — my thoughts and impressions will take the remains of this lifetime, and then some, to process.
To an outsider, especially one whose worldview was shaped by a Judeo-Christian culture, Day of the Dead is often seen through the lens of juxtaposition.
The “unbearable lightness of being” in Santiago Apóstol…
The blurred otherworldly darkness of Santa María Atzompa…
However, light becomes dark becomes light becomes dark, as day becomes night becomes day becomes night, as life becomes death becomes life becomes death… dualism beginning to vanish.
Poinsettias coming to a zócalo near you
Posted in Gardens, Holidays, Parks & Plazas, Travel & Tourism, tagged Christmas, flowers, garden, gardeners, holiday decorations, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, plants, poinsettias, popular travel destinations, zócalo on November 27, 2012| 4 Comments »
Today, the truck arrived, the wheelbarrows were loaded, and the gardening crew began filling the flower beds of Oaxaca’s zócalo…
Navidad is coming to Oaxaca!
It’s all about the bigote
Posted in Creativity, Culture, History, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged bigote, Emiliano Zapata, graffiti, Mexico, mustache, Oaxaca, Pancho Villa, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, wall art on November 17, 2012| 6 Comments »
Mural of Oaxaca history
Posted in Buildings, Culture, History, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Arturo García Bustos, Benito Juárez, Government Palace, José María Morelos y Pavón, Margarita Maza, Mexico, mural, Oaxaca, painting, Palacio de Gobierno, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Porfirio Díaz, Ricardo Flores Magon on November 11, 2012| 8 Comments »
Last night I walked down to Oaxaca’s Palacio de Gobierno at the south end of the zócalo. This former government palace is now a museum and I was headed up to the second floor to see two more Oaxaca FilmFest3 films. I was early, the building was mostly empty, and so I took the opportunity to really study the mural that graces the walls of the main staircase. Painted in 1980 by Arturo García Bustos, the mural depicts the history of Oaxaca.
Coming up the stairs, to the left, the customs and lifestyle of the Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Aztecs of pre-Hispanic times unfold.
As you ascend further, on the right wall the Spanish conquest is portrayed.
However, it is the center section of the mural that grabs the attention. Best seen when one reaches the top, here Bustos, pulls out all the stops in representing the one hundred years from the War of Independence through the Reform Movement to the Mexican Revolution.
Featured in the upper right corner of this panel, wearing his signature red bandanna, is War of Independence hero, José María Morelos y Pavón. He can also be seen in the lower right with a printing press, in his role as publisher of Oaxaca’s first newspaper, El Correo del Sur. On the upper left is anarchist and Mexican revolutionary hero, Ricardo Flores Magón. He is also pictured holding a banner reading, Tierra y Libertad (Land and Liberty). Flores Magón is the namesake of the street that borders the west side of the Government Palace.
However, front and center is Oaxaca’s favorite son, Zapotec, former governor of Oaxaca, and Mexico’s much beloved five-term president, Benito Juárez. He and his Oaxaqueña wife, Margarita Maza, hover prominently above his Reform Movement cabinet. The full text of the ribbon is a quote by Juárez, “El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz” (Respect for the rights of others is peace). It appears on the State of Oaxaca’s coat of arms.
Juárez is also pictured along with the cabinet and third from his right stands another Oaxaqueño, the young, menacing-looking, and far from beloved by the 99%, Porfirio Díaz, trademark epaulettes and all — a portend of things to come.
Following his death in 1872, the city and municipality of Oaxaca honored Benito Juárez by changing its name to Oaxaca de Juárez.
and now FilmFest3
Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged entertainment, film, film festivals, Filmfest3, Matt Dunnerstick, Mexico, movies, Oaxaca, Oaxaca Film Festival, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Postmodern Times, Ramiz Adeeb Azar, The Game, Tilt on November 9, 2012| 2 Comments »
Still recovering from last week’s Día de los Muertos celebrations, another marathon of activities is upon us — last night the third Oaxaca FilmFest opened. With 10 days, 25 venues, 300 films, 5 days of academic programs, among many other events, I can see it’s going to be no rest for the weary!
So, with Golden Key passes (approx. US$11.50) hanging from our necks, last night my indomitable 86-year old neighbor and I walked down to the festival’s headquarters at Plaza San Jerónimo on the Alcalá for the opening night cocktail party. Gringos and international filmmakers mingled with a predominantly young and hip Oaxaqueño crowd. Needless to say, cervesas, mezcal, and horchata flowed freely, accompanied by yummy (though less plentiful) botanas.
We eventually wound our way over to Teatro Juárez to hear founder and artistic director, Ramiz Adeeb Azar, welcome an almost full house, open the festival, and introduce the three opening night films: shorts, Postmodern Times from Austria and The Game from Poland and feature length film, Tilt from Bulgaria and Germany. All three were gripping, thought provoking, and held the audience’s attention. (Chris, they all passed the Low Cough Principle test.) It was a good start!
Ramiz Adeeb Azar
During the course of the evening, we spoke with two American screenwriters, who each have scripts entered in a Script Competition, and American filmmaker Matt Dunnerstick, whose film, The Custom Mary, will be screened tonight and again later in the festival. It’s truly an international festival and (at least last night) all the films were subtitled in both Spanish and English, as is all the program material.
I can’t believe how much bigger and more professional this festival has gotten in only three years. I attended in 2010, the first year, and coming off eight years of volunteering at the Mill Valley Film Festival and attending for many more, I was underwhelmed and thus ignored last year’s Oaxaca FilmFest. All I can say is, you’ve come a long way, baby! I’m glad I’ve got my Golden Key pass and, like these folks, I will be intently studying my program booklet and scheduling grid.
I’ll see you at the movies!!!
An ofrenda is…
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Parks & Plazas, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged altars, Barrio de Xochimilco, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, ofrendas, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Santo Tomás on November 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »
an offering.
an integral part of the Day(s) of the Dead celebration.
filled with meaning.
a beacon to the departed.
an ephemeral work of art.
the sum of its lovingly chosen parts.
This is another ofrenda from the previously mentioned “altar decorating” competition on the plaza in front of Santo Tomás in Oaxaca’s Xochimilco barrio.
Ofrenda prehispanico
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Parks & Plazas, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged altars, Barrio de Xochimilco, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, ofrendas, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Santo Tomás on November 3, 2012| 7 Comments »
Living and being in Oaxaca during the Días de los Muertos is hard to put into words. There is so much to experience and to think about. Sensory overload challenges the limits of heart and mind and my emotions are running the gamut from extreme exhilaration to a quiet joy to being moved to tears.
The latter occurred a few days ago, when I walked up to the Templo de Santo Tomás in Oaxaca’s Xochimilco barrio (neighborhood) where an “altar decorating” contest was in progress. Altars were to be judged on authenticity, originality, and creativity. When I arrived, friends and relatives were in the midst of putting the final touches on their altars. Some were elaborate and some exhibited real artistry, but one really touched my heart.
He was alone — no one to help, no playful banter. When I first arrived, he was carefully etching a cross with a piece of charred wood on a stone.
He worked silently and with purpose, pulling items out of a well-worn sugar bag and carefully placing them on his altar.
When the bag was empty, he walked over to a cart and pulled out another one.
Slowly, his vision emerged, with symbology I have only a cursory grasp of and won’t presume to explain.
I don’t know who won the 5000 peso first prize or second or third place purses, and I don’t know if he was doing it for the money (he certainly looked like he could use it).
All I do know is he and his ofrenda moved me deeply.
Other worldly
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Music, Travel & Tourism, tagged Alejandra Robles, catrina, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on October 31, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Lighting, costumes, music, and dance combined to envelop last night’s audience at the Teatro Macedonio Alcalá in an other worldly experience. Catrina is a magical tale where the world of the living converges with the world of the dead and the central theme is the pain of a mother losing her daughter.
The show is a celebration of the pre-Columbian traditions and culture of Oaxaca, especially the ritual and meaning surrounding Día de los Muertos. Much of the music was traditional Oaxacan and most performers were Oaxaqueños, including Alejandra Robles, singing the title role.
At 48% (that’s over 1.6 million people), the state of Oaxaca has the second highest indigenous population in Mexico. Perhaps that is why the belief systems of the ancient Mexicans Octavio Paz, cites in The Labyrinth of Solitude, remain strong today. He writes, “Life extended into death, and vice-versa. Death was not the natural end of life but one phase of an infinite cycle.” Healthier, more realistic, and more comforting, I think…
Altar-ed state of shopping
Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Holidays, Markets, Travel & Tourism, tagged calaveras, cempasuchitl, Day of the Dead, day of the dead bread, Días de Muertos, food, incense burners, marigolds, markets, mercados, Mexico, Oaxaca, ofrenda, popular travel destinations, puestos, sugar skulls, Tlacolula de Matamoros, vendor stalls on October 30, 2012| 2 Comments »
Sunday, blogger buddy Chris and I drove out to Tlacolula for market day. It didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t your usual Sunday market — there seemed to be twice the number vendors and twice as many shoppers. It was the Sunday before the Días de los Muertos and this mega mercado was providing those who live in the surrounding area with everything they could possible need for their ofrendas (Day of the Dead altars).
Mounds of apples, tangerines, and other fruit.
Rows upon rows of pan de muerto (the special Day of the Dead bread).
Wheelbarrows full of peanuts and pecans.
And, in the city of Oaxaca, special Muertos vendor stalls have been set up between the Benito Juárez Mercado and 5 de Mayo Mercado for city dwellers to stock up. Intricately decorated sugar and chocolate skulls (calaveras) to satisfy the sweet tooth of Mictlantecuhtli (Goddess of Death).
Decorated clay incense burners…
waited to burn copal resin and perfume the air with its wonderful, and now familiar, scent.
Doll house size tables were filled with miniature clay food and beverages (favorites of the departed) …
and included these diminutive plates of mole and arroz (rice) — which I couldn’t resist buying for my altar!
And, of course, there were mounds and mounds of Cempazuchitl (marigolds), the flower of the dead, that grows wild in Oaxaca at this time of year.
All the necessary purchases have been made, now to build my ofrenda.
High heeled in Oaxaca
Posted in Churches, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged clothing, high heels, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, San Judas Tadeo, Santo Domingo, St. Jude, style, tacones, weddings on October 28, 2012| 5 Comments »
Friends from the USA arrived on Friday and yesterday I played tour guide, showing them around the city. It was great fun! Up to Organic Market we went, pausing along the way to photograph the always amazing street art (future blog posts), stumbling on a vela in honor of San Judas Tadeo (aka, St. Jude, patron of desperate causes and hospitals) at Carmen Alta church with women in full Tehuana traje (think: Frida Kahlo), and catching a wedding at Santo Domingo, with requisite band, dancers, monos, marmota, and women wearing impossibly high heels.
I don’t think I could even stand on a smooth flat surface, let alone walk on cobblestones in stilettos like that. If I even tried, I suspect I would wind up on the ground and severely tempted to start praying to San Judas Tadeo!
However, weddings at Santo Domingo are for the socially prominent and wealthy.
I am neither well connected nor well heeled, so I don’t think I will be called upon to go shopping for tacones (high heels) in the near future. If such an unlikely invite were to come my way, I might be tempted to follow this young guest’s lead…
Unbelievably, according to Mexico Retold’s recent humorous blog post, Tacos y Tacones, Mexico City actually played host to a 100 meter High Heel Race. My ankles ached just watching the video and I’m inclined to think the only thing high heels are good for is reclining…
As the old saying goes, “Come on in, take a load off!”
The girls are back in town, pt. 2
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calaveras, catrina, Catrinas, Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos, Días de Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, skeletons on October 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »
This Catrina arrived styling and ready to party.
Manicured fingers and toes, flower in her hair, and umbrella drink in hand, all she needs is a guy (or gal).
Young man beware — she has her eye on you!
The girls are back in town
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calaveras, Catrinas, Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos, Días de Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, skeletons on October 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »
And, guess who’s coming to dinner? Catrinas, pinkies up!
Dahling, don’t start the party without me!
Lo siento mis amigas, sending regrets from Juchitán.
Decisions, decisions, decisions… Shall I take the Jetta, Crossfox, Suburban, or Express Van???
As for these two…
I’m not sure they are coming.
Hmmm… a lover’s quarrel? Sheesh, even in the afterlife??!!!
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